12 August, 2007

It's been a long time.

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. Things I'm thinking about:

1) Why do I keep seeing the bendy girl from yoga class around town? I see her at Whole Foods. I see her at the movies. She's everywhere. I wonder when she finds time to practice being as bendy as Gumby.

2) Pumpkin gnocchi is easy to make and it tastes good too...

3) So is/does gazpacho.

4) Why is restaurant Greek salad dressing better than the dressing recipe I have tried to make from an authentic Greek cookbook? I've never been satisfied with homemade Greek dressing. What kind of magic do Greek chefs put in their salad dressing. It irks me to no end.

5) Do you think the neighbors thought I was weird as I was lying on the ground this morning on an old purple towel, taking photos of all of the mushrooms that have sprung up in the lawn?

6) How do you stuff a cocker spaniel in a purse to sneak him into the movie theatre? The woman at the movies today did. I guess her dog is very Gumbyish, just like Bendy Yoga Girl. I mean, we're not talking about a chihuahua here. We're talking about a cocker spaniel.

7) Let's talk for a minute about our olfactory systems. I pass a garden shop every day, walking to the omelet shop for an omelet. Walking to the omelet shop for a cup of coffee. Walking to the omelet shop in hopes that they'll stop selling "healthy" desserts like fruit juice-sweetened brownies and start selling something decadent. Anyway, as I said, I pass the garden shop on these trips. I always detect the scent of...something. I'm not sure what. It's not boxwood, but it's similar. It's not an herb, but it's similar. No one else walking with me to the omelet shop has every detected this aroma. And, I even went in the garden shop and asked them what smells so good in front of their store. They thought I was crazy. They said there is nothing special in front giving off a pleasing aroma. But, I smell it every time I pass the place. I guess I will never know. But why am I the only one who detects this scent???????

8) I have a problem that I wonder if the Chocolate Whisperer can solve. I wonder if perhaps she can detect different tones of chocolate just by looking a piece. I have acquired an abundance of these Special Snooty Hershey Chocolate squares. They have individual names like Aruba Chocolate or Flanders Chocolate. But knowing that doesn't help me figure out if the piece I select is bitter chocolate, milk chocolate or my favorite: semi-sweet dark. Help, Chocolate Whisperer. Save the day.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

well i am not sure if i can answer all questions from 1000 miles away, but start with color -- darker brown = dark chocolate. is this some world mix? i barely know where flanders is. maybe aruba has a coconut-y flavor. if all else fails, just taste them :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your insight! Yes, these are a snooty world mix of chocolates that is supposed to impress the consumer with fancy names like Aruba and Flanders. Actually, Aruba tastes horrid. It's very bitter. The other one tasted better. All in all, a regular Hershey Bar tastes more pleasant.

Too bad you don't have an on-call chocolate whispering service. I was speaking with a friend and she said that her Mother-in-Law and Sis-in-Law tend to take bites out of covered chocolates and put them back if they don't like the flavor. These folks need you!

Susan said...

Hey Chocolate Whisperer,

Maybe Agatestone should just wait until you are back in town and bring the chocolates to you and me for a taste test? :)

Take care,
-Susan

Anonymous said...

CW, the other think to consider is that they are individually wrapped and if I were to taste them to see if I liked them, I would be forced to open and potentially waste the ones I didn't like.

Anonymous said...

hm, well aruba i think of weird coconut/tropical essence and flanders i think of dark chocolate. though it is hard to divine these things merely in the hypothetical.... :) better luck with the next one!

Anonymous said...

Aruba is a definite thumbs down. It's virtually unsweetened and I plan to avoid any more chocolates with the Aruba moniker and will go on to the next country. Perhaps Borneo will taste better. Although, back in the day, weren't there cannibals in Borneo???