Chocolate

This post is dedicated to Lila.

Today I was on a walk around the city with one of the women who runs the program here, to learn where the library is, the best bars without Americans, stuff like that. I had my own, special walk because I missed the one with the big group while I was in class. At the end of the group's walk, the program treated everyone to an ice cream cone, and the woman asked me if I, too, would like one. Since I eat gelatto every day here anyway, I have my system (on my way to class), and I hadn't yet had any coffee, so I said, why don't we go to a coffee shop? Perfect. I had been meaning to try hot chocolate here for a while, because as you may have heard, "Spanish hot chocolate" is very different than in the US. They have something here called Cola Cao, which is essentially Nesquick, and you can drink it in hot or cold milk; it's basically hot chocolate mix. Their "hot chocolate," however, is essentially hot fudge which you might put on an ice cream sundae, but maybe even thicker and more chocolatey. Think of the "Chantico" that they used to serve at Starbucks before they ruined my life by discontinuing it. Anyway, so I ordered a "chocolate al café," which I figured would be something like a mocha in the US. I was wrong. Basically, it was a cup of hot fudge with a shot of espresso, and perhaps one of the best drinks I've ever had.

Then, interestingly, my "mom" offered me a banana after lunch, and I figured, why not dig out my jar of peanut butter? She had never tried it and, as she hates sweet things, hated it. I miss my natural, no-sugar-added, make-it-yourself Whole Foods honey-roasted peanut butter, but this Peter Pan stuff is a nice throwback to my childhood.

I'm going back tomorrow to get another hot chocolate. But now I'm running late for class, and if I'm going to have time to get gelatto on the way, I've gotta go now.