Good Chocolate, Bad Dog

"Money talks, chocolate sings."

This week I surprised Susie with a package of exceedingly yummy chocolates from Chocolate. com. Chocolate.com is an Internet site devoted to bringing fine chocolates to to both refined and unrefined chocolate lovers.

If you go to the website you will see on the top left a link to their Email Support Team. Evidently chocoholics must need support groups, too, like AA support groups, hence it is placed in an easy to see location on the page. If you are addicted to good chocolate, or even bad chocolate, contact Chocolate.com to help get you through.

In all seriousness, the package arrived with a very high quality insulated wrap like something you might find in a NASA space station to help keep the chocolates from melting in the summer sun during delivery. Ours arrived intact and not goopy or gooey. And what a nice array of specialty chocolates. The four from Jade had an Oriental feel. Susie, who favors dark chocolates, took the Dragon's Breath, Orient Espresso and the Mahai. I spirited away the Genmai and the Santander from Colombia.

Unfortunately, after taking but one bite from each of her chocolates, she left them on her desk for the morrow, but the morning delight never came as.... well you can see from the title that something bad was about to happen. Much as we love our Hobo, a blue healer mix, there have been times she has almost been found hanging from a tree. (Please, I overstate this aggression. Do not call Animal Allies.)

Dogs do have an excellent sense of smell, and the chocolate from Chocolate.com smelled especially good. I think there were neighbor dogs in the yard all night as well, pacing about the house with baseball caps slouched low, seeking an opportunity.

The Dragon's Breath was 65% cacao with roasted sesame seeds, lipsang souchang tea and chili pepper. I'll bet it was like nothing you ever tasted before. My Genmai was 35% cacao with roasted brown rice, green tea and jasmine tea. Mmmmm. The women at the office with whom I shared it all enjoyed it very much, as did I.

The more I ramble here the less space I will get to segway into my art show invitation. The pictures are on the wall, and like these chocolates there is a wide variety. People have asked what kind of art it is. I hardly know what to say. "In the modernist style" does not quite capture it. The Open House will be on Tuesday July 21 from 6 - 9 p.m. and you are invited.

Disclaimer: The writer of this blog entry received the chocolate in exchange for a review about his experience. The chocolates were wonderful. Especially the truffles. Oooh. Ahhhh. Can we say fireworks?