Chocolate Revised

            The emotions you feel as you bite into chocolate; whether it’s a cookie, truffle, piece of cake, ice cream, anything. As it slowly melts in your mouth filling every taste bud with joy, your mind starts flooding with past experiences and connections with this decadent dessert. It’s a kind of chocolaty feminine connection that leads back to the beginning of this family. I’ve only heard stories of the soothing affect it has had on my elders, but I have experienced it first hand with the ones closest to me.

            The subtle crack of the chocolate as it drops onto my tongue causes memories of my mother to fill my mind. From when I was young and would share chocolate cookies and treats with her. Questioning her about the world as I lick off the chocolate smeared all over my fingers. Mom with her motherly patience would answer every one of those questions until I passed out from a sugar high. Other memories are from more recent times when we go out for chocolate croissants and coffee as I confide in her. Questioning her on how to fix the common troubles one has while growing up. The soothing words of my mother combined with the sweetness of the chocolaty croissant made for a relaxing morning that calms my nerves.

            As the chocolate softens in my mouth memories of my grandmother flood into my mind. Tea time with my Googoo. My favorite blanket spread out on the floor, on top sits my tiny tea set; the teapot and cups filled with milk and the little plates filled with Oreos along with my grandmother’s fancy chocolates. I once again bombarded, this time, my grandmother with questions. She giggled at my curiosity and answered them too as her crystal blue eyes stared into mine. Memories from when I was older fill me as well. The most common one is walking into my grandparent’s apartment and being welcomed with the smell of fresh baked brownies, her specialty. We sit together over a plate of brownies and have girl talk that includes the fascinating stories of my relatives that I never had the chance to meet. Taking mental notes on the examples they’ve set for me to fix my common life problems.

            Us Ekstrom women, though many of us have never met, bond through this dessert. The memories that consume us as we consume the chocolate fill our brains to capacity. Memories consisting of stories of our older generations who all had common challenges. Maybe I can blame becoming such a strong feminist on the stories I hear of my great, great grandmother. She planted this seed by being one of the first women to stand up and go to college before it was ever socially accepted, right when the men only rule was freshly eliminated. This large family connection all started through the Ekstrom women’s favorite dessert chocolate—and this is how we are all connected.