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February 20, 2025
The Sweet Side of Love
By Mikie Baker
The Bandera Prophet
Since we’ve just romanced our way through Valentine’s Day, I hope you were lucky enough to get not only roses, but chocolate as well. Why bother with jewelry? My hands appear old-lady-scary, my neck looks like I can gobble, and my ears have grown so large, I’m hiding from my jewelry box. But Chocolate? Other than George Clooney, I’m madly in love with Godiva.
With chocolate on the brain (and in my stomach), I fantasized laying on a chaise lounge while George Clooney fed me bonbons. He’s getting a divorce, you know. That led me to a thought: just what is a bonbon anyway?
First somebody had to discover cocoa powder. Mayans, those really smart guys who knew how to build ruins, discovered chocolate, which really helps when you are living in ruins. But there’s more. Chris Columbus got some good cocoa powder from the Mayans and did a drug run across many oceans to present this magic stuff to Spanish Emperor Charles Quint who used it in beverages. I’m pretty sure that’s where Borden’s got the idea for chocolate milk.
Anyway, some Frenchman snuck across the border and grabbed some cocoa powder and whisked back to a bunch of French people who tasted it and said, “We know! Let’s invent bonbons.” By the 1700s, all the French were totally in love with this evil addiction, so they figured out how to mass produce chocolate and the compulsion went worldwide.
Hence, we have the bonbon. It’s not pronounced like Bon Bon; it sounds more like bnnbnn; you know - how you’d say it after too many glasses of wine with your bonbons. What qualifies this delicacy differently than say, Truffles, is they are flat on the bottom and round on the top; you know like a Minion. But who really cares? It’s chocolate.
The problem is a six-pack of French Bonbons including shipping is a mere $40. You do the math.
Now, on the other hand, Godiva makes a mean dark chocolate Truffle. And there’s no mushroom in it. Just rich, delicious George Clooney - wait - I mean Godiva Chocolate. Truffles are round like their namesake, the expensive Mushroom Truffle. Heck, if I was looking for a name, I’d have gone with Giant Ball of Bliss.
Of course, it was another Frenchman who came up with the Truffle. Those guys sure are sugar addicts, aren’t they? Truffles were born in 1895 in Chadbury, France, which must be Cadbury’s cousin except they are into Easter. Plus, they’re from England where everybody really likes marshmallows, I guess.
But my amour, Godiva, is global as in Brussels, Turkey and Reading, Pennsyvania. I can only assume they picked Pennsyvania because the Eagles won the Super Bowl?
Godiva’s Truffles are sublime because they’re all just giant balls of extra rich dark chocolate. My favorite one is filled with dark chocolate ganache. Yes, I know fancy words. I watch the Halloween Bake Off Challenge.
Plus, Godiva's aren’t $6.50 each.
Well, now that you know everything you need to know about chocolate, run out and buy yourself a box of chocolate-covered cherries, a chocolate malt or a chocolate croissant. And while you are enjoying your chocolate, give out a big shout out to the Mayans Me? I’m going to buy a giant box of chocolates and go find George Clooney.
With chocolate on the brain (and in my stomach), I fantasized laying on a chaise lounge while George Clooney fed me bonbons. He’s getting a divorce, you know. That led me to a thought: just what is a bonbon anyway?
First somebody had to discover cocoa powder. Mayans, those really smart guys who knew how to build ruins, discovered chocolate, which really helps when you are living in ruins. But there’s more. Chris Columbus got some good cocoa powder from the Mayans and did a drug run across many oceans to present this magic stuff to Spanish Emperor Charles Quint who used it in beverages. I’m pretty sure that’s where Borden’s got the idea for chocolate milk.
Anyway, some Frenchman snuck across the border and grabbed some cocoa powder and whisked back to a bunch of French people who tasted it and said, “We know! Let’s invent bonbons.” By the 1700s, all the French were totally in love with this evil addiction, so they figured out how to mass produce chocolate and the compulsion went worldwide.
Hence, we have the bonbon. It’s not pronounced like Bon Bon; it sounds more like bnnbnn; you know - how you’d say it after too many glasses of wine with your bonbons. What qualifies this delicacy differently than say, Truffles, is they are flat on the bottom and round on the top; you know like a Minion. But who really cares? It’s chocolate.
The problem is a six-pack of French Bonbons including shipping is a mere $40. You do the math.
Now, on the other hand, Godiva makes a mean dark chocolate Truffle. And there’s no mushroom in it. Just rich, delicious George Clooney - wait - I mean Godiva Chocolate. Truffles are round like their namesake, the expensive Mushroom Truffle. Heck, if I was looking for a name, I’d have gone with Giant Ball of Bliss.
Of course, it was another Frenchman who came up with the Truffle. Those guys sure are sugar addicts, aren’t they? Truffles were born in 1895 in Chadbury, France, which must be Cadbury’s cousin except they are into Easter. Plus, they’re from England where everybody really likes marshmallows, I guess.
But my amour, Godiva, is global as in Brussels, Turkey and Reading, Pennsyvania. I can only assume they picked Pennsyvania because the Eagles won the Super Bowl?
Godiva’s Truffles are sublime because they’re all just giant balls of extra rich dark chocolate. My favorite one is filled with dark chocolate ganache. Yes, I know fancy words. I watch the Halloween Bake Off Challenge.
Plus, Godiva's aren’t $6.50 each.
Well, now that you know everything you need to know about chocolate, run out and buy yourself a box of chocolate-covered cherries, a chocolate malt or a chocolate croissant. And while you are enjoying your chocolate, give out a big shout out to the Mayans Me? I’m going to buy a giant box of chocolates and go find George Clooney.