I have my Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chocolate Chips (60%) laid out on my desk like rows of cocaine. The purpose is actually to avoid excessive snorting of the product, which, if left to mindless reachings for the bag, would result in eating a whole bag daily. Three rows, five chips each. That might seem excessively restrictive. But don't feel too sorry for me. They're large, plump, rich, silken...oops, I'm e-drooling... and, I'm a total addict. Health benefits of dark chocolate aside, I do have a problem.Five years ago I quit cold turkey. At first I didn't associate my dramatic symptoms with withdrawal. Then, I made the connection and confessed to my doctor. His response: Oh, I just finished reading a book on addiction subtitled "...from chocolate to cocaine".
There have been other periods of forced abstention, most notably when I'm ill (flu, etc). As I only get sick during times that are already stressful, throw in the withdrawal factor and you've got one cosmically ill woman who can hardly stand upright in her hellish existence. Not pretty. Eventually, I recover and feel revitalized and cleansed and intend to swear off the stuff for good. But, then, oh then...there is NOTHING like that first mouthful of GHIRARDELLI DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHIPS, sucked into my cells and crying out, "Lucy*, I'm home!".
Which brings me to a point. I know my chocolate and have many favorite brands of bars: Valrhona (71%, also the candied orange peel or dark espresso), Green & Black's (any! Try the mint, ginger, currant), Moonstruck (Chile Varado: has a kick!). They fall in a rarified, classy category that inspires me to be a connaisseur. I'm thinking GDCC chips must have crack in them. This would explain the baser, addictive reaction. I'm sure I'm not the only one buying so much that the Safeway checker asks me what huge baking project I'm into.
I gladly give free samples. But the next one will cost you in the back alley.
*Not to be confused with Lucy-the-wonder-border-collie who once ate an entire 71% Valrhona bar and learned from the experience.
12 comments:
i love telling my friends stories about your chocolate pushing. i'm sure mine is the only mom who keeps dark chocolate in her purse at all times...and i'm always thankful for it.
Oh, my eldest daughter already made me laugh today. And now she makes me cry!
Oh how I love Green & Blacks--all varieties. I have few things on my desk in my new office, but one essential office supply is a stash of chocolate. I finished off the currents and hazelnut from G&B and am now chipping away at a bar of 70% dark chocolate with espresso beans from Endangered Species. Lovely.
Folks, believe this lady! She recently brought out a jar of powdered chocolate and spoons all the while urging her guests to "dig in!" I suppose it won't be long before she ditches the spoons in favor of straws and long chocolate powder lines on a mirror.
Unklephil: Thank you for the compliment. But I have the said can in possession and, in a true defense, must point out it is labeled thus:
GREEN & BLACK'S MAYA GOLD
"The flavors in our Maya Gold chocolate bar were inspired by a drink of chocolate, orange and spices made by the Maya Indians in Belize. Here we have created a cocoa-rich and aromatic drink, with a deliciously creamy froth."
Yes, this ground condiment brings a froth to my lips...without adding milk.
Powdered Chocolate???? What are you snorting??
OMG! There are chocolate lovers, and then there's Dearest Dragonfly, in a category all her own! Ahem...harrumph... I'm going to come out of the closet, so to speak: I've been known to eat ground chocolate by the spoonful too... Why bother diluting it in liquid when you can just get the immediate experience, and intensified at that! You just have to keep your throat closed so you don't accidentally inhale any of it. (Oh, oh, I never inhaled! Ha ha ha!)
Oh, thanks for the "don't inhale" *no comment* reminder!! Yuk. Dusty lungs.
We'll have to share a dip into my private stash of the aforementioned highly textured powder. In a class all by itself.
Felipe turned it down one night. All the more for the rest of us!
Robyn, how do you come by your G&B stash? Maybe it's more commonly available than I thought. Was worried for a while that I might have to actually pay 'pounds' (darn that weak dollar...) for my new obsession.
I now read that Cadbury bought them out. Yikes. If they do to this product what the new Owners of Ben & Jerry's did to "Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz" ice cream, that would not be good.
My plain old local grocery store has recently installed an imported candy section with about 6 different Green & Black options all in a row. They ain't cheap, but they're worth every penny.
AMEN, Robyn!!
Hast thou seen the G&B cookbook on Amazon? Probably one of those silly questions; I wouldn't be surprised if you coauthored it.
Flattery will get you EVERYWHERE!
yup. of course i've seen it.
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