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Famous Chocolate Companies

By Chris Alleny

Almost everyone loves chocolate, from the Meso-American peoples who cultivated it thousands of years ago to the modern day chocoholic. There’s a wide variety of choices out there, from low end chocolate flavored bars referred to as “confections” to the priciest dark chocolate truffle, which contains a real black truffle. In between, you’ll find every kind of bonbon, fudge, candy bar, and other chocolate treats. Some companies have become extremely famous for their chocolate. Here are a few.

Mars and the Hershey Company are the biggest manufacturers in the world, producing popular, inexpensive candies that are enjoyed by large numbers of people. Other important chocolate makers in this price range include Nestle, Cadbury, and Lindt.

They all make some of the most popular candies there are, but there have been recent concerns over quality decreases and the sourcing of these companies’ chocolate, as some African chocolate producers make use of child and slave labor.

Hershey is the biggest company in North America that makes chocolate. Headquartered in the town of the same name in Pennsylvania, this company makes the area smell of cocoa. The town is also home to a theme park - Hershey’s Chocolate World. The company was founded in the 1890s by Milton S. Hershey, and is most famous for Hershey’s Kisses, the Hershey Bar, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Mars is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and owned by the Mars family. That makes it one of the largest privately owned companies in the US. It’s know for the Milky Way, Mars, and Snickers bars, as well as M&Ms and Twix.

Other chocolatiers make their candy for a market willing to pay a higher price for chocolate made from better ingredients. Such chocolatiers as Godiva, Leonidas, and others produce high end chocolates for people who want a truly high quality confection.

There are other chocolate makers that produce even more expensive chocolates, made from beans sourced from single plantations, using no fillers, and using only the best fruits, nuts, and other ingredients. However, they’re often not as well known by the average person as the larger distributors.

One chocolate maker that most people think is fictional is Willy Wonka. In this fantasy movie this candy maker had a content to see who would take over as the new owner of a fantastic candy factory. They gave away gold tickets in chocolate bars and the winners came to the factory to be secretly evaluated. This movie was so popular it was remade recently with actor Johnny Depp. Although not a real chocolate factory it was popular and had a chocolate moat in the movie.

Chocolate has a big influence on many of us. While we might not think a lot about it on a daily basis, we’d be disappointed if we weren’t able to get this wonderful confection any more. Next time you have a piece of chocolate, whether it’s an inexpensive Hershey’s bar or a fine, hand-crafted truffle, think about the famous chocolate makers who are responsible for it being there.

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The Perfect Romantic Getaway Break - Seven Essential Ingredients

By Jane A Hannington

Here are the seven essential ingredients needed for the successful celebration of your love for that special person in your life.

1. Music. In order to set the scene for a romantic evening for weekend, music provides the perfect backdrop for a relaxing weekend. If you don’t already have some, buy some iPod speakers so that you can listen to your favourite sounds. Otherwise all music shops sell fabulous romantic music compilation CD’s that will set the tone for your time alone.
2. Champagne. For less than £25 you can buy a good bottle of champagne. Ask your hotel/reception desk to supply a bucket of ice and, hey presto, chilled champagne for you to share with that special someone in your life.
3. Chocolates. Very few women can resist good quality chocolate, although tastes do vary. Some prefer the lighter touch of milk chocolate while the true chocaholic appreciates the better dark chocolates such as Lindt 70%. Why not combine the sensual pleasure of chocolate with the fun of body paint by combining the two with chocolate flavoured body paint. To be applied carefully with a brush or slap it on and lick it off!
4. A romantic meal. Luxury takeaway delivered to apartment. What is your favourite meal? Oysters? Caviar? You can arrange for one of the superb London catering companies to deliver a top of the range meal to your apartment. Or, if you prefer, you can simply order a pizza! If you are staying in London then you could consider taking a romantic River Thames cruise where you can enjoy dinner for two with wonderful views as you sail along the river and take in its fabulous panorama. The river is beautifully illuminated at night.
5. A bouquet of flowers. No woman can fail to be charmed by receiving a bouquet of beautifully scented flowers. Choose your lady’s favourite colour and she will be delighted by your thoughfulness. Roses are the number one favourite but lilies and carnations are also beautiful and known to be well received. Order these online now so that they are waiting for you on arrival.
6. Aromatherapy oils and candles. All women love to luxuriate in a candlelit bath whilst surrounded by beautifully coloured perfumed candles. Take some time to carefully choose sensuous fragrances to be enjoyed by that special person in your life.
7. Private apartment. If you come to London, you can rent a lovely studio apartment just off Trafalgar Square at a very reasonable price just two minutes stroll from the romantic River Thames. You can enjoy the privacy and intimacy of having your own apartment with its own fully equipped kitchen to prepare snacks and your own private bathroom. Within walking distance of the London Eye - a must do for visitors to London. Enjoy its slow rotation whilst looking out over one of the most stunning skylines in the world. Soho and Covent Garden are within walking distance. You can wander across the river on the Jubilee Bridge and meander along the South Bank.

If you fancy a romantic spring getaway then London offers the perfect escape.

You may want to check out my other guide on chocolate coin and dagoba chocolate

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The Joy of Giving

By Gail Miles

I personally like to give presents and it gives me great satisfaction. However, when it comes to receive them, I feel surprisingly ambarassed. On the day of my birthday, a colleague at work, a very critical guy which always argue with me decided to challenge me! He put a packet of my favorite Lindt chocolate on my desk with a lovely card on it saying: “Please have a chance to taste how sweet our friednship can be, despite all our disputes. Happy Birthday, Yours, Michael”.

This time it was real hard to get that present. Despite the fact that I usually feel uncomfortable about getting presents, this time the giver is my so-called “enemy” at the office. Nevertheless that was an opportunity to take a different look at thing and change my attitude towards people. I adopted positive thinking and took a more tolerant position.

I took the chocolate and praised Michael for his surprising gesture showing sympathy. He didn’t expect such a reaction from my side and he was surprised as well. Since then, there was a shift in our working relationship and it was the start of a friendship. It wasn’t the chocolate itself but it was the notion that it communicated.

The same as breathing action involves inhaling and exhaling air which is essential for our physical existence, the same is true for our soul. We all the time engaged in the acts of giving and taking from our surrounding circles, may it be family, friends, colleagues and so on. That might explain why the basic human notion of giving and receiving gifts is deeply rooted in our everyday life We all the time exchange ideas, thoughts, intentions, feelings, knowledge, money and whatever you can think of may it be tangible or intangible. One way to communicate our feelings is through the give and take of gifts. Gifts imply a social intention rather than a materialistic interest. We are all engaged in establishing and strengthening social relationships through giving and taking of gifts. We express our attachments and communicate cordiality through the purchase of gifts. French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss tells how, in inexpensive restaurants in the south of France, two strangers often share a small table at lunch. They eat their food separately but treat the carafe of wine set at each plate very differently. One person lifts his or her own carafe and pours the wine into the other’s glass. The neighbor then reciprocates.

Most of us wish to have a mutual and balanced relationships. We all wish to have such relationships because it makes us feel happy and satisfied. We all have that natural expectation to give and receive and that is true for many aspects of our lives such as at work, in marriage life, in friendships and with respect to our parents and children. Mutual relationships give us confidence and let us the freedom to channel emotions and feelings through our behavior. Most of us take the initiative through the act of giving. Gifts are a tangible way to channel our feelings of appreciation, love and gratitude and we commonly do that. Most of us build expectations system and when we speak of gifts, people usually don’t fail to meet expectations and when you give a present, you will wait for the opportunity to reward and vice versa.

There are many occasions throughout the year when gifts are traditionally given and received and there are those special days that we celebrate personal milestones. Anniversaries, birthdays and holidays are special occasions, but they’re not the only times when giving a gift brightens the day. Celebrating a long friendship or shared accomplishment can renew and strengthen relationships with friends and family.

Be sure to note upcoming events like graduation, new job, promotion or well-deserved retirement on your calendar. Be sure to add new occasions as they occur. Personal milestones such as a first recital, finishing an important work project, quitting smoking, losing weight or passing the bar exam deserve a gift of recognition. A personalized gift adds to the sense of accomplishment and increases the enjoyment of a job well done.

You may want to check out my other guide on chocolate syrup and dove chocolate