The Original Death by Chocolate 17TH CENTURY CHOCOHOLICS GET REVENGE
How much do you love chocolate? Would you be willing to die for a taste of your favorite candy bar? Would you kill for one? You’ve probably never thought to ask yourself these questions, but if tall tales can be believed, arguments over chocolate have, in fact, turned deadly. National Dark Chocolate Day and National Chocolate Fondue Day both fall this month (on Feb. 1 and Feb. 5, respectively), and in honor of those tasty holidays, we investigated the original “death by chocolate” — an act of legendary revenge. Rumor has it that the controversy started in the 1600s in Chiapas, Mexico, when a group of chocoholic churchgoers started bringing their favorite sweet snack to services. This annoyed the bishop, who resorted to banning parishioners from eating chocolate during church. As an article in Indian Country Today tells it, the chocoholics got back at the bishop by poisoning his daily cup of chocolatl , an Aztec chocolate drink. Who knew the ancestor of hot cocoa could be so deadly? Surprisingly, this crazy story isn’t the origin of the “death by chocolate” cake we love today. That dessert was created in 1993 by Chef Marcel Desaulniers, then-owner of The Trellis restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia. Here’s the restaurant’s mouthwatering description of the seven- layer confection, which takes three days to make:
“The decadence begins with layers of moist chocolate cake, dark chocolate ganache, crunchy chocolate meringue, and an airy chocolate mousse. The cake is then coated in a glaze of dark chocolate and served on a pool of chocolate sauce with house-made milk chocolate ice cream, topped with a hand-rolled white chocolate truffle, and finally dusted with white chocolate powder.” Is your mouth watering yet? The original version of death by chocolate might be a bit complex for the average chef, but if you’re craving a slice, you can find more accessible recipes at Delish.com and SugarGeekShow.com. Just remember that when you pull it out of the oven, we don’t live in the 1600s, so you should probably restrain yourself from poisoning anyone who steals a bite!
Have You and Your Beau Had ‘The Talk’? FINANCIAL HONESTY IS KEY IN ANY RELATIONSHIP
There are few things we love more than seeing people in love. But we also know that love doesn’t always last and many relationships that end have a lot in common. One of the biggest factors is not knowing your partner’s financial situation or habits before getting married, only to have the surprise bring the marriage crashing down.
Fortunately, this surprise is easy to avoid. You and your betrothed need to sit down and talk honestly with each other about the state of your finances. Start with the easy stuff, like how much money you each make every month and how much you will each contribute to your joint bills. Then talk about what standard of living you expect to have. Will you each pay a certain percentage of your income or split costs down the middle? Also take into consideration if one of you is planning to make a big change after getting married — like leaving a job to go back to school — and whether you plan to buy a home after marriage. Finally, do you intend to share or merge your bank accounts? If you already live together, you probably know the answers to some of those questions, but it doesn’t hurt to sit down and make sure. And there are other important details you probably
don’t know, even if you’ve been together for a long time, such as your individual credit scores, the kind of debt you each have, how that debt is expected to be repaid, and if any bills are currently in collections. Discuss what kind of debt is acceptable and how much you’re willing to accumulate. This is also the time to discuss plans for starting a family, including how those expenses will be paid for, and whether either of you plan to stay at home to raise the children instead of returning to the working world. We know that many of these questions may seem redundant or even silly, but trust us — there’s nothing worse than watching a marriage fail due to issues that could have been avoided with the right prenuptial agreement and a little honesty. Have “the talk” with your partner this Valentine’s Day and take a big step toward a bright future.
2 realestateplanninglaw.com
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