a cup of almond milk hot chocolate from Gracias Madre, a vegan Mexican restaurant in San Francisco
Cocoa as salvific!
I have been abstaining from coffee and tea for awhile now, mostly because of my aversion to the hyperactivity elicited by the copious amounts of caffeine in all coffees, as well as in black, green and white teas.
The first few days of caffeine abstinence were, of course, characteristically and typically difficult. Lack of motivation, headaches, mild depression, cravings for caffeine, social isolation, increased misanthropic thoughts (ugh, other people are so judgemental), etc. Very typical of stimulant withdrawals...
Recurrent thoughts:
Will I ever be able to hang out with anyone ever again off of the influence of coffee? What about being Chinese, or Asian more broadly speaking, with our ubiquitous pouring of tea (oolong, sencha, macha, and other ochas more generally) with most meals?
And what about work? What if I become less productive and am able to do less of what is demanded of me?
And what about the cool factor of coffee that I must also leave behind? The mad culture of hip baristas and perfect espresso foam from coffee oils perfectly brewed and bubbled? What about mid-day cafe breaks with friends and acquaintances, opportunities for deepening relationships in the throes of afternoon lulls?
Well.
Hot cocoa has saved me.
I mean of the dark chocolate variety, without dairy.
Chocolate; the beverage once exclusively fit for Aztec royalty, now made for the masses!
Cocoa as brain stimulant, heart rush, sexual rejuvenator.
The new catalyst of mateship and intimacy.
And the crash? Not so much ...
Especially without copious amounts of sugar.
Theobroma Cacao
The Oats (or food: bromos) of the Gods (theos)
With theobromine and phenethylamine... Mmm check out their chemical profiles on wikipedia!
I highly recommend it!
Drink hot cocoa with almond milk, and a teaspoon of honey in the morning, for a daylong trip into ridiculous happiness. Tell your friends.
Share with loved ones.
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