On Chocolate, Tastes, and Confusing the Relatives

[featherynscale]

I discovered something this weekend about chocolate.

We were at chaosdruid's birthday party at the Cheesecake Factory, and niveus_tigris had acquired two whole cheesecakes for the party, one of which was a sort of chocolate mousse on chocolate cheesecake on chocolate cookie crust affair. I managed about two small bites of this, after which I had to pass my plate off to agrnmn, who devoured the remaining cheesecake with great appreciation. For me, though, the experience was almost painful. I have always had an iffy relationship with chocolate, but never been able to put my finger on why. And then, suddenly, it occurred to me that the thing that eating chocolate was most like was being tickled in one spot repeatedly for an extended period of time. The first taste is good, if it's a small taste. But then, I get overwhelmed with the unrelieved sweetness of it, and it ceases to be a good time very quickly.

niveus_tigris mocked me roundly for this (which was not undeserved). "I never thought I'd hear you say 'no, that's too much for me' about anything," he said, "What's next, 'Oh, that's too much sex for me?'". And usually I am about too much. Too much is almost enough. But the too much I'm after is too much different sensation. Too much of a single sensation is no good. So I don't do plain chocolate, but chocolate with chili peppers is fine, and sometimes even sought after.

A lot of my tastes are tending away from sweet anyway. Although I will still eat my own weight in honey if I can manage it. I'm not sure how that's different, but I'm sure I'll figure it out someday.

Also at the party, I had the interesting fortune of standing near agrnmn when chaosdruid was introducing people to her mother, which caused her mother to think that I was his wife. Then, there was a period of trying to explain who went with who, at the end of which, niveus_tigris went, "OK, everybody pair up!". Doesn't help, for me, I said. I get the short end of the pairing up stick every time. So he thinks for a second and goes, "Okay, then, everybody stand next to your favorite person?". But that doesn't work for me either. But what can you do? Some of us don't come in twos.

Comments

pairing up...hmmm

[starwyse.livejournal.com]

Some of us are deliciously single. :)
And boy is that occasionally awkward. More for others in my world.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

We did add the "or whatever," but that's kind of lame, too. How about "divide into family groups?"

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Eh, it was no big deal. I thought it was funny, really.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

I was also thinking that you could just continually pair off in a cycle and make people really dizzy. That'd be fun.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I have a very sharp and pointy response to this, but I'm letting it sit for a while first. Love, love -- N

[beccak1961.livejournal.com]

I can gorge on chocolate until I throw up, then eat more. It's a sickness really, you are much better off.

As for the pairings, I don't know.. having been a twosome forever, I do sometimes wonder if I ever have a "stand alone" identity.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I dunno. I like sweet things, and it's harder and harder to get them at restaurants unless they involve chocolate in some way. But seriously, if that's the worst thing that happens in my life, I'm doing pretty good.

[beccak1961.livejournal.com]

There's always sugar cookies... a classic:) And pie .. pie is good.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I love sugar cookies. That's the sort of thing that I could eat until I hurled. Especially if they had cinnamon sprinkles. :)

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

I can totally do that with molasses cookies.

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel any better, my Mom now walks around in a state of perpetual confusion. She's in the downward spiral into Alzheimers (my brother and I are in agreement about this, even if she's in denial). She has a hard time with anything that isn't in the paradigm that she's used to.

I did wonder about you with the chocolate in the cheesecake, which is why one of the options I had up in the poll was for the apple struesel. Apple is my favorite non-chocolate flavor. I think we ended up with the chocolate chip cookie dough more out of curiosity of what it would be like.

Sorry that it didn't work out as well for you. I enjoyed you being there.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I wasn't offended, or anything, I was just trying to assist in the clearing up, and sort of amused.

Also, the cookie dough one was awesomely tasty.

And I had a lovely time.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Also, I thought having an analogy now for the chocolate thing was really sort of neat. This was in no way intended to be a post in which I am deeply offended and everything sucks. The chocolate thing was neat, in my world, and the pairing up thing was funny.

I'm saying this because apparently everybody thinks I'm offended about everything today, and I'm so not.

[beccak1961.livejournal.com]

I didn't get the impression you were offended from your post, a little questioning of why you were feeling "off" maybe, but then again I might have just put that in between the lines myself and it wasn't there at all.

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

Okie dokie... You know me, the empath worries about how everyone feels. I know it was a tad uncomfortable. I knew who went with who, but I couldn't figure out at first who Mom was referring to. I had this stunning, "why is she asking about Andrew's wife when she's over on the bench?" moment there. Ah well...

I'm glad you found an analogy for the chocolate. I tend to forget that you don't care for chocolate sometimes. But now I know that I just need to give it to you in very small amounts. This works out well, as it leaves more for the rest of us.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I know you know who goes with who, and I really wasn't at all uncomfortable, just trying not to be confusing to your mom, who seemed to be a bit overwhelmed with all of us at once anyway. It was like, well, we'll sort it out this way, except that doesn't work, or how about this way, no, that doesn't work either. So I thought it was funny.

And I am more than happy to let you guys eat all the chocolate! Chocolate for those who want chocolate, no chocolate for those who don't want chocolate.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

I didn't think you were offended. You sounded amused.

And then there was me, who doesn't really like cheesecake much at all. Plain with cherries I can do about once a year, but the foofy stuff, uh-uh. Everyone at my table seemed okay eating my share, though, so it was fine. I'm not much of an eat dessert right away person anyhow. There's that where to put it when I just ate issue, you know.

[matchgirl42.livejournal.com]

Coming soon to a party near you...Musical Mates! Just like Musical Chairs, except with an extra level of uncertainty, and chairs not (necessarily) involved. Start or join a game of it today!

[kcwitch.livejournal.com]

i wonder if the sweet thing/too much of a good thing is a leo trait? tiger doesn't like sweets that much either and can generally only do a small bite or two before passing it on to buddy who can eat his weight in sweets. although tiger does love honey as well. hrm...something to ponder...