Chocolate and its Advantages - Essay Example

Chocolate and its Advantages The 21st century is full of instances and quick fixes. Modern life has become characterized by subtraction and substitution, stress and anxieties, as well as fears for things that range from the most trivial to the absurd and significant such as some people’s preoccupation with the end of our world. Certainly, there is no longer enough time to take the pauses and small pleasures required to rejuvenate. This paper will investigate how chocolate offers a refuge in such a backdrop. Particularly, the appeal of chocolate to women will be explored. The main idea is that chocolate (now used often as a metaphor for connection) is an easy way that gives women time to reflect and regain connection with their inner selves. This is mainly because chocolate, is both a psychological and physiological boon that is proven handy in times of female crises, which, for its part, is as frequent as every day. Chocolate, wrote Herm Berliner (1997) knows no boundaries; speaks all languages; comes in all sizes; is woven through many cultures and disciplines; and like China, it has a long history. (in Szogyi & Hofstra University 1997, p. ix) It affects the moods, health and that it is an almost integral part of our lives starting from our early years throughout our old age. For quite a few centuries now, chocolate has taken hold of the world’s fascination elevating the object as one of the primary obsessions specifically seducing those who are passionately addicted to its intensities. History The history of chocolate takes us from the New World, Mexico and tributaries to Spain and then France, Austria, Switzerland and its present mecca, Belgium. Its timeline began as a highly intoxicating drink that completed Montezuma’s diet. Montezuma introduced to the Spanish conquistador the drink xocolatl (chocolatl), a popular Aztec beverage made from fermented pod of the cacao tree. Unlike our modern hot chocolate or chocolate milk, xocolatl was prepared as a bitter, red beverage, unsweetened and drunk for its stimulant properties, much as coffee is enjoyed today. In Europe, sugar and vanilla were added to make a delicious beverage that became a rage in France. The Dutch brought the delicacy to America in the 1600s and since then it had spread to the world. A quick review of the later development of chocolate and its modern forms takes us to Dorchester Massachusetts in 1975, when James Hannon milled the first solid chocolate; then, in 1828 when the Dutch perfected a method of removing the cocoa butter from the chocolate to make dry cocoa powder; and, in 1879 when the Swiss developed a product called milk chocolate, which became very popular as a chocolate that could be eaten as a snack or a treat. (Meyer 1998, p. 13) Chocolate would emerge to be as valuable as gold in the seventeenth century and eventually, chocolate found its way to literature, music, art and even, psychology. We know chocolate in literature, for instance, from the celebrated gastronomical dictionary of Alexandre Dumas, in the philosophical scheme of things to French culinary philosopher Brillat-Savarin and in the studies and works of eminent gastronomes such as Judith Olney and Maida Heatter. Hofstra University’s popular book called “Chocolate: Food of the Gods” devoted three days of serious study to the subject and even provided a banquet menu entirely composed of dishes made with chocolate – from chocolate pasta, chocolate mint ice, and the celebrated Mexican gourmet dish chicken mole, to numbers of chocolate desserts such as a Black Swan gateau and fruit dipped in chocolate, ending with truffles containing chocolate liqueur. A measure of value and wealth earlier in the seventeenth century, the association of chocolate to women became more prominent with the passing of time, as civility became commonplace. From colonial commodity, to the consumption of the colony in the form of a drink, both being reference to class, chocolate came to be associated with women, who, naturally, became its most avid consumers. Mindy Badia and Bonnie Gasior (2006) discussed the emergent feminization of chocolate and its modern connotation in the book called Crosscurrents. This passage is particularly helpful to this paper: Chocolate as a cultural object was extremely influential in the formation of a class and a national identity in sixteenth-century Spain. It helped Spain stand out in the European scene for a century, until the discovery of the chocolate recipe that parallels the progressive decay of the Spanish Empire. Both a metaphor for the Self (the consumer) and stereotype of the colonized Other (the consumed) chocolate, thus, contributes to the definition of an identity established against the cultural and ethnic Other, the colonial subject, as well as the social Other. (p. 36) As history would tell us, the concept of the colony slides in the later centuries and in its place the cultural identity shifted to the problematic Other Spain as in other societies, which is the Woman. Today, in the US, one in every two women reports having cravings for chocolate; most craved chocolate more than any other food and were more likely to crave chocolate when they are premenstrual. In fact, the more severe the premenstrual symptoms, the more likely a woman is to crave chocolate. (Sommer 1999, p. 82) Chocolate became some sort of a pornographer’s delight. Sade loved it and in women’s magazines and in books and essays about women and sex, women and eating problems, women and beauty ideology, chocolate appears more than occasionally as the food that is sinfully delicious, one that provides orgasmic pleasure, that is better than sex. Women and Chocolate Why do women like chocolate? A survey was conducted in this study, which queried 46 women-respondents in regard to their perspectives in eating chocolate. The result of the survey was expected to augment the body of literature found on the subject. A questionnaire was designed to determine the female perspective when it comes to issues such as chocolate symbolism, chocolate preference and its relationship to the profiles of its consumers. The first and most obvious conclusion in the survey is that women identify with chocolate more than any other food. It is the food that comes to mind when treating or pampering one’s self, or indulging on a luxurious food or object. This has several implications, which, for their part, confirmed with the answers given to questions, such as those in regard to socializing, making friends, and having fun. The first of which is that because chocolate is viewed as a pleasure or an object of indulgence, women tend to feel guilty in eating it. A significant 13.6% percent of the respondents, for instance, answered this way when asked what is chocolate for them. Secondly, because chocolate is viewed mainly positively, women thought it as a tool in making friends or in making connections because it shares and spreads the fun that is consciously and subconsciously experienced when feasting with the sweet. Indeed, majority of the respondents see chocolate as a gift and that when giving, it goes with the idea of sharing and in cheering someone up. (see Findings: The female perspective) Chocolate is also mostly paired off with popular objects in terms of relaxation, leisure activities – those that goes with setting aside time for one’s self or in improving and maintaining a sense of well-being and good relationship with other people. There is the chocolate and a good book, a chocolate with “the girls” bonding time, chocolate and movies and chocolate with their partners and loved ones. (see questionnaire) The survey also underscored the profile of the women-respondents. Many of them are finding less and less time enjoying life either by themselves or with friends and love ones. More important of these is the low satisfaction on their respective network of friends. Only 17.8% of these women felt they are contented with their circle and disagrees with finding better or additional female friends. The questions in regard to the social backgrounds of the female responds were crucial in establishing this research’ previous argument that there is a permeation of stress, anxiety, and even isolation on women brought about by their modern lifestyles. Indeed, questions such as which facilities offered in a club the responds are most likely to use, the lounge or the bar was picked as the most popular answer. This variable – the need to socialize or find places or circumstances that would lead to better social life and relaxation - would recur in other questions of related nature. In researching additional literature that could either confirm or contradict these findings, a wealth of literature was found discussing the subject matter. In fact, it seems that it is a favorite topic among female writers, particularly those writing biographical or auto-biographical pieces as well as feel-good and inspirational stories. Stephanie Wun-Lee Chow, in her admission essay to MIT, offers an invaluable insight as she described her relationship with the Snickers bar. To quote: The chocolate coating washes the restless soul like morning tides over a sun-baked sandcastle, problems and concerns reconciled with each passing mouthful. Likewise, my mind bears the task of extinguishing problems, my own and of others… I do not care to fall victim to a life of endless struggle in achieving and maintaining a state of utopia; I prefer the company of the natural, reliable, Snickers figure, so mundane and simple yet an ingeniously constructed idea. (cited in Magrey 2003, p. 274) Another interesting account comes from the memoir of Joanna Fueh (2006), which reads: A woman publicly eating chocolate, a lot of it and with gusto, is a spectacle, because women so often hide their appetite – for the pleasures of food and sex – or rarely revel in the fulfilling and fulfilled pleasure of their appetites. Women forbid themselves chocolate, or try to, or they succumb to their desire and suffer the consequences of protecting themselves against pleasure. (p. 198) Here, we see that women do talk and write about eating chocolate in private or among themselves. It is as if it is a secret ecstasy or evil or a violation of their bodies or their complexion or their happiness. The alluring idea is that if a woman is damned, she will be damned by her own pleasure. Merl Storr (2003) put it best when she wrote: I sometimes observed women literally eating chocolates with one hand while holding a tape measure in the other. The tension itself is a site of gender identification: being ‘one of the girls’ means precisely experiencing the tensions and sharing it with others. This aspect of feminine gender identification around sweets can perhaps be summed up as ‘feel the ambivalence and eat it anyway’. (p. 154) And then, there is Fueh’s colorful story of her own: Deep dark chocolate, the cookbooks imply, will undermine if not conquer one’s conscience through sensual seduction. Diabolo! (a torte recipe given by Medrich in Cocolat, thick with heavy cream – three cups – and sweet butter – six ounces.) The devil made me do it – break my diet with some chocolate temptress, unnerve myself with the nature and extent of my appetites. (p. 269) Cultural Variables Our obsession with chocolate could be partially attributed to cultural forces. For instance, men receive a bottle of whiskey as a gift but women would receive chocolates to sweeten their hearts to love. This has been evident when subjects of the survey referred to chocolate as the preferred food as a treat, as a gift, as luxurious object. This standpoint reinforces the association of chocolate to indulgence and pleasure. As we know, chocolate is not a member of any food group and is rarely part of the steak-and-potatoes main course, so it is not part of our daily routines or any of their obligations, responsibilities, or commitments. Consequently, chocolate came to symbolize an escape from day-to-day drudgery. Indeed, gourmet chocolates are even touted as “sinfully delicious” and “wickedly rich.” Also, to cite a specific case: Western women experience food as a site of struggle. They have easy access to food to accommodate the means of survival, as well as pleasure from eating. But they also know from cultural messages about what it means to be a woman, that they must exercise restraint around food. For many women, then, food appears to provoke more compelling fantasies and conversations than sex and is perceived as just as alluring and dangerous. (Gamman & Makinen 1994, p. 148) In addition, chocolate as an edible or ‘lickable’ product seem to play on the ambiguity of the mouth as zone of both erogenous penetrability and homosocial pleasure. In interviewing one of the resources during the development of the topic of this paper, an interesting account was shared by Liz (Gonzales 2008) about socializing and partying that point to this direction. There was this party, you know, and we played these games while eating chocolates willies which I share with my friend. I was asked to join one game and I did because all the girls seem to be having a lot of fun. In the game, there were balls and that they were supposed to be picked by the mouth. I agreed with this girl who said that it is not fair, because the balls were not enough for everybody and that the upshot would have been to have the balls shared by everyone. So in the end, we had to use spoons to scoop the little balls. Here, in Liz’s case, we could see a concern with hygiene at the party particularly as we talk about a ball which is seemingly too detached an object to be in contact with the mouth. It is hence normal for Liz to say that it is not fair to put into their mouth a ball which has already been in another woman’s mouth. But Liz doesn’t seem to worry about the chocolate that she eats with her friend. It is easy to understand at this point that the difference with the ball and the chocolate comes with the “intimacy” connotation of the two objects: the balls were too detached while the chocolate is meant to be shared. The commercial world aggravates this by taking full advantage of the food/sex love connection. We have Hershey’s Kisses and Hugs. We have Almond Joy. Marketing campaigns pitch chocolate in exaggerated representations of these concepts that it reinforces the chocolate sensual imagery in the women’s psyche. For example, we see one advertisement after another before Valentine’s Day urging people to express their affection with chocolates: “Don’t Let Love Pass You By,” says one such ad for Godiva chocolates; “Better Than Sex?!” chocolate cake trumpets another for a chocolate shop. Haagen Daz’s chocolate ice cream ads once featured a tall, thin blonde woman in a white dress eating the product in a very sensual way. Psychological Boon A school of thought in women’s preoccupation with chocolate is that it is psychological. For example, when a woman is pregnant, because she is eating for two and cravings are to be expected, she gives herself permission to desire (and eat) a hot fudge sundae with extra hot fudge that her willpower would ordinarily resist. According to Daniel Miller, the intensity of the feelings about eating chocolate and other pleasure foods stems from conscious and unconscious memories in the individual of former experiences of feeding, ultimately and basically the early feeding-centered relationship with the mother. (p. 417) It is, hence, easy to understand that pleasure eating derives both from the actual ingestion of food and mouth activities involved and from the related psychological experiences which help alleviate anxieties which are most acute in infancy but persist in adult life. This, writes Miller, is endemic to being human. (p. 418) Following this line of thinking, one finds justification as to why a woman would say eating chocolate provide “company” or that eating chocolate enable her to cope with an irritating relative or lover. From a scientific standpoint, we have Lesley Braun and Marc Cohen’s (2006) detailed explanation of the range of psychological effects on women: Chocolate is purported to have… enhanced arousal and cognitive function, stimulation of feelings of well being and euphoria, as well as initiating cravings. The orosensory aspects of chocolate, including its taste, smell and texture, certainly contribute to chocolate’s positive appeal. Chocolate contains large amount of fat in the form of cocoa butter, which melts at body temperature producing a pleasurable melt-in-the-mouth experience. (p. 250) Finally, in our weight-prejudiced culture, partaking of “sexual” foods – like sex itself – is viewed as the exclusive privilege of thin people, even though society also pretends that thin people are either not eating these foods at all or at most indulge rarely. This makes since, especially when we consider the line of thinking that food is an enemy for a woman who has been directed to project a pleasing sexual persona. Food, wrote W. Goodman (1995), is meant to be either a marginal source of enjoyment or off limits altogether; it’s as if women are expected to disavow any form of physical satisfaction other than sex, and specifically sex with men. (p. 110) And so, just imagine when here comes an object – the chocolate – one that is identified as feminine and therefore, permitted for them to indulge in. Wouldn’t it be natural then for the female psychology to maintain such strong affinity with chocolate? Physiological Appeal Most people can’t resist the little legal “sin” that chocolate provides now and again. We think that this is part of the normal female psychology, but these cravings are also physiological in nature, possibly driven by nutrient deficiencies. Elizabeth Somer, offered an interesting commentary in this regard: Chocolate’s pleasantness might extend beyond the indulgence to strike at the tip of your taste buds and the heart of your cravings. The cocoa butter in real chocolate gives it a rich texture. Cocoa butter is solid at room temperature but melts in your mouth at body temperature, providing what has been termed “a moment of ecstasy.” While unsweetened chocolate is bitter, it becomes the queen of the sweet-and-creamy desserts when mixed with sugar… The sugar in chocolate sparks serotonin release and soothes NPY levels, contributing to the sense of well-being. The sweet taste it has also releases endorphins in the brain, giving us an immediate rush. The endorphin rush alone that is set in motion with a bite of chocolate produces a powerful pleasure sensation that is likely to be habit-forming. (p. 84) There are other chemicals in chocolate that make us feel good. There is the theobromine and caffeine compounds that provide a form of mental lift. Then there is also the phenylethylamine (PEA) compound inherent in chocolate that stimulates the nervous system. (Holman & Hill 2000, p. 517) Women with PMS, for instance, are often deficient in magnesium and so a calming mineral, and a magnesium deficiency often drives the need to consume chocolate or other forms of sugar. A group of biologically active constituents, including N-oleoylethanolamine and N-linoleoylethanolamine, have been identified in chocolate and appear to be related to anandamide, the ‘internal bliss’ chemical, which is endogenous lipoprotein that binds cannabinoid receptors within the brain. (Braun and Cohen, p. 249) One study by Carol Simontacchi (2005) notes that cravings might occur due to some dietary deficiencies or to balance low levels of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin or dopamine, which are involved in the regulation of the mood, food intake, and compulsive behavior. (p. 130) In other words, eating chocolate and other sweets may be a subconscious attempt to self-medicate against depression or other emotional upsets. Indeed, no study has so far ever found that women frequently crave tofu, Spam, or nonfat cottage cheese, and that no research found that men do frequently crave chocolate. Only women crave chocolate consistently. According to Judith Matz and Ellen Frankel (2004), if a woman trust her body and listen to its messages, she will automatically honor her chocolate cravings and achieve the desired physical and psychological effects. (p. 303) The physiological explanation as elaborated in this section reassures women that chocolate cravings is a natural phenomenon wherein their body sends signals as much as how men crave meat because this is in sync with their natural need for a greater supply of protein. Conclusion Various food forms are gendered. This paper has discussed that chocolate as a sweet is feminized, unlike tobacco or alcohol. Miller and McHoul (1998) argued that the pleasure women derive from looking at photographs of confections such as chocolate and the guilt that they derive from reading about calorie values, reference a dialectical engagement with women’s culture is the same as an enslavement to heterosexist and misogynist imaging, through devotion to commercial notions of beauty and domestic servitude. (p. 39) This association has been naturalized through the years: sweetness has been used not only to characterize taste in addition to things pleasant to the mind or feelings, but to describe women. Indeed, women crave chocolate because they identify to the object both in itself – as an idea - and its effects on them as a food that nourishes particular physiological needs. This has been highlighted in the findings of this study. The significance of chocolate in the women’s psyche is classified according to its psychological and physiological effects. From this standpoint, it is clear that chocolate does not represent men. It has a become a relic, a food, a “sweet,”- endowed with a celebrated and a privileged connotations – an attraction that appeals to both the conscious and the subconscious female mind. In talking about the feminine identity of the “sweets”, there is an elevation of the whole concept when it comes to chocolate with the additional meanings that satiate feminine sensitivities. As has been shown in this paper, the sexual undertones to craving and eating chocolate, for instance, underscores this fact. Eating chocolate could be more a matter of a socially acceptable way of getting disguised sexual gratification than a question of filling an empty stomach. This was supported by Miller who argued that “anxiety about spots and about becoming fat could imply anxiety about illicit pregnancies, the result of secret extramarital affairs’, fantasies that apply to both sexes even though they are more prevalent in women. (Miller p. 418) Science has further quantified the effects of chocolate on women. Although no one would go as far as to call chocolate a health food, there’s more to chocolate than mere taste satisfaction. To underscore this, we have the American Dietetic Association’s acknowledgment that chocolate cravings are common in women. (cited in Dell and Svec 2002, p. 103) Chocolate compounds such as flavonoids, catechins and polyphenols, reinforce the female addiction or cravings for the condiment because of their feel-good properties. This gives a deeper dimension to the attraction that women have on chocolates. What this tells us is that, such phenomenon is not one hundred percent anchored on pure whim or psycho-emotional factors that drives an impulse to feast chocolate. There is a scientific evidence that points to the physiological reaction of the female system to chocolate compounds. For women, chocolate – represents them and all the female substance. And like the diamond, it is a friend in the sense that it gives refuge by offering a sense of well-being especially in female crises such as depression, menstrual period, anxieties, stress reactions, anger and fatigue. All in all, chocolate as this paper argues is a panacea that is capable of curing all of women’s ailments including psychological, emotional and physiological. With chocolate, everyone survives nicely the day-to-day toil, for, after all and in truth, chocolate makes people feel good. Most importantly, with chocolate, we are provided with a deep understanding of modern women in general – their perspectives, priorities, anxieties, and how they cope in this ultra-modern world. Works Cited Badia, Mindy and Gasior, Bonnie. Crosscurrents: Transatlantic Perspectives on Early Modern Hispanic Drama. Bucknell University Press, 2006. Braun, Lesley and Cohen, Marc. Herbs and Natural Supplements: An Evidence-Based Guide. Elsevier Australia, 2006. Dell, Diana and Svec, Carol. The PMDD Phenomenon. McGraw-Hill Professional, 2002. Fueh, Joanna. Swooning Beauty: A Memoir of Pleasure. University of Nevada Press, 2006. Holman, John and Hill, Graham. Chemistry in Context. Nelson Thornes, 2000. Gamman, Lorraine and Makinen, Merja. Female Fetishism: a New Look. London: Lawrence and Wishart, 1994. Goodman, W. The Invisible Woman: Confronting Weight Prejudice in America. Gurze Books, 1995. Magrey, Erica. College Essays that Made a Difference. The Princeton Review, 2003. Matz, Judith and Frankel, Ellen. Beyond a Shadow of Diet. London: Routledge, 2004. Meyer, Arthur. Baking Across America. University of Texas Press, 1998. Miller, Daniel. Consumption: Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences. Taylor & Francis, 2001. Miller, Toby and McHoul, Alec. Popular Culture and Everyday Life. SAGE, 1998. Simontacchi, Carol. Weight Success for a Lifetime. Basic Health Publications, Inc., 2005. Somer, Elizabeth. Food & Mood: The Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling your Best. Macmillan, 1999. Storr, Merl. Latex and Lingerie: Shopping for Pleasure at Ann Summers Parties. Berg Publishers, 2003. Szogyi, Alex and Hofstra University. Chocolate: Food of the Gods. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997. Gonzales, Liz. Personal Interview. 11 July 2008. Read More