Brown Ajah Chocolate Week - The Healing Power of Chocolate

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Chocolate is traditionally associated with celebrations such as Valentines, Easter and Halloween.

 

We give the gifts of chocolate to share in happiness and to commiserate and to cheer up and for celebration.

 

We, at the Brown Ajah, thought it would be fun to reminisce over some of these times and to share them. 

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Personally, I've received the gift of chocolate when I graduated from university, when I got a new job, when I was sad and my friends wanted to cheer me up.

 

My mum even bought me a box of chocolates when I had my first period 

[WildTaltos]

I've tried chocolate a few times and I still don't like it, last I checked. Too bitter. Most in my family don't like it either so generally won't see it at holidays - the most exotic dessert-like food you may get as gifts is lokum/turkish delight. I like mocha coffee, though, and I was surprised when someone told me that had chocolate in it, so guess that's the only way I tolerate chocolate.

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I find a lot of the darker chocolates too bitter for my own personal taste too Taltos!

 

I like my chocolate milky and sweet 

 

Yes, I hear chocolate in coffee is great, my mum loves it and saves it for treats otherwise she would drink it all the time 

[Ryrin]

I've eaten both dark and milk chocolate with sea salt. To die for!

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oh yeah, sea salt in chocolate is excellent. 

 

I can't remember what the special occasion was, but I was out for dinner with a friend and we got this sort of melted chocolate hot dessert and the middle was caramel with sea salt in it and it was utterly amazing. 

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

Something that I first noticed I think in the 90s were chocolate roses - I've gotten those a few times in my life for various events and they've always made me happy. Much happier than actual flowers, for sure.

 

Ive gotten chocolate, usually from family, for Valentine's Day, birthdays, graduations, Chanukah, and other holidays. From coworkers for sweetest day... from friends kids and myself for Halloween and... oh as a young child from my mom and her best friend in a basket with other candies for Easter.

 

When my friends' kids were wee we spent the days before Easter filling plastic eggs with chocolate and candies and coins, and we'd go out early Easter morning to hide them all over the lawn and porches and in trees and sheds for the kids to hunt when they got up. Hopefully before the dogs found them it was always a close race. It was lovely the way the kids decided by themselves to make sure the littlest ones got a fair share of the loot.

 

The healingest chocolate though I always got for myself. Usually a bad day at work or anywhere and a trip to the candy machine or a donut drive through would be enough to get me through the rest of the day. Even the anticipation of hot fudge on cold ice cream is sometimes all it takes to let me move a little faster, at least toward that goal.

[E James Todd]

You know, I didn't like dark chocolate for the longest time. I think it was my last year in secondary school that my band director at the time came back from some sort of chocolate expo – which is awesome, because I didn't even know they had those. There was an assortment of different, unique, and quite strange chocolates that came back, one of which was a chocolate that wasn't just dark. It was a bar of 85% dark chocolate. If you ever want to get violently woken up, or you're just looking for a mule kick to your taste buds, 85% is the way to go. Ever since then, traditional dark chocolate is perfectly suitable to my palette.

 

I think a good example of healing chocolate came from my time at university. It was my first year there, I didn't know many people, and I didn't go out of my way to be social. Over the spring break between our winter and spring quarters (the last year on the quarter system; we had late November through the beginning of January off for holidays, and a 2-week break between winter and spring), one of my only friends at the time found out that I had nowhere to go for the break. After the briefest of discussions with her parents (lit. "Hey my friend doesn't have a place to stay, can he tag along?" "Okay, sure."), I paid for a bus ticket and we set off. That sort of open-armed kindness shocked me; and on top of other things that were going on at the same time I had a bit of a mental breakdown one morning. My friend never knew all of what went on, and to this day I don't think she's ever asked, but she came down to my room in the basement on the third morning with a basket of goodies. Really, "basket" doesn't do it justice; though small in stature, she could almost herself inside that contraption. There were fruits, munchies, a few soft drinks, and chocolates. So many different kinds. Chocolate bars, chocolate candies, chocolate-covered wafers, a few chocolate-covered strawberries, and even some hot cocoa mix. She just wrestled it down the stairs, parked it in the corner of the room, and set to work filling the air with noise and one-sided conversation. She knew instinctively that that's what I needed, even when I didn't. Video games and idle talk and some movies, and chocolates in a basket.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

That's some serious healing. She sounds like a great person and .... ok, I have some chocolate envy now.

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Even the anticipation of hot fudge on cold ice cream is sometimes all it takes to let me move a little faster, at least toward that goal.

Well, now I need that. 

 

 

 My friend never knew all of what went on, and to this day I don't think she's ever asked, but she came down to my room in the basement on the third morning with a basket of goodies. Really, "basket" doesn't do it justice; though small in stature, she could almost herself inside that contraption. There were fruits, munchies, a few soft drinks, and chocolates. So many different kinds. Chocolate bars, chocolate candies, chocolate-covered wafers, a few chocolate-covered strawberries, and even some hot cocoa mix. She just wrestled it down the stairs, parked it in the corner of the room, and set to work filling the air with noise and one-sided conversation. She knew instinctively that that's what I needed, even when I didn't. Video games and idle talk and some movies, and chocolates in a basket.

She sounds like a really nice person.

[Rhea]

I love chocolate...all chocolate! Dark, Milk, White...sea salt or no sea salt. 

 

My favorite is Ghirardelli. But I used to go to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company as a kid. So I got a little spoiled!

 

Healing...absolutely! Especially if I am just feeling incredibly stressed. It calms me. 

[Whosangie]

Well I'm not sure about healing but my two year old adores chocolate covered almonds. I use them as special treats when she is kind helpful or obedient. She runs down the hall screaming CHOCOLATE NUUUUUTS!

Well I'm not sure about healing but my two year old adorable chocolate covered almonds. I use them as special treats when she is kind helpful or obedient. She runs down the hall screaming CHOCOLATE NUUUUUTS!

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

 

Sounds like good medicine to me !

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I love chocolate...all chocolate! Dark, Milk, White...sea salt or no sea salt. 

 

My favorite is Ghirardelli. But I used to go to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company as a kid. So I got a little spoiled!

 

Healing...absolutely! Especially if I am just feeling incredibly stressed. It calms me. 

I don't think I've ever had Ghirardelli chocolate, but I just spent a pleasant 10 mins browsing their website 

 

 

Well I'm not sure about healing but my two year old adorable chocolate covered almonds. I use them as special treats when she is kind helpful or obedient. She runs down the hall screaming CHOCOLATE NUUUUUTS!

 

Getting that excited about chocolate at such a young age...a girl after my own heart!

[Elgee]

What a lovely gesture from your friend, James!

 

I can recall receiving Belgian chocolate from Mystica, all the way from Belgium. They were a bit squished, but tasted divine!

 

And then I received some chocolate cup thingies from my ex (he's American). I'm pretty sure they had bourbon in them. They traveled well, and were devoured quickly!

 

My favourite chocolate at the moment is dark with chili - Tynaal brought me a slab the other day, and I bless her for it!

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

I love dark chocolate Lindt with chili... so delicious. The dark with orange is excellent too... actually they're all... oh dear I have to stop thinking about chocolate.

 

My 3-1/2 year old niece has been addicted to Belgian chocolates since she was two. Because of Bree's health problems, my sister is very strict about all organic, natural, healthy food.... except for the once every day Belgian chocolate the child takes from her mommy' secret stash. It's very good medicine, and a little secret to share.

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ooooh I love Lindt chocolate

 

I'm not crazy about chilli in my chocolate though,I feel like I should like it and have tried it so many times 

 

I got two lovely slabs of chocolate for valentine day. One with honeycomb and one with caramel and sea salt. Mmmm 

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

chocolate for valentines day would be lovely.... I wonder if Mr. Gill is reading this...

 

honeycomb ... I have never tried that.... it sounds very good.

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chocolate for valentines day would be lovely.... I wonder if Mr. Gill is reading this...

 

honeycomb ... I have never tried that.... it sounds very good.

oh yeah, honeycomb is the stuff inside sponge candy 

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

 

chocolate for valentines day would be lovely.... I wonder if Mr. Gill is reading this...

 

honeycomb ... I have never tried that.... it sounds very good.

oh yeah, honeycomb is the stuff inside sponge candy

oh lol that is good stuff. I was imagining actual honeycomb but I reckon it might be waxy and full

of bee bits at that

[Ryrin]

Dark chocolate.

[Aradin]

I have a limited choice of chocolate - I am allergic to nuts :o - but anyone who waves a piece of dark chocolate under my nose will have to worry about their hand not being eaten of when I devour the whole bar...

[E James Todd]

So the real question is whether the healing bit comes through the act of receiving the chocolate by way of others who care about us; or just the act of nomming on cacao-product. Or both.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

I think it's both. Chicken soup works similarly but isn't as easy to transport.

 

I bet chocolate soup is very comforting. Did anyone else drink the chocolate pudding while it was still warm and not set? I loved that when I was a little.

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So the real question is whether the healing bit comes through the act of receiving the chocolate by way of others who care about us; or just the act of nomming on cacao-product. Or both.

 

Funny you should mention that James, I've got a link here about the scientific effects of eating chocolate on the body that I found super interesting!