In the U.S., where comparable sales were up 4.4%, consumer traffic in restaurants was driven by menu items such as the McRib and McCafe items like the caramel mocha, as well as promotional games like the Monopoly sweepstakes.

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As we poke about the town, which spirals up out of the plain like the tip of a caramel ice cream cone, the first snowflakes drift down, foreshadowing an impending storm.

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Around town artisan shops, most specializing in handmade furniture or sweet treats like doce de leite, a local caramel, dot the tranquil streets.

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He wore a gray sweatshirt and caramel corduroys with the knees and thighs bald, like a worn radial tire.

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