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The dangers and delights of Chocolate. |
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For so long we felt guilty about tasting a tempting piece of chocolate.
Now we are being told of the benefits of this delight—a square of dark chocolate, eaten daily, is said to be good for the heart. The cacao bean has taken on a new glow as one of nature’s beneficial foods. It is said to contain “more than 300 phytonutrients” (I love that word, it simply shimmers with healthy overtones) and also contains a high level of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. What an endorsement!
Well, up to a point. Alas, we are warned, as so often,
”everything in moderation.” Stopping at that one square of dark sweetness—well, that’s one thing. But it’s hard indeed to stop, if you are, as I confess to be, a “Chocoholic.”
Things were just fine as long as I had a husband who kept me in check.
If we were given a box of chocolates, I allowed him—encouraged him—to put them away somewhere unknown to me. Then he would produce them daily and we’d each have just ONE. Of course that just teased my urge for more. But the box was firmly shut and hidden away. And I could live with that.
Well, mostly. One year a neighbour introduced us to a completely new
type of crescent shaped goodies. I admired them so excessively
that the couple dropped in at Christmas time to present us with
a large box. By that time I was usually able to resist temptation as long as the box was unopened, so this was not hidden away. It sat for some
weeks impassively on the shelf in a cupboard. At first I was able to
gaze on it quite calmly. But the day came when I quietly opened the box
and took out –not one, but two. Then I closed the box. And somehow
my misdemeanor went unnoticed.
But—oh shame! I found myself dipping in regularly. In fact, over a
period of time I kept sneaking one or two--or more--until at
last the box was empty. Not only had I eaten the contents, I’d
never shared with my faithful partner. I waited guiltily for the inevitable
day he decided we should make a start, and took out that empty box. “What happened to all those chocolates?” came an indignant roar. And the worst part was, I had found no way to replace them, and thus hide my guilt. (Wherever those neighbours, who had since moved across the country, purchased them, I don’t know. Not anywhere in our vicinity,
apparently.)
Now my family gives me chocolates only on a group occasion.
They know my weakness. It’s not easy, being an addict.
But recently I found out that the cacao bean also has some sinister
overtones. In parts of Africa--namely Ghana and the Ivory Coast-- children are used by poor farmers as slave labour to pick the beans. It all started, apparently, when the World Bank and International Monetary Fund stepped in, supposedly to help African debt. Multinational corporations appeared who managed to gain control of the marketing and sale of beans. They contrived to drive down costs, and farmers turned to child labour to support their families. There has been a movement to change this deplorable situation. But the movement has been far too slow.
One way to help, as buyers, is to purchase only Fair Trade chocolate.
You can find such chocolate in Health Food stores. Look for the label you see on this page. If you can’t find it on your favorite bar, or
beloved box, it’s time to let the manufacturer know you don’t want chocolate from beans that have been picked by African child labour. Just as we buy only Fair Trade coffee, which comes from growers who do not use environmentally destructive methods, we need to carry our concern over to the chocolate business. It’s been kept very quiet, this gathering of cacao beans by children, at least in our part of the world.
I must admit the sweet taste has changed for me. Perhaps
Canada’s own Fifth Estate can step in, as it has so often done.
Meanwhile, conduct your own search! |
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