friday feast: home sweet chocolat

~ jama
via Chris Cavill

Have you ever loved a food so much you wanted to inhabit it?

I guess there’s truth in the saying, “Home is where the cacao is.” 🙂

L.A. Burdick’s Pavé Glacé : bricks of hazelnut, saffron, dark chocolate, cocoa butter and butter: (via NY City Woman)

HOME SWEET HOME

by Kate Bingham

I need a chocolate bar I can live with,
nothing too big, a red-brick biscuit base, perhaps,
south-facing, on a quiet, tree-lined residential street
where parking late at night won’t be a problem.

Nothing too crumbly either. I don’t want
to be sweeping up bits of cornice all weekend
and pestering the surveyor with each new crack
in the milky bar matt emulsion shell.

It’s got to be the sort of place I can forget about,
with cocoa solids minimum 65 per cent
and nougat foundation limed with soya lecithin
cement and bourneville guttering

no matter what the cost because you can’t price
peace of mind and that means no original features,
nothing too fancy, nothing architect-designed.
There’s only me, I know exactly what I’m looking for,

not space so much as surface area, a honey-comb interior,
with wafer walls and butterscotch parquet
leading from room to room, each mouthful lighter,
sweeter than the one before and breathed, not tasted,

like a puff of icing sugar. Coming home
will be a hit, a score. I’ll drop my hand-bag in the hall,
tie back my hair, lie down and lick the floor.

~ from Cohabitation (Seren Books, 1998)

*   *   *

It’s always a treat to “discover” a new-to-me poet, and Kate Bingham’s winsome and witty verse was just what I needed to chase away my cabin fever and winter blues. (When in doubt, think brown, and don’t be afraid to cross over to the dark side.)

After nibbling on this poem, I began to fantasize about the choco-cabin of my dreams.

Hmmm, something warm and cozy,

via SDJW

all furnishings made of the finest Belgian chocolate:

Chocolate room by sculptor Elena Climent via Daily Mail

Some people like to wear their lampshades, I like to eat mine.

What’s a home without tasty flowers?

I must have a bottomless chocolate teapot that pours and pours all day,

via Oddetorium

and good quality flatware. Why just lick your spoons, when you can lick your knives and forks too?

Herdmar Oslo-Chocolate Mirror via Pickard

What else? A nice old-fashioned rotary phone in case I need to order take-out or call Mr. Firth. For any robo-calls or annoying telemarketers, I’d eat the receiver.

Chocolate and Raspberry Telephone via Afternoon Crumbs

Yes, a good tool kit to tinker and fix,

and a piano (I can play Schumann’s “The Happy Chocolate Farmer” by heart)!

via Fresh Ideen

Oh yes, this is where I’d sleep (and dream about mountains of dark sea salt caramels).

via Jean Chow

Mr. Cornelius would sleep here:

via Bed Toppings for Sleepyheads

Each morning I’d hop out of bed, slip into something comfortable,

click my heels together,

via NewsTimes

turn on my laptop, then write the tastiest blog post ever, bar none.

via Unique Rishta

Now, you may eat this post, if you like, along with a Mississippi Mud bar:

procured by Mr Cornelius

Tell me, where do you live?

*   *   *

poetryfriday180Poet and Author Robyn Campbell is hosting today’s Roundup. Check out the full menu of poetic goodness being served up in the blogosphere this week. Hope you find the chocolate bar of your dreams!

*   *   *

wkendcookingiconThis post is also being linked to Beth Fish Read’s Weekend Cooking, where all are invited to share their food-related posts. Slip on your chocolate dress and come join the fun!

 

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Copyright © 2015 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

86 thoughts on “friday feast: home sweet chocolat”

  1. WOW, I’ve never seen a post I want to eat. Until today. Must have chocolate. If I had that chocolate magic teapot, I’d be good to go. I could pour chocolate, and it would land in any form I was thinking of at the time. LOL I love Kate’s Home Sweet Home.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Love your idea of the chocolate pouring into various forms — if I thought about Mr. Firth, I could pour a chocolate version of him every day. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Those tools are too cool to eat — they look beautifully made. I would get a box for my husband, but then he’d ask for a chocolate car to fix. 🙂

      Like

  3. Wowza – the runway model from WorthaShare is walking in that chocolate dress? Jama, you are the most industrious & wide-ranging image curator.

    To answer your sweet query – my dark choc dwelling dream place would be dark choc salted caramel swing! (Having recently swung on a swing that was high enough for adults…I’m thinking a lot about swings. And always, about salted caramel dark choc.)

    Happy weekend to you.

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    1. Sounds like you could get very high on your dark chocolate caramel swing! I hope you’ll come down to earth and be with us sometimes too :). Nice to know you’re a fellow salted caramel fan!

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    1. You’re such a world traveler, the only person I know who’s seen those pumps in person. Next time, buy a pair, and tell us how it tastes — sole-stirringly delicious? 😀

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh wow! Lenny is so cool (and that’s my husband’s name). Wish I’d known about him when we were up in Maine the other year. Love that he’s lasted all these years and that he lives in an ice cream parlor. 🙂

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  7. Today’s post is totally written just for me! I am a chocoholic who lives in Manassas, VA. Thank you for the poem, and the delicious pictures!!! I love your blog!!!

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  8. This post perfectly matches the flourless chocolate cake I baked first thing this morning for my husband’s 50th birthday party tomorrow. The house smells like warm chocolate . . . how will I keep myself from tasting it before the party?!

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    1. Oh my, flourless chocolate cake! What time did you say the party starts tomorrow? 🙂 Happy Birthday to your husband!!

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  10. Well, I’ll just leave a little comment whilst you are chatting about chocolate with Colin… (Hey – all those CH’s would fit right in Heidi’s blog this month!)

    Mmmmmmmm… what a post! I’m with Iza on the amazing teapot and tools, and shall we go together to crash Keri’s party?
    “There’s only me, I know exactly what I’m looking for” – and it’s dark chocolate, maybe with a tease of caramel teased in.

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    1. Colin told me to tell you hello, Robyn! Mmmm, you like dark chocolate with caramel too :). Good taste. Yes, I think we should all go and crash Keri’s party — we could read favorite poems to her husband.

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  12. Mmm, I want to have somewhere I can lie down and lick the floor, too. But the chocolate dress would make me nervous about melting and breaking . . .

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    1. If your dress started to melt or break, you could just start eating it. Licking the floor is better than sweeping or mopping it. 🙂

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  14. Fabulous! I just caught the back end of a tip on the radio to getting sleep and I think it was about chocolate. There’s no way I’m cutting it out to get more sleep. I’l just have to eat double in the mornings 😉

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    1. Yes, I’ve heard that too — the caffeine and sugar in chocolate can keep you awake. Better to be awake to eat it, than sleep and only dream about it. 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  15. I could live in this blog post! Some delicious artistry here. I have to wonder what happens if one wears the chocolate dress outside in the summer? (Come to think of it, I could wonder about that all day long…)

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    1. I don’t think you have to worry about the dress, Matt — it’s not your style. 😀 I’d rather see you in a chocolate tux.

      I imagine these chocolate fashion shows are held in very cool venues. The creations are so beautiful that I wonder what they do with them afterwards. Invite the audience up to the runway to munch?

      Like

    1. If you click on the phone image, you can see how it was made (with silicone molds, I think). There’s also a picture of the phone with some of the base bitten off so you can see the raspberry filling.

      If I had that phone the receiver would be gone in less than an hour.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. Oh, my word. I really savored these lines, Jama:
    a honey-comb interior,
    with wafer walls and butterscotch parquet
    leading from room to room, each mouthful lighter,
    sweeter than the one before and breathed, not tasted,

    like a puff of icing sugar.

    Wow…and I don’t even like chocolate!

    Like

  19. Oh Jama, you’ve outdone yourself this time. Just think of those people who have the privilege of creating these! I think I love the bed best, sea salt caramel-yum-m-m. and those final Mississippi Mud Bars from Mr. Cornelius grab me too. I used to send my mother lots of chocolate delights, and wish she was still alive so I could share this with her. She was such a chocolate lover. Thank you!

    Like

    1. Glad you enjoyed luxuriating in a little chocolate today, Linda. There is scientific proof (mine) that chocolate inspires the best writing. 🙂 I love that bed too; the pillows are cute! Nice to hear your Mom was a great chocolate lover — how lovely that you sent treats to her!

      Like

  21. Oh, my chocolate goodness! What are you trying to do to me? Fortunately, I had some dark chocolate gelatto earlier today, or I’d be driving in to town now…

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  23. A friend is taking a chocolate truffle making class next week – this inspired me to sign up too.

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  24. That furniture is something else. Wow. I’m not even that huge of chocolate fan (but the darker the better, thank you), but this post has given me a craving. 🙂

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  25. We brought a one-pound box of locally made assorted chocolates to a party last night and it didn’t last long. I never would have dreamed that so many things have been made from chocolate. (I think I would be very nervous wearing that chocolate dress!)

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    1. I imagine the chocolate dress was kind of heavy.

      It’s amazing how people are able to sculpt things out of chocolate — they must have enormous willpower to not eat their works-in-progress. 🙂

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  31. Your posts are such fun! Shades of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I did find a new favorite chocolate this week, pumpkin seeds with salt in dark chocolate bark. And, I think you’d like my house where the back deck is overlooked by a cacao tree.

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    1. Your own cacao tree? Very cool! Pumpkin seeds in dark bark? Sounds interesting — I do like the combination of sweet with salty.

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  32. Oh my. So much deliciousness! I went to the Salon du Chocolat in Paris last year, and saw two of their fashion parades- they are sensational. But I’m quite taken with the notion of chocolate furnishings, and cutlery.

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  33. I’d like to come live at your house, Jama! What sweet dreams you’d have in a bed like that! I went to a chocolatier last night who showed us how they make the chocolate. It’s very expensive chocolate, but once you see all the work it takes, you see why it costs so much. I had amazing hot chocolate there! *happy sigh of remembrance*

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    2. It’s definitely a lot of work making chocolate, and fascinating when you learn about how they source their cacao, conch and temper it, etc. Lots of steps! it’s expensive to make it in small batches and you obviously saw why.

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  34. A delicious post from top to bottom! Kate Bingham’s poem is perfect; exactly the sort of home I want, and those miniatures are amazing. Thanks for sharing, Jama!

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    1. I’m looking forward to reading more of Kate’s work. Just purchased her first collection which includes “Home Sweet Home.”

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  35. Speaking of chocolate constructions…did I ever tell you about the Winter Solstice a few years back when we used our friend Bill’s amazing fudge to build Fudge-henge…to SCALE!!!

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  36. Choca-laka-yum-ma-huge-bum-ma! LOL What a great post, I think I may have gained a size lingering over the sea salt caramel bed. I may have left part of my heart here, treat it well. 😉

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  37. Oh my! Home Sweet Home is such a sweet, delicious poem [pun intended]. After reading this post, I began digging in our pantry for some dark chocolate chips. I found nothing. Best add a lovely piece of dark chocolate, 72% cocoa solids, to my grocery list. Better yet, I want to go shopping for a pair of chocolate shoes. ~Suzy

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    1. Yes, you definitely need to stock your pantry with some good dark chocolate. While you’re out shopping for chocolate shoes, why not get a matching hat and handbag? 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  40. A chocolate dream post, Jama! The line from Kate Bingham’s sums up what I’ve want to do as of late due to some family stress:
    “tie back my hair, lie down and lick the floor”. Chocolate heals all that ails us. =)

    Like

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