CHOC-CHOC-CHOCOLATE!

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS SHIT IS LEGAL!

How Did Chocolate Get Past The Fundies?

They must have their vices, too. And, if hostile aliens ever invade Earth, it will be for chocolate. And only chocolate will save us. Only free, happy, willing humans can grow and process chocolate, and only on Earth. That's what we'll tell them. They'd never risk chocolate by calling our bluff.

Chocolate is the one, universal thing that binds us all: Old, young, rich, poor, black, white, Muslim, Hindu, Frenchman, Japanese, academic, ignoramus, diva, quarterback, phlegmatic, peripathetic, scaly, albino, gandy-dancer, Orangeman, ectomorph, soup-nazi... everybody.

You get the picture. If you don't like chocolate, you are simply not human. Turn yourself in to Homeland Security. NOW!

The best chocolate I ever had was at a chocolatiers, of course, in Paris, where else. Chocolatiers only make chocolate, fresh, every day. They have little shops that ANYONE can go in, and observe the chocolate. If you have money, you can buy some. And EAT it!

They don't sell pastries. That's a patisserie, or a salon de the, if you want to sit down and eat your dessert, with coffee, tea or hot chocolate. They don't sell hard candies. That's a confiserie, a candy store; or an epicerie, more like a small grocery store. They don't sell bread, that's a boulangerie. They don't sell milk, eggs or cheese. That's a laiterie, cremerie or fromagerie.

They don't have supermarkets, on the Butte, or didn't, back then. You had to go from shop to shop, for each and every little thing. Fruit from the fruiterie. Wine from the marchand de vin. Deli from the charcuteries. Meat from the boucherie. Fish from the poissonnerie. It's wonderful.

Everything's fresh. The people in the shop make the stuff they sell, or buy it themselves in a big wholesale marche, like the old Les Halles, fresh every day. They wouldn't think of selling, or eating packaged, processed, preserved foods. Back then.

But the chocolatiers are the best. I was really poor when I was in Paris. I depended on the warm morning pain et cafe au lait at my little pension in wintery Montmartre. I'd go all day on that, and bring a few things to my little room to eat at night.

Once in a while, I'd have a cheap cous-cous in a tiny Tunisian restaurant, all tiles and mint tea. Usually, though, my entire day's food budget went to the chocolatier. One piece of that incredible fresh chocolate was so rich, so delicious, so fulfilling, I could go all day on it.

At Christmas time, they make this thing they call a buche de Noel. A yule log. It's chocolate whipped up with butter, on a sort of cookie or cracker, in the shape of a log. You automatically go to hell for eating it.

But it's worth it. Sweet, bitter, buttery, chocolately, creamy, about ten million calories: Enough to getyou all the way through December, in one bite. I can still taste it. Hell's not that bad. Compared to Philadelphia.



"In Paris, Boutiques and Cafes Where Chocolatiers Raise the Bar"

TO POST A COMMENT: CLICK ON "COMMENTS," "Post a Comment" or "# of COMMENTS" just below the SOCIAL BOOKMARKING LINKS (Digg, Delicious, etc), about three inches down from here. Please do comment. Thank you.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR BLOGGERS:

Suggestion Box & Tip Jar We would like to make over this blog to make it easier to access, to read and to comment on. We would also like to serve our readers better by providing more of what you need and want to see. All serious suggestions will be considered. We hope to move to our own domain in the near future, and we would like to ask for your financial assistance in doing that, and in upgrading our hardware & software. Small one-time donations and larger long-term subscriptions are welcome. Exclusive advertising is also available. If you think we are wasting our time in doing all this, please let us know. If you wish to help us, now is the time. As always, negative bullsh*t from right-wing trolls will be sh*tcanned. Thank you to everyone else. Please send feedback & PayPal contributions to cosanostradamusATexciteDOTcom. Thanks.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS: BRING THEM ALL HOME ALIVE, NOW!

HONOLULU MARATHON

OR, SHOULD I SAY, THE JAPAN AIRLINES MARATHON?

Apparently, Somebody Won

Don't know who. It certainly wasn't the citizens of Honolulu. Every year, the Honolulu Police Department locks half of the city behind an impenetrable force field of rude cops. No one is allowed to cross the race course for periods of up to eighteen hours. This despite the fact that all the real runners are gone within two hours.

No one is allowed in or out of the main hotel area in Waikiki. No one is allowed anywhere near the ocean, from Chinatown to Hanauma Bay. If you have to catch a flight out of here, tough luck. The police officers stationed every block for twenty-six miles will not stop, re-route or slow the race down to let you cross. Even though most of the "runners" are walking after the first two or three hours.

A local politician has finally become aware of this. It's not just the Marathon. There is a major event at least once a week, all year round, every year, mainly in Waikiki, bringing traffic to a standstill for hours. This on top of endless road construction, and regular nightmare traffic. The cops just stand there. No effort is made on behalf of people who live and work here, trying to get home or to work.

Some claim that these weekly fuck-ups are for the benefit of the turistas. As if people paid thousands of dollars to come thousands of miles just to see a dinky parade stalling traffic for several hours. Most of the "visitors" regard these events as a nuisance, especially if they actually have somewhere to go, or something to do.

But our totally out-of-it politicians, and our dumb-shit business "leaders" love the idea of big events at public expense. They don't give a damn what the public thinks about it. Well, if this guy gets his law passed limiting these stupid events, he'll be our next Honolulu Mayor, Hawaii Governor, Congressman or Senator. Guaranteed. Maybe the rest of them will take notice, then.

BEEP-BEEP!!! GET OUT OF OUR WAY, YOU ASSHOLES!!!




"Honolulu Marathon street traffic watch"

"Enough Waikiki parades, some residents say"

"Runner And Records Fall At Honolulu Marathon"

"Honolulu Marathon will have satellite run in Afghanistan"





Send comments to cosanostradamus AT excite DOT com.



GINNY'S ARTWORK


Links:

• ratboy's anvil


• By Beauty Damned


• The Dirty Ashtray


• Swerve Left


• Mirthful Ones


• The World According to Rob DAMMIT!!


• Shining Light In Dark Corners


• The American Street


• americablog


• Eschaton


• daily kos

BLOGSHARES BLOGROLLING BLOGDEX WEBLOGS
BLOGGER SITEMETER PING-O-MATIC BLOGARAMA
BLO.GS

Site Feed

FEEDBURNER: Syndicate this site

Search Popdex:

DAYPOP



News & Weblogs NewsWeblogsRSS Headlines

Technorati
Profile




Popdex Citations

The Progressive Blog Alliance

TO POST A COMMENT: CLICK ON "COMMENTS," "Post a Comment" or "# of COMMENTS" just below the SOCIAL BOOKMARKING LINKS (Digg, Delicious, etc), about three inches down from here. Please do comment. Thank you.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR BLOGGERS:

Suggestion Box & Tip Jar We would like to make over this blog to make it easier to access, to read and to comment on. We would also like to serve our readers better by providing more of what you need and want to see. All serious suggestions will be considered. We hope to move to our own domain in the near future, and we would like to ask for your financial assistance in doing that, and in upgrading our hardware & software. Small one-time donations and larger long-term subscriptions are welcome. Exclusive advertising is also available. If you think we are wasting our time in doing all this, please let us know. If you wish to help us, now is the time. As always, negative bullsh*t from right-wing trolls will be sh*tcanned. Thank you to everyone else. Please send feedback & PayPal contributions to cosanostradamusATexciteDOTcom. Thanks.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS: BRING THEM ALL HOME ALIVE, NOW!