Never mind the kiss of death, how ’bout the kiss of chocolate?
Make that kisses.
It began innocently enough, just another typical day of unemployment and boredom and so I checked the day’s Five Things to Do at a local blogsite and found this: Chocktoberfest. I was on it faster than you can say give me chocolate or give me death.
The event: the annual chocolate fest.
The place: the Proctor District, a fairly well-to-do neighborhood.
The time: three days.
The game plan: Pick up a passport at Metro market. Collect a stamp from 15 of the 35 participating merchants — mostly little shops in a 4-block area — and deposit it for a chance to win a prize.
Bonus: Some establishments were giving discounts, others bites of sin, dark or light.
So I spent the afternoon circulating through the neighborhood, stopping in at stores I hardly knew existed and encountering many a friendly folk along the way. Collecting my stamps. And encountering chocolate where required. Someone had to do it.
This gift shop was giving away samples of its chocolate raspberry sauce. It didn’t mesh with the Wheat Thin crackers. ‘Twas better straight off the spoon.
raspberry chocolate sauce
The All State insurance office offered a small spread laid out on a satiny brown tablecloth featuring flowing fondue and foods for dipping: slices of strawberries, pineapple, banana, brownie bites, marshmallows, bread, chopped nuts. They even had small white ceramic plates and tiny dainty forks (not often I get to be all grown up and eat with one of those!).
And I accidentally deleted that photo. But the fountain survived:
dive in!
And my dish that I as your unpaid roving reporter was obligated to create and sample:
After a few hours hitting every merchant except the gym, ironically, which for its distance out yonder I never did find, I’d pocketed a small haul:
The candle’s wax and a gift from All State with the fountain. That brownie chocolate-chip cookie from Safeway in the middle — surprisingly soft and gooey! I respectfully disciplined myself from cheating by returning for another.
By the end of the day, all I had to show for my participation was the completed passport:
a thicker waist and a pile of wrappers. And no one needs to see either of those.
Barefoot Blogger 
Oct 13, 2010 @ 22:35:54
Mmm, what a fun (and delicious!) way to spend a day!
Oct 14, 2010 @ 00:36:56
@fatcat – It was — and a million bonus points ’cause the sun was out!
Oct 14, 2010 @ 01:09:49
Who ever thought this up was a very good marketing person. What great incentive to get people to explore all the different place, than a chocolate theme.
Sounds like an interesting time.
Oct 14, 2010 @ 13:38:29
@CountryC – Yeah, actually I meet the woman behind it. Works in insurance by day and neighborhood “festing” by night. 😉 Seemed like a real nice lady.
Oct 14, 2010 @ 14:25:04
You deserve to be kissed. I liked the story. I’m thinking that every star on your passport would love to have a copy of the story. Just can’t see why your city fails to see the need to make you a paid reporter. All these participating locations…they’re just begging for some public attention. Getting that public attention is expensive and I’m thinking they would love to get some good positive public reaction.
Oct 14, 2010 @ 15:43:09
@Raymond – You do love playing cheerleader for folks, doncha? 😉 Can’t get a job scrubbing toilets in a dingy warehouse, never mind writing, in this town! So I do the next best thing, write for free on a blog. I told the two ladies at the All State Insurance office, with the choco fountain, that I maintain a blog and the fountain photo would be posted. They were very excited!