Today's New York Times business page had a piece about artisanal chocolate. Now I love chocolate as much as the next gal, if not more, but does everything need to be so, well, precious?
This is part of a bigger trend. First, there was wine. It wasn't enough to know that red went with meat and white went with fish. No, no, no. You had to know about vintages. Regions. Soil. How much sun France saw that year. Sure, there are good wines and bad wines (and really, really good wines and really, really bad wines). But, it starts to feel a little like a fetish after a while, no?
But, okay, I mean wine has been made and drunk this way for centuries.
Then came coffee. Tea. Olive oil. Vinegar. Mustard.
And now, chocolate. Do we need this stress? Isn't this why we eat chocolate -- for a bit of simple, sweet succor? What is simple about this: "Pop the first half into your mouth, and chew it to check the taste and texture. Then pay attention to the aftertaste. Next, try the other half and see if the flavor changes." I want dessert, not the palate equivalent of an IQ test.
I'd prefer my food minus the side of precious, thanks.