Monthly Archives: May 2015

Developing a taste for fire

23 Saturday May 2015

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Back in July 2014, I endeavored to cut out a lot of sugar from my diet – things like cold cereal, sugar in my tea, cookies, cakes, pastry, etc.

One thing I haven’t given up is chocolate. No way. No day. I’m a veritable chocoholic. Some of you will probably call me a food snob, but I’ve cultivated a taste for organic dark chocolate, around 70-72 percent cocoa content. Go any higher and I think the chocolate starts to taste chalky and kind of like eating a teaspoon-full of baking chocolate. Blech.

Go any lower and chocolate becomes sweet enough to kick me into overdrive with how much I want to consume.

Along with my abiding jones for chocolate, I’ve developed an affinity for chocolate with chili. Chocolate w/ chili started getting popular a few years back – though don’t quote me on the exact time frame (although I distinctly recall a scene in the 2000 film Chocolat when Vianne, played by French actress Juliet Binoche, added chili to her chocolate to woo Roux, played by Johnny Depp, and cast a spell over the townsfolk of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain).

Doing some online research, I found pairing chocolate with chili is a centuries-old tradition of the Mayans and Aztecs. Plus, those who enjoy mole’ sauce may be aware it’s made with chocolate too. Well, it’s online research – take it for what it’s worth, folks.

I’ve tried to do my own unscientific research on the best chocolate chili bars. I typically have one or two pieces in the afternoon, paired with unsweetened Earl Grey tea. The bergamot in the EG tea seems to enhance the taste of chocolate and the heat of the tea matches the heat of the chili and allows the chocolate to spread beautifully over the tongue, deepening its flavor.

My passion was first fired when I ate a Trader Joe’s chili cinnamon chocolate bar that was part of holiday chocolate flight gift. I saved it for last since I thought it was going to be dreadful, like its counterpart, chocolate with potato chip shards, salt and pepper. That was truly nasty. There’s only so far you can take gourmet, I think.

But TJ’s chili cinnamon bar was by far the best bar in the package, in my opinion. The chili was delicious and the cinnamon seemed an essential part of what made it delectable. I’ve longed for another bar since December and they’re just not something TJ’s carries off-season. Guess I’ll have to wait until next Xmas.

So here’s my opinion about the chili chocolate bars I’ve been able to find (by no means exhaustive – rather a delightful work in progress):

Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Chili & Cinnamon

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The Thing about Will

05 Tuesday May 2015

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As a follow-up to my blog on ending my school semester and the freedom that gives me to pursue my personal goals this spring and summer, I thought it would be interesting to explore the concept of free will, or the ability to choose how to act, not controlled by fate or God (according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary – a resource I use constantly to understand the nuances of words. It’s a weird source of fun for this wordsmith!).

I’ve written on this blog about getting out of my comfort zone and facing my fears. That’s scary, exhilarating and fun. Unencumbered by fears, hesitation or inhibition, I’ve grown enamored of the concept of my own free will. I’ve become a sort of dare devil, pushing myself to do things that scare me.

In some ways, we’re only constrained by the barriers we put in front of ourselves when we want to do something. I’m powerless over others but I’m powerful over myself … (sometimes). I can choose my actions in any given situation. It, however, is up to me to deal with the consequences of those actions.

Getting out of your comfort zone is wonderful. I have to be mindful though of when I inflict my own self will on others.

Free Will(y)!

Free Will(y)!

This usually happens when I want something to happen and I’m impatient, waiting for results. I sometimes have a lot riding on something and it usually has to do with my ego – wanting what I want when I want it.

I pride myself on being a person that makes things happen. When they don’t go my way, that’s when I get impatient.

I learned recently too that when you impose your will on others, things can get messy. It’s great to makes things happen but not when you step all over another person’s boundaries.

Lesson learned.

I’ve been trying to locate my own boundaries and sometimes, I find myself stepping on other people’s boundaries inadvertently in the process.

There’s an interesting phrase for it, turned by “Inner Child” expert John Bradshaw: Self-will run riot.

I’ve also written about letting go and letting the universe take over on certain things. That’s a really hard thing for me to do. I make my intentions, execute my plans and then I want to control the outcome. That’s where I get into trouble.

Some people call it being Zen, just letting things unfold as they will. That’s been one of the hardest things for me to learn: Putting intentions into action and then letting go of the results.

I take every day as it comes. I delight in the things that I can control, one of which is (only) myself, and try as best as I can to leave the rest up to what the universe decides will be.