I love chocolates as early as I can remember. Surprisingly, my teeth grew favorably. Almost similar to sorting the book titles and covers while in a bookstore, doing a chocolate run never fails to cheer me. Early on, I have manifested fondness of doing this run. When I was much younger, my late grandmother asked me to look after her sari sari store. And after an hour, the goyas and Cloud 9 (for retail) were all sold out – to my mouth. Also, whenever we would pass by to a certain area in Cainta , I would boldly sniff the aroma coming from Serg’s factory. “I’m going to be a factory worker there someday”, I wished.
My version of chocolate run these days is going to the chocolate section of the supermarket, primarily to check what’s new. But most of the time is consumed in comparing the labels, ingredients, and occasional sniffing. Just like what I do whenever I’d come to Lindt subsection. Few weeks ago, I bought several Madagascar and Chilli Darks. I personally prefer dark chocolate because it has more cacao and less sugar. The darker, the better. Although Meiji’s black choco is my ultimate favorite, I instantly liked Chilli Dark for its soothing spice as it melts.
My main considerations for picking the book The Chocolate Run were the cover (we sometimes judge the book by its cover, don’t we?) and selling line, “Who needs love when you’ve got chocolate?” I also call this a rebound book. Since I was so hooked with Twilight Saga that time. That the other books (Black Swan, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, A New Earth) I tried reading were not able to redirect my attention, i.e. getting out of focus as I reached 10th page or so. But this one got me, a light read which is humorously and cleverly written.
Chocolate run is a story of (complicated) friendship, love and laughter. This became engaging for me since Amber (story told at her point of view) is a true chocolate lover (TCL) that she does the runs as well. However, I didn’t know that chocolate run has different meanings as explained in the book:
(a) The act of going out to purchase chocolate
(b) Moving with quick steps on alternate feet while in possession of chocolate
(c) The life of a person who thinks in chocolate and spends her life avoiding intimacy
(d) The emotional gauntlet we all go through at some point in our lives, eased by the consumption of chocolate
It’s like when you talk to Amber for three minutes, she already can tell what type of chocolate you are. With vivid justifications provided. In one part, she thought of her brother and mother like peanut brittle. She made exceptions to the general thought that mothers are like fudge – soft, warm, sugary and comforting. That her mother is a peanut brittle because she’s hard as nails.
Do you also like toffee? I never thought that a plain and simple yummy could mean much. She referred to her former boyfriend a toffee – that is made with the best ingredients, hand spun butter, thick, gloopy cream from an organically raised cow, top quality, sun grown sugarcane toffee. That there was only so much of it you could take. Why? A toffee is not a chocolate and all the sensuous delight it can bring. It has no depth, under each layer is nothing but toffee. Try as you might find nothing but hard, unchanging adventurous toffee.
And one of my favorite correlations was the Twix moment. Amber thought that she and her bestfriend are having Twix moment – that is you enjoy the Twix, it stirs up good memories as it crumbles and disintegrates, but the next day you go back to your diet of Flake because that’s what you’re settled on.
This one totally hit me:
I stopped for a bit. You know, the sniffing in public, but when I came to Leeds I started again. It helps me to feel grounded. I feel a bit lost. This isn’t my home and I don’t know many people. But chocolate … no matter where you go in the world you’ll always find chocolate.
I wonder what type of chocolate I would be in Amber’s senses. What about you? Which chocolate are you? And why?
witsandnuts 
0 thoughts on “The Chocolate Run”
upto6only
hehehe kala ko book yung picture mo chocolate bars pala. anong lasa nung chili chocolate. spicy talaga? mukang naghakot ka ng mga chocolates hehehe.
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Josiet
So how does a chocolate with chilli pepper tastes like? I am intrigued.
Josiets last blog post..Thank you
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luna miranda
very interesting post! i also do chocolate runs, although not as frequent as i used to. just about 1 ounce a day, and the darker, the healthier. i could very well relate to (b) and (d). i’m probably a Cadbury Fruit & Nut, because i’m a little nutty.:D
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PM
now this is ‘sweet’. LOL i am also chocoholic but the heavens conspired on me because i can only eat a certain amount then here comes the migraine ack!
PMs last blog post..Amidst the A(H1N1) Scare
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kg
ang hirap namang tanung ya….what chocolate i am. suguro yung plain lang. i’m simple lang kasi but you’ll find me everywhere. he! he!
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bursky
the book sounds fun and intriguing! meron kaya neto sa natio? may pagreregaluhan ako — myself! lol…
i was a fan of the sweet chocolate dati. then i discovered dark choc that stirred something else. and, yes, i so~ agree — no matter where you are, chocolate will always be a good companion. 🙂
now i’m confused. should i buy the book or a box of chocolates? haha
burskys last blog post..May bloom at the office
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bem
uy gusto ko yung sagot ni kg – “plain lang. but you’ll find me everywhere.”
syang yung serg’s ‘no? sarado na. favorite pasalubong ko yan (& curly tops) from my dad when i was a kid. naalala ko, my first taste of hersheys chocolate was when my eldest brother brought home, from manila, big bars of it one christmas. he placed it inside a red hello kitty shoulder bag for me. ang bango, bango! pati yung bag, nag-amoy choco for a long time.
bems last blog post..concerned
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fortuitous faery
i miss serg’s! nowadays, chocnut/hany fulfills our pinoy chocolate fix here in the states. hehe.
this reminds me of the lindt store i visited recently in niagara falls, new york. madagascan cocoa beans? chilli con dark chocolate? it’s all so sinfully sweet…and exotic!
fortuitous faerys last blog post..patriotic entrepreneur
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Toni
This makes me want to run to Max Brenner and grab a mug of steaming hot chili chocolate. YUM!
What kind of chocolate am I? Milk chocolate probably. Not too intense, a bit playful, accommodating. With some nuts thrown in because I can get quite nutty too! 😀
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dong ho
i too love chocolates so much. we always dont run out of chocolates here at home. you might want to watch the movie chocolat.
dong hos last blog post..third where is this winner
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jeanny
Intriguing ah…I wonder what it taste like. Para wala kasi akong makitang ganyan sa supermarket.
Ako, I like the dark chocolate, bitter with a hint of sweetness, ganun kasi ako hahahaha!!!!
jeannys last blog post..Brewing….
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layrayski
Mmmm! The darker the better– me too! When I was younger I couldn’t appreciate anything other than the milk chocolates, but now, I’d love, love to try something new. It must be wonderful living near a chocolate factory growing up!
layrayskis last blog post..Pre- Kasalan sa Inland Wedding Expo and Fashion Show Photoshoot
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katcarneo
Chilli chocolate—intriguing. I’m afraid I have a sweet tooth and would only go for milk chocolate.
(Oh, I passed by the Serg’s factory months before. It’s been long closed the and building looks run down.)
The Ricoa factory along EDSA is still in operation, and I sniff shamelessly whenever I pass by. Dear, dear Flat Tops.
I have loads of books to read, but I’ll keep this one on my TO READ list.
katcarneos last blog post..Hey, Problem!
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odette
chocoholic ka pala?! ^-^
i think i would be a ferrero, with teeny tiny bits of fun on the outside, and a happy surprise on the inside. *giggle*
odettes last blog post..my mom
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onyxx
i’m not much of a chocolate lover, but there are days when i just absolutely crave them. my favorite is lindt swiss chocolate (to die for!)
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Photo Cache
I love dark chocolates. So I think I’m considered a dark chocolate too, because I may be bitter at first bite, but once the taste is acquired I’m irresistable, hehehehehehe.
If only I have time to read, this blogging thing is eating up all of my free time.
Photo Caches last blog post..Dale Chihuly
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Rico
Sounds very interesting! I’m riveted.
“Which chocolate are you?”
Parang mahirap to. Can I call a friend?
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Rach (Heart of Rachel)
All this talk of chocolate makes me crave for some right now. When I was young, I remember how fond I was of Goya chocolates and Cloud 9 bars too.
That sounds like a very interesting book. Thanks for sharing the various meanings of chocolate run.
What kind of chocolate am I? Probably chocolate with rich peanut butter taste (like Reece’s PBC). 🙂
Rach (Heart of Rachel)s last blog post..Photo Hunt :: Book(s)
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dyanie
naalala ko yung pinadala mo!
“no matter where you go in the world you’ll always find chocolate” — Sooooo true!
Meiji Meiji Meiji! *joy*! 🙂
dyanies last blog post..Thank you God 🙂
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