The Quirky Ladies is a group of eclectic (and dare I say quirky?) ladies who are passionate about writing romantic fiction. All types of romantic fiction...paranormal, fantasy, historical, erotic and contemporary. Bring it on!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Chocolate! 'Tis the season.



Chocolate! We all love it, crave it, become obsessed by it, particularly at certain times of the month. (You know what I'm talking about, ladies.) Perhaps it's our inner child demanding to be let out. But chocolate and romance go hand in hand. Think Valentine's Day, so fast approaching. Think the research saying women who eat chocolate regularly have a better sex life. So no wonder romance writers are fascinated by the stuff. I thought I'd include some interesting facts about the substance here. And to find an erudite source, I went to the experts -- articles written for kids. I found the following tidbits in the National Geographic Kids magazine, February 2011 issue, so all the research credit goes to their staff.

Fact #1 Chocolate is made from seeds of the cacao plant, grown only near the equator.

Fact #2 Theobroma cacao is the scientific name for chocolate. It means "food of the gods."

Fact #3 The ancient Aztec believed chocolate had magical properties.

Fact #4 There are 30 to 50 seeds in each cacao pod, which is football-shaped. That can make seven bars of milk chocolate.

Fact #5 Average Americans eat roughly 12 pounds of chocolate per year.

Fact #6 As early as 1000 B.C., the ancient Olmec are believed to be the first people to use the cacao plant.

Fact #7 Just one whiff of chocolate can make people feel happy. A chemical in cacao releases "feel-good" vibes in the brain.

Fact #8 Chocolate has a natural chemical in it that helps suppress coughs, so eat up next time you have a cold.

Fact #9 It would take 15,133,852,800 Hershey bar squares laid end to end to reach the moon.

The magazine lists more interesting facts, but I thought I'd stop here. I need to go now. I've gotten a bit hungry, go figure. If you can resist impulsively searching for chocolate of your own for a few more moments, let me know what else you've come across about this "food of the gods."

Michelle

7 comments:

Penny Watson said...

Chocolate DOES have magical properties...the Aztecs were right on. Also, dark chocolate is good for your heart. I have a little bit every day (for health purposes only, of course!).

Dalton Diaz said...

Fact #10: I'm allergic.
*headdesk* (so you can't see me cry)

Just means you'll have to eat more for me.

Michelle Picard said...

Penelope--It's good to hear you're taking such wonderful care of your heart. Choc on, babe!

Dalton--Life is full of tragedy, yes? I'll go eat a bar of chocolate for you right now, poor baby.

Dalton Diaz said...

Ha-Ha! I'll eat a big plate of pasta for you. On 2nd thought, maybe I'll just sit on it. Goes there anyway, dammit.

Victoria Morgan said...

Chocolate is definitely medicinal. I vow by it. Have to have some everyday around 10:00 a.m. and then -- life is good!

Julia Rachel Barrett said...

I actually would like some chocolate right now and there's none in my house! Guess I'll have to bake brownies.
Sorry for your allergy, Dalton!

Michelle Picard said...

Victoria--it's good to have a regular dosage. Keeps everything in order.

Julia--I hope the brownies were good and you got to the grocery and replenished.

Happy Valentine's Day in advance everyone.