Cocoa Bias: Finding Chocolate in Unexpected Places

Like, in-between the lines of a good book.

Attention bias is when your mind is especially focused on a particular topic, causing you to notice it everywhere. Following that line of thought, cocoa bias is when, for example, after spending years immersed in the topic of chocolate while writing a book, you see chocolate-related themes in completely unrelated places.

Or maybe it’s not completely unrelated.

I find it interesting how everyone who has an interest or passion in a topic, is ultimately interested in the same thing. The common element is the passion, not necessarily the thing that they are passionate about. The act of being interested in something is what we share.

By that thinking, you can read a book about anything that dives deeply into that topic, whether that be wine, chess, tomatoes or chairs, and find nuggets of wisdom that relate perfectly to whatever you happen to be interested in.

I’ve been testing this out a lot over the past few years, reading a range of non-fiction books completely unrelated to chocolate. It started as a way of clearing my brain from the overdose of chocolate it was receiving while researching my upcoming book, The World of Chocolate, but ended up still being all about chocolate, just through a different lens.

The most recent example of this, is the book Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum. I picked this because the one thing I enjoy even more than chocolate are independent bookstores. I could spend all my time, and easily all my money, exploring them.

This little book is from the author of Welcome to the Hyunam Dong Bookshop. While her earlier work centres on the fictional stories of people who frequent a bookstore, this follow up is a work of non-fiction that explores why she loves reading so much.

Throughout the book, she shares quotes from some of her favourite books that have helped her better understand life. While reading them, I did the same, that is, until I started seeing chocolate. Then, so many of the quotes took on a different meaning. Cocoa bias in action.

“Those who find books uninspiring may not have found the right ones that’ll bring them joy, meaning or excitement. If you feel like this, why not change the types of books you’ve been reading?”

Change books to chocolate and you have yourself a great quote on exploring chocolate.

Another passage reminded me of the tasting experience itself. In his book Learning to Write Begins with Reading a Book, author Lee Kwonwoo states:

“The focus isn’t on the book, but on the reader, and your experience reading it. It’s not stressful or challenging to write.”

Replace book with chocolate and reading with tasting, and the statement still rings true. Two people can taste the same chocolate and come away with entirely different experiences. There is no right or wrong way to taste, just your way.

This time change, books to chocolate, author to chocolate maker, quote to flavour note, and text with beans.

“Instead of moving on to the next book immediately, spend some time thinking about what you liked about it; maybe there are connections with other books waiting to be discovered. If you enjoy a particular author’s ideas and thoughts, go and find out if there are authors whom they admire. Of, with other books on topics that you enjoy, if a certain quote lingers in your mind, check out the source texts. Books are like spiders’ web; you’ll only get more attached.”

Take a moment after enjoying a particular chocolate to think about what you enjoyed about it. You may find other chocolates from that maker, or other makers using similar beans or techniques that you can try next. One chocolate will naturally lead you to the next.

Here is another, which I wholeheartedly follow, with chocolate:

“I hesitantly confessed that I have an ‘open relationship’ with books, and I was reading more than five books.”

Why finish one bar when you can have a taste, wrap it up carefully, and save the rest for another day.

“I used to think that reading one book at a time was the way to go, but I’ve discovered a different way to love, and there’re no turning back.”

And what about this quote from Lee Deok-mu, author of A Fool in Love With Books, again changing book to chocolate:

“At the right time, with the right friends, with the right book and having a conversation that feels just right in the moment. This is unparalleled joy, but why is such happiness so rare?”

I’ll finish off with French philosopher Charles de Montesquieu’s quote that Hwang Bo-Reum shares;

“I have never known any distress that an hour’s reading did not relieve.”

Except that with chocolate you don’t need an hour, just the few moments it takes to let it melt in your mouth.

Thanks for reading,

Giselle

Chief Chocolate Sipper

www.ultimatehotchocolate.com and on Insta @ultimatehotchoc