TheChocolateLife on Clubhouse - Week 21

Plan to start your day listening in and participating: Live From Brooklyn, NY and streaming globally ... it’s The Daily Open Chocolate Chat on Clubhouse! News, views, and wide-open conversations about topics in cocoa, chocolate, and more Weekdays starting at 10am EDT.

The Chocolate Life
The Chocolate Life is THE club on Clubouse that covers the important topics in cocoa and chocolate – topics you won’t hear discussed anywhere else. Our promise? No 💩. 💬💬 Join the Daily Open #Chocolate Chat weekdays at 10am EDT to be a part of the conversation. ⚡️⚡️ Want to connect with Clay di…
Don't have a Clubhouse account yet? Use this link.

To make the most of your TheChocolateLife on Clubhouse experience don’t forget to:

  1. Become a member of TheChocolateLife.com. There is a free member tier, but paid membership options are available and your support is greatly appreciated.
  2. Follow me – @discoverchoc – on Clubhouse.
  3. Follow me – @discoverchoc – on Instagram.
  4. Spread the word by adding a quote or thought you had about a room as a comment to that day’s IG post and/or here on TheChocolateLife (you do have to be a member to comment).

Monday – Deep Dive: The Cut Test

To paraphrase the inimitable Inigo Montoya, “I do not think it means what you think it means.” Tune in to find out what the cut test was created to do and how – because it’s misunderstood – how it’s misused. Are there solutions?


Tuesday – 100th Episode!

Looking back and looking forward to the next 100 episodes – what we want to achieve and how to get there.

We are currently in the 20th week of rooms, in the 32nd week of 2021. From next Monday there are precisely 100 working days (100 more rooms!) left in the year.

Here’s to the next 100 episodes!


Wednesday – Going Slave-Free: Lessons Learned

Want to avoid slavery in more than just the chocolate you eat? It’s not as easy as you might think.

Act now to mend the damaging cocoa slavery slur on West Africa - Nico Roozen
A roundtable on cocoa hosted by Solidaridad West Africa has ended with a strong call on the governments of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to take urgent steps to mend the reputational damage that has arisen from the deliberate anti-slavery marketing...
Gaslighting of Trumpian proportions.
Ethical Consumer, Issue 188, Jan/Feb 2021
Opens to a page on Nestlé. (h/t DGH)
EU threatens to ban cocoa from Ghana over illegal mining
The European Union (EU) has threatened to stop importing cocoa from Ghana if the effect of illegal mining on the country’s environment is not checked
Business Insider article – using Ghanaian cocoa as a cudgel in gold trade negotiations. (h/t DGH)
Brands A-Z
Search Nestlé brands by name from A - Z.
(h/t DGH)
Dominican Republic « Free the Slaves
Think slavery is a problem only in W Africa? Read this and think different. (h/t DGH)
Dominican Republic 3rd with modern slavery in the Americas: EFE
<p>United Nations.- Venezuela, along with Haiti, is the country with the highest incidence of modern slavery in Latin America, according to a report published today by the Walk Free Foundation and presented at the UN, EFE reports. The Global Slavery Index 2018 estimates that some 174,000 people are …
Think slavery is a problem only in W Africa? This might change your mind. (h/t DGH)
TOP BLOGGER SAYS ‘THE CACAO PROJECT’ IS A ‘FAKE STORY’
A war over fake news and allegations of dishonesty and misrepresentation has broken out between a popular Palestinian video blogger, called Nuseir Yassi, who founded Nas Daily which he describes as a
Why doing the research on claims is so important. (h/t DGH)

Thursday – Ways Awards Programs Fail Us

Awards programs do have their place. But are they doing enough of the right things?

6 Things You Need to Know About Chocolate Awards
When I started to pay attention to the craft chocolate market, I just wanted to buy awarded bars. It was 2015 and I used to print the winners list and go online shopping. At that time I knew nothing about awards.
6 Coisas que você precisa saber sobre Premiações de Chocolates
Esse é um post que eu escrevi sobre premiações originalmente para o site The Chocolate Life, do especialista Clay Gordon. Você pode ver a versão em inglês em 6 Things You Need to Know About Chocolate Awards. Se você ainda não conhece o The Chocolate Life, precisa conhecer. É
The article in Portuguese on the Chocólatras website.

Friday – “You’re lucky, He’s lucky, I’m lucky, We’re ALL Lucky!”

It’s a 13th falling on a Friday and the moon (at least from my vantage point here in Brooklyn) will be just about half-way between the new (8 Aug) and full (22 Aug) moons.

Episode 21-05 – YoureLucky_HesLucky_ImLucky_WereALLLucky_2021_08_13.mp3
Click to listen to the (very lightly-edited) audio from the room.
The title for today’s room is a line from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It is uttered by Magenta.

How do we plan to celebrate? By sharing “lucky” chocolate experiences we’ve had. Every participant in the room is encouraged to think about – and bring a bar along – to share their experiences with everyone else in the room.

Why is Friday 13th Unlucky? The Real Story Behind the Superstition
Friday 13th is generally considered a day that anticipates misfortune and bad luck. Its perceived unluckiness has multiple roots. The stories...
Friday the 13th - Wikipedia
Chocolate Thursday | Laughhealthy
Sarah Routman's site - we're looking to schedule this coming Thursday as Laugh Healthy day on TheChocolateLife on Clubhouse.

Chocolate in Pregnancy (PDF, h/t Keith Ayoob)


What We’re Working on For Future Rooms

  • Day TBD – Cottage Food Laws (h/t Thomas Forbes).
  • Day TBD – A Lighter Side: Chocolate in Movies, Musicals, & Comics. From Willie Wonka to Chocolat to Spiderman villains the Universe and beyond! (h/t DGH).

Help The TCL/CH Community Grow!