Nightly Indulgence

So, as you probably know, I've been on a healthy kick since the start of the year - all in anticipation of the BIG.WHITE.DRESS.

But one thing I have not - and will not - give up is my nightly dark chocolate fix. Won't do it. I've decided that chocolate affects my quality of life too much to go without it. So, Matt and I share a bar of Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate (sometimes with hazelnuts - yum) after dinner and that's our cheat. Absolutely no guilt about that.

Except ... I know well and keep getting reminded that chocolate is one of the worst products when it comes to child labor, slavery and unsafe working conditions.

Today I stumbled across better world shopper, a website that advocates changing shopping habits in order to honor concerns about fair trade, child labor, environmental preservation, etc. See how it lists chocolate as one of the top 10 things to change in order to make a contribution to these causes?

here

Yep, so as much chocolate as we eat, I think we need to look into some alternatives. Below, the site provides a list of chocolate makers with grades based on their labor practices, sustainability, and social responsibility.

here

My beloved Ghirardelli scores a disappointing C+, which is a grade I'd never accept for myself so why should I let my chocolate perform so poorly?

Goal for this weekend: hit up the local fair trade shops to sample some chocolate. Then, hopefully, I can find a bulk supply online to cut costs a bit. But I don't think my pleasure should come at such a high cost to others, even if it is my one indulgence.

Day Trips From Paris Part 1: Bruges

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It has begun. The planning and dreaming and not quite yet stressing about our summer trip to Paris. We had guide books out yesterday, y'all. 

This sh*t is for realz....

So what I want to figure out first, and plan my whole trip around (for now), is a day trip out of Paris to cross a border.

Yes, I'm beginning my Paris-trip-planning by investigating trips out of Paris. It may seem weird, but that's where my mind is going so I'm running with it. In all honesty, it's probably my function of my lust for new places. Paris is a repeat for me, and as much as I love the city, I'm eager to add a new place to the agenda.  The Boy has some major catching up to do as far as his country-count, so this will help him, and I just hate to go all that way and not add to my tally. 

Being that France borders a whopping 6 countries, plus a watery border with the UK, we have several options. But given that we want to take the train, and not spend really more than a day or day and a half, we're reasonably limited to the following countries: Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. 

So here's Vol. 1: Bruges, Belgium

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This is the option I'm leaning towards already. I think after bustling Paris, it would be nice to spend a day in Bruges, a notoriously charming town with a fairy-tale vibe. I mean, just look at that main square! Called "The Venice of the North," the city of Bruges seems to huddle merrily along the banks of it's many winding canals. If the real Venice is one of my world-wide favorites, why not try it's northern namesake?

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Attractions? Museums, quaint stores, and enough chocolate shops to make one sick (49 to be exact. But really what attracts me to Bruges is not the plethora of historic sites or gasp worthy Flemmish artworks, it's the ambiance of the place. It looks so quaint and quietly cheerful that I just want to row a little boat down the canal and wave to all the passersby.

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While on the canal, I would also like to stay in the floating De Barge Hotel, a second life boat docked on the canal at the center of town.

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Find  the NY Times recommendations here and drool over twice fried french fry reviews.

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So what do you think? Bruges? Or shall we keep searching....


Update: Do you read Hi Sugarplum? It's super cute and she has a nice review of Bruges as well. All signs point to this cute city, but I'm still researching! 

Food Memories

I would never say I have a good memory. I forget things all the time and lose track of the funny stories and interesting tidbits of my childhood and youth. But I have an intense and detailed memory for food. Maybe it's genetic - my mom is known to have dreams of a particular piece of meatloaf she befriended. (At the same time, The Boy told me he can barely remember any particular meals - what what?? Tragedy.) Anyhoo, reliving great meals is an excellent time waster (especially at the gym). Yet, it is also an acutely terrible thing, when the dish you are remembering...and craving ... is only available halfway around the globe.

For example:

Via CakeSpy

Chocolat Chaud (hot chocolate) at Angelina in Paris. I know this sounds pretty hoity-toity of me, but honestly, this gilded little cafe is in every tourist and backpackers guide to Paris. And that's not to say that you'll hear 'merican and not Francais spoken here. Everyone from college grads on their continental treks to classy french ladies shopping in the city wants a hit of this chocolate heaven.

So the other day when I was having a chocolate craving, I unfortunately remembered the one and only time I visited Angelina's. It was a late spring morning on a family trip to Paris. Angelina had been on the agenda and the morning had been spent trekking through the chilly city in pursuit of the holy grail of liquefied chocolate lust.

The cafe is an elegant, turn-of-the-century salon and you inexplicably feel compelled to raise a pinkie and tilt your beret upon entering. You may also imagine, as you look around, that Coco Chanel (a former frequenter) will brush by draped in pearls. Seated at a fancy bistro table, you wait, feeling antsy-in-your-pantsy until the waiter presents you with a steaming pitcher of black-brown ambrosia -- L'Africain -- named for the tropical source of the cacao beans-- accompanied by a small pot of thick-as-butter whipped cream. Indulgence -- the chocolate is so rich, and thick, and dark it's like falling down the rabbit's hole into a deep, mystical, world where flavors are heightened almost beyond recognition. Some will tell you to get a pastry or cream puff to go with your Chocolat Chaud - that's gilding the lily and tempting your stomach possibly past capacity, in my opinion, but it's your choice.

In my mind, it's the perfect antidote to this dreary fall day - sitting in Angelina's, sipping a piping cup of L'Africain - pinkie up - dressed entirely in Chanel tweed. Don't you dare pinch me.

Visit Angelina

or try your hand at recreating the recipe here.