by Mark Christian | Feb 1, 2011 | The Crush Pad Editorials |
Just as the C-spot™ holds no sacred cows (Thomas Keller pumps out chocolate confections that, at least in the take-away aspect of his biz, amounts to cupcakes at wedding-cake prices; ditto celebutard Jacque Torres who, to his credit, takes the most mediocre...
by Mark Christian | Jan 2, 2011 | The Crush Pad Editorials |
Epictetus, a slave-turned-philosopher, observed that nothing great is created suddenly, ever since Ecclesiastes reminds that ‘To every thing there is a season…’ If overwrought pairings & comparisons to wine were inadequate, now comes Vintage Chocolate, a...
by Mark Christian | Dec 27, 2010 | The Crush Pad Editorials |
Boutique chocolate now peddles in largely vague notions. Single origins that can be as big as the State of Texas & larger. Meaningless mob terms like ‘Trinitario’ & ‘Arriba’. Oft-fallacious catch phrases such as ‘organic’, ‘fair-trade’, ‘sustainable’, ‘raw’...
by Mark Christian | Nov 15, 2010 | The Crush Pad Editorials |
The history of chocolate largely frames a bittersweet saga. Slavery, deforestation, contamination, dirt-poor farmers. Even its ultra-sweet side writhes in the grim underbelly of cutthroat candy giants, & now complaints of obesity. “Good” chocolate, however,...
by Mark Christian | Oct 29, 2010 | The Crush Pad Editorials |
OMG… look how huge! Wonder how many nostrils it got? Gazillions, baby. Electronic noses are intelligent technology with chemical sensors wired up to software for pattern recognition of aromatic compounds. Once an e-nose detects & evaluates either an isolated...
by Mark Christian | Sep 30, 2010 | The Crush Pad Editorials |
by Mark Christian | Sep 23, 2010 | The Crush Pad Editorials |
Manifest Chocolate: Connecting the Dots, Spanning the Bridge, Squaring the Circle, & Building the Pyramid Sometimes going forward requires taking a look back, & slowing down in order to speed up. The Mayan Quincunx reflects the 4 elements & the 4 cardinal...
by Mark Christian | Aug 3, 2010 | The Crush Pad Editorials |
The question often arises from those who want to touch it & eat it NOW: what will chocolate look like / taste like in 10 or 20 years? Uniformly premium & extra-fine, with greater variety & diversity, as well as preservation of heirloom stocks? Or, thinking...
by Mark Christian | Jul 10, 2010 | The Crush Pad Editorials |
Proclamations of truth usually fall apart on slippery slopes. Speaking of several raw food acolytes, many are sweet people, well-intentioned & sincere about healing the planet even as they’re often clueless about the science behind “raw chocolate”. It’s apparent...
