A-Tcho!

It's not a sneeze, but Gesundheit, or "to your health", apparently still is the right answer to this one.

One of the bizarre pleasures of blogging is that you get to write about things in which you have a purely anthropological interest.

Chocolate being one of them.
I am told I am a rare bird (which, I think, is a euphemism for a different expression) for not loving chocolate.
It is not that I dislike it - certainly not in general.
And there have been many, many occasions when I absolutely enjoyed the experience.

It's just that when picking a dessert, for example, chocolate would be the last thing on my mind. I love caramel, for example; and I like a good, moist cake - as long as it doesn't contain chocolate.
I will eat it - often, not always - but I would not choose it for myself.

What I do like - love, honour and respect - is good craftmanship, genuine dedication, professional pluck, creativity and integrity.
Which is why I could spend days, not hours, admiring jewelry - which I absolute abhor wearing (and don't, not a single piece).

And which is why I am now writing about chocolate, of all things.
I may not crave it myself, but have friends who do.
And most of all, I am always touched to see a few talented and courageous people trying to make a dent in the bastion-like snobbery of the food business. (See this NYT article for details.)

With all that in mind, I present you TCHO.

I am not associated with them in any way, I only heard about them today - thanks, NYT! - and have no vested interest in their business success or failure.

But as someone who loves sensible, people-oriented creativity and individual dedication in a standardised and homogenised world, I am rooting for them.