March 4, 2005 | Uncategorized
My friend Lori on eHarlequin said recently that she refuses to feel guilty for eating chocolate any more. She deserves chocolate. And you know what? She definitely does.
I’ve been a little obsessed with chocolate just lately. Not for any reason in particular. I’ve always liked chocolate–okay, I’ve loved it–but I’ve stayed away from it. It’s fattening and it gives me zits. I’ve never been someone who eats chocolate daily, or instead of meals, or who goes out of her way to beg, buy, or steal it.
But lately I seem to have made friends with it. Got to know it a little better, invited it in to stay awhile. (Or for as long as it lasts, anyway.) Maybe even had a few long, slow kisses…
I’m a little picky about it, though. True chocoholics eat all sorts of chocolate. Me, I don’t see the point in wasting precious calories and clear skin on a Kit-Kat or a Mars bar or a Yorkie or a Snickers. I don’t want my chocolate so sweet I feel my head exploding after a bite. Though I can eat plain milk chocolate for hours on end–it’s my binge chocolate, and I don’t really buy it because as soon as I get a bar in my hot little hand it is gone, and my chin is a minefield. And white chocolate…what is the point?
I like dark chocolate–preferably over 60% cocoa solids. My most faithful friend is Green & Black’s Organic Maya Gold. G&B and I have had a lot of gooooood evenings together. I think it’s one of those relationships that are comfy, but still have an edge of sexual tension. Like a good-looking guy you’ve been mates with for years, and although nothing’s ever gonna happen, you still get a little buzz in your stomach when you see him.
I’ve got some other sexy friends, too. I bought myself a box of gianduja the other day on the recommendation of Kate Hardy and that was…well, I won’t belabour the chocolate=man metaphor, but let’s just say it had a wonderful mouthfeel.
I’ve also recently experimented with some 70% cocoa solids with lemon peel and extract I picked up in Paris. That was a hunk.
The sexiest chocolate I’ve had recently, though, was during a bit of a menage a trois…after a long drunken night in London, my friends Biddy and Vicky and I shared a bar of Green & Black’s Organic Dark Chocolate with Organic Cherries, washed down with Jack Daniels from a silver hip flask. We had Hugh Jackman on the telly, too. In case there are impressionable readers on this website, the less said about that episode, the better.
I’m getting a few lurkers on this site, who I’d love to hear from. So come on, friends, tell me, because I know you want to…Who’s your sexiest sweet friend?
Anna Lucia says:
I’m a chocolate slut.
Although, like you, I don’t eat it all that regularly, when I do, I like to slum it.
I appreciate a fine chocolate just as much as the next woman. I admire it’s style and class, it’s charm and oh-so-expensive charisma.
But I like a bit of rough. Sucking the chocolate off an orange kitkat. Sneaking furtively into downmarket sweet stores and buying a handful of melt-in-the-mouth cups from the wrong side of town, dressed in gaudy metallic jackets.
Hey babe, you want some? Hell, yeah.I always come back home and play the good little girl, nibbling Bendicks after dinner mints. Ankles crossed, knees together. Cocoa butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.
But after dark, you’ll find me half naked in the kitchen, attending to a box of Charbonnel et Walker drinking chocolate. With a spoon.
I can bring even posh chocolate down to my level….
Julie says:
LOL! More! I want more dirty chocolate secrets! Who else is out there?
Cearha says:
*chocolate slut in the headlights look*
eh…*blink*blink*
I must confess, being ‘Merican, I’ve, of course, always melted for that panache of Old World and imported.
Thru no fault of my own (Julie,Julie, JULIEEEE), I’ve become addicted to G & B’s Maya Gold…
Like a good man, this is not to be shared. No, this is a bit of lusciousness that one meets stealthily in a darkened room, stealing precious moments before , alas, you begin to hear footsteps outside the door and the distinctive whisper of, “Mom? You in there eating chocolate again?”
Suzanne says:
Julie, I don’t have any chocolate secrets, but that was the sexiest, most passionate description of chocolate love I’ve ever read!! Can’t wait to read your Temptations!!! (Is there chocolate involved?) LOL.
Julie says:
There’ll be some chocolate in my next Temptation about the chef, for sure, Suzanne. And I don’t believe you about not having chocolate secrets.
Glad you like my mate G&B, Cearha…though he does like some one-on-one time, doesn’t he? ggg
Tricia Fields says:
Chocolate secrets? Don’t have any. Nope. Not me. All my dirty little chocolate habits are all right out in the open.
But I do disagree about one thing in your post. A true chocoholic (at least this one) won’t settle for just any chocolate. It at least has to be real chocolate.
And what is fake chocolate, you ask? It’s hard to describe, but I know it as soon as I put a piece in my mouth. It’s not real. It’s waxy and greasy tasting, not at all a pleasant sensation for the palate. And it abounds in these parts around the holidays. So with Easter approaching and all those yummy chocolate treats on the shelf one has to be careful and pay attention to what one picks up.
For me–right now–it’s Cadbury Mini-Eggs. But I’ve made a note of your chocolate list and I think I’ll be ordering some soon.
Anonymous says:
As you know, I am a staunch believer in the right to enjoy my chocolate - EVERYDAY.
My chocolate adventure has been a journey of search and discovery.
I am terribly allergic to dairy and in the States it is challenging to find even dark chocolate that is dairy-free.
But my passion is worth my efforts.
As I gathered, collected and enjoyed various chocolates that shied from dairy as I did, I was told to be careful with sugar.
Knocked to the floor with that piece of news, I rebounded. My obession is too entrenched. I started a new search.
After a year of diligent research, I have found two bars that fit my citeria.
With the energy and effort I have expended on my search, you know that I will defend each bite that is destined for my mouth.
NO ONE WILL STOP ME FROM ENJOYING MY CHOCOLATE TREAT!!!
So lovely to converse with other who shared my passion.
Lori
Anonymous says:
Ah, excuse me?
Is this the right room?
CSA? (Chocolate Sluts Anonymous)
Ah, I see a few familiar faces here…I guess this is the right place!
Well, I’ve tried the fancy stuff and the foreign stuff but for me…it’s the All-American. The red, white and blue HERSHEY chocolate! The variety is endless…nuts, no nuts…er, forget that one! creamy filling, hard as a rock, sweet little kisses, a hint of peppermint…the list is endless…
right now I’ve got two favorites…HERSHEY’S easter eggs (like Anna I love their gaudy metallic jackets!) and carmel filled kisses…oh, the moment they rest on your tongue, teasing with their familiar taste and at just the right moment a burst of carmel flows…
okay - gotta run to the store…
NOW!
Christyne
Julie says:
LOL, you know I’d post this blog entry when I don’t actually have any chocolate in the house…
What chocolate bars fit your exacting criteria, Lori? And Trisha I so agree with you about fake chocolate. Christyne, living in the UK, Hershey’s is a nostalgia thing for me.
Right there has to be some in the house somewhere…
Anonymous says:
Summer Somers has an incredible (but pricy) dark chocolate bar with crunches.
Deep, rich, sinful, heavenly, assertive, perfect which red wine.
I have also found a mousse whipped chocolate bar from Carb Safe (thank goodness for the low carb craze hiting the States - choices available for those of us who need to dance carefully with sugar).
It is my dh’s favorite (bless him, he does not bring into the house the dark chocolates that I had found and now need to visit only occassionally).
And when I need that creamy, gentle, comforting melt of chocolate in my mouth (or my Somers chocolate bars are gone and my new order hasn’t arrived ;), I grab the chocolate mousse bar.
I am alway open to new discoveries and broadening my chocolate horizons, so I’ll keep my eyes opened for the as-yet experienced heavenly treat.
Lori
Anonymous says:
Yeah, that’s right. Chocolate slut here. Not anonymous, not ashamed. I’ll eat it anytime, anywhere, don’t care who’s watching. When it’s good, it’s good.
Large variety to choose from here in the States, but I have one sinful favorite that takes me to bed at night, makes me curl up all cozy and satisfied, looking forward to the next time.
Godiva Belgian Dark Chocolate.
It’s dark. It’s rich. None of that bowl crap necessary. Just gimme a spoon to curl my tongue around, and I’ll take in every yummy drop. If I can sneak in a bit in the afternoon, more’s the delight.
And when you think it can’t get any better, add a little Benedictine & Brandy to make it wetter, hotter, smoother going down. Heat and ice, baby, to send you into ecstasies you’ve never known before.
Did I mention that I like chocolate?
~Dreamweaver
valerie parv says:
About chocolate Well you said I had to come to your blog and post about chocolate.
So I did.
Michelle Styles says:
Chocolate? Did someone mention chocolate? What I really like is a cup of rich thick hot chocolate. None of your weedy coca done by a machine but molten choclate you can practically stand a spoon up in. With real whipped cream on top. Perfect for a cold snowy day
Lee says:
I like having lots of chocolate in the house. Just in case.
The kitchen cabinet is where the good stuff lives. The G&B stuff. With dried cherries, with espresso flakes. I don’t have it that often, and then it’s just one slow, rich square at a time - dark delight, melting on my tongue, with a twist of something sweet. Or a hit of caffeine. Bliss.
Sometimes you gotta have chocolate, that’s all.
Julie says:
Dream, you are truly a slut. A spoon, in bed, in the afternoon? I salute you.
Michelle, I ended up having a mocha last night: coffee with G&B Maya Gold cocoa in it. It was yummy, but not the serious hit you describe. I browsed in The Chocolate Society’s cafe in Mayfair a couple weeks ago and a single cup of hot chocolate cost £5. I have a feeling I’ll have to drag some of my friends there for an expensive treat soon…
Lee, I am shocked. One would never know you were a children’s writer.
The shops are open now and I’m off to buy some Maya Gold to fuel my revisions.
Wendyoo says:
Chocolate? Oh, I think you and I are psychic twins, Julie! Or separated at birth…
I’m pretty obsessed with chocolate, and I don’t think I could live without it now. I have to have a fix mid morning and mid afternoon. Not a huge amount, just a bit to get me through the rest of the day.
Maya Gold is gorgeous, as is any G&B. Also Lindt Excellence 70%. Also gianduja [that Kate H has a lot to answer for!]. Any kind of truffle or praline. [Booja Booja Organic Truffles are sublime...]
Like Anna, I also do like some of the more plebby chocolate too. My current favourite is Nestle’s Double Choc. It’s sort of darkish milk choc, with niblets of pure roasted cocoa in it. Awesome.
Oh God, I’ve just had my mid moring fix and now I’ll have the shakes until this afternoon…
Kate H says:
Whaddaya mean, I have a lot to answer for? Gianduja is food for the soul… (vbeg)
I was going to say I don’t have any chocolate in the house right now because am being virtuous, but I’ve just remembered something. Sitting in my office is a big bag of Marks & Spencer’s mini chocolate eggs filled with praline. (They’re pressies from the kids to their teachers for Easter.) Uh-oh. I can feel chocolate sinfulness creeping over me. Caressing my skin, whispering naughty words. Rubbing its thumb over my lower lip. Tempting…
Oh, rats. I’m supposed to be keeping my hero and heroine out of bed, for this chapter. I’m going to have to write out of sequence, now!
Anna Lucia says:
LOL!
This is too much fun - it has to be procrastination, right?
Sasha White says:
*raises hand proudly*Chocolate Slut over here! *g*
While I’ll spend time with many different chocolates the only one that I truly love is Lindor’s Dark Chocolate Truffles. No biting allowed with these babies. Just pop them into my mouth when I feel the need and suck gently until the hardess turn to a soft decadent sweetness that slides smoothly down my throat, leaving me feeling content, for a short time.
Sasha White says:
Was that a bit uhmmm…too much? *innocent smile*
Anonymous says:
Erm, do you think they make chocolate for Guinea Pigs?
I like mine dark and cold….preferably Ben and Jerries Phish food.
Anonymous says:
Woo-hoo. Elaine here. Am I a slut? Oh, all right then, I admit it.
It’s got to be the BAR of Lindor, (more for your money than the boxes - which just goes to prove I’m a cheap slut, too), and the rules are:
1.as much in your mouth as you can take.
2.Only the tongue is allowed to move (no biting).
3. Only swallow when your mouth is full-to-dribbling with the exquisite, co-o-o-o-ol, creamy… chocolate.
(Hint: try taking a bar - with a large glass of wine - and indulging in a long, hot, bath!
Kate Allan says:
So here’s a tip:
Starbuck’s black Americano with lots of cocoa powder and the tiniest sprinkle of vanilla sugar on the top.
Count the calories. Go on, fingers of one hand please!
Jaye says:
Confession. I’m not a chocoholic. (Unless is chocolate martinis, or that time of the month…. ) But I do like the things added to chocolate–the chopped nuts, plump cherries, the creamy caramel. And I do love the treat of truffles. Fun blog topic, Jules.
Larissa says:
Lindt’s Creme Caramel bars. OMG–heaven. I can’t find them here, so I make my friend send them from Germany! *g*
Julie says:
Wow. I guess chocolate brought out the sensualist in my friends!
I see I have had Valerie Parv being witty on this blog. Yes!!
I knew Wendy and Kate H. wouldn’t be able to stay away from the idea of chocolate for long. Hey, I found gianduja in Caffe Nero!! 25p a square!
Sasha, after reading your recent early story in your newsletter about, erm, “hummers”, I bow to your superior expertise about things sliding smoothly down throats…
Allison, yup, I’m pretty sure there’s carrot-flavoured chocolate for guinea pigs. And I’m a Cherry Garcia girl all the way.
Elaine, a cheap slut? No!! she gasps in mock horrorKate, that’s a good tip. Don’t you think just a little bit of the joy of chocolate is in the squillions of unneeded calories, though? Sticking a decadent finger up to the powers that say women must account for everything that goes in their mouths?
Vanessa, I’ve never had a chocolate martini. I think that will be the next thing on my list.
And Larissa, forcing her friend to send her chocolate overseas: good going, woman. Think she’ll send me some too? ggg
Anonymous says:
I’ve never met a piece of chocolate I didn’t like. Actually, I prefer it plain and the darker the better. My absolute favourite is Lindor, the dark type or the red one, but in a pinch anything will do.
While I don’t eat chocolate every day, it simply must be available to me at all times.
And a little goes a long way, I rarely eat more than one piece at a time, although I’ve been known to melt a half dozen of those foil covered Easter eggs in the microwave, for the pleasure of licking it off a spoon. Ummm, heaven. Thank goodness it’s almost Easter!
Joyce, off to check the chocolate stash.
Vicky says:
Ahh, that wonderful ménage a trios – Hugh, Jack & the organic dark chocolate & cherries – oh yeah, it was good to see Biddy & Julie too.
I have only recently been converted to the dark side of chocolate – I always thought I preferred milk, but since discovering Green & Black’s my secret stash in the wardrobe is far more varied.
However, being a faithful slut at heart, the stash is mostly for cream eggs. Why are they only available for a few months each year?! It means I need to buy a 6, 12 or even 18 egg box a couple of times a week to get me through the coming year. And the anticipation at Christmas time when the previous years stash is running low, the remaining eggs are getting a bit hard & the creamy centre isn’t as molten & rich as before – and then suddenly, a sighting! New stock in the shops!!!
Never mind presents, turkey or crackers – Christmas is the time for New Cream Eggs!!!
And I would describe how I eat them but there is no way to do it without making even myself blush.
Vicky
Dave says:
mmmm, Green & Black’s…
I love dark chocolate. Dark dark chocolate. Up to about the 85% mark.
I found some 98% stuff once, which was fabulous grated over vanilla ice-cream.
Kate H says:
Vicky - I can’t resist telling you this (sorry to hijack your blog, Julie!). My best mate’s sister was the marketing manager for Creme Eggs before maternity leave. And their dad actually drives a Creme Egg (as in a car shaped like one and decorated like one) round the country. And my best mate usually has a whole box of the things (not an 18-egg box, I mean a biiiig tray) of them… Except she’s given up chocolate for Lent this year. (Yes, the sanity of some of my friends is in doubt.)
Julie, gianduja at 25p a square?? We have a Caffe Nero in Norwich. Next to my bank. I have a cheque to put in. How very convenient…
Lyvvie says:
WeyHey! I can comment!
I am on a non-dairy diet, but thank the Gods, I can eat Green and Blacks plain chocolate, and I also indulge in the Maya Gold…I make hot chocolate with the G&B’s cipped chocolate stuff, and oh wow…they are the best.
Yes, I’m a lurker…have been for a couple months…have you linked on my page and everything. so “Hello!”
*Excitable American wave*