Chocolate Spread
2 ingredients. Incredibly simple method. The fridge does (almost) all the work. It doesn’t have the characteristic taste of classic chocolate spreads because there’s no hazelnuts (or obscene amounts of sugar) in it, but it’s silky smooth, perfectly chocolatey and goes on just about anything.
Song suggestions:
Missing Piece - Vance Joy
Sun Goes Down - Lil Nas X
Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk
200g dark chocolate
Method:
Pour out the coconut milk into a microwaveable jug.
Heat it up for about 2 to 3 minutes until it’s warm, but not hot and definitely not near bubbling or boiling. The jug should be nicely warm and gently steaming.
Chop up the chocolate into small pieces and add in a handful at a time of chocolate to the coconut milk. Stir well until dissolved (stir the sides well as when the chocolate melts it’s likely to stick as you stir).
Once all the chocolate is completely dissolved, pour the liquid into a jar and chill in the fridge overnight to solidify.
A Bite Out of Life
Student life, for many, can see huge changes to people’s eating patterns. Not just to what they eat, but how they eat, and if you’re not in a house or flat of people you really get along with, the chances are you might be spending a lot of time eating alone. In my second year, I got along really well with my house but we didn’t eat any meals together (and not just because we didn’t have a table in the house). They just preferred to eat more in their rooms/at their desks which meant I started to as well. I just got on with it, but it was only when I moved house that I realised how much I missed sitting down to eat with people. During summers, my family reunions are always spent reconvening around a table and even though it’s so simple, they’re moments I really truly cherish. No “JOey dOeSN’t sHaRe fOod!!” energy here.
When it comes to food, sharing is most definitely caring. Why is it so important though? So many reasons! Evolutionarily, sharing food meant you were investing in the survival of those closest to you. Nowadays, that’s still true, but more social reasons come to mind: it builds trust with the people you’re sharing with, it makes you feel closer to people, it can get you talking about something you have in common (starting with your meal) and then open up further conversations, it gives you the opportunity to laugh together, it gives you the chance to get and give attention to those you’re eating with, it’s simply a place to form and strengthen social ties and bonds.
If you’re ever going through a rough patch, eat something with someone whose company you enjoy. Good ingredients make good food, but good company makes it ever better.
enjoy food, enjoy life.
