Bakery Days

I love chocolate. It’s sensual. It’s comforting. It’s happiness–packaged into itty-bitty mouth-watering pieces. Chocolate is a cherished sweet that I can never get tired of. Growing up, my family never had a lot of candy in the home and when I managed to get my little fingers wrapped around a piece of melted goodness, my parents–and grandparents–would always lecture  me, telling me that my teeth would fall out if I ate too many. Welp, fast forward to today, and I’ve still got my full set of teeth, so that little scare tactic didn’t work much… I still love chocolate, probably more so today than when I was a child. During a recent trip to Europe, my eyes (and taste buds) discovered chocolate unlike any before. It was magnificent. It also happened to be the trip that provided me with a new found respect for the unknown labors in the cacao fields. During my trip, I read Carol Off’s Bitter Chocolate and discovered a lot about the history of cacao beans, the people who work the farms, and the business of profiting off the people and these little beans. What I wasn’t prepared for was what I would learn about myself and how my views of chocolate would change.

This is a powerful book that dives into the gritty heart of the chocolate industries around the world and the corruption and racism that towers over the laborers who toil the fields–the back-breaking sweat, blood and tears of the local workers who produce joy for others–but will never themselves be able to taste.

Would this book stop me from loving and eating chocolate? No. Would it change my understanding of the cacao industry and in turn my appreciation of the unknown people who work so hard to produce it? Yes. Is there something that I can do to help change the way chocolate is made? Hopefully–I’m very disgusted by the greed and corruption. I’ve been researching and trying to figure out ways to help make a positive impact for these workers. Every single bite of smooth milk chocolate, rich dark chocolate, and sweet white chocolate has become more of a luxury, something that I am so blessed and fortunate to experience.

Moving from book to kitchen, I’ve squirreled away a couple pieces of chocolate. I had originally intended to save them for a special occasion. Special chocolate for a special time, but my will power isn’t so strong these days. Would it be wrong to call today–an ordinary Wednesday, hump day–special? Or perhaps I should continue to save it and whip up a red velvet cake? I’m pretty good at that too.

And with that, I present a few of my favorite chocolates from Europe.

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Tagged books, chocolate

§ One Response to chocolate

• Dancing Branflakes says:

  June 10, 2010 at 9:42 am

  Yes! Triple yes! Those photos are amazing. I’d love to see all your photography one day.

  Reply