CHOCOLATE TRAVEL FANTASIESBy Madelyn MillerSome people travel to learn about history. Others look for every opportunity to try regional foods and local cuisines. But a strong motivation for me is chocolate. If some people would walk a mile for a camel, I would take a trip round the world to find the best chocolate. In fact, I did that on a chocolate cruise.
Everyone always asks me what exactly happens on a chocolate cruise. Did we sleep on chocolate-colored sheets? Did we get chocolate flavored toothpaste? Did everyone dress in brown?
Who goes on a chocolate cruise? Since this was sponsored by Chocolatier magazine, there were many pastry professionals and chefs and caterers and cooking school instructors. Interestingly, almost 10% of the guests were doctors. But the overwhelming majority was merely chocoholics. For more information 800-231-6378 or 212-239-0855. Another interesting event is the annual Martini and Rossi dessert month. Every October they do something even more incredible. I missed the year when there was a train ride from Miami to New York, with stops at many cities along the way to sample different desserts. But I was lucky enough to attend the event when they created the world’s largest sculpted dessert. Pastry chefs and students worked round the clock. The actual sculpture, which was more than 15 feet in height when finished, was the “center piece” for a fund raiser for meals on wheels, and the Chicago fund on aging and disability, who actually received the cake at the end of the event. Of course, you are never too old to love chocolate. Other years competition were based on the world’s most expensive dessert (won by Neiman Marcus) and the world’s most sinful dessert. Wish I could have tasted those. 212-867-6400
The Mark Hotel in New York has a chocolate buffet, as does the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver. Unlimited chocolate is a dangerous opportunity, sort of like something that needs a traveler's alert. The American club in Wisconsin has an annual chocolate extravaganza. The event is called "In Celebration of Chocolate," and is held on the weekend proceeding Thanksgiving each year (sounds like something to be thankful for to me). Each year, the chefs select a different theme to guide their recipe selection, because one of the rules (self-imposed by the chefs) is that they can never repeat a recipe. The event is now in its 15th year. They begin preparations with recipe selection in summer, then testing recipes through early autumn, and a final menu determined by mid-autumn. can I volunteer to be a taste tester?) They use about 600 pounds of the finest chocolate (domestic and imported) to create dozens of cakes, tortes, pastries, candies (over 2000 hand-made truffles each year!) and specialty items (one year, they served chocolate fettuccine!). They also purchase several thousand candies from some of America's great chocolatiers (including famous Midwest candy makers). The event is a gala, elegant evening with candlelight and live music. About 400 people reserve to come each year. And since there are no repeated recipes, I'd like to put this on my annual calendar. If you're live in or are traveling in the Pacific Northwest, you can find the best of everything chocolate in The Chocolate Lover's Guide to the Pacific Northwest by Bobbie Hasselbring (Wordsworth Publishing 1999, $17.95, ISBN 0-9665619-0-2.) This travel guide for chocophiles reviews more than 400 restaurants, bakeries, ice creameries, and chocolate shops that make terrific chocolate in Oregon, Washington, and SW British Columbia. In addition, it offers terrific places to stay and great things to do in each area. The Oregonian calls this travel guide "a mouthwatering, mind-boggling compendium of just about every chocolate treat worth eating from John Day to British Columbia." You can get The Chocolate Lover's Guide from most bookstores or order a personally autographed copy from the author at (877-800-7700) toll-free. I actually found my newest chocolate experience right here at home. Have you tried the new Russell Stover’s peanut butter cups in grape and raspberry? The ultimate comfort food combining peanut butter, jelly and chocolate. I feel like a kid when I eat them. Just like Proust's Madelaines, they evoke memories of my childhood, a place you can rarely go back to. No matter where you are planning to travel for the millenium, consider the y2k special: Chocolate Bugs! Who wouldn't love a bug if it was made out of chocolate. Make your own collection of delectable chocolate bugs to devour or give as gifts. Kit includes a pound of very good chocolate wafers to melt in a microwave and then paint your own designer bugs. Fill molds and make grasshoppers, dragonflies, beetles, worms and spiders. Even gift bags are included, along with info about "entomophagy" -- eating real bugs --which is practiced in many places around the world. $15.Call Creative Kidstuff at 1-800-353-0710 to order. (item #71455) www.creativekidstuff.com But for serious chocoholics, I have at last discovered a group of fellow chocolate obsessive. Unlike Alcoholics Anonymous, The Chocolate Society actually sends you chocolate. The 55 pound (about $100 US) membership actually includes a hamper of goodies and a mail-order catalogue. They have a newly-opened retail outlet in Belgravia in London where you can buy Drinking Chocolate Flakes that are made with 55 percent cocoa solids and packed in a white metal kitchen caddy so they are easy to travel with. The society's guidelines on how to taste chocolate could as easily apply to wine--the best has a long "finish," too much sugar interferes with the nose and etc. If you know of any other chocolate travel experiences, I would love to hear from you. madelyn@travellady.com Madelyn Miller "the travel lady" is a travel writer who will go almost anywhere to taste chocolate. And will taste chocolate almost anywhere she goes. You can read more about her chocolate adventures at www.travellady.com where she is executive editor. Madelyn is seen on Travel Daily (sometimes they rerun her story about the 17 best chocolate desserts in the world, and there are no calories for watching), Fox-affiliate KDFW, Dallas CBS affiliate KTVT and heard on many radio shows. |
TM
It started with a bon voyage party where they passed huge trays of the best chocolates in the world, Godiva, Valrhona, Neuhaus, Hershey kisses, and more. My mouth waters when I even think about that. Then we had chocolate seminars on chocolate sculpturing, chocolate history and chocolate drinks. But the most popular session was actually sex and chocolate. While it wasn’t the demonstration that everyone expected, we did learn about the aphrodisiac properties of chocolate. 
Of course we got wonderful boxes of chocolate on our pillows every night. And each meal offered chocolate desserts. And of course we enjoyed all the wonderful Caribbean ports of call on the Cunard Crown Jewel. 
Each year, the Great Chocolate Mousse Fest is held in New Brunswick, Canada. This chocolate extravaganza includes a hand-dipping chocolate contest (do you get to lick your fingers?), A great chocolate chip cookie decorating contest and a chocolate treasure hunt. They also name a chocolate lover of the year. They have a hot chocolate line: 506-465-5616.
Norwegian Caribbean lines have a chocoholic buffet every afternoon. They have chocolate pizza, chocolate sushi and even chocolate lilies. Basically, it is chocolate everything. (800-655-2344) 
Can you combine romance and chocolate? Sure, at the chocolate festival held by Pocono Manor Inn and Golf Resort, in Pennsylvania. They invited all chocoholics to come and experience a dream weekend full of entertainment, chocolate demonstrations and lots of chocolate tasting. But I wonder if they fill their famous champagne glass bathtub with chocolate milk?