Monday, June 01, 2009

Life's like a box of Chocolates...

I don't trust people who say they don't like chocolate.. yeah! like you are done breathing oxygen now..and wanna try something else.. or maybe walking on 2 foot doesn't give you the kicks. i believe they had a rather uninteresting childhood and got their bearings completely wrong.. how can someone not like little pieces of heaven in your mouth?? how..how?? howhowhwhwowowowo??

i've been a chocoholic all my life..and i frankly dont see that changing anytime in the near future as well.Coming to think of it..it's kinda funny that an inanimate object could actually be of so much significance in your life.. Believe me when i say that i learnt life's lessons or made my important decision armed with a choc in hand.

the first thing i ever made was a chocolate milk shake.. that one was straight enough.. u put in milk - cold/hot/lukewarm.. n scoop in 4 table spoons of chocolate powder in it..add sugar if mom is not in kitchen.. stir like crazy..gulp it down..sllluuuurrrrpppppp...
After numerous attempts at making chappatis that looked like exploded view of Africa, srilanka and mutilated donuts.. my mom was quite happy that i could do anything edible at all.. But her happiness was shortlived ...dozens of Cadbury cocoa powder tins started lining the kitchen cabinet. Choco-milkshake became my staple diet. One choco to go with idli, with rice..just before school, back from school, before tuitions.. u get the picture.. Faced with the prospect of refurbishing my entire wardrobe to accommodate my burgeoning waist line, i was asked for a forced resignation from the habit.

But there were still birthdays, family friends coming over & i-stood-first-in-class which could not be avoided. Come to think of it, it is very probable that my above average marks in school was just one of my means to get to guilt-free/ share-free / parental-approved chocolate.

In my teens, i became very picky.. i completely eschewed milk chocolate..what a misnomer, i say!. I got a inclination towards the darker and bitter variety. This actually served me well..not many around me liked the bitter ones..and i got to have them all without bothering about the heartbreaking task of sharing one's chocolates.. and unlike the sweet ones, a little piece of the bitter one goes a long way..

so why do i love them?...not just me, why do most normal, sane people love them? the only theory that i can think up of is... those little dark darlings reminds one of their own childhood....of eating things which tasted good and caring two hoots for their calorific & nutritional values. yes, ofcoz.. u eventually grow up and then get into the rut of adequate servings of vegetables, fibre-rich fruits.. not so much fat..smaller portion sizes..frequent small meals... no red-meat, no fried stuff..and more such self imposed rules to the most satisfying activity in life.

i would be lying through the teeth if i say that i do not think of calories when i buy that thick slab of extra dark belgian chocolate. i mentally calculate the no: of times i should say no to other sweet / fried treats to compensate for my indulgence when i tear off the wrapper and break a big piece outta the slab. but the moment i bite into the rich, creamy, dark, aromatic bit..and let it dissolve in my mouth..i close my eyes and i am back to being a 3 year old..getting her big Dairy Milk Chocolate bar for getting her alphabets right.. The rest of the worries can wait.