Calories vs. Flavor
May 31, 2009
Cruising around the internet looking for interesting news I ran into a headline of an article written by etiquette expert Jodi R.R. Smith. It read, "Diet no excuse for spitting out chewed chocolate."
Yikes! Who would spit out chocolate? I read on to discover that upon taking a piece of chocolate into her mouth, the woman in question chewed once and then spit out the chocolate into her napkin, apparently deciding in that moment that the chocolate, if fully consumed, would not be worth the calories.
Jodi, the Mannersmith, went on to explain, "For treats and sweets, you should taste them first and decide if they are worthy..." Then if they pass your taste test, go ahead and eat it, but if they do not, you can kindly refuse and not gross anyone out!
That's the etiquette perspective, assuming you're eating chocolates in the presence of other people. But what if your chocolate addiction leads you to sneaking pieces of chocolate when you're alone? (While I highly recommend the social aspect of shared chocolate enjoyment, I understand that some people do crave chocolate especially when they're alone.)
You probably have your chocolate comfort food, that particular candybar that satisfies anytime. You know you'd never even be tempted to spit that out. But at Chocolate University Online we urge people to move beyond their familiar comfort chocolates and explore the ever-widening array of chocolate options.
What if you have purchased an artisan chocolate or a single-origin bar and you have no idea what it's going to taste like? Or, what if you've been given a box of chocolate candies, you know those mysterious boxes that don't have a handy key to the mixed shapes within?
The Mannersmith's advice is still good, at least in part. Take a small taste first following our suggested tasting guidelines. If you like it, great you've discovered something new! If you don't like it, and you're still alone (or in a small group who have agreed this is OK), then by all means spit it out! Get rid of it. Rinse your mouth. Grab a different piece of chocolate and start over.
My final recommendation is that you always end with a piece of chocolate that you really like. You want the lingering flavor notes to pleasantly stay with you. Of course if you're with company, tasting an unpleasant mystery chocolate, with no other options, be polite with your first taste and then simply set the chocolate aside, unchewed!
If you're interested in the original article that spurred this post, please see "Diet no Excuse" article.
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