The mystery of chocolate and a me-me

[altivo]

Those who know me well have heard this before. I don't get chocolate. I mean, it's OK, but just not that exciting. I am completely flummoxed by people who have to get a chocolate fix every day or who will choose even cheap chocolate over other delicacies or even sex. (And sex isn't that high on my priority list either, but it out ranks chocolate easily.)

I do enjoy candy now and then, but caramel or butterscotch is much more attractive to me than chocolate ever is. Peppermint likewise. And this time of year, the ordinary jelly bean. Now I'm a bit of a jelly bean connoisseur. No, not those silly things that Ronald Reagan made famous and doubled the price of overnight. But I like the ones that have very strong and relatively sour fruit flavors. Starburst and Jolly Rancher are two tradenames under which they are marketed.

Jelly beans are mostly seasonal in the US. You get them leading up to Easter, they go on sale the week after, and by May you can't find them. I don't stock up and try to make them last through the year, but I do tend to pig out on the good ones while I can get them.

This year I can't find any. I'm sure they're out there, but not in my usual suppliers' venues. The WalMart in Harvard, which I pass going to and from work, has always had them in the past. They have a big Easter candy display out now, in fact. It contains not even the ordinary jelly beans. In fact it contains no candy at all that isn't chocolate. What a bummer. No malted-milk eggs. No jelly beans. No marshmallow candy eggs. Not even the ever-disgusting yellow marshmallow peeps and lavender marshmallow bunnies. Just an acre of cheap chocolate. No doubt someone thought they were going "for the good stuff" and omitting the fillers. But I don't feel that way about it at all. Sigh.

And now a probably pointless meme, borrowed from darkhorseman who got it from krag_carbine:


Yes or No
Only two rules -- and you MUST follow them.

--1. You can only say yes or no.
--2. You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone asks.



Taken a picture naked? Yes

Made out with a member of the same sex? Yes

Danced in front of your mirror? No

Told a lie? Yes

Gotten in a car with people you just met? Yes

Been in a fist fight? No

Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? Yes

Been arrested? No

Left your house without telling your parents? No

Ditched school to do something more fun? No

Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? Yes

Seen someone die? No

Kissed a picture? Yes

Slept in until 3? No

Love someone or miss someone right now? Yes

Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? Yes

Played dress up? Yes

Fallen asleep at work/school? No

Felt an earthquake? Yes

Touched a snake? Yes

Run a red light? No

Had detention? No

Been in a car accident? Yes

Pole danced? No

Been lost? Yes

Sung karaoke? No

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes

Kissed in the rain? Yes

Sung in the shower? Yes

Got your tongue stuck to a pole? No

Ever gone to school partially naked? No

Sat on a roof top? Yes

Played chicken? No

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Yes

Gone skinny-dipping? Yes

Been told you're hot by a complete stranger? Yes

Broken a bone? Yes

Mooned/flashed someone? No

Forgotten someone's name? Yes

Slept naked? Yes

Blacked out from drinking? No

Played a prank on someone? Yes

Felt like killing someone? No

Made a parent cry? Yes

Cried over someone? Yes

Had sex more than 2 times in one day? Yes

Had sex more than 5 times in one day? Yes

Had sex more than 10 times in one day? No

Had/Have a dog? Yes

Been in a band? Yes

Drank 25 sodas in a day? No

Shot a gun? No

Given a lap dance? No

Gotten a lap dance? No

Comments

[quickcasey.livejournal.com]

I'm not addicted to chocolate either. Though I enjoy a good dark chocolate on occasion.
I prefer wintergreen, or spearmint to peppermint. Spearmint in candy form, not gum. Altoid's Spearmint leaves me flat. Fox's (try and find them) is the best spearmint I found.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Spearmint and wintergreen are good too. I like those green spearmint leaves, the ones that are like big gumdrop shapes. My grandmother used to always have wintergreen candies that were pink, semisoft, thick disk shapes. I liked those too. I haven't seen them in decades, though.

I'll keep an eye out for Fox's.

I like licorice, too. Especially Callard & Bowser's, another thing that has become scarce or perhaps extinct.

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Well IIII happen to like chocolate although do not eat sweets nearly as much as I used to. Dove makes dark chocolate squares I particularly enjoy and have a bag in my toolbox at work to share back and forth with Bill, who also likes them. Otherwise the occassional Hershey Kiss or when I can find them, Tobler's Toblerone little triangular chocolates.

Oh yes, Starburst and Jolly Rancher only the sad part is, which of course applies to other favs such as salt water taffy and caramels is I have crowns and the chewy stuff tends to pull them off which means expensive dentist. Enough said.


Taken a picture naked? No.

Made out with a member of the same sex? No.

Danced in front of your mirror? No

Told a lie? Yes

Gotten in a car with people you just met? Yes

Been in a fist fight? Yes

Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? Yes

Been arrested? Yes

Left your house without telling your parents? Yes

Ditched school to do something more fun? Yes

Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? Yes

Seen someone die? Yes

Kissed a picture? No

Slept in until 3? No

Love someone or miss someone right now? Yes

Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? No

Played dress up? No

Fallen asleep at work/school? Yes

Felt an earthquake? Yes

Touched a snake? Yes

Run a red light? Yes

Had detention? Yes

Been in a car accident? Yes

Pole danced? No

Been lost? Yes

Sung karaoke? No

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes

Kissed in the rain? No

Sung in the shower? Yes

Got your tongue stuck to a pole? Yes

Ever gone to school partially naked? No

Sat on a roof top? Yes

Played chicken? No

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? No

Gone skinny-dipping? Yes

Been told you're hot by a complete stranger? Yes

Broken a bone? No

Mooned/flashed someone? No

Forgotten someone's name? Yes

Slept naked? Yes

Blacked out from drinking? Yes

Played a prank on someone? Yes

Felt like killing someone? Yes

Made a parent cry? Yes

Cried over someone? Yes

Had sex more than 2 times in one day? Yes

Had sex more than 5 times in one day? Yes

Had sex more than 10 times in one day? No

Had/Have a dog? Yes

Been in a band? No

Drank 25 sodas in a day? No

Shot a gun? Yes

Given a lap dance? No

Gotten a lap dance? No

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I have crowns too, six now if I remember correctly, but mine seem inclined to stay put. I'm careful about caramels, that's true.

*looks down your answers to those silly questions*

Gosh, there's a couple of surprises there.

[hrrunka]

Someone left a selection box of Jelly Bellies ™ in the coffee room at work. Curiously, while the Cappuccino flavour ones all vanished quickly, and the chocolate pudding flavour ones went next, the rest didn't seem to attract much attention...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's about what I'd expect. I like all the other flavors... well, except for the vomit and the earwax... Oh wait, those are Bertie Bott's aren't they? ;P

There's one kind here that are made from real fruit juice concentrates. A huge burst of flavor, though obviously not in exotic varieties like coconut or cappucino. Grape, lemon, orange, pineapple, raspberry, and such.

Banannas

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Of course I spent almost two years in Bolivia and many trips to the Yungas, a real jungle rain forest type place.

The banannas we eat here in the US of A are nothing like. Is like eating a green tomato.

The man climbed the tree and came back down with a real bunch of banannas. BTW, did you know the flower that hangs from the bunch is VERY phallic and looks to all get-out like the head of a big huge purple penis. But I am regressing....

Delicious, sweet but not-too-sweet, tree-ripened banannas are a world apart from what we usually eat. No, not mushy at all, just as firm but something outside of any experience with this wonderful fruit any normal American will ever encounter. One of the great shames of our world... to think or feel you have it figured out and you so do not.

Mmmmmm, fresh banannas.

Re: Banannas

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm usually not real fond of bananas, but I'm well aware of what you're saying. They are shipped to us very green and I'm sure they don't ripen the same way they would on the tree. Also I know there are many varieties of banana, but we generally only get one kind in stores up here. As if the only apple you could buy was Red Delicious... Oh, wait...

If a Red Delicious were the only apple I'd ever tasted, I wouldn't like apples very much either.

Re: Banannas

[bladehorse.livejournal.com]

Whinnys to da pony :P Actually the nanners are Gassed to get them to ripen, and kill any vermin that might possibly be on their way to the us. A past co- worker told me the ins and outs of huge refer jobs and gassing wharehouses. I like nanners myself, even being gassed and all, tho I know I would like the tree ripened ones better. Anything is better directly from the tap!

Re: Banannas

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Hiya. I didn't know they gassed bananas. Considering how green they often are at the market, it must not be very effective. As for vermin, I remember my brother having a grocery store job and dealing with snakes and spiders that arrived in the banana shipments. I guess that may have been long enough ago that things have changed, though.

[favouritewindow.livejournal.com]

Don't like chocolate all that much either, it's usually too rich for me...

Answers:

Taken a picture naked? Yes

Made out with a member of the same sex? (Made what out?)

Danced in front of your mirror? No

Told a lie? Yes

Gotten in a car with people you just met? Yes

Been in a fist fight? No

Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? Yes

Been arrested? No

Left your house without telling your parents? No (Always at least left a note)

Ditched school to do something more fun? (Do athletic competitions count?)

Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? Yes

Seen someone die? No

Kissed a picture? No

Slept in until 3? Yes

Love someone or miss someone right now? Yes

Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? Yes

Played dress up? (Eh?)

Fallen asleep at work/school? No

Felt an earthquake? No

Touched a snake? Yes

Run a red light? No

Had detention? Yes

Been in a car accident? Yes

Pole danced? No

Been lost? Yes

Sung karaoke? No

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Yes

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? No

Kissed in the rain? No

Sung in the shower? No

Got your tongue stuck to a pole? No

Ever gone to school partially naked? No

Sat on a roof top? Yes

Played chicken? No

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Yes

Gone skinny-dipping? Yes

Been told you're hot by a complete stranger? No

Broken a bone? Yes

Mooned/flashed someone? No

Forgotten someone's name? Yes

Slept naked? No

Blacked out from drinking? No

Played a prank on someone? Yes

Felt like killing someone? No

Made a parent cry? Yes

Cried over someone? Yes

Had sex more than 2 times in one day? No

Had sex more than 5 times in one day? No

Had sex more than 10 times in one day? No

Had/Have a dog? Yes

Been in a band? Yes

Drank 25 sodas in a day? No

Shot a gun? Yes

Given a lap dance? No

Gotten a lap dance? No

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Hee. I don't mind chocolate if it's really rich, though I want only a tiny bit of it then.

One answer surprised me. And I don't know if you're just being funny or if you really don't get the idioms on "making out" or "playing dress up". ;p