Chocolate
I was ten years old
when sweet rationing came in and twenty three when it ended. I had/have a sweet tooth and boy friends
tended to be graded by their generosity with the sweet stuff.
Puberty was well over by the time I could binge, otherwise I
would have been known as Spotty Muldoon.
Now I can take it or leave it and never buy it for myself
yet the larder shelf is always laden with the stuff. Inevitably after Christmas there were boxes
of Thornton’s – probably my
favourite – champagne truffles from the hamper, Ferrero Rocher and a big
chocolate owl from a grand-son. They all
have a sell–by date so I consider it a duty to ‘use by.’
Yesterday was a wineless day so my treat was going to be a
Ferroro Rocher or four. They are not
ideal – a bit too large for my mouth to taste it all over at the same time so I
feel I’m missing something. They were in
a plastic oblong see- through container and it took me an hour to open it. And I broke a nail dammit! In the end I used/ruined a tiny pair of nail
scissors. I challenge you to do it in
less.
I have the box with me now to remind me of the spelling and
I am longing to pop one in my mouth but my craving time is in the evening and
if I start having treats in the middle of the afternoon there’s no knowing
where it will all end.
On the subject of sell by dates, the Wiltshire family are
coming this week-end so I had a quick scan and found two bottles of oil –
practically prehistoric. They were
ditched and replaced and on checking the date of the new bottle it said:
DEC 12 02:10.
What do you make of that?
Happily there was a free phone number also on the bottle so
I rang for an explanation.
I’m sure the brainy ones have sussed it already but for
others like me it means:
Sell by date Dec 12
and that it was bottled on the second of the tenth month. Who knew?
Anyhow the pleasant girl I was speaking to is going to suggest they make
it clearer.
Buster bulletin:
Yesterday he just sat in his basket and had a poorly eye but
today – for no particular reason -he bucked up and has gone from 1/10 to 5/10.
21 comments:
I am not a Chocolate fan and never have been. All of my friends are crazy for it and must have some everyday. So easy to treat them !
One gift I just got for my Birthday from my son was a box of See's Candy.
Every evening we would pick one or two and cut them in half so we could taste them and see which ones we liked the best. He specially picked out the ones for the box that he thought I would like. It was fun and quite lovely but I would rather have a steak.... I am so weird !
I so understand not understanding dates, .... sell by dates = still good for one week, use by date = still good so many days after when refrigerated = confusion multiplied for me.
Pat you are so clever, funny and interesting I just love your posts !
cheers, parsnip
I LOVE DARK CHOCOLATE....There has been a lot of it around my house because of The Holidays....Dangerous AND Irresistable!! (lol) You have great Will Power not eating any till evening....!
I would never have known what those numbers meant on that bottle of Oil....And...In fact...I don't know what you mean about Buster going from 1/5 to 1/10....???
That Video, or whatever it is, is just a gray square...Maybe it isn't supported here in The States...! This is the second time I have encountered this problem on your Blog---Maybe it's something about my Blog....Oh Dear...lol!
Of course, I would LOVE to know what the video is, my dear Pat....
Sorry...Buster went from 1/10 to 5/10...And I still haven't a clue to what that means....lol!
Yes, I am one of those chocolate addicts. It's terrible. One reason I look as wide as I do is that beloved chocolate. Darn it.
Parsnip: I'm going to try your idea of cutting and tasting. Much more hygienic than my taking a bite and giving MTL rejects:)
I'm afraid my post illustrates that I'm not very clever:)
Naomi: 5/10 is my son's way of saying that on a scale of one to ten - ten being perfect health - Buster is five.
As for will power when i finished the post I had a chocolate.
There wasn't a video - just two photos of Buster. I'll email them.
Mage: I believe chocolate releases pheromones, which is good, if I have remembered correctly. Everybody needs little treats now and then.
Mum2, there is a video thingy at the start of your first post. It doesn't work. The two pics of Buster appear below, in the second part,
I hate chocolate! xx
John: I'm mystified. I posted no video. Where exactly is it?
How can you hate chocolate?
I'm not that bothered by chocolate, but I do love sweets. All the old fashioned ones like Cough Candys, sherbet lemons etc.
If I do eat chocolate I prefer Lindt myself. My Dad loves Thornton's toffee and my kids bought him some for Christmas.
My cousin sent me dark chocolate and I was sold. Then someone gave me dark Russian chocolate with 75% cocoa. Ohhhhh myyyy gosh! I tend to ration myself though. I like salty snacks more.
Say hi to Buster. Don't give him chocolates.
Joey: sweets and toffee! You and your Dad must like living dangerously:)
GG:the very strong chocolate is preferred by MTL but I always loved sweet milky stuff until recently. Now a dark chocolate with a hint of orange is acceptable.
I think "sell by" dates are to get people to toss perfectly good, non perishables, like cooking oil, to get them to buy more. Rarely do I pay attention to those things.
Cheers.
Randall: believe me these were very old:)
Mum2, it's right above the word Chocolate, at the start of your post!
John: I just have the date at the left and then 'Chocolate'.
I tried to copy and paste to show you but it went all down the page for days and days so had to delete.
I can't understand it and hope it doesn't portend something ominous.
Dec 12 - is that December 12th or December 2012? Still isn't clear, is it?!
I'm not interested in chocolate normally but then I was 3 when sweet rationing finished so perhaps that has an impact. I do like proper chocolate but hate chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate ice cream, chocolate mousse and any other derivative you can think of.
I like to nibble off each layer of a Ferrero Rocher although I am not allowed chocolate any more.
I have often wondered about those numbers on packets, thanks for clearing that one up
Chocs I can take or leave, and I nearly always leave. Mints on the other hand are a terrible addiction for me, any kind of mints! We went to see the new Sherlock fillum last night (Brill!) and I munched my way through a bag of assorted mints (toffees, humbugs, imperials.......)! Mrs. Map had to make do with a bag of Revels. :¬)
xxx
Oh, dark chocolates. Yes, please. Or milk chocolates. None of the cheap stuff, either -- if I'm going to indulge, I will pay for it!
Pearl
roseneath : I assumed 2012 year but the more I think about it the more I'm puzzled.
I know what you mean about chocolate flavoured stuff.
LOM: 'thanks for clearing it up'
There's irony for you - I'm more befuddled than ever.
sorry about the chocolate. Hope you can make up with some other treat.
Map : think of your teeth! You owe it to your public.
Was that with Robert Downey? I quite fancy him. As young men go:)
Pearl: I'm getting the same about drink - more epicure than boozer. Much more pleasurable.
Glad you cleared up the date thing, I would never have been able to make sense of it.
My father was an impoverished connoisseur and brought home a small box containing six expensive chocolates every Friday. That was one each for both parents and four kids, and the only sweets we had all week. So I was never indulged with quantity and presume this is why I'm able to enjoy tiny amounts of chocolate. I can't stand the texture of cheap chocolate, or, for that matter, the lack of chocolate in cheap stuff.
Have you tried Prestat's cinnamon wafers? They are very thin discs of rich but creamy chocolate infused with cinnamon and absolutely delicious straight out the fridge. I was startled how wonderful the combination of chocolate and cinnamon was when I had them.
Eryl: your father knew that quality beats quantity every time. What a great training.
Cinnamon is a favourite spice so I must set MTL the task of finding Prestat's cinnamon wafers. Thank you:)
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