By Betty Pine
Look, I’ve already taken three Excedrine today. But if I have some chocolate, I know my headache will go away.
What’s that you say? Chocolate hits the same pleasure center of my brain as sex does?
Hmmmm, well I do hear myself speaking out loud sometimes, barely audible, during the imbibing of that rich, and sweet confectionery. First bite, and I’m saying, “oh yeah, that’s good”. Some more bites, and I go “hmmm, yes, hmmm, more please”. Towards the end, I’m murmuring, “Oh, yes! Yes! Yes!” It’s been awhile, but my memory does stir at some remembrance of another exercise to hit home of my pleasure center.
I could give up most anything else that would be considered an addiction. I don’t have many and tend to want to keep the few I do have. I have given things up in the past, I considered addictions that were unhealthy for me. I gave up smoking when I was pregnant with my first child; I haven’t had any cola products for about 10 years. Don’t ask me, and I hope I will never ask myself to give up chocolate. Even when my pleasure center was getting quite a workout, and I had (you note “had”) a fulfilling sexual life, I still needed chocolate. Oh, yes. After a wonderful session of lovemaking, I sometimes would have that first cup of coffee (if it was morning) and a piece of chocolate, I would think to myself, I’m a lucky girl. I get sex and chocolate.
Just let me say this to the guys, if any of you are interested. Although the past generations didn’t have scientific data to go on, and articles detailing “what stimulates our pleasure centers” the men knew what to bring their lady loves during the mating game. Flowers and chocolate. They might not have known why flowers and chocolate was the preference of the fair sex, but they didn’t fight it. I pity the poor guy who brought flowers and candy, and the candy wasn’t chocolate. He probably was that favorite uncle of ours that never married, and we could never figure out how come. So, guys remember, flowers, and real chocolate for your intended.
Hmmmm, my headache is all gone, and it wasn’t just because I wrote about chocolate, as my empty ice cream bowl attests to. Well, hot fudge sundaes work just as well as a piece of Symphony chocolate bar. Now, if could just find a man.
(c) 2000 Betty Pine
Artist and writer Betty Pine is the editor of The Whimsical Review, a tickle your funny bone e-zine, and a columnist at suite101.com. Her column Passions Defined can be found in their Humanities topic area.