The Joy of Chocolate

When I’m on a diet, I dream I grab fistfuls of chocolate and push them into my mouth. As fun as that might sound, it’s really more of a nightmare. I wake up gasping and feel tremendously grateful that it wasn’t for real.

I eat chocolate every day. I’ll tell you why I like it. It’s not because of all the words you usually associate with it. It’s not because it’s “rich” or “creamy” or “sweet”. It’s because it makes me happy. I feel it in my chest, a distinct expanding I associate more with joy than taste.

Despite recent reports, I don’t delude myself into thinking chocolate is good for me, especially since I prefer milk chocolate to dark (I’ll get my antioxidants from pomegranate juice, but thank you so much for trying.)

I’m not particularly interested in Hershey’s (which I find waxy), Snickers,
Butterfingers, or anything else typically found in a Halloween bag (it’s the hydrogenated vegetable oil that turns me off.) I will eat Hershey’s chocolate kisses, but only if there is no other chocolate available and I’ve declared a national state of emergency.

If given a choice, any choice, I pick Fiat (il cremino Majani). Recently, our friends Fabrizio, Angela and Lisa brought me a box of pralines called Cailler. If I were to compare these Cailler to Fiat, I think they might tie for first place. But I’ll need another box to make sure. (I sure hope they read my blog.)

Sees Candies are high on my list too. In honor of the fact they are from California, and that I’ve been eating them ever since I can remember, we go in there every time we see one. I pick one with caramel, one with almonds, and a cup of California Crunch – and two chocolate lollipops to hold me over until the next trip. As luck would have it, there is a Sees Candies a block from my office (which has contributed to the “tight clothes” fiasco I currently find myself in. I blame nostalgia.)

I’m not going to eat any chocolate today. I’m on a diet, so I’m daydreaming about it. Consequently, I thought I’d share with you which ones I like and get it off my chest. You know, to avoid the nightmares.