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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