Monday, October 28, 2019

Monday, 10/28


And happy National Chocolate Day, the most wonderful time of the year!!

I had no idea that there actually WAS a National Chocolate Day or that it was being celebrated today,
but thanks to the keen observational powers of my Dad, who noticed it on a calendar a few years ago, I'm now all set to go. So thanks, Dad!!

How does one actually celebrate National Chocolate Day? Well, I'm sure eating some is a big part of it, and I'll make sure I celebrate in that way. But what else do you do? Sing chocolate carols? Send out chocolate cards? Build a chocolate man out in the front yard? If that's the case, I'm ill prepared for the holiday.

Let's just hope that my overall love for the food is enough to carry the day.

It's funny; I've always loved chocolate, but I can't pinpoint an exact reason why. All I know is that even when I was a kid, I was a bit...particular about the kinds of chocolate I would eat. When I was really young, I had a fondness for Milk Shake chocolate bars. I don't know if any of you actually remember Milk Shake bars or if they were even available to people outside of Michigan, but they were kind of like a slightly less sweet version of a Milky Way bar. Or at least that's how I remember them; I haven't eaten one, or even laid eyes upon one, for almost 30 years now.

As I grew up, my tastes in chocolate (and chocolate bars) evolved, but it wasn't until I went to Europe for the first time that my tastes became what they are today. I don't wanna sound like a chocolate “snob” or anything, but for the most part there really isn't a comparison between what you can get here and what you can get there. Heck, some “chocolate” bars in the US don't even have chocolate in them (which is why you'll notice the phrase “chocolate-flavored” or “chocolate-flavored candy” on much of your Halloween or Christmas chocolate), but in Europe, especially Belgium, chocolate is a fine art. And once I experienced what you could taste over there, I was spoiled for life.

However, I do have to give credit to the burgeoning American artisinal chocolate market. Some chocolatiers like Endangered Species are doing amazing things with chocolate, especially dark chocolate. And as the health benefits of darker chocolate are becoming better known, I have a feeling that that trend will continue.

I, for one, can not wait!

So I hope you have a great National Chocolate Day. Grab your favorite kind of bar and bite off a big hunk; after all, if you eat chocolate on National Chocolate Day, the calories don't count, right? I think I read that somewhere on the Internet, and as we all know, everything on the Internet is true, right? Or celebrate it the way I'll celebrate it, by trying a chocolate you've either never tried before or one that's an all-time favorite (in my case, a dark chocolate with blackberry & sage bar I picked up at the Marquette Food Co-op). Either way, just make sure you celebrate.

After all, it's not National Chocolate Day every day, is it?



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