I absolutely love the name of the dessert Death by Chocolate and of course as a writer, I wish I’d thought of it. DBC was first used to describe the ultimate chocolate dessert twenty years ago, when Chef Marcel Desaulniers, then owner of the famous Trellis Restaurant, created one of the best-known chocolate masterpieces… which he declared “Death by Chocolate.” Then in July of 2008, Bennigan’s trademarked the name to use on their menus. Their version of Death by Chocolate consisted of many ingredients, including two types of ice cream with Twix candy bars that were dipped in a chocolate sauce and served atop a crumbed chocolate cookie crust, with a side of warm pourable chocolate. And not to be outdone, Bennigan’s also trademarked the Death by Chocolate Martini, just in case the dessert didn’t kill ya first and you needed to wash down all that chocolate with something even chocolatier.
I’ll never forget the first time my son ordered a chocolate lava cake. (He was already a self-proclaimed chocoholic by the time he was 7. My influence, no doubt!) We were with my Mom upstairs at the cafe in Neiman Marcus and Shorty thought hot lava cake sounded like a good idea on a hot summer Saturday. (Don’t even.) So my Mom, always happy to treat the grandkids to a goody, encouraged him to try it. (He asked our favorite waitress Michelle to sub out the vanilla ice cream for a scoop of chocolate instead, because hey, why not go for it, right?) Not a word was spoken when Matty’s lava cake hit the table. Mom and I watched him completely decimate the chocolate concoction, barely coming up for a breath of air and not offering a bite to either of us! (We forgive you.) The kid was absolutely consumed. And you could tell that the moment that first spoonful hit his greedy lips, that satisfying velvety texture and taste brought joy and happiness to his entire being. Ah, endorphins!
Over the last year I started telling people that I felt like my brain was slowly turning to lime green Jell-O since my unstructured days and lack of critical thinking gave my usually busy head so much of a rest that I felt like it was turning into a wiggly cup of mush. For me, this was akin to Death by Jell-O, and not in a good way. Yes, I wrote a lot, binge watched some good shows, exercised, and read a few books, socialized on the phone, etc. But not having to think on my feet, network, make important decisions, participate in meetings, pick out clothes that matched, or strategize, not having to weave through a crowd in midtown or even weave a comb through my hair– all of those daily brain functions were absent… until I started this blog.
The great thing about true freedom of speech obviously is that I can say whatever I want uncensored— I can write without required approvals or having to run something past legal! I can curse. I can use too many alliterations. I can throw shade at Ziploc or endorse a product or food that I like since I’m not getting paid. I can give shout-outs to family and friends. It’s a total blast to not be edited. And the daily process of writing, thinking, remembering, and researching has caused the Jell-O-like feeling in my noggin to totally fade. My pre-blog brain fog is gone! I now feel like my mind is back to full functionality with electrons zapping protons (neurons? neutrons?) in there or whatever is supposed to be happening. It’s definitely a positively charged chemical reaction– not as sweet as chocolate, but I’m happy. And it’s a good thing too since I’ve started work already and I’m sure they want to know that I’m awake, alert, alive, and enthusiastic without the help of (chocolate) chemicals to get me through each day (and without that wiggly cup of mush feeling).
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