I’ve mentioned chocolate before. It’s one of my favorite things in all the world, and when I die, I’m probably going to the Cholesterol Kingdom.

There’s Sachertorte from Vienna:

If you’re in Brazil, you can get death-star chocolates more deadly than the plasma bolts of a Sith lord:

(pause for culinary orgasm)

L’Italia in Harrisonburg, VA used to serve the most incredible chocolate marquese, sadly now discontinued:

and Piccolo Angolo in New York City, my favorite restaurant in all the whole wide world, offers up an amaretto tiramisu that stops your heart just to look at it.

Now that my heart rate has returned to normal, it’s time to point out that there is some disturbing news bubbling up to the surface about chocolate, one which I need to consider seriously. Most everyone knows about blood diamonds, but few people know about child-labor chocolate.

The Wikipedia article gives a general background, and this petition outlines some of the ongoing questions. Neither of these sources cover the entire issue, and I don’t advocate signing the petition just because it’s out there – but I have been prompted to do more research and see what the current situation really is. If I had to cut back my chocolate consumption to make sure I’m not being part of the problem, my body would probably thank me for it. But I’d sit in the middle of the floor and cry.

The Old Wolf has *burp* spoken.