Chocolate Tasting

Let's talk about chocolate!

First, a quick side note:

I finished The Hunger Games yesterday, and it. was. awesome. When Lindsey first told me about it, it sounded really lame. But after buying it at Paperback Exchange last week, I started reading it and couldn't put it down. The only problem is, I don't have/don't want to buy the next 2 books of the trilogy, and I can't really function without them. To compensate for not having the other books to read, I have just been annoyingly begging other people to read The Hunger Games. So, do it. Read them. Then you can watch the movie when it comes out!

Now. I went to a chocolate tasting tonight. I had signed up for it last week at school. (It was free!) I was one of the lucky ones who got to the advising office super early to get my name on the list. Totally worth it. Here's the plate of chocolates I just tried:

Chocolate!

First, the lady leading the tasting talked about the history of chocolate, where it's from, how it's made, different kinds of chocolate, how to taste chocolate, how to tell if it's good chocolate, etc. (Apparently Lindt makes the best chocolate when it comes to big producers.)

Then, we sampled different kinds:

• Dark chocolate (I forgot the details of this one.)
• Ancient chocolate (It was grainy; it's the kind they made before they made smooth chocolate. Now you can still get it because it's made in Modica in Sicily. It's traditionally eaten with bread.)
• 75% bitter chocolate with ground chocolate beans
• 85% bitter chocolate
• Milk chocolate
• White chocolate (which isn't even chocolate)
• Aromatized chocolates: mixed red berries, and chili pepper
• Dark chocolate with almond (my favorite)
• Milk chocolate filled with cointreau
• Easter eggs! (Just for fun, after we finished the tasting. They were milk chocolate filled with a hazelnutty cream. Italians love hazelnuts.)

After we were done with the tasting, there was a lot of chocolate left. Everyone got to take some more home! I now have a plate of chocolate sitting in the kitchen covered in foil. I wonder how long it will last. . .

Oh, and because I don't like to lie to my blog readers, here's what you should know. That concert in Santa Croce with Lady Gaga and Eminem next week? It's too good to be true. It was a rumor. I'm very disappointed. However, there will be a bunch of Italian artists there, which might be just as cool. So we're still planning on going.

Now go out there, buy some chocolate and The Hunger Games, crawl up on the couch, and have a great evening!