I’m a good girl. I’ve already had my steel cut oatmeal for breakfast this morning. But…wouldn’t the luscious taste of raspberries be just the thing right now, at 11 a.m.? The raspberry filling in Ghirardelli’s Dark & Raspberry Chocolate Bar is made with real fruit and you can’t deny that intense, fresh, raspberry taste. Combine it with velvety dark chocolate and no wonder it beckons me, even though I’ve only eaten my healthy breakfast an hour or so earlier.
Oh, but it doesn’t just beckon, it seduces, with promises of swirling pheromone highs followed by pleas for more. And get this: if I run out of the Dark & Raspberry, I can satiate myself with Dark & Orange instead.
Both of these chocolate bars arrived yesterday, courtesy of Sleeping Hedgehog. The instant my dear husband Charles came in from the post office I knew something was up. This man o’ mine knows my weaknesses and he had a twinkle in his eye and a little knowing smirk at the corner of his mouth. He was talking about other things, but I could tell he was thinking about what was in the parcel and could hardly wait to reveal its contents.
“I know you just said you’re going to give up chocolate, but I think you might want to wait awhile,” says he, handing over the precious goods. Inside the parcel are three 100-gram Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate bars filled with raspberry, orange and caramel confections.
I am a Chocoholic. There. I said it. If there is dark chocolate in our house, I must, at a minimum, have a twice-daily ration. I’ve been on a bit of a binge lately and hence thinking about going cold turkey again to try to beat this addiction. But the Universe has an excellent sense of humor. As soon as you make a decision such as this, it sends you every trick in the book to foil your plan. Thus far, the Universe is winning.
It didn’t take me long to sample the Raspberry – a perfect blend of tart with that creamy dark chocolate. Heaven. Better compare the Orange. Ohhhh…zingy! I love that they haven’t filled these bars with over-sweetened confections. But wait, there’s the Caramel. It will probably be just fine with that dark chocolate. What the heck…how come the chocolate kind of crumbles and breaks up? Why isn’t the chocolate creamy like the others? Unlike the other two bars, this one says it’s 60 percent cacao, which should be a good thing. But sadly, the chocolate is kind of waxy and brittle and that Caramel can’t hold a candle to the fruit. Ah well. Something to give to Charles. He’s a good husband. He will understand. And it’s Valentine’s week, which is mostly for girls, right?
Not to be a downer on such a lovely post, my dad died 4 years ago from a rare form of sudden onset leukemia, he was 74 when he died and he got the news that he had leukemia on his sons very first birthday, diagnosed and dead within 18 months.
My dad was a healthy physically fit man, a mans man who ate fruits and vegetables for as long as I can remember. He didn’t drink, smoke, or do drugs and he didn’t care for sweets beyond fresh fruit and had always preferred drinking water, and his form of relaxation was to tear down walls (homes) and rebuild them… he simply didn’t like sitting down.
My dad shared towards the end of his life that people should enjoy those things they love although he touted moderation. He commented that he had done everything right, that he had naturally treated his body as a temple and got the amount of rest needed to get up and go each morning, that he exercised and kept fit (he had not an ounce of fat on him) and still he was struck down by a disease that ravaged and ultimately destroyed his body.
My point? Enjoy your chocolate. There are no guarantees in life and anymore there seems to be so few blessings in the world, a love for chocolate is a gift that should keep giving. (:
Your husband is my favorite fantasy writer and I must share that you, too, have a wonderful way with words.
My dad told me that you should enjoy those things
as long as I just read this, does that mean I only have to think about walking an extra ten minutes…
Willow, my condolences on the loss of your darling Dad. He obviously still remains a positive influence in your life, and I thank you for sharing his wisdom with me. My own Pa had a wonderful, positive outlook too, and I miss him more than words can say. We’re so lucky to have had these sweet fathers that we still hold dear in our hearts.
About the chocolate, though, it’s moderation that’s tough, which is why I *must* go cold turkey every now & then. My jeans aren’t as comfy and I feel a little less energetic. Balance is worth striving for and I can live without my daily hit for awhile.
Thanks so much for reading Charles’ books! Things are tough in the publishing field these days, so we need and appreciate you guys more than ever.
Hi MaryAnn,
First off, let me say I love your art and Charles is my favorite author.
I’m glad to know that you are a kindred chocolate-loving spirit. Therefore, I’m going to share with you my all-time most wonderful chocolate find. I discovered Green Goddess Chocolate at the beginning of a 4,000 mile road trip. Their bars are incredible and kept me going! They are artisnal, fair trade bars with the most wonderful flavor. They also have these incredible chocolate medallions with berries or herbal infusions. Delicious! The company is based in Oregan but will ship a large order. I’ve had them ship to me in Brooklyn. Everything arrives quickly and unmelted. They will also do a mixed case at your request. Lovely people. Don’t be fooled by the very hippy website- http://foodofthegoddess.com/ I actually just called in my order instead of trying to navigate the site.
As you can tell, a few bars bought in Vermont have made me a lifetime fan. Enjoy!