Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts

Friday, August 28, 2026

Chocolate Charlie or Willy Wonka?


Charlie Bucket was the book's original star
(American Vintage Tales) Nobody realized what the "Chocolate Factory" was hiding, not even sassy, greedy, entitled Veruca Salt. It becomes clear that this whole franchise is not about the kids. Like Gilligan's Island, it's really a morality play about human archetypes and personifications of the Seven Deadly Sins under a sweet and sinister examiner. That's why it resonates so well.

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Sex and Suffering on Valentine's Day

(Matt on Buddha's Wisdom) SEX in BUDDHISM: not a moral rule but a deeper question

Valentines is a heart-shaped box of chocolates
Valentine's Day (aka Saint Valentine's Day, Feast of St. Valentine [1]) is celebrated annually on February 14th [2].

This celebration of going from Lust to Love like the Go Go's, it originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world [3, 4].


Cupid is Mara and Kama
There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Saint Valentines connected to February 14th [5], including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century [6, 7].

According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer [8]. Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: Tradition maintains that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman emperor [7]. An 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution [9].

Will consumers buy cheap cards?
The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14th [10, 11]. The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries, when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring.

In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion for couples to express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").

Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid [who acts like the India god Kama, Greek Eros and Aphrodite, Roman Venus, and Buddhist Mara].

No sex please. We're Ameboids 'n Gatchularians
In the 19th century, handmade cards gave way to mass-produced greetings [12] thanks to capitalism. In Italy, Saint Valentine's keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart" as well as to children to ward off epileptic fits (called Saint Valentine's Malady) [13], which could be thought of as an overwrought lover's obsessive mania, like St. Vitus' Dance. More

Friday, January 16, 2026

America's most racist man tries Asian food

We are Nordic pagans! The Nazis’ War on Christmas | HISTORY
 
"Numb Little Bug"
Git yer goddamn Gook food outta ARE cuntry!
LYRICS: "I don't feel a single thing/ Have the pills done too much?/ Haven't caught up with my friends in weeks/ And now we're outta touch/ I've been drivin' in L.A./ And the world, it feels too big/ Like a floating ball that's bound to break/ Snap my psyche like a twig// And I just wanna see/ If you feel the same as me
  • [CHORUS] 
    This is God's own racist country, the Deep South
    Do you ever get a little bit tired of life?/ 
    Like you're not really happy, but you don't wanna die/ Like you're hangin' by a thread, but you gotta survive/ 'Cause you gotta survive/ Like your body's in the room, but you're not really there/ Like you have empathy inside, but you don't really care/ Like you're fresh outta love, but it's been in the air/ Am I past repair?
Big Pharma's chemical sorcery?
A little bit tired of trying to care when I don't/ 
A little bit tired of quick repairs to cope/ A little bit tired of sinkin', there's water in my boat/ I'm barely breathin', tryna stay afloat/ So I got these quick repairs to cope/ Guess I'm just broken and broke

[VERSE 2] The prescription's on its way/ With a name I can't pronounce/ And the dose I gotta take/ Boy, I wish that I could count/ 'Cause I just wanna see/ If this could make me happy// [CHORUS]

Shoulda stuck to Asian veg food
A little bit tired of trying to care when I don't/ A little bit tired of quick repairs to cope/ A little bit tired of sinkin', there's water in my boat/ I'm barely breathin', tryna stay afloat/ So I got these quick repairs to cope

[OUTRO] Do you ever get a little bit tired of life?/ Like you're not really happy, but you don't wanna die/ Like a numb little bug that's gotta survive/ That's gotta survive.

Whoa, Asians be crazy? (Rosemead)
What happened to former reigning Asian Hollywood (Kill Bill) Beauty Queen Lucy Liu?
  • Supreme White Power? Jewish Christmas in Nazi Germany
  • Canadian Cantomando visits Alabama; Em Beihold, "Numb Little Bug"; CC Liu, Pfc. Sandoval, Crystal Q., Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Monday, November 11, 2024

Happy Nat'l Metal Music Day (11/11)

Oh, honestly, why do you kids have to mosh and slam in pits of your own creation? Sit down!

Hard Heavy & Happy (Nico Rose)
While veterans with PTSD get all the attention, it is actually National Metal Day today, is a celebration for heavy metal fans, giving them the perfect excuse to crank up their favorite tracks and let loose.

It’s a day dedicated to the powerful music genre that broke barriers with its intense sound and rebellious spirit.

Getting its start in the late 1960s, metal music has always been a bit on the edge of the standard. And when the rockumentary (or mockumentary), This Is Spinal Tap, about a fictitious heavy metal band came out in 1984, it brought a whole new perspective to the idea of metal.

From the roaring guitar riffs of Black Sabbath to the electrifying performances of Metallica, this day unites fans across the globe. It’s time for #NationalMetalDay!

When did "hard rock" become "heavy metal"? Led Zep
The "Heavy Metal Monk" sings "the Devil's music" in Italy?

How to Celebrate National Metal Day
Surely people who are celebrating National Metal Day should take it up to 11! Consider some of these ideas for celebrating the day in a style that is filled with long hair and is super loud:

Watch This is Spinal Tap

If you’ve never seen it before, or if you have seen it dozens of times and are nostalgic for it, National Metal Day is the best day to watch This is Spinal Tap. This tongue-in-cheek film was made in 1984 and stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer.

Listen to Some Metal Music
Best metal band: Baby Metal?
Of course, one of the more obvious ways to celebrate and observe National Metal Day is to listen to some metal music. Perhaps go with some classic metal bands that have been around for quite some time, with songs such as these: More
What is the best metal music?
Wisdom Quarterly COMMENTARY

Sadly, heavy metal is viewed as a thing for boys. And that it may be. But in actuality, the best, heaviest, most listenable metal incorporates a female touch. Here's all the proof we need:


Hardcore punk: gateway to speed metal crossover
Why this should be so, in our opinion, is that if metal music is like very strong black coffee (or bitter dark chocolate). It sucks, but it suddenly becomes delicious for its darkness when paired with some toasty nonsense like sweet biscotti.

A little biscotti -- or sugar, or creamer, or foam -- makes coffee go a long way, like cafe latte. All dark all the time is ick, yack, hurl, a strong jolt, sure, but not exactly palatable all the time.

Add that accent and then addiction really sets in. The best example of this may be the best metal combo ever is partly Japanese Buddhist (shown above in front of Goddess Kwannon/Kwan Yin): BabyMetal!

(Stacey RPG) Japanese BabyMetal "Gimme Chocolate" reaction

Where'd you learn to scream, Alissa White-Gluz
But there are the Iron Maidens (all-female group playing Iron Maiden covers), and there's the great Alissa White-Gluz of the Agonist and other outfits, and Nina Persons doing lounge covers of Black Sabbath inspired tunes (Heartbreaker and Iron Man) with The Cardigans. (Okay, that's too much sugar for most, but all the scarier for it). There's the singer for Sentinel Beast, and Kirsten in Eternal Conspiracy. Or how about Tori Amos covering Slayer?

From The Agonist to Arch Enemy
Then, of course, there all the female fans at live shows that make live shows worth attending, and plenty of less obscure talent like that 6-year-old kid on America's Got Talent that time.

Metal has gone infinitely diverse with subgenres, so there's something for everyone, including the darkest Norwegian death metal.

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

What was first drink? Coffee, tea, wine?

Of course it has to be water, good old H2O, no, mother's milk, in a shot glass for comfort.
How old is the Mexican drink we call chocolate (xocolatl) cocoa from Theobroma cacao?

What was the first beverage?
Not gonna say water, right? Don't say water. Water is too obvious. Shoulda known it was water.

.
Tea party for Tara (Jetsun Dolma), Aztec cocoa?
(PBS Eons) When exactly did we start drinking other things and why? To find out, we have to look at the world’s oldest beverages – which are not what we expected.
How To: Mindful Drinking
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Should've stuck with water and milk, not fruit rot
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Find out more about prehistoric elephants: complexly.info/mammoths
  • PBS Eons, Sept. 3, 2024; CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Sunday, July 7, 2024

World Chocolate Day: Death by Xocolatl (7/7)

.
Maybe what we love is love?
Today is World Chocolate Day, July 7th, whereas National Chocolate Day is Oct. 28th in the U.S. The U.S. has seen a lot of growth in high-end chocolate, as taste buds improve and seek darker chocolate with health benefits rather than just white sugar, roach limbs (and other legal debris and contaminants). Beware the wrapper, the source of many heavy metals.

We have something the world doesn't.
In the beginning, the cacao tree made sweet fruit with bitter seeds (bean pods). These were fermented in the sun with most of the fruit removed, roasted and crushed into a paste full of cocoa butter. Sugar was added or a bitter drink called xocolatl was brewed. Early Mexicans loved it and treated it as a sacrament. It is not clear how the ETs or devas (the "gods") figured it out, but it became their favorite food on earth. Chocolatl (chocolate milk made with water) was so valuable, the individual seeds were used as coins at one time. Even today, Mexican grandmothers make chocolate on a stone mill, crushing and roasting and tempting children of all ages to try it. It may contain many feelgood chemicals, like those produced by the emotion love, but its addictive property is almost certainly due to its modern high sugar content. Roasting, while improving or strengthening the robust and bitter flavor. does more harm than good. Many of the precious constituents are burned away and what are left behind are acrylamides and burned (oxidized) fats. Go raw and savor in moderation.


(The Wall Street Journal) Oct. 27, 2015: To mark National Chocolate Day, Neuhaus U.S. Retail Manager Cindy Montambo joins Lunch Break to discuss the high-end chocolate industry, including growth opportunities and efforts to protect the sustainability of the supply chain of ingredients.

Buddhists must have tasted chocolate before Christians, as they arrived in Fusang. See Edward P. Vining's An Inglorious Columbus (1885) and Rick Fields' How the Swans Came to the Lake for the facts. This "Fat Happy Buddha" made of chocolate actually depicts the monk and bodhisattva Budai (Putai, Hotei), not the Buddha. Rub his belly for luck. His sack is full of candies for the kids, who loved him like Santa.

Why did Mexicans invent the "food of the gods" (Theobroma cacao)?

Monday, March 11, 2024

My Secret Spiritual Garden Workshop (3/16)

Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Stephanie Hemingway, Harriet S. (Harri's Harvest), Annie Vitality (Fruitluck), Wolf (LAMS), Jen Bradshaw, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

Let's EAT and taste a vegan menu from an organic garden harvest. This fun afternoon includes learning to plant and tend a home garden and preparation of fresh garden fruit, greens, and culinary mushrooms for a delicious communal meal:

  • tacos, desserts, chocolate truffles, gluten-free pasta, salad of baby greens, spicy salsa, fresh pesto, herbal teas...

This month we meet at Harri's Harvest, a garden in Mar Vista, for a very special spiritual healing with Fruitluck.

Harriet Shaham (master gardener at Harri's Harvest on facebook.com/growinfood) leads us through her home garden in Mar Vista (next to Santa Monica).

Plant Specialist Stephanie Hemingway

Stephanie Hemingway, native plant specialist and local landscape designer, demonstrates regenerative gardening practices.

Seven turns our attention to our spiritual relationship with this part of the Earth (named Tovaangar before it was christened Los Angeles) from a local Native American (Tongva/Kizh/Gabrielino) shamanic perspective and the Irish, Buddhist, and yogic view of plants, trees, and healing energies.

Annie Vitality (Fruitluck), a holistic health coach and plant-based raw chef, specializing in fruit cleanses, presents a FOOD DEMO on urban harvesting and talks about making the most of our backyard abundance.

Wolf (@outlaw__wolf), a UC-verified California Naturalist and LAMS (LAmushrooms.org) member, brings their expertise to show how mushrooms enrich the soil and create the green world we experience above ground.

Mushrooms will save the world they built
This event includes a communal circle of sharing, ecstatic breathwork, mindful meditation in nature, herbal healing tea, and delicious eating!

Science finally has evidence for what shamans have always known: plants are conscious and, like the mycelium/mushroom supporters in the soil below, are capable of raising our consciousness and healing us.

The SECRET to spiritual growth is revealed by how flowers, healing herbs, and fruit trees thrive through sustainable, all-natural methods. By getting ourselves grounded, we form the foundation to reach new highs.

The afternoon includes:

  • Sustainable means a garden ecosystem that feeds

    Hands-on, how-to gardening demonstrations

  • Food prep demo by Fruitluck's Annie Vitality

  • Native plant expertise, healing herbs, discussion of magically medicinal mushrooms, plus a dish or two of culinary edibles and delicious fungi

  • Tread extra gently on Gaia/Tierra/Bhumi (Mother Earth) and experience vegan gardening from the expanded perspective of spirituality and communion with the land

  • Time has sprung forward, the Spring Equinox is at hand (March 19th), it's Easter "Egg" Hunting Season (a reference to the ancient European spring practice of collecting white and colorful oval-shaped mushrooms popping up in the grass), and Los Angeles is green!

PRICE
$30, $40 on the day of; half-price or maybe even FREE but only for those who contact Seven in advance to arrange to bring a talent like massage, energy healing skills, comedy, a vegan platter (menu suggestions above), organic cruelty-free gardening wisdom...