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English 1000, Chinese 1000

A Bar to Remember

2008/02/01
text by Amor Mao, photos by Zhou Bin and Li Nan

Valentine’s Day is many things to different people: perhaps it’s a chance to start new relationships or to rekindle old ones, the penultimate day to express your love for someone special. Then there are those who regard it as an imposition, where they’re supposed to give something to someone for vague or ambiguous reasons.

Regardless how you feel about the holiday, if you are going to observe it, chocolate is unmistakably a favourable gift choice for the day. 

What better way to say, “I Love You,” than with a gift box of chocolates kisses? What melts a heart like Valentine’s Day chocolates? Whether your sweetheart prefers milk chocolate, dark chocolate, nutty chocolate or chocolate truffles, these Valentine’s Day confections send a message of love. While Valentine’s Day chocolate may not last long, the loving sentiment and memory of the giver's thoughtfulness will.

Chocolate has long been associated with passion, romance and love. This association may go all the way back to the Aztecs (AD 250–900), who believed chocolate was a source of spiritual wisdom, incredible energy and elevated sexual power. They used chocolate as a nuptial aid and served it at wedding ceremonies.

Chocolate has been a subject of study since the first shipment from Veracruz arrived in Spain in 1585. But modern science has made some interesting findings that may help explain lovers’ lust for quality chocolate. An important substance found in chocolate is phenyl-ethylamine, which is part of a group of chemicals known as endorphins. When endorphins are released into the bloodstream, a mood is lifted and feelings of positive energy are felt. Phenyl-ethylamine levels in the brain have also been linked to generating the feeling of “falling in love.”

Receiving a nicely wrapped box of chocolates brings along a sense of anticipation, the pleasure of unwrapping the box, the sensual smell, lifting the soft seductive papers, the look of the smooth dark chocolates. When it finally passes your lips and starts to instantly melt filling your mouth with exquisite pleasure, the taste and smell flood your senses with overwhelming ecstasy. Life becomes like a box of mixed chocolates.



 
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