chocolates!

hmmm...chocolates! is there anybody who doesn't love them? i ABSOLUTELY do. so does my husband. and so do my kids. we love them! is there any reason not to? let's look at the reasons why they are lovable - they taste lovely, they are such a comfort for whatever mood you're in, they come in a thousand and one varieties, AND, have you heard how they are good for your health? a little square of dark chocolate a day helps you lose weight (no kidding!), is good for your heart, and is a perfect drug-free antidote for digestive problems like hyperacidity and gastric. i have digestive problems and i've tried this. it works like magic. my bio scientist doctor friend confirmed this fact as well. i like milk choc but i've switched to dark choc just because they are healthier for you. and have grown to like it. the ones with min 70% cocoa mass are the best for you. most commercial dark chocs contain abt 46%. milk choc only contains abt 23%. but anything beyond 70% is difficult to stomach. i once tried lindt's 85% and it couldn't get past my tongue. had to spit it out. but of all the chocs from different parts of the world i've tried, the winner is definitely SWISS CHOCS! better than belgian. swiss chocs for me, anytime! malaysian chocs (cadb, voch, kand) are sadly a waste of time and calorie allowance. if i had to have a choc emergency, it would be van houten milk choc with roasted almonds. that's the closest acceptable malaysian choc (don't know if they're made in malaysia, but available in malaysia la) because it has more of a chocolatey taste than just being flat sweet like local cadb. of course there's your other imported snickers and mars but i don't really like them. zip wafers are actually not bad. i grew up on them. love ferrero rocher. my dream choc will probably sound like SWISS 70% DARK CHOC WITH ROASTED ALMONDS. i never liked the fancy schmancy stuff like choc truffles with champagne and all those boutique nonsense. give me a simple ol bar and i'm happy.

pics above are some chocs i picked from melbourne. left are dark choc with hazelnuts and dark choc with almonds and orange from this fancy choc boutique and cafe called koko black. their choc drinks and choc desserts are to die for. be sure to visit one if you're in melbourne. have you ever tried a DARK HOT CHOC WITH ORANGE SYRUP DRINK? nearly knocked me off my seat. it's absolutely fab.

the ones on the left are from a gift shop up in mount dandenong. they have a catchy packaging (sorry pic a little blur) - the ultimate balanced diet: choc for breakfast, lunch and dinner; oral pleasure; and, choc makes it more bearable (this one a bit lame la). don't know if they tasted good. thought they's make good gifts.