When I was young I thought that any food considered good for you must be terrible tasting. I remember hiding spinach in my napkin and throwing it out at the first opportunity. And broccoli cooking in a pot on the stove stunk up the house big time.

That was before the senior President Bush banned it from the White House dinner table. But times are a-changing. Chocolate, dark chocolate that is, can be a wonderfully healthful treat they say. And I tend to believe anyone who tells me that because I love chocolate.

After Halloween Trick or Treating, our four children had to hide their chocolate stash so their mother didn’t devour it all while they were in school the next day.

I was a chocoholic big time. I realized early on that I didn’t dare drink alcoholic beverages because several alcoholics existed in my big family and I didn’t want to become one. But I began to think I could become addicted to chocolate instead.

During my college years in the early nineteen forties, I had a job for two hours a day and made 20 cents an hour. I had just enough to buy canned soup, vegetables and milk from the farmer that went door to door in our college town. He delivered where we students rented housekeeping rooms and cooked over gas burners. Once every quarter I splurged and went to a movie for 25 cents and bought a large piece of chunk chocolate probably meant for cooking but in my case was my quarterly chocolate treat.

Then the research began to trickle onto the newspaper pages and the internet that chocolate was beneficial. Glory be. I was exonerated and didn’t have to hide my addiction any longer. I could imbibe hot chocolate, chocolate cake, chocolate chip ice cream—all to my heart’s content because it was good for me.

Every time a new benefit from eating chocolate was discovered I added it to my list of reasons for eating it. It is supposed to deter bacteria from clinging to one’s teeth.
And just recently research reports brought out that dark chocolate reduces stress. Some years ago it was found that eating chocolate produces the same chemical effect in the body as that of being in love. No wonder that my husband always brought me chocolates
on anniversaries. We both got turned on by gobbling down a pound box—my husband eating the creams and I eating the caramels.

My mother would hide her gift of chocolate candy so she could eat it when we kids were in school. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to be a mother who got chocolates on Mother’s Day. Then when I did get them, I hid mine as well. Like mother like daughter I guess.
Recently I celebrated my friend’s 65th birthday by sharing a huge chocolate mousse cake with the guests. I was asked if I wanted to play the piano for everyone.

After I had done what my daughter calls my Liberace style jazz playing, the host cut a big chunk of chocolate mousse cake for me to take home. After I had eaten chocolate mousse cake two days in a row my energy level rose and I felt wonderful. I even sat down to my computer to write about it all.

I admit that I haven’t had a tooth cavity since I’ve had enough money to eat all the chocolate I want. As to the chemistry in my body that is supposed to replicate being in love, well I am not sure where that feeling is going these days but I am open to all possibilities.

Georgie Bright Kunkel is a freelance writer who can be reached at gnkunkel@comcast.net or 206-935-8663.