I’m staring at the leftover box of Mrs. See’s chocolates. When I lift the lid off the pure white box with the gold script, I see there are five pieces left. Well, make that four and 3/4, one with a bite out of it. One of the three of us must not have liked the flavor. Now I’m thinking of my mother-in-law who boarded a plane for Wyoming this morning. The See’s was a gift from her the first night she arrived in Minneapolis. If I remember correctly, she has three layovers and may not be home until very late. She flies into the Twin Cities once a year to see Liz. Her brother flies in, too. I look forward to their visits. We go out to eat, a play at the Guthrie, watch a few movies. It feels like a vacation for me, too.
I’m wondering what flavor Mary See has left in the box for me. I just took a nibble. Hmmmm, chocolate flavor bursting on the tongue. It is nutty, minced nut with a hint of almond? Creamy, and milk chocolate, my favorite. I run my tongue over the back teeth to grab every morsel. There is a patch of chocolate stuck to a filling. A nut wedged between two teeth. I have maybe three bites left. I’m one of those people who savors. As a girl, I was the type to keep my Easter basket around for weeks. I’d take little bites off the rabbit head, nibble away on an ear of white or milk chocolate. Some used to say that white chocolate wasn’t real chocolate. But I disagreed. I went through a white chocolate phase around junior high age.
Nope, never been a gobbler. Always a savorer. Hmmmm, last bite of the piece with the jagged dip out of it. It’s gone. And now there are four pieces of See’s chocolate left and Mrs. See is staring up at me from the edge of the box. She’s got glasses like John Lennon’s, gray hair, a kind smile. She’s wearing a knitted shawl. The photograph is tinted brown and shaped like a cameo. Did Mrs. See live in San Francisco?
Liz will be home from work soon. I want to see which piece she chooses from the box, her next to the last. It’s not like the boxes of Whitman’s chocolate where they print each type of candy on the inside cover so you can see what you are choosing. Do they still do that? I’d rather have the surprise. Last night, I bit one, and then asked Liz if she wanted it. Tasted too rich for me, too much like licorice. I don’t like the flavor of licorice all that much.
Chocolate reminds me of all the good things in life. It’s sweet, creamy, something to be shared, something that people are happy to share. We’ve got a bag of bite-sized Snickers in the fridge. I like them frozen. Liz has a bag of Dove almond dark chocolate, silky smooth promise next to the Snickers. A piece of chocolate lifts the spirits. A box of chocolates makes me feel rich, nectar of the gods. What is it about chocolate that is so satisfying?
-related to Topic post and practices: WRITING TOPIC — CHOCOLATE, PRACTICE — CHOCOLATE – 15min, PRACTICE –CHOCOLATE – 15min
I dislike those sampler boxes without the pictures and descriptions of the various chocolates. How disappointing to bite into some and have some yucky fruit taste shoot out in your mouth or get coconut. I shiver just thinking about those unpleasant surprises. I want to know what’s hidden inside my chocolate before I bite into it.
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Bob, that used to bother me, too. For some reason, I don’t mind it anymore. I value the surprise over knowing. Maybe some change in me. It wakes me up. I have to say though, if it was licorice inside the chocolate, I might not be so happy about it. 8)
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Quoin,
How did you keep all those little brothers away from your Easter basket? You must have had good hiding places.
I’m with Bob, I like to know what I’m getting. Caramel, fudge, nuts: good. Red jelly, maple, white cream: bad.
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oh my, now you’ve got me hankerin for a Whitman’s Sampler. My father used to bring one home now and then, sometimes for a birthday, sometimes just a random treat. I loved that you could use that enclosed guide to tell you which was which. I didn’t like the nutty ones and the guide allowed me to avoid them.
When I was 20 and in my first apartment alone, supporting myself on nearly nothing, I bought myself one Whitman’s Sampler box. Enormous extravagance. Delicious indulgence. Haven’t had one in decades. Anyone know if they’re still out there?
Just thought of another chocolate thing – my grandmother got a job in a candy store when I was about 10. She worked there until she retired ten years later. My friends and I could bike to her store, it wasn’t far. Every time we visited, Gram would give us each one piece of whatever kind of chocolate we wanted. Free. Chocolate covered orange rind. Mint Meltaways. My favorites.
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Let’s keep the chocolate topic going! Just hearing descriptions is almost as pleasurable as eating it directly. I used to hoard my easter candy too, for many months. I’ve always hoarded chocolate. I like to nibble little bites and make sure we have some in the cupboard at all times. Unfortuantely, my husband eats it all at once, so I have to hide it from him.
Do you remember the TV show, I Love Lucy? There was an episode where Lucille and (what was her friend’s name) worked at the chocolate factory and the machine breaks and begins to go way too fast, so they have to gobble all the chocolates as quickly as they can.
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Good question. How did I keep all that candy from 4 younger brothers and one sister. I’ll have to ask them. I recall some bartering. I think I wrote about it a long time ago on red Ravine. Today I nibbled on some leftover fudge from Ely. The North American Bear Center sells homemade fudge they get from Orr, Minnesota. I think we passed Orr on the way to the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s quite a ways from Ely. Good fudge!
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Teresa, oh, good, another who savors the chocolate! It’s funny though, with the Snickers, I could eat the whole bag. I think I put the Snickers in the freezer so that they are out of sight, out of mind. My body thanks me for it. 8) I do remember that show on I Love Lucy. I think her sidekick was Ethel Mertz. Was it chocolate in that scene in the factory? I’d like to see that again. I wonder if they do reruns. Great to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by.
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Jude, I’ll have to check for the Whitman’s Sampler. I’m guessing they do still sell them. I haven’t seen one in quite a while though. I remember they had different sizes. One giant sampler, one small box. That’s pretty cool about your grandmother. Mint Meltaways. They sound good. Looks like I’m outvoted on the guide versus not having the guide to what’s in the box of chocolates. No guide with Mrs. See’s and I seemed to make it through just fine. I did ask Liz if it was her who put the one chocolate back in the box with the bite out of it. Yep, it was! I told her I would have had one in the box, too, if she hadn’t eaten the one I didn’t like the night before.
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Craving chocolate now! I’m not surprised, QM, that you were able to keep your candy for months as a kid. Bet that is the Turtle in you, moving slowly and savoring each moment. I was one to eat my candy fast, within a matter of weeks. And then regret it when my sister still had hers.
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ybonesy, the down side of savoring is that things like chocolate sometimes go past their expiration date without being eaten! I have learned to savor for a while, then enjoy, and hopefully, not to cling! There is good at both ends.
BTW, I am the same way with packages. When I receive a gift in the mail, I never open it right away. Always savor the outside, notice the details, and open in a quiet moment. Don’t know why I am like that. It just is.
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Thanks Quoin;
What is the silky smooth chocolates thing? Have not tried those. My mom would stick her finger into the chocolates which would give her insight into their inner nature. She would also bite them in half and leave the kids the leftovers.
So you are not into licorice? Have you tried the Australian variety. Very rich with a soft chewy texture.
Living in Hawaii they have this awesome Roselani’s chocolate macadamia nut. Probably best ice cream I have had
Doesn’t chocolate have some kind of scientific connection to the stimulation of pheromones?
Makela.B
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Your mom sounds smart to leave the leftovers to the kids who probably don’t mind. And the finger test sounds like a good solution. Nope, I’m not much for licorice. But have never tried to Australian variety. I will have to do that. Australia is one of the places I’d like to travel one day. I have been to Hawaii, but only once, and it was many moons ago. I was on Maui and that weekend there was a hurricane. Scared me to death. If I’m ever back, I will check out Roselani’s chocolate macadamia nut. I do think that there is research supporting a connection between chocolate and the stimulation of human hormones. And then, some say it’s only bunk. For me, it seems the older I get, the more I crave chocolate. Maybe to replace a few of the hormones that I might be missing! Thanks for stopping by and chiming in on the chocolate piece!
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[…] WRITING TOPIC — CHOCOLATE, the latest Writing Topic on red Ravine, Mike joined Bob, Teri, and QM in a Writing Practice on the […]
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