For the love of dark chocolate

Hi, my name is Suzie, and I have an emotional attachment to dark chocolate. (And, no, I'm not a member of Chocoholics Anonymous--yet.) The darker the better. And if by chance I crunch on a cocoa nib, it's the closest thing to heaven.

Last Christmas, I received an amazing array of European-style truffles from an author who found them at the Chocolate Fetish in Asheville, NC. If you're wondering how to tell what's the really good stuff, visit http://www.chocolatefetish.com/

Needless to say, these truffles still exist in my imagination (and in the photo above). They were that good.

You might argue with me, and you certainly deserve to have your own opinion. My opinion though, is this: dark, beautiful chocolate creates a seritonin rush so divine that I believe chocolates should be prescribed as an antidepressant. Or at the very least the ultimate cure for a lousy day!

The bottom line is this: the rush from dark chocolate makes me deliriously happy. And when I thank God for simple pleasures, this one sometimes tops the list.

I can't quote you chapter and verse, but I believe within me that chocolate must exist in heaven. Or at least a substance like it, no matter what they call it. Perfection. Divinity. The ultimate. Whatever.

The other night, after a really long and hard day, I found a gift bag on my doorstep. I took it inside and emptied the contents on the floor. There was a lovely coupling of Bath and Body honeysuckle lotion and shower gel. It's really great and I use it often. But honestly, what brought tears to my eyes was the dark chocolate bar.

It was as if God reached down, through my anonymous friend, and said, "It's been a rough day, a rough week, a rough year, in fact. But I love you and I know you, and things will be OK. Enjoy this little treat on me."

And that is the story of my emotional attachment to dark chocolate. What's your chocolate story?

"Giving chocolate to others is an intimate form of communication, a sharing of deep, dark secrets." -Milton Zelman, publisher of "Chocolate News"