There’s a nice little bit of monologue in Jean Shepherd’s screenplay for A Christmas Story. The narrator of the piece, adult Ralphie, is musing on the different and distinct tastes of the various kinds of bath soap bars he’s had to endure as punishments in his formative years.
Over the years I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap. My personal preference is Lux, but I found Palmolive had a nice, piquant after dinner flavor - heady, but with just a touch of mellow smoothness......... Lifebuoy, on the other hand.... slyeccch
I too am a connoisseur, of chocolate. I may go as far as copping to being a chocolate snob.
I didn’t always aspire to this degree of high-falutin' uppityness, but I always enjoyed chocolate. As a child, I scarfed up the typical treats like 3 Musketeers, Hershey Bars, and of course every kid’s favorite, M&Ms. But as I matured, my tastes changed, and it occurred to me that not only was trying to eat that giant Hershey’s Kiss pretty damn difficult, it just didn’t taste that great either. And since then, this pedestrian brand along with Nestle did nothing special for me.
That’s not saying I didn’t eat them – I just didn’t feel anything extraordinary. Then at some point, I discovered Cadbury. I don’t remember when, or exactly what actual version of this marvelous confection, maybe it was the crème eggs? Regardless, I thought, “Hmm, this is fantastic!” And the snob was born.
I learned I didn’t have to put up with the plain-Jane-ness of MaryJanes or tolerate a Tootsie Roll. There were real grown-up kinds of chocolate — Godiva, Ghirardelli, Lindt, and of course, Cadbury. But lest I be thought of as too much of a snob, I must add that there are certain varieties of the everyday brands that I love.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
me, i go for a nice & waxy hershey's special dark.
2 - Nancy
I'm lucky in that I don't really like chocolate, in any form - which is why I have become so picky about the kinds I will eat. I've found that almost all of the more common ones are too waxy, not 'conked' enough. I won't bother with Hersheys, most Russell Stovers, Whitmans, or Nestle. Cadburys, Lindt, some Russell Stover, & the ubiquitous Reese's Cup are the only ones I'll eat, if I'm in the mood. Even Godiva & Ghirardelli I won't touch: for some reason, Godiva has a chalky aftertaste to me, & Ghirardelli tastes just plain strange. Chocolate cakes, cookies, etc. I don't like & don't eat at all. There must be something wrong with me; at the same time, I'm glad I don't have The Urge, as all my friends do. One less tempation to have to deal with.