Life is more than a box of chocolates for a new club at ASU.
The Chocolate Crusade, a new ASU club, is exploring all areas of chocolate, from its history to the chocolate-making process to social and ethical impacts on the world.
English literature freshman Deanna Skaggs started the club because she was looking for a unique way to share her knowledge about the tasty treat.
“I want people to learn a little about it,” Skaggs said. “It’s one of those things that people don’t always know too much about.”
There are many different factors one should consider when approaching chocolate, she said. Taste, texture, the richness of color and the way the chocolate breaks are just a few characteristics that vary with different types.
Skaggs first became interested in chocolate around a year-and-a-half ago, when she started writing for Chocablog, a Web site based in London that reviews chocolate from all over the world.
Dom Ramsey, founder and editor of Chocablog, started the site four years ago because he thought it would be fun to write about chocolate. Since that time, the site has grown more and more popular and has become Ramsey’s full-time job.
Ramsey said in an e-mail that the combination of pleasure and learning about the scientific processes involved in making chocolate is what makes it so interesting.
“I think there are so many reasons why people are interested in chocolate,” Ramsey said. “On one level, it’s purely a chemical reaction. Good chocolate releases endorphins and stimulates the brain.”
Once a person gets to know and understand chocolate, it’s a little like wine tasting. Give an expert a good quality dark chocolate and they’ll be able to describe the flavors in detail and can even tell you where in the world the cacao beans were grown, he said.
Douglas Taren, a professor of public health at UA, said chocolate has been getting a lot of attention lately because of its health benefits.
Chocolate has antioxidant properties that can help prevent cardiovascular disease and potential cancers. Additionally, it affects mood in a positive manner, he said.
“There are lots of chemicals in chocolate that affect brain metabolism,” Taren said. “Those are the reasons there could be cravings for chocolate and why people feel good after eating it.”
There are many benefits to eating chocolate, he said, but only dark chocolate. White chocolate is not chocolate and milk chocolate doesn’t have the same benefits, he said.
“It’s not really the sweet chocolate,” Taren said. “You want things that are high in chocolate, stuff from the cacao plant.”
The Chocolate Crusade used dark chocolate to educate its 18 members in last month’s meeting. Skaggs said the group is going to focus on more kinds of chocolate and how it’s made in the next meeting.
“I hope it’s something people can look forward to,” Skaggs said. “People are busy with school, but here they can come and enjoy some chocolate.”
Reach the reporter at dbjoraas@asu.edu
