April 10, 2001

Sweetness and Power
   by stacy <pfftnet@stacy.pfft.net>

Ahh, Easter season, one of many times of the year when an aisle at the grocery store is devoted to luscious confections that tempt the tastebuds with their warm, chocolaty aroma and the eyes with their handsome foil packaging. Well, maybe not, but you know there's chocolate inside and that makes it tempting. When it's approaching a candy holiday (when is it not, these days), I dread the grocery story and the power that candy has over me.

It's not just candy. I have a fatal weakness for desserts. I love ice cream, cakes, pies, pastries, chocolate, fruit, and most other sweets with a passion. Whenever I go to a moderately nice restaurant, I'm mostly thinking about the dessert I could get at the end of the meal if I'm not too full. At Italian places, I dream of espresso pie and tiramisu, and most restaurants have good cheesecake. If it's homemade and comes in a pool of raspberry or chocolate sauce, I go weak at the knees.

I remember wonderful desserts I had years ago and have never tasted again. When I was 13 years old, I was at a wedding rehearsal dinner at a fancy restaurant, and every choice on the dessert cart looked delectable. I chose the Irish cream cheesecake, and it was better than it looked. I've never seen anything like that since. My aunt makes cream brownies that are just wonderful, and when I tried to make them, it turned out like brownie goo (but the goo wasn't bad). My dream job would be a dessert chef or a pastry baker where my imagination could come alive with the art I produced with my chocolate, phyllo dough, and fresh cream. Only problem is I'd probably eat it all.

It's a little disheartening that my husband doesn't share my love of sweets. He will happily eat ice cream or cheesecake or apple pie, but he doesn't seem to savor it, and really look forward to the next time the same way I do. The power sugar holds over me doesn't hold him. Some people in my situation would envy his self-control and lack of need of candy, but I just pity him, knowing he'll never understand what it's like to be in love with it.

Published: April 10, 2001
Editor: stacy