Confiserie Coffee Dark Chocolate Dark Chocolate
During Week 3, when the Contemplative Practice on chocolate was done, I had a rough time. First, I was recovering from a bad cold and second, my grandfather had passed away the day before I did my contemplative practice, so my mood was anything buy joyful.
One thing that I did notice when I did the practice though, is how much of a “comfort food” chocolate is in my mind. I don’t eat chocolate, or foods with chocolate in them regularly, but I had gone on a grocery trip earlier that day and wow, upon reflection during the contemplative practice, I was surprised. I had bought a chocolate croissant, some chocolate candy, ice-cream bars coated in chocolate and cacao powder. I did not eat all of this in one day, and it was highly unusual for me to buy so much “treat” foods in one trip, but I allowed myself to do it, I guess as a coping mechanism for grief. In all honesty, by the time I ate the chocolate for the contemplative practice I felt unwell from so much sugar. I wouldn’t say I felt quite “comforted,” I guess it was just something I could turn to as a sort of distraction.
During this contemplative practice I also realized why fair-trade chocolate is such a big deal here in the Netherlands. They have one main brand, Tony’s, which is fair-trade and found everywhere. I spoke to a government employee a while back and he told me all government employees are required to buy fair-trade chocolates, that they are not allowed to buy non-fair-trade. I’m not sure how this is enforced, but it is hopeful to see that the Dutch governance is taking this stance. Before this course, I hadn’t known much about the fair-trade movement and about the child labor, but I’ve informed and glad to be so to make positive consumer decisions in the future.
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