Chocolate. Just the word brings on a passion.
I take in a good whiff every time I ride by the Bloomer Chocolate factory at 600 West Kinzie St. on my way home out of Chicago. The smell…well it all goes back to my mom and her addiction to Mars Bars.
History: Chocolate is produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. It has been produced for centuries with its earliest recognizable use around 1100 BC. Mesoamericans make chocolate beverages including the Aztecs and Mayans and is now served in the bean-to-cup chocolate operation at XOCO in Chicago. You can’t wait until the dead of winter to try it. All you chocolate lovers out there – be prepared to be instantly hooked…and oh, by the way, did anyone mention that you will never recover?
I could give up chocolate but I'm not a quitter.
White chocolate only contains cocoa butter, sugar and milk but no cocoa solids and thus does not qualify to be considered real chocolate. Drat! I love white chocolate! Some things I remember about white chocolate? Well, I close my eyes and can remember how my sister Krissy’s white chocolate chip cookies taste. To die for!
So what was so unique about a Mars Bar? Don’t really want to know the calories and fat grams…did not make an ounce a difference to someone like my mom who was addicted and could have cared less. It was almost a respect that could not be discussed but rather just enjoyed – in silence and savoring every flavor until the last bite. Yep – I can still taste that too. So, my addiction to chocolate comes from my mom. Thank goodness she was not addicted to any of my vices!
One of my favorite chocolates on the planet is DOVE. Been there with all the others and have compared but nothing else can weigh against the taste of DOVE chocolate. I don’t particularly care for their website – as a website designer to be- but I can attest to the fact that their chocolate is simply the best! I can pop a Promise in my mouth and be happy all day – why is that? Hate to admit it but chocolate just improves the attitude that I have with the rest of the world. If I am feeling a bit off, chocolate takes me right back on and makes me feel like everything is OK and can survive another day. Doesn’t it astonish you that a food can do that? It’s what I love about food. Sometimes it can carry you off to another place.
Yes, and I love Chocolate has its own Facebook page. Go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-LOVE-CHOCOLATE/50256642445
A million reasons to love Chocolate. What is yours? Write me and let me know.
Oh, and by the way, we have heard this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process. It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance?
Bon Appetit!