For the Love of CHOCOLATE!

There is no other dessert or sweet in the world that brings me more joy and excitement than chocolate. Chocolate cake, chocolate pie, chocolate brownies, chocolate bars, even chocolate mole burritos.  Ok, who just got a flashback of Bubba’s shrimp in Forrest Gump?

 “... shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it...”

To me chocolate is the nectar of the universe!! It even has medicinal powers.  Wait a second, some may say. You’re getting a little carried away here. But chocolate is derived from Cacao, which is a Mayan word meaning “God Food”.  The modern generic Latin name ‘Theobrama Cacao’ meaning ‘Food of the Gods’ has been widely accepted for over fifteen hundred years since it was first discovered in the Central American rain forest.  So maybe there is some evidence that supports my claim.

According to some researchers, chocolate is a mood elevator. Its reputation for making people feel good is based not only on its caffeine content, but on its naturally occurring mood altering chemicals phenylethylalanine and anandamide. Phenylethylalanine is found in the blood of people in love. Anandamide stimulates areas of your brain also affected by the active ingredients in marijuana.  However, it would require eating 25 pounds of chocolate at one sitting to receive anywhere near the effects you receive from marijuana. So chocolate makes you love people and it gets you high! True, I can’t even pronounce those two words, but who am I to argue with science. Of course, I’m not promoting any type of drug use or even eating 25 pounds of chocolate in one sitting. I’m just sharing what some researchers have learned.  How does one get into this type of research I wonder?

So whether your chocolate addiction is for pleasure or medicinal, “wink, wink,” let me know.  What is your favorite chocolate treat and why? I can’t just pick one, but one of my favorite chocolate guilty pleasures is chocolate pecan pie.  I had the best chocolate pecan pie in Miami, FL at Joe’s Stone Crab. Well, I would be remiss if I did not mention that my Aunt Gwen in Texas makes the best chocolate pecan pie.  However, since everyone does not have an Aunt Gwen, Joe’s chocolate pecan pie is the next best thing. So again, tell me, what is your favorite chocolate treat and why?

The Sugar Gang,

Counte Chocula