Choice Chocolates

It would be great to see the and inaugurate a new CHOCOLATERIA shop in Woodbury. 

Is that Big Scissors real when they cut, or is it all fake? I’m sure they could find room at the Valley Creek Mall for a fascinating chocolate wonderland to be experienced with all the senses.

Anyone interested in living a child’s dream? Can you image lots of wide-eyed children picking Easter bunnies eggs; alongside the dozens of grown-ups in your Chocolate Shop for a box of truffles or an artisan bar of dark chocolate flavored with geranium, lavender, tea, in your milk, dark chocolate. It would add to Woodbury’s hive of thrills and excitement.

I know it sounds expensive and impractical; but even a non-chocolate snob like my 7-year-old son looks a bit puzzled when he tastes the dollar store vegetable oil / < 20% cocoa content / sugar flavored “chocolate” candy.

Some things we just should resurrect from nursery days—those wonderful memories just stay with you—those beautifully designed chocolate pieces made with a sense of joy. And if the market is right; demand is high, maybe it could still be affordable to buy the real thing occasionally, just like how people treat themselves from time to time to a “real” cup of fancy coffee.

Well, some folks can’t make coffee to save their soul and live in . But coffee has a stimulant attached to it and although I know some will site that chocolate does as well… seriously; people don’t eat chocolate to “wake up in the morning.”

Maybe we could start up a chocolate shop that infuses the chocolate with caffeine. I hear that raw cacao is toxic but a rather significant stimulant, and some debate the benefits of the raw cacao bean that with all the buzz about “raw foods."

Chocolate lovers would be able to imagine and create their own chocolate delights in the workshops/classes you would be able to offer. Morning tastings, evening tastings. Chocalligraphy classes could be offered, corporate events, children’s parties, specials of the month, infusing chocolate cream with roses, violets.  Easter Egg classes under watchful guidance, on loan from the Leporidae department of the MN Zoological Garden.

I would love a class on how to Taste the Chocolate. My husband would say, “Just eat it and let’s get back to work!“ Men are so pragmatic at times!

Would you believe that Chocolate is a complex food with over 300 compounds and chemicals in each bite. To really enjoy and appreciate chocolate, you have to take the time to taste it. Professional chocolate tasters have a system for tasting chocolate that assess the appearance, smell, feel and taste of each piece. 

Since Woodbury seems to be blossoming into combustible blends of growing arts and theatre with fabulous citizens more than happy to report for the benefit of all of us — I have no doubt we are ready to celebrate and explore the delicacy of handmade chocolate through talks, workshops and classes.  Then, show how your chocolate is made by Woodbury artisan producers and with a host of support we’ll see how chocolate is represented through film, music, performance art, visual arts and fashion.

The Swiss eat roughly 22lbs of chocolate per person per year. The U.S. consumes about 11 lbs per person each year. BUT, we DO consume almost 90lbs of chicken per capita each year. I’d like to see the Swiss do THAT!

I visited the Cacao Tree recently.  It usually grows in tropical areas and bears pods full of hard, bitter beans.  2,500 years ago the Mayans and Aztecs people roasted cacao beans and mixed them with water and spices — they called their drink chocol haa or xocolatl. (Which means, ’bitter water’)  They thought it was the drink of the gods, and used it in religious ceremonies. Cocoa Beans were used as currency among the Mayans and Aztec cultures (who says money doesn’t grow on trees?).

Aztec Emperor Montezuma drank it 50 times a day from a golden goblet,  He called it the divine drink, believing it gave him strength and wisdom. Raw cacao does stimulate high levels of serotonin and dopamine — which probably means that ol’ Montezuma was sleepless, cranky and a chocolate junky when he first met Cortez.

The Spanish grew cocoa bean on plantations in Africa and shipped them to Spain.  In 1579, pirates raided a Spanish ship, thinking it was carrying gold.  Instead, it was full of cocoa beans.  The pirates thought they were sheep droppings, so they set fire to them!  If they had know the truth, they could have sold the beans for a fortune.

Chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants, which may help protect you against cancer and heart disease.

Aphrodisiac

Many believe that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, possibly because of the simple sensual pleasure of its consumption. Cadbury recently did a study and found that 52% of women in the UK preferred chocolate over being intimate with their partners. My husband has a demographic layout of the sort of woman that this would apply to, but what does he know about the women of Britain?!  What about the men of Britain?!

Antidepressant

I’ve read that chocolate is a great natural antidepressant.  It contains tryptophan which helps you create serotonin, your body’s own antidepressant. But, too much can also cause anxiety.

Balance the Calories

Shucks!  This doesn't mean that you should eat a pound of chocolate a day. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food.  (1 bar equals 400 calories). You have to cut out other sweets and snacks and just replace them with the dark chocolate,  about 3.5 oz to get the benefits. But, since it is somewhat addictive; like most addictions, we seek ways to justify our blossoming problems and we find ways to speak at length of the benefits of a glass of wine a day and 1 ounce of dark chocolate per day [meanwhile; Big Lou and Flo down the street are downing a 4 bags of Dove every other day with their 3 liter box o’ red wine]. 

Go for Dark Chocolate:

Dark chocolate has far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate.  Dark chocolate has 65 percent or higher cocoa content.  Which do you prefer?  71% of Americans chocolate eaters prefer milk chocolate.

Skip the Nougat:

You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat or other fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.

Avoid Milk:

It may taste good but some research shows that washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body.

That’s Rich:

Chocolate is rich in magnesium and iron - your body needs this.

Better than a kiss:

Chocolate’s melting point is just below your body temperature, so it melts in your mouth.  Melting chocolate in your mouth raises brain activity and heart rate more intensely than passionate kissing, and last four times longer!

Choice…Chocolates

Or my husband would choose…