The Secret Life of Chocolate, by Lynn Z. Bloom

A balanced diet is chocolate in both hands.

This talk, “The Secret Life of Chocolate,” is adapted from Lynn Bloom’s new book, Recipe (copies available for sale). Recipe is NOT a cookbook, but an examination of the social and cultural aspects of recipes. The public life of a recipe is its specific instructions on how to prepare the actual food, its GPS directions proceeding from start to finish.  Its secret life, much more interesting—as secrets always are—is to provide more subtle guidelines for nourishing body, spirit, and self-identity; family and friendships; tradition and innovation; culture, creativity, commerce and competition.  Recipe proceeds from soup-to-dessert. The book’s grand finale, “Play with Your Food, the Recipe as Jazz,” concentrates  on chocolate, America’s favorite food.

Why do we love chocolate? Chocolate looks good, smells good, tastes good, and feels good; the scent, texture and instant gratification of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate are irresistible. Chocolate makes those who eat it feel wonderful—alert, alive, comforted, less stressed out, sexy.  Chocolate imparts sweetness to our lives, from childhood to old age, and on special days such as Valentine’s, Easter, and Halloween. At the intersection of bitter, sweet, and succulent, chocolate is an irresistible medium for flirtation, seduction, courtship, appreciation, and apology. I would give up chocolate, says Bloom, but I am not a quitter.

Lynn Z. Bloom is a professional author and a passionate home cook.  Her first book—of 25-- was a biography of Doctor Benjamin Spock, author of Baby and Child Care, America’s major child-rearing manual in the 1940s-70s.  His advice, “If you don’t write clearly, someone could die,” was Dr. Bloom’s mantra as Distinguished Professor and Aetna Chair of Writing at the University of Connecticut, where she taught auto/biography, creative nonfiction, and writing research courses 1988-2015.  She has directed writing programs at universities north (Butler U), east (UCONN), south (William and Mary) and west (U of New Mexico) and taught writing in locations as diverse as Martha’s Vineyard, Florence Italy, and New Zealand.  She has written extensively on ethics, travel, and food.  Bon appetit!

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