National Cocoa Day

 

'Tis the season for hot chocolate. The perception of cocoa these days is a sweet treat for ladies and children, something a man might drink occasionally, if ever. 

(BTW Sillycow mix is pretty good.)

From The Surprising History of Hot Cocoa:

"For thousands of years, however, it was quite a different story. While we tend to think of chocolate today in its solid form, for nine-tenths of its long history, chocolate was a drink – the first true chocolate bar as we now know it was not invented until 1839. In the thousands of years before that time, chocolate was seen as an invaluable, sacred, even magical beverage — a symbol of power, a privilege of warriors and the elite, and a satisfying tonic that was consumed daily and offered the sustenance needed to tackle virile challenges." 

For example, cocoa has been an essential, life-saving staple on all the major expeditions to the North and South Poles.  

Are we having fun yet?

And cocoa has been included in military rations for centuries...

How's your weather? Our west coast storm is marching east, morphing into prairie blizzards and tornado watches. Things have settled down here for the time being. Next week they predict an arctic blast for the Northwest, with "high" temperatures barely above zero on the east side of the state.