My name is Prue Batten and I am a chocoholic…
Earlier this month I was interviewed by Shéa Macleod and one of the questions she posed was ‘Chocolate or parma ham?’
Shea isn’t the only one who mentions chocolate… the more I wander amongst my favourite blogs, the more I find that chocolate is an absolute essential for the writer. I even found this http://bit.ly/fjaCn5 on a new blog today.
Certainly in my own case, it’s an addiction. An obsession. So much so that my hairdresser made me the most stunning cupcakes when 
A Thousand Glass Flowers was released.
Now you could assume by what I’m saying that I sit with an open block of choccie next to me as I journey across the page with the protagonists. Not true at all. Imagine! I’d be the size of a house because writing is such a sedentary occupation. But at the end of a fraught time or even at the end of a gung-ho session, I will sit at night with a hot cup of tea, my embroidery and something chocolate-y. Not every night, but quite a lot.
I love chocolate. And I’ve noticed that things I crave are generally bad for me. I love berries… of any sort, adore them. I grow seven different sorts. But if I have too many I break out in rosacea. Too much chocolate and the same thing happens… or I get headaches or sinus, or can’t sleep.
But they say that chocolate makes one happier, that it can reduce blood pressure. And that it can actually help attention span, create an alert state of mind and enable one to problem solve. All good reasons to consume without guilt knowing that it is creating just the right kind of environment for the happy writer.
Chocolate or parma ham just isn’t a question. Parma ham can taste a bit metallic, like blood, and when it does, I really don’t like it. Chocolate, on the other hand … yum! 🙂 There was an article in the news just last week saying that chocolate stimulates muscle activity or something like that, and that it’s as good as exercise! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8762449/Chocolate-as-good-for-you-as-exercise.html
Hello, Traxy. I don’t like ham at all.
But Shea’s questions were so quirky I really loved the humour. She’s such a fresh and exciting author.
Love the D-T article… it just makes me want to eat more. Ah well!
Hmm, I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like chocoate (who’s not allergic). I’m not an aficianado but I do it like it in small amounts. Those pics look scrumptious!
Yummy, aren’t they Judiang? Maybe its safer to look not touch.
Parma ham in thin slices wrapped around a sweet water melon or a honeydew melon, what a delicious idea. But I must admit, chocolate still beats it. I am addicted to chocolate as well ;o)
Hi CDoart,
If there is ever a chocolate flavoured choice on a menu, I’ll opt for the chocolate. The only time that changes is if a lemon tart is offered, or, on occasion, something with berries in it… say for example boysenberry icecream.
We have blackberries in the garden. What a delicious time, when the big black berries are ripe. That reminds me, I have some newly made jam in the fridge. Together with some chocolate …
What delicious idea, only I should go to bed now ;o)
Right! That’s it! (barked in a Basil Fawlty-type, almost hysterical voice) I’m going to buy chocolate!
Si!!!!! I thought you’d fly off for the coffee or the coffee-flavoured things. Glad to see that I’ve converted you to the darker side.
Prue, Those cakes are gorgeous.
I’m that odd duck who doesn’t like chocolate. Go figure.
But… on the other hand I am not without sin. I have been known to knock back two huge bowls of very salty popcorn obscenely soaked in melted butter.
Actually that’s my main good group and I indulged at least twice weekly. Said decadence must be accompanied by a bottle of good champagne…(supplies the fruit needed in a balanced diet.)
Love your idea of fruit in the diet, Barbara. That’s why I have wine! But popcorn? Meh! So good to see you here!
Prue, it was a bit of a silly question to ask, I’ll admit. Because I just KNEW we’d be of like minds on the chocolate issue! lol
Shea, it was a GREAT question… purely because it was so unexpected! And that’s what I love about the way you blog, but more importantly the way you write!
Chocholics Anon… it’s a bit of a given really, isn’t it? Welcome to my writers’ support group. I’m just worried about any chocolate Mark may try to eat in the heat of the Gambia. What do you think?
Ah, chocolate! Why do you give me migraines, when I love you so much?
I suppose it’s an incentive to keep my intake to reasonable proportions.
White chocolate…choccy mousse…nanaimo bars and brownies….
I have to laugh, Prue. You sound exactly like me, a genuine chocoholic and everyone who knows me knows it! I had just eaten a piece of Margaret River white chocolate when I read your post actually
http://www.chocolatefactory.com.au/
Best chocolate EVER. Expensive, both worth the treat. I can recommend it.
Oops, I mean “BUT worth the treat.” Typo!
*Sigh* I adore chocolate — just a sliver of really good chocolate can improve any bad day. But now I have to find dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate. That’s a challenge. A lot of nice ones are coming out made with coconut oil, but I’m a supertaster, and sometimes I don’t want coconut flavor.
I just want CHOCOLATE, with a touch of really fine vanilla.
We won’t go on about the ones with fruit, or nuts, or herbs, or spices.
I miss the wall of chocolate at Central Market. *Sigh*
You can all have the difference between the chocolate I used to eat and what I eat now!
Katharine… that is AWFUL. Recently I had a diabetes scare and whilst I waited for the results, I cringed at the chance there would be no more chocolate and no more wine. Fortunately I’m okay but sadly you are not. I will send you THE most divine recipe for a flour-less orange cake (or lemon) … it might fill the terrible chocolate gap. That is if you already haven’t got the recipe. It came from one of the groups of which you and I are members.