Title: Daalder's Chocolates
Who wrote it: Philibert Schogt
Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)
What is it about:
Who wrote it: Philibert Schogt
Whom I borrowed it from: Queens Library (Forest Hills)
What is it about:
- A coming of age story of a chocolatier --
a detailed account since his miserable childhood,
all the way to the very last moment of his life.
Topics like gourmet food / horrific taste,
bad parenting / desperate childhood,
stubborn human nature / revelation & repentance
are examined thoroughly.
What went through my mind:
- This novel felt longer than it is...a detailed account since his miserable childhood,
all the way to the very last moment of his life.
Topics like gourmet food / horrific taste,
bad parenting / desperate childhood,
stubborn human nature / revelation & repentance
are examined thoroughly.
What went through my mind:
which is another way of saying,
it's not the most interesting story i've read,
& there're parts of it i really had to endure
as opposed to enjoy '_'
- The main character Joop Daalder
was definitely not a very lovable character
until the very end... : /
which makes it hard for the reader to get
really immersed into the story,
since it's easy to get agitated at
people like him -_-"
Sad to say though, he's a very
realistic character......
- By portraying the MegaDeli
(a giant modern/gourmet supermarket)
forcing small stores out of business,
both by force & $$ compensation,
the author touched upon an important issue
that needs to be addressed more by our media.
By looking at this from the small business owner's
point of view, it indeed involves injustice done
to them, which consumers like us might not
think much about, when we go enjoy ourselves...
Favorite Quotes:
- "The main reason they
(people) bought chocolates
was to impress each other."
(Pg. 9)
- "I taste, therefore I am."
(Pg. 70)
- The main character Joop Daalder
was definitely not a very lovable character
until the very end... : /
which makes it hard for the reader to get
really immersed into the story,
since it's easy to get agitated at
people like him -_-"
Sad to say though, he's a very
realistic character......
- By portraying the MegaDeli
(a giant modern/gourmet supermarket)
forcing small stores out of business,
both by force & $$ compensation,
the author touched upon an important issue
that needs to be addressed more by our media.
By looking at this from the small business owner's
point of view, it indeed involves injustice done
to them, which consumers like us might not
think much about, when we go enjoy ourselves...
Favorite Quotes:
- "The main reason they
(people) bought chocolates
was to impress each other."
(Pg. 9)
- "I taste, therefore I am."
(Pg. 70)
* woah! i'm so gonna quote that!
- "While chocolate revealed its flavor almost
instantly upon contact with the tongue,
and kept revealing its flavor until the moment
it was swallowed, nuts had to be chewed
for some time before their flavor
was released, and then that flavor
disappeared again and a lot of junk
was left behind on your tongue and
between your teeth." (Pg. 89)
- "The more delicate the balance,
the more intense the ecstasy...
that moment of perfect ripeness
is also the very moment the process
of decay sets in. In that fleeting moment,
ecstasy and melancholy coincide." (Pg. 117)
- "...it's better to say good-bye to a chocolate
the moment you have finished making it.
What happens after that
doesn't matter anymore." (Pg. 124)
* Now this is true wisdom...
Sometimes i do feel over-protective over my food,
like wanting to see every single piece
consumed and nobody wastes anything 0_o"
I guess it's held so close to my heart
that the ego could get hurt
when it's not appreciated : 0
- "Nothing creates greater distance
than the sight of a fellow human being feasting
on something you can barely get down
your throat." (Pg. 197)
- "Talking with your mouth full
wasn't impolite to your listeners but
to your taste buds." (Pg. 232)
- "Did this always happen in marriages -
that a wife admired her husband less and less
and mothered him more and more?
And that a man behaved less and less
like a prince and more and more
like a child?" (Pg. 254)
What came out of this:
* Desires: There're some really
alluring food writing in the novel...
so i wanted to eat some really smooth
chocolates and ripe peaches afterwards... *_*
Why Should you read it, too?
If you liked chocolates, it's a fun read : )
- "While chocolate revealed its flavor almost
instantly upon contact with the tongue,
and kept revealing its flavor until the moment
it was swallowed, nuts had to be chewed
for some time before their flavor
was released, and then that flavor
disappeared again and a lot of junk
was left behind on your tongue and
between your teeth." (Pg. 89)
- "The more delicate the balance,
the more intense the ecstasy...
that moment of perfect ripeness
is also the very moment the process
of decay sets in. In that fleeting moment,
ecstasy and melancholy coincide." (Pg. 117)
- "...it's better to say good-bye to a chocolate
the moment you have finished making it.
What happens after that
doesn't matter anymore." (Pg. 124)
* Now this is true wisdom...
Sometimes i do feel over-protective over my food,
like wanting to see every single piece
consumed and nobody wastes anything 0_o"
I guess it's held so close to my heart
that the ego could get hurt
when it's not appreciated : 0
- "Nothing creates greater distance
than the sight of a fellow human being feasting
on something you can barely get down
your throat." (Pg. 197)
- "Talking with your mouth full
wasn't impolite to your listeners but
to your taste buds." (Pg. 232)
- "Did this always happen in marriages -
that a wife admired her husband less and less
and mothered him more and more?
And that a man behaved less and less
like a prince and more and more
like a child?" (Pg. 254)
What came out of this:
* Desires: There're some really
alluring food writing in the novel...
so i wanted to eat some really smooth
chocolates and ripe peaches afterwards... *_*
Why Should you read it, too?
