When Sibley and I were first tossing around the idea of
going to Spain, we began discussing the wonderful food we would try there such
as tapas and paella. Then, our roommate Jess added something: drinking
chocolate. Bright smiles lit all of our faces. Just the sound of the words “drinking
chocolate” were enough to make us giddy with excitement. So now, I decided to
look into this tantalizing idea a little further.
Drinking
chocolate is a thicker, richer form of hot chocolate and is typically served
with churros. It originally came to Spain from Mexico in 1585 and became a huge
hit (of course it was, it’s chocolate!”). They even created stores called Chocolaterías.
When I searched online for this subject, I kept coming to one big
suggestion, Chocolatería San Ginés.
San Ginés was mentioned as a “Must See”
location, and a huge tourist spot. National Geographic even chose San Ginés as one of the top 10 places for chocolate in the world! I read that they serve over 40 varieties of
hot chocolate, delicious churros, and maintain long hours to accommodate the
late-night party goers of Madrid. In fact, it is only closed for two hours,
between 7am and 9am, so that after a long night of revelry, one can rejuvenate with
a warm cup of chocolate. From the reviews, late night seems to be the most
popular time to go. While I doubt Sibley and I will be there very late, I do
imagine we will fall in love with it just like everyone else.
The latest Bunny Business. Surely you remember the chocolate bunny made by Lindt, the storied Swiss chocolatier? He may have made his last hop. As David explains, the “great men” of the EU
ReplyDeletehave been examining this chocolate bunny, and they don’t like the way it is wrapped in gold foil and has a red ribbon round its neck. This is “not sufficiently different,” so they say, from the wrappings of other chocolate products. Apparently Lindt has failed to establish the bunny’s “inherent distinctive character.” And the European Court of Justice accordingly issues a fatwa.
Yes, that’s right: the continent of Europe is listing toward bankruptcy and demographic disaster and the bureaucrats running the joint are worried about the wrapping of chocolate bunnies. “Ordinary people,” as David observes, “can respond only with a belly laugh – and this may be the only joyful thing to remember when the death throes of this whole preposterous experiment are over at last.”