.

Shavasana time…

… the lights go dim, a dozen of us laying zombie-like on rubber yoga mats over the padded flooring.

Quiet sounds of breathing are interrupted only by the mellifluous voice of Marsha’s repetitively intoning RELEASE… RELAX… AND JUST LET GO…

In the following few minutes I begin to discern a hint or two of snoring or heavier breathing… those who have JUST LET GO. My body is afloat in a salty sea… time loses meaning…

I release, I relax, but I never JUST LET GO… let’s call my state as one of meditation and deeper thought… and tonight my deeper thoughts take me into the dreamy realm of CHOCOLATE.

W-W-What?? Yes, chocolate. But how did I ever arrive there of all places?

Each year (we’ve been attending Marsha’s yoga classes for maybe 16 or 17 years now) during the holiday season, while doing Shavasana, Marsha creeps stealthily through the laid out yogis – like Santa coming down a child’s chimney – putting little chocolate favours at the end of each mat to be magically discovered when we “awaken” post-Shavasana.

Yes Virginia, not only is there a Santa Claus, but there is also a Marsha.

.

It surprises me that after writing 552 blog posts and alluding to my love of chocolate on dozens of occasions, I’ve not yet written a blurb here specifically about my passion for chocolate. Yes indeed, I’m staggered.

But honestly, I’m not an aficionado of anything that smacks of ambrosia, luscious, lip-smacking… wine, beer, cheese… not even chocolate. But I know what I enjoy as well as the next plebeian.

So don’t try and foist any of that waxy Allen’s chocolate nonsense on me, I’ll be neither amused nor tempted.

Also, you’d best proffer me milk chocolate and not the dark versions loved by so many others.

There are 100’s of varieties and forms of chocolate available in our wonderful world of confections… so many that it can be a mammoth chore at times making a choice of which to favour my taste buds.

I must be selectively choosy in order to avoid malignant rotundity… I already suffer from early-onset puerile plumpness.

So today, this choosiness results in a Top 8 list… yup, an elite 8 of my very favourite chocolate bars available in the Canadian market.

Please feel free to enlighten me of a loving favourite in your home country’s marketplace/petrol station/General Store.

Will you stay with me? Will you be my love?
Among the fields of chocolate
We’ll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in fields of chocolate…. (with apologies to Sting)

Let’s raise a bar and take a bite from these fields of chocolate (in no particular order):

  • FRUIT AND NUT – Creamy milk chocolate, plump raisins and crunchy almonds complete this Cadbury’s chocolate bar. Fruit and Nut was introduced as part of the Dairy Milk line in 1926. Cadbury created a furor amongst its fans in 2015 when it substituted “sultanas” for “raisins” in the Fruit and Nut bar. Here’s something I didn’t know before (source Wikipedia): Raisins and sultanas are both dried grapes, but there is a difference between raisins and sultanas. Raisins are made by allowing grapes to dry naturally in the sun, while sultanas are treated with an oil-based solution before drying to speed up the process. This results in a lighter color for sultanas compared to the dark brown color of raisins. Additionally, sultanas are typically smaller in size and sweeter in taste than raisins.
  • MR. BIG– Not only a Sex And The City character, Mr. Big is truly a BIG candy bar; it’s the biggest chocolate bar produced by Cadbury in Canada (around 8 inches in length). Mr. Big is also available in Hungary, Poland, and some areas of the United States. It’s filled with vanilla wafer coated in caramel and rice crisp and coated in milk chocolate.
  • JERSEY MILK – Jersey Milk is a simple, yet creamy and delicious chocolate bar that was first introduced in 1924. Initially owned by Neilson, today, this historic favourite is kept alive by Cadbury Canada… it’s pure Milk Chocolate for the soul. This was my childhood favourite and was sold in little individual bite-sized packages at corner stores.
  • BIG TURK – A classic Turkish delight chocolate bar coated in milk chocolate, made by Nestle Canada. Many Canadians have a love/hate relationship with this mysterious chocolate bar. It’s a combination of red jelly coated in a thin, light layer of chocolate. Super sweet, super yummy!
  • WUNDERBAR – Wunnerful wunnerful is Cadbury’s Wunderbar. Wunderbar in German translates to marvellous. Cadbury Canada makes this candy bar at their chocolate factory in downtown Toronto. The Wunderbar is creamy peanut butter mixed with light rice crisps and delicious caramel and engulfed in milk chocolate. Soft and chewy scrumptiousness.
  • BOUNTY – Bounty Coconut Bar consists of a flaky coconut filling coated with creamy milk chocolate. Bounty is made by Mars Canada in Bolton, Ontario. Bounty Chocolate bars come divided in two distinct halves for sharing- yeah, right!!
  • OH HENRY – The Canadian Oh Henry is sold through Hershey and made in Ontario. This bar has fudge in the middle, then a thin layer of caramel, then nuts that are surrounded by the final chocolate layer. There is a popular legend that says that there was a boy named Henry who came to George Williamson’s Kansas candy store frequently. This young man became a favourite of the young women working at the store and his popularity with the staff led Williamson to name the candy bar after him. In this story, the ladies in the shop were always saying, “Oh, Henry,” to the boy and the name stuck to him.
  • REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS– Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were invented by Harry Burnett Reese, in 1928. Harry was actually employed by Milton S. Hershey. Harry and Milton had quite a close friendship. Hershey inspired Reese, and like a good friend he supported and encouraged Harry in his peanut butter cup endeavour as a basement sideline. Of course, Reese would only ever use Hershey’s chocolate! Reese had his hands full, not only as the maker of Peanut Butter Cups, but also the father of 16 children! He never expected his Peanut Butter Cups to explode the way they did. He was just trying to provide a little extra income for his family. The Hershey’s Chocolate Company, which had always inspired Reese, bought his company after his death for $23.5 Million.

.

As a whispered-in-your-ear postscript to all of these sweet nothings, I have to add a big thumbs down to CRISPY CRUNCH, SKOR, and CRUNCHIE chocolate bars; you’ve likely heard the nickname tequila is given… “panty remover“… I’ll add my own nickname for these candy bar treats… “dental filling remover“!!

OK… I’m releasing myself back to Shavasana… Ommmmmm…. maybe “Santa” will visit again and bring me even more delectable ideas!