I have always enjoyed hot chocolate.
One of my favorite jokes is about the fellow who is on a business trip to Switzerland. He asks the waiter at the hotel's restaurant if he would bring him hot chocolate for breakfast, explaining that he has never been in Switzerland before, likely would never be again, and while there wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to indulge in some fine Swiss chocolate. The waiter nods, and in a little while comes from the kitchen with a tall gleaming silver carafe, a silver spoon, and a china cup with a delicate blue pattern on its side. He sets the cup in front of the fellow, placing the silver spoon next to it just so on the crisp linen napkin, lifts the carafe -- and pours steaming water into the cup. Puzzled, the diner looks up just in time to see the waiter pull a familiar packet from the tray, tear it open, and dump the powdered contents into the cup, stirring it briskly with the silver spoon. The diner sighs. He had forgotten.
Nestle is a Swiss corporation.
What brings this to mind is an article in the December Gourmet magazine. We don't receive this magazine, and have this issue courtesy of my dentist, who had it out when I was there last. ( I really did intend to return it! ) This was the issue which contained the excellent article 'Camping Confidential' by Perri Klass, an writer and pediatrician, about her efforts to teach her son how to cook, as a survival trait for his upcoming nature trek. If I hadn't liked her style and down-to-earth insight before reading it, this would have done the trick, adding the concept to Things I Have To Make Sure My Daughter Knows. As for the issue itself, I acquired it because they had an article about Christmas cookies. I’m a sucker for articles like that. I always want to make something different, and every so often find one that is easy to make, different from the usual round of stuff, and tasty.
But another article caught my eye, too -- 'The Perfect Cup', about the availability at the Philadelphia Ritz-Carlton (and now others, I understand), of a 'Chocolate Sommelier' who would 'custom-design a rich, steaming mug featuring high-end chocolate... frothy cream or whole milk, homemade marshmallows (chocolate, berry, lavender citrus), and such toppings as whipped cream, toasted nuts, fresh fruit, and chocolate shavings.'
My goodness.
I don't use the phrase 'luxuriously decadent', but in this case...
5 comments:
This comment doesn't go here. It goes with kids' talent shows, but there was no comment link to that one (at the time I wanted to comment, but maybe one will show up later). Anyhow, your post triggered a thought that you may enjoy the following link:
http://laidoffdad.typepad.com/lod/
It's not really about a laid off dad. It's about an involved and funny father. I thought you could relate. Cate
When I wrote the entry, I didn't think anyone would particularly want to comment on what is essentially a grumpy 'my kid is just as good as those other kids, dammit' post, which is why I disabled the comment button.
I do like that site, thanks. I wish that I had that guy's clarity of expression. "Quite the dysfunctional little tool shed", indeed.
This is about the previous entry, too.
What you witnessed is a classic parent at child's event scenario. You'll see many times more.
So many parents forget why they're there. To support their children - and hopefully the school - the other children - you know, help share in the raising and education of our planet's young - for a better and brighter future. (Gosh - I'm sounding cynical already.)
Instead they yell for their children, block out everyone's view by videoing the show - well, their offspring's parts. Then on the sports field they yell, shout and exhort their young to win at all costs.
Don't know where this comment's going. Just my observations as a dad, ex-teacher and poet.
BTW Jill asked for a hot chocolate in a cafe in Rome a couple of weeks back.
They brought her a menu with twenty different kinds of hot chocolate on it.
Including dark choclate, white chocolate, with hazelnuts and, best of all, hot chocolate with extra chocolate.
There's a scene in The Music Man where the MM is attempting to get the musicians, with actual instruments, to play. They're pretty bad, which is to say, they sound like your average kid's orchestra. One listener pops up, beaming, and announces with pride that thats his kid playing! And then sits down. That kind of boosterism I can take. And I was tickled when groups of kids would shout the name of whatever kid was on stage, doing their thing. I don't think it was an orchestrated event (no pun intended), but rather a spontaneous gesture of support. That kind of thing, I can take. And I should point out that what irked me was, pure and simple, that my child didn't do well. Not for lack of trying, not for lack of wanting to. That leaves 'lack of talent' or 'lack of showmanship'. I choose the latter as the reason.
As for the Rome thing: there is clearly no justice in the world. (g)
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