Chocolat

Belgium is very famous for three basic foods: chocolate, fries, and waffles. (They are also quite famous for beer, although that is technically a beverage and we aren't going to try it.)

These three foods are everywhere, but I especially want to talk about chocolate today. First of all, there is a reason Belgian chocolate is famous! It is delicious. It also has a rich history.  For example, the composition of Belgian chocolate was regulated in 1884 to prevent adulteration by inferior ingredients.

What is so amazing is how it seems there is chocolate in just about everything. In the U.S., there are several chocolate infused cold cereals. Here, the selection of cold cereals is quite smaller than in a U.S. supermarket, but well over half of the varieties involve chocolate.

Waffles are a subject in themselves, but I have to say this:  Packaged waffles are available in staggering varieties, many of which are also dipped in chocolate. I was worried about my kids wanting to eat only cold cereal for breakfast because it is so expensive. That's no problem because they LOVE the packaged waffles, plain or chocolate.  I think this is actually cheaper, and given the unhealthy cereals, the nutrition trade-off is minimal.  (They do miss Frosted Mini-Wheats.)  

If you haven't had enough chocolate for breakfast, you can always spread Nutella on your sandwich at lunch. 

How about a snack?  Cookies usually involve chocolate. That's not that they don't in the States, I guess, but the only place in Smith's to buy a cookie topped with a slab of chocolate is in the international cookie section.  Cookies are dipped in chocolate, have chocolate chips (cookies americains, anyone?), or have chocolate fillings. 

And all this is not to even mention the entire aisle in the supermarket devoted to chocolate.  Sure, there are other candies, but again, the chocolate presence is, I think, more than the U.S.  There is also the quality to consider.  Cheap store brands of plain chocolate bars are more delicious than some name brand bars in the States.

Part of the chocolate aisle.

If you still haven't had enough chocolate by the end of the day, you can have a dessert of chocolates, chocolate ice cream, or chocolate pudding.

Depending on how you look at it, it's a chocoholic's paradise or downfall.  I'm just glad I have to go up and down the stairs a lot in this house.