North Carolina Chocolate

Isn't it terrible how we'll travel far away to see things and never notice what's in our own backyard? It's like when you go to New York and the resident New Yorkers have never been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. Unlike the visitor, they take them for granted.

Well, on Labor Day, my friend Carole (she of the bacon flavored chocolate and chocolate Peeps gift) and I went on a mini local ChocoTour. The first place we stopped was Chocolaterie Stam located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Now get this - Stam has 10 stores, 6 in Holland, 3 in Iowa (Iowa - can you believe that?), and one here in North Carolina. The owner, Bob Droog, is from Holland and missed the company's chocolate when he relocated to the US. So he contacted them to see if he could open his own shop. And thank God he did! This place is terrific!!

So far it is hands down the most gorgeous chocolate shop I've been in. (Yes, even more beautiful than the Voges Haut-Chocolat shop in NY.) The color scheme is deep wine and gold. There are crystal chandeliers hanging over the rows of chocolates. And these are some gorgeous chocolates:



I broke the dark chocolate peacock, but look at these! There's a milk chocolate windmill, a dark chocolate butterfly, a milk chocolate frog, a white chocolate ear of corn (Iowa?), and a dark chocolate accordion and a hedgehog!!! I tried to get better pictures of the windmill, the accordion and the hedgehog:

Look at that detail! How amazing are those? And there were many more gorgeous chocolates - cute chocolate mice, peanut butter filled hearts (yum!), and on and on. I can't wait to go back at Easter - Bob said they would have tons of new shapes then. Also the cases were clean and filled - some shops just have that "we used to give a damn" look. Chocolaterie Stam is like a chocolate art gallery - absolutely beautiful.

But here's the best part - the chocolates are to die for! Like the best European chocolates, they are so smooth and creamy, they just melt in your mouth. And the fillings are also delicious - the praline centers were almost fluffy and the caramel - wonderful - the perfect mix of creamy and chewy. The coconut wasn't heavy and grainy, but smotth and subtle. I haven't tried them all yet, but so far they have been fantastic. And I like the classic flavors - some of the chocolatiers these days are trying so hard to come up with new weird stuff that they lose sight of some of the best tried and true flavors. (Do you want squid ink or peanut butter in your chocolate? Give me tradition!)

Their web site is http://www.stamchocolate.com/ and you can order online.

The lesson is the same as in the motivational classic "Acres of Diamonds" - so many times what you're looking for is right in your own backyard. But we tend to overlook or take those things for granted. Looking for a great new friend? Maybe there's someone who works in the very same office as you who you just haven't taken the time to get to know. Looking to get out of debt? Maybe you need to have a yard sale and sell some of those things you never use. See the incredible things already around you - there might be a chocolate hedgehog just next door!

Oceans of Chocolate Optimism

I just tried Chocolate Animal Crackers by Kraft. These are the animal crackers most of us grew up with - they come in the cool package that looks like the circus train. I got them for the sole purpose of comparing them to the Chocolate Goldfish. I secretly thought they might be better. (I don't know why I seem to be so skeptical of the Chocolate Goldfish - I have eaten them and they are good!) The animal crackers were not as good - less sweet - more crackery. But better shapes! But not smiley faces. Get the Goldfish.


On the ChocoTour I got some Stauffer's Chocolate Animal Crackers - they rank somewhere between the Chocolate Goldfish and Barnum's Animals Choco Crackers (the official name for the Kraft crackers). Stauffer's base is in York, PA but you can't tour their factory, so I didn't go there. (I want to see stuff being made! I'd love to see dough being pressed out of little animal molds! Whee!!) They claim to have started making animal crackers back in 1871. Now, they are just a division of the Meiji Company of Japan. Wah - that makes me sad. Anyway, Pepperidge Farms is kicking their butt in the chocolate-cracker-in-an-animal-shape department. Go Team USA!


Stauffer's does, however, have some exciting stuff on their website including this important information:


What is the difference between a cookie and a cracker?

Stauffer's Animal Crackers have less sugar and shortening than cookies. Animal Cookies, another Stauffer's product line, have slightly less flour than animal crackers. Animal crackers have a layered dough, which gives the crackers a crunchy and delicate texture. Break an animal cracker in half and you will see layers.

Holy cow-shaped cracker! This is like cookie geology! I bet Animal Cookies are really good.(Here's the deal though - they have WAY more calories than animal crackers - it's all that sugar and lard.) Again, get the Goldfish.

Now here's something truly amazing! There's a whole special Goldfish website (the chocolate ones aren't even on there yet - we are soooo cutting edge!). And they have a special program called Fishful Thinking (I kid you not) and this is what they say about it:

The Fishful Thinking program provides the tools parents need to teach their kids how to think optimistically about themselves and how to use their Optimism to overcome life's obstacles, persist in the face of adversity, and transform setbacks into manageable challenges. By teaching kids Optimism today, we are equipping them with the skills and strategies they can rely on to shine in the face of adversity for the rest of their lives.

Chocolate Goldfish are motivational speakers!!! Who knew?

As Close to Seafood as Chocolate Should Ever Come

Just when you think you have it all figured out, you realize you know nothing.

I was prepared for Chocolate Goldfish to be horrible. I like the little Goldfish crackers, but after all, they are a cheese thing or a cracker thing. I guess it's somewhat hard to figure out exactly what Goldfish do well. They really aren't the greatest cheese item ever or the best cracker ever.

Regardless, I was ready to write a scathing blog about how Pepperidge Farm should stick to what makes Goldfish great - cheese. I was ready to relive my former erudite comments about Pez and gum not venturing into chocolate, about staying true to what made them good and not trying to be chocolate. I was ready to rock and roll!

Then I ate a Chocolate Goldfish. It was good. I ate more Chocolate Goldfish. They too were good.

I was wrong about the Chocolate Goldfish.

Actually these are Goldfish Grahams and the ones I tried just happened to be the chocolate ones. (They also come in honey and cinnamon, but when there's chocolate, why bother?) And, dear reader, I bought them with you in mind. I can now rationalize any chocolate purchase I make - it's research for the millions reading this blog everyday. I'm boldly tasting chocolate so you don't have to! (Hopefully I saved you from Weight Watchers Boston Cream Pie yogurt.)

The Chocolate Goldfish (I like that name better than Goldfish Grahams - it gives chocolate the attention it deserves) are actually good. And 50 (yes fifty!) of them only have 140 calories! And they are made with whole grain! And they have a little smiley fish face on every one. In fact, the whole experience has caused me to re-evaluate what makes Goldfish great. It's not the cheese or the cracker - it's the size and shape! That's what makes them fun to eat! And that's what makes the Chocolate Goldfish good. They are not the greatest little chocolate cookie/cracker things ever, but they are good. And they are a fun shape. And you can eat lots of them! Whee!!!

I also think these would be great sprinkled over ice cream, sprinkled in a peanut butter sandwich, mixed in with vanilla yogurt, stuck in raw cookie dough - oh, the epicurean delights!

So try not to be as judgemental as I am - a product may indeed hold qualities you didn't even appreciate until you experienced it in a different format. Something you don't like may be good in another recipe. A person may have qualities you don't appreciate until you see him or her in a different setting.

And if you still don't like something or someone, there are plenty of other fish in the sea! Bwah, ha, ha!!

Ice Cream Heaven and Hell

Yes, dear readers, I am keeping you on the cutting edge of America's cravings. Yesterday I talked about the expanding and exciting candy aisle. Today USA Today devoted an entire FOUR pages to dessert! One of the headlines reads "Despite diets or budgets, America will always make room for dessert." Yay!

Some of the desserts are wacky and exotic (just like some of the new chocolate bars), some are just down home delicious (also like some of the chocolate bars). USA Today highlighted the South, Chicago and New York City. I'm proud to say the South has what looks best to me - peanut butter pie, cream cheese pound cake, giant chocolate cake. Chicago has some desserts that scare me - one involves pop rocks, another lots of lavender (ugh). New York, of course, has it all.

If you have a spare $25,000 you can go to Serendipity3 in NYC and get a sundae - a blend of 28 cocoas, covered in 23K edible gold-infused whipped cream, topped with the most expensive chocolate in the world (La Madeline au Truffle) served in a goblet lined with chocolate. An 18K gold and 1K white diamond bracelet decorates the base of the goblet - and you get to keep that, as well as an 18K gold spoon encrusted with black, white and chocolate diamonds. Whoa - girls, this creates a whole new potential for the words "Sugar Daddy."

I guess I'm just not sophisticated - some of the wild new flavors just don't to it for me - especially when they start messing with ice cream. USA Today asks a question I'm sure I will use again - "Just because you can do it, does it mean that you should?" These ice cream flavors make me say not just no, but hell no!:

14 vegetable (including zucchini)
squid ink
oyster
roasted garlic sorbet
Parmesan
malted barley
Thai chili
smoked pine nuts
mashed potato (did they just serve them really cold?)
lobster
Memphis barbecue
tomato basil
cucumber

I'm sorry - those are just wrong. If there's an ice cream hell, the creators of those flavors are going. If there's an ice cream heaven, it costs $25,000. Can I get an "Amen"?

Global Madness & Chocolate Chips

What the heck is going on in the world? Russia has completely lost it and invaded Georgia. Pakistan's President resigned before he could be impeached. And Mrs. Fields Cookies is filing for Chapter 11. When will the madness end?

Apparently we shouldn't be surprised about Mrs. Fields. The chain has been losing money for years. Too much debt. The interest payments were killing them. Of course, those of you who would like to start a franchise apparently can still do so:

Below is an itemized list of costs associated with establishing a franchise with Mrs. Fields Famous Brands:

Initial Franchise Fee:
$30,000*

Ongoing Royalties:
6% of Gross Sales

Advertising Fee:
1-3% of Gross Sales

Initial Training Fee:
No charge for first two individuals

Initial Term of Agreement:
7 years (7 year renewal)

Total Estimated Initial Investment:
$179,900-$252,100**

*For full service store.**A complete inventory of associated cost is disclosed in item 7 of the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular. These figures do not include real estate lease costs, and may vary with actual circumstances.

Call me crazy, but I think there may be better ways to make dough. (bwah, ha, ha!)

I think this may be a story of a company getting away from what made it successful. Great cookies and amazing service fell by the wayside as empire building took over. The company bought TCBY, a couple of pretzel companies it has since unloaded, and strayed from its core values. I also think there may have been a lack of trend spotting. As a yogurt lover, I know that TCBY has been slipping for years. The ice cream companies jumped on the yogurt bandwagon and scooped (I can't help it) up any advantage TCBY might have had. Hey, if the whole family can get what they want at Baskin Robbins, why go to TCBY? Who was asleep at the TCBY wheel? That dog hasn't been hunting for years.

Lessons?

Need we revisit chocolate Pez? Know what you're good at and make the most of it. Was Mrs. Fields good at making cookies or good at running food stalls in the mall? I think someone got confused.

Bigger isn't always better. I bet the company would now rather have just 50 successful cookie stores than 500 cookie stores, 50 TCBY stores, etc. Little and profitable is better than huge and in debt. You might keep that in mind when manging your own finances.

Final lesson? Don't trust the Russians.

The Power of Chocolate

PRESTON, England, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- An English 3-year-old hungry for candy in the middle of the night set off for the sweet shop, leaving his parents and brother sound asleep at home.
A newspaper delivery driver found Max McGrath outside the supermarket in Somerfield, The Times of London reported. The store was closed, and young Max was looking wistfully through the window.
While the boy's timing was bad, he had come prepared with money and a front-door key to his home, although he left the door open behind him.
"I have a child about the same age and it is terrifying to think what an adventurous youngster can get up to," said James Brown, who found the youngster. "He was fine, but it must have been such a shock for his family."

Go Max!!! This THREE YEAR OLD boy took money and a key and went to the supermarket for candy!!! Now that is one smart and determined kid! Only candy could drive that type of behavior. Candy or, maybe when he's a little older,......sex.

Well, sex does influence behavior! Have you seen the new commercial for those fancy premium M & M's? Check it out: (chocolate doesn't get much sexier than this!)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/business/media/08adco.html?ref=business

Ha, ha - I love it!!!

Different things motivate different people. What inspires Max and hundreds of others to make 3:00 a.m. supermarket runs, wouldn't get most people out of bed. The key to success is figuring out what motivates you (your faith, your family, your work) so you can design your life around it. And then figuring out what motivates those you need to influence. Give people what they want, and they will follow you anywhere! (Max and I will be at the supermarket if you need us.)

Olympic Chocolate

The Mars Family is brilliant. (I stand by my assessment of the Naked Cowboy as an idiot.) Why do I think the Mars family is brilliant? Long ago Forrest Mars crushed his competitor Milton Hershey by thinking globally. (This was way before global thinking was a given.) Milton was focused on selling his chocolate in the US. Forrest was busy building a global empire. And the company is still at it.

I had no idea what the official chocolate of the Olympics was until I Googled it - of course, it's Snickers (one of my personal favorites). But when you go to the official Snickers web site, there's no mention of this. Know why? Mars didn't do this for sales in America, Mars did this for sales in China. The population of the US? about 301,139,947 The population of China? about 1,321,851,888. That's just a BILLION more people. (That's a helluva lot of Snickers Bars.) And great global business strategy.

I love the Olympics - I went when they were in Atlanta (if you didn't, you missed a fantastic opportunity). I love the patriotism, but also the celebration of all the athletes. The energy of the Olympic Games is hard to describe - it's unlike any sporting event I've ever attended. Maybe it's because the whole world is there - celebrating our best athletes. Maybe it's because the whole idea of the Olympics is so inspiring. This is from the official Olympic website:

FASTER — HIGHER — STRONGER
These three words encourage the athlete to give his or her best during competition.

To better understand the motto, we can compare it with the Olympic creed :

The most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight ;
the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well.

Together, the Olympic motto and the creed represent an ideal that Coubertin (founder of the modern Olympics)believed in and promoted as an important life lesson that could be gained from participation in sport and the Olympic Games: that giving one’s best and striving for personal excellence was a worthwhile goal. It is a lesson that can still be applied equally today, not just to athletes but to each one of us.

Here's to Mars for excellence in business; to the Olympics for excellence in sport; and to the rest of us to never stop striving. Let the Games begin!!

Tighty Whities

The Naked Cowboy is an idiot.

Okay, I know this is a revelation to, well, no one, but I feel compelled to restate the obvious. I had the great thrill of standing in Times Square this week, right across the street from M & M world:

That random medal around my neck is my new CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) award. I was in New York for the National Speakers Association Convention where I received the CSP and my friends felt it would be the perfect attire for my picture in front of M & M World. Hey - at least I'm wearing more than underwear!


Look how giant and cool that screen is behind me! If you were a random street performer who worked the street below and they put an M & M up there dressed like you, would you sue them? I repeat, the Naked Cowboy is an idiot.

I still wish they'd put an M & M up there that looked like me - maybe with short dark hair and a giant grin wearing a cheesy medal? How cool would that be?


Now M & M World was packed, but we did pop in for another picture:




Yes, that is yours truly in front of the Blue M & M dressed like Travolta. Think John's losing a lot of sleep over this? If he even knows about it, I bet he would laugh. Lesson - don't take yourself too seriously. If having an M & M in your image bothers you, you need to consider more comfortable underwear.

They have tons of images of the green M & M dressed up as the Statue of Liberty with the slogan "life, liberty and the pursuit of chocolate!" Think the French will sue? Or maybe the descendants of Thomas Jefferson? I think they all realize that imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery.


Here are the takeaways:


Don't take yourself too seriously and if you do, wear more than underwear.


If people are imitating you, you obviously fascinate them. Enjoy it. Your 15 minutes will be over all too soon.


M & M's are fun. They are round, brightly colored, and made of chocolate. Could anything be more perfect? Embrace your inner M & M - at http://www.mms.com/us/becomeanmm


And make sure before you pass through this world, you stand in Times Square and celebrate with your friends! Carpe diem! Carpe chocolate!

Belief, Bacon and Botox

The power of our beliefs is so strong it influences every decision we make and WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IT! It's actually kind of scary if you think about it. Let me give you a very simple example from Predictably Irrational. In blind taste tests a majority of people choose Pepsi over Coke. If the labels are revealed before the test, a majority choose Coke. We see the Coke label and choose Coke, but we actually like the way Pepsi tastes better. We believe we like Coke better and thus we choose Coke. Our belief creates our reality rather than our actual experience.

This happens to all of us many times a day. Let's say you are female (or fat or a minority or have a slight limp or etc. etc. etc.) and you are ignored at a car dealership. This happened to me, and I assumed it was because I was female (insert your perceived reason for what you see as a slight - fat, minority, etc. here) and was seen as having no buying power or that I would come back with the man in my life to actually make a purchase. Now I have no idea if this is the reason I was ignored. Maybe everyone was just busy. But to this day, I believe it was because I was a woman alone. See how our beliefs can impact us? I saw a slight where none may have existed.

I've found the recent horror stories about the economy impacting me. Let's face it, you can't live on this planet and not hear regularly about the mortgage crisis, people getting kicked out of their homes, layoffs, the price of gas, the stock market falling, AAAIIIEEE! It's the Grapes of Wrath!! We are all one step away from a Frigidaire box under a bridge!!! Grab your children - start collecting aluminum cans - dump your evil SUV, get a Prius - we are going down!!!!

Now, if I look at my situation, I am doing fine! My income is up over last year, financially I am doing very well. But hearing all this day in and day out is changing my beliefs. Instead of planning a big trip this year, I'm paying off my mortgage. I'm being much more careful with my money. I'm more risk averse. (Of course, if everyone is doing this, it only makes the economy worse, but that's a blog for someone else to write.) The media is very powerful in shaping our beliefs - it's very scary how much so.

Don't like the economic example? How about how we feel about our bodies? The shade of our teeth? Our hair? Our wrinkles? When women get poison injected into their foreheads and can no longer convey emotion, things have gotten a bit scary. The belief is that aging is bad and smoother skin is worth giving up your time, money, and ability to express emotion for. This, of course, is a losing battle - but belief (I must be eternally young to be loved and have value) offsets rationality (I can't be eternally young and my value has nothing to do with the appearance of my forehead).

I wonder if I would have liked the Chocolate Bacon Bar if I hadn't know it had bacon in it - if I thought it had nuts or something else salty? I wonder if I would be better off to say, "Damn the economy, I'm going to Disneyland!" I wonder how many times my own insecurities have pushed someone away? What beliefs do you hold that influence your actions and experiences? I think the key to happiness is figuring out what they are and making sure you really want to hang onto them.

Chocolate, Bacon, and Mad Men

Carole Walker not only gave me chocolate Peeps, she gave me a Vosges Haut-Chocolat bar. The name - Mo's Bacon Bar. The description - applewood smoked bacon, Alder wood smoked salt, and deep milk chocolate. The picture -

Okay - my picture is lame. The bar itself just looks like a regular chocolate bar. I wanted to show you the slab of bacon on the wrapper! The verdict? Hmmm.....sweet and salty, which I love, but I must confess that I found the involvement of bacon kind of creepy. I think I want any meat I consume to not be in my candy. But I'm damn glad I tried it! Carole, you are the best!!

I was in Target today and on impulse decided to give chocolate gum another chance. I was in line, this was by the register - I am a sucker!!

Guess what? It's not too bad! Here's the difference - Dentyne stuck with mint, there is really only a hint of chocolate. Like a tease. No meat. I liked it.

What a great world we live in! A world where people make cool, exotic candy bars; where gum makers constantly innovate; and where shows like Mad Men are popular. If you haven't see this show, I highly recommend it. It has restored my faith not only in the medium of television, but in the critics (they all like it!). Why do I love it so much?

The costumes, the sets, the attention to detail are amazing. You really feel like you are back in the Kennedy Era. I like the way there is depth to the characters, and it is revealed slowly. I love the writing - so many shows today are just lame comedies. This one makes you think. I love the advertising industry and its history. I like realizing how far women have come and how much power they have always had (they just used it a little differently). And I love watching the lead character's struggle with his desires.

What are you grateful for? Are you finding the joy or focusing on the pain? Life is as good (or bad) as you make it. Carpe chocolate! Carpe vita!

I'm in Love with the Pillsbury Doughboy

I have some 'splanin to do. I don't think I've ever addressed why the heck I'm blogging about chocolate and motivation. I have discussed the power of chocolate bribery on school children and the fact that women in India and Brazil will do almost anything for chocolate. Obviously for some of us, chocolate can be a powerful motivator. But the real reason for this blog is to explore a new twist on an old topic.

I've been a professional speaker for almost ten years now, and I know that meeting planners and meeting attendees are dying for something new. Heck, I'm dying for something new! So this blog is testing the waters, forcing me to write and see if I can link enough useful motivational concepts to that wonderful, delicious, food of the gods - chocolate. We know people love chocolate, we know they like to be inspired - here we'll learn if the two can be mixed. Or if, like Chocolate Bubble Yum, the sum is not greater than its parts.

I have been having some chocolate fun - I really do think that having fun is a HUGE part of staying motivated. And I also think we don't have nearly enough of it. I tried the Reese's' Bat (released for the Batman movie) and was shocked by the fact that I didn't think it was all that great. I mean surely the only difference between the Bat and the Reese's' Egg (which I adore) is the shape. Maybe this Bat was not fresh - I can't explain it, I only know I can live without another Bat. But it was fun to actually find a Reese's' Bat (I visited lots of convenience stores before I found one) and I did score the very last one in the display! Ah - obviously the fun was in the journey, not in the destination. (Like Trick or Treating or Easter Egg Hunting - the fun is in the game, the seeking - that's the exciting part. It's just not the same to go to the store and buy a bag of holiday candy.)

On a whim I bought a bag of chocolate marshmallows and am having fun deciding whether or not I really like them. I mean they are okay. That's how I feel about regular marshmallows. They are not great, not bad - they are okay. They are low in fat and relatively low in calories. They have a great texture and are fun to eat (squishy in a noncreepy way), but are they really in my top ten? Top twenty? Top 1,000? Should they even be on the list at all? I'll have to get back to you on this - right now, when I want something a little sweet, I'm grabbing a chocolate marshmallow. I'd like to try one roasted. Maybe with peanut butter. Hmmmmm...

I'm also having fun doing the research for this blog. My latest find? America's Most Loved Spokescreature is......drum roll please........the M & M's characters!!!! Yay!! Followed by the Geico Gecko, the Aflac Duck, and (another fav of mine) Poppin' Fresh. I love that little guy!!

How are YOU traveling these days? Enjoying the journey? Having enough fun? Or are you waiting for some mysterious time in the future when you'll have fun? Maybe when the economy is better or gas prices drop? Better start making time for fun now, my friend - as Emerson said "We are always getting ready to live and never living." And don't forget the immortal words of Poppin' Fresh, "Hee, hee!"