Tuesday, November 20, 2001


still barely dragging my sad carcass around the city, but i wanted to take a moment to write a little more seriously about some of the important issues raised at the recent chocolate show. . .

such as the efforts of the world cocoa foundation to combat child slave labor on cocoa plantations in west africa. many readers may have been made aware of the ambiguous labor conditions on cocoa farms in the ivory coast, where most of america's chocolate comes from, by a recent article in the new york times.

now here comes my rant: although the times apparently is unsure of what child slave labor and abusive bonded labor looks like -- surely a child of 15 is not old enough to sell himself into slavery, even starting with the outrageous notion that anyone should be "allowed" to -- it seems fairly clear that most americans would be disturbed if they knew the production details of the chocolate in their common candy and cocoa mixes. that these abuses are well-established and have been going on since the late 1960s is to my mind all the more reason to combat them.

the foundation is also working on creating sustainable cocoa practices. and finally, although scientific studies are rarely complete, i was thrilled to see detailed information on the tangible health benefits of eating 1.4 oz. of chocolate per day. studies have concluded that this amount of chocolate, in place of other snacks, can slightly increase the amount of so-called "good cholesterol" in the blood; and that this amount also has the same beneficial heart effects attributed to that daily glass of red wine.

so replace your other snacks and that glass of wine with chocolate -- a little every day! 1.4 oz = 1/2 a bar of superb el rey a day! (note: el rey chocolate is made purely of venezuelan beans; less moral ambiguity there!)

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