The euphoric feeling chocolate gives off can be one sweet thing.
Peeling back the small wrapper, revealing the rich treat and letting it and the mouth connect creates a pre-indulgent moment of satisfaction. The first bite of hardened sugar melts in the mouth instantly. The second taste coats the pit of the stomach. The third numbs the brain. After that, the desire for just a taste turns into a full-blown craving, eventually working its way into a sick addiction.
Just like any vice, its widespread worship has withstood the test of time. This Sunday, the Kellogg Center will host the MSU Museum's 15th annual "Chocolate Party" and invite a number of sweet treat-seeking fiends to the benefit that raises money for the preservation of the museum's cultural and natural history collections.
"Chocolate is something that people feel really strongly about," said Lora Helou, communications director for the MSU Museum. "It's definitely special and definitely something that stands out."
Partygoers at this year's "Chocolate Lovers"-themed event will get the chance to sample some of the nearly 7,800 chocolate creations donated by local chocolate vendors.
By showcasing their culinary talents in the creation of chocolate cakes, tortes, candy, fudge and sculptures, local artists usually raise an average of $15,000 for the Museum.
Local chocolate artisans like Lenny Cusenza are rolling up their sleeves and rolling out their sweetest specialties for the benefit.
More than 10 years have passed since Cusenza first showcased his chocolates at the benefit, but the event is refreshing every time.
"Every year, people just go crazy," Cusenza said. "It's a lot of fun."
Deeply-rooted chocolate cravings are caused for a reason, said nutritional science sophomore Cara Hemmes.
"It's more than candy," Hemmes said. "It has an addictive chemical like KFC chicken- you just have to have it."
Fluctuations in magnesium levels, she said, help to explain the chocolate desires, especially for women, during times of stress or exhaustion.
After owning How Sweet It Is Fudge & Candy Co. on 4790 S. Hagadorn Road, Cusenza said he's come to understand the human desire and physiological cravings for the desserts.
"It's a harmless vice," he said. "People can just indulge in it and not feel guilty about it."
Social work junior Janet Goldberg said she satisfies her chocolate cravings at least two times a week.
"I love chocolate - chocolate makes me happy," Goldberg said. "I could eat chocolate everything."
Goldberg said she reaches for Hershey's Kisses when she's feeling exhausted or overworked.
"On days when I am stressed and I have a lot of things going on, I crave a ton of chocolate," she said.
Although the benefit offers a cocoa overload, supplying cravings on campus can be a demanding job.
Puffin's Pastry Shop uses more than 29,920 pounds of chocolate each year, said bakery operations supervisor Joan Knapp. The shop will again be a participant in this year's benefit.
The MSU Dairy Store has proven, with its famous and unusual cheesy chocolate substance, that the sweet doesn't always have to be purely sweet.
The process involves adding cocoa to a mixture of finely chopped cheese, said human biology junior and dairy store cashier Karen Pickard.
"I've been told it's an acquired taste," Pickard said. "I tried it once and I didn't like it, but then I gave it another shot."
Some people drive six or seven hours just to sample the dairy delight, Pickard said.
Elementary education senior Angela Randazzo has never really grown out of the phase and always keeps two boxes of milk chocolates in her dorm room.
"It's just something about the way it melts in your mouth for just a minute of pleasure," she said.
Delicious tidbits
You're not a true chocoholic until you bite into this sweet trivia about chocolate:
• You would have to eat more than a dozen Hershey Bars to get the amount of caffeine in one cup of coffee.
• A single chocolate chip gives adults enough energy to walk 150 feet.
• Although it is not an aphrodisiac, chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a natural substance that stimulates the same reaction in the body as falling in love.
• Napoleon carried chocolate with him on his military campaigns when he needed quick energy.
• The common myth that chocolate aggravates acne is false.
• Although there is no surgeon general's warning on a Snickers bar, it can be lethal to dogs. About two ounces of milk chocolate can be poisonous for a 10-pound puppy.
• Each year, consumers spend more than $7 billion on chocolate, and the average person consumes more than 12 pounds of chocolate.
• Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the famous 45-second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's movie "Psycho."
• Chocolate has more than 500 flavor components - more than twice the amount found in strawberry and vanilla.
• One of the most pleasant effects of eating chocolate is the "good feeling" that many people experience after indulging. Some researchers believe chocolate contains substances that have the same effect on the brain as marijuana.
• Eating 50 grams a day of plain dark chocolate contains the essential nutrients, antioxidants, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamins A, B1, C, D, and E. It can provide protection against heart disease and high blood pressure.
Source: geocities.com/chocolatecorner/fun.html
