Wednesday, 10/14

 I am about to say something I’ve never said before, a sentence so blasphemous that my fingers may burst into flames as I type it. So if, for some reason, the blog ends here, you’ll know it’s just because my keyboard’s on fire.

You ready? Here goes—

There's a European chocolate bar that I don’t like.

Okay, let me check my fingertips. Nope; no scorching. And my keyboard’s in good shape, as well. So despite the fact that I never thought I would utter the above sentence, I guess the world is still spinning on its axis. And that’s a good thing.

The chocolate bar in question is one I hadn't thought of for a while, but after discussing a certain kind of filling Saturday at the Farmer's Market with my friend Davin, who actually makes his own chocolate bars, I had to dig around in a box and find the label for it.

(And before you ask...yes, I DO have a box filled with the labels of all the different kinds of European chocolate I've eaten. Doesn't everyone?)

The bar in question was a Heilemann Holunder Truffel bar, part of a series of higher end chocolate that also includes another I've tried, a white chocolate with vanilla and bourbon bar that I actually did like. I bought the Holunder a couple of years ago because it sounded interesting; it was a 65% dark chocolate with an elderberry truffle filling. I wanted to try it because I’ve never had elderberry with chocolate before; heck, I don’t even know if I’ve ever had elderberry in anything before.

But I won’t be trying it again.

The elderberry truffle filling was bitter, perhaps too bitter for a chocolate bar. It didn't blend with darker chocolate the way other fillings may, and if I remember correctly it left a mildly acidic aftertaste in your mouth. I mean, I’m glad I had the chance to see what it’s like, but I certainly wouldn’t travel a quarter of the way around the planet just to buy one, which is something I would do (and have done) for some of the other chocolate I’ve had in Europe.

I think foods with bitter tastes must be a German cultural thing. As an example, just think of one of the most German of foods—sauerkraut. Aside from the elderberry chocolate bar, I've also given several tastes to a jam that sounded promising but left me wanting, and that was a black currant jam.

I don't think I'll be trying it if we ever get to go back again.

Like the elderberry in the chocolate, the black currant was rather bitter, even with whatever sugar may have been added into it. If I remember correctly it wasn’t bad; it didn't make me barf, and I didn’t toss it into the trash. But it certainly isn’t something I would want to try again. But I did try it, and that’s the important thing. Travel experts tell you that to really experience a culture you should do what they do, and that includes eating the culture’s food, which I do try as often as possible. Many times I’ve loved what I’ve sampled. This time, not so much. But I tried it, and that’s the important thing, right?

So now you know that there is at least one chocolate that I won’t go to the ends of the Earth for. And who knows—there might be others, as well. I guess if I ever get the chance I’ll just have to try them all—each and every one of them--to find out if there’s another.

Ah, the things we do for science, right?

8-)

(jim@wmqt.com)

(ps—speaking of things that are sweet...happy birthday, Mallory!)