Tourist Spots-Namachocoya (Chocolate Specialty Shop)

(Oita Godo Newspaper, January 15^th 2009, morning page 3)

The nuances of orange and brown colour in the interior have enhanced the chic atmosphere of this chocolate specialty shop, which enlivens the taste of the eight types of chocolate in the shop. "The taste of the chocolate matches Sake, so this chocolate will also appeal to those gentlemen who do not really like sweets", said the Mr. Maki Koji, the owner of the shop.

The most famous one, "Fuku", is made of bitter chocolate with a tinge of sweet taste and is sold at 500 yen, in a box which consists of nine small chocolates. The chocolate will meet inside the mouth, and the original taste of the chocolate will spread. "Cheese", a truffle made of cheese mixed with blueberries and strawberries, is sold at 500 yen, 5 truffles in a box. This rich-flavoured truffle seems to match with champagne.

Some other chocolate with lovely wrappings are suitable to be exchanged as gifts to friends and relatives. The refreshing taste of mint combined with white chocolate , produces a delicious "Mint". There are six more types of chocolate, namely "Salt", "Caramel Almond", which is made of roasted almond with caramel, "Pistacio", "Coffee", "Banana Chip", and each chocolate costs 280 yen. On Valentine's Day, the high-quality "Donberi Chocolate" was sold in limited edition.

Comment: Chocolate, which was discovered over 3000 years ago, has become integral to the lives of many people in the world. Nowadays, chocolate has become one of the most popular flavours in the world and developed into many varieties. Chocolate has also become a common ingredient in many snacks and deserts. Besides, chocolate has been molded into various shapes and become a part of the traditions on certain important days, like Easter, Christmas, and Valentine's Day. While usually chocolate is regularly eaten for pleasure, there are also potential beneficial health effects of eating chocolate. For example, cocoa and dark chocolate are said to enhance the circulatory system of the body and are even suggested to have anticancer and antidiarrhoeal effects.

NUGROHO Katarina Marsha Utama

Indonesia

APM2, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University