Alright, now. I've done my homework and looked at all the polls (well, at least the titles of them, anyway!), and even did a word search, and I think this one is new. dark or milk? for non-Americans, this I think translates as "plain chocolate" (dark) versus.... hm... waddya call it.... the stuff that's on snickers candy bars, Hershey's Kisses..... USA calls it milk chocolate. I call it a fine waste of plastic.

so tell me your thoughts! I'm going to try to give enough options too.

me: DARK. dark chocolate. but I do draw the line at the really dark stuff, which for an American comes at about the 70% Lindt stuff. More than that and I can't quite do it.

You left out an option. White chocolate. With what you offered I chose milk chocolate. Not that I do not like dark, but some dark is too bitter.

Plain chocolate has always been too bitter for me and white chocolate too sweet. Milk chocolate is just right.

Although have to admit that over the last year or so my taste buds seem to have gravitated more towards savoury treats than chocolate. These days I'd much rather have some crisps than chocolate.

LabRat

hm......darn.... you're right. (this comment directed to lovin my inc---Labby sneaked in there while I was typing! )

yeah, I'll agree---some dark is too bitter. there's some pretty spooky stuff out there that carries the lable "chocolate". I spent three weeks with my sister in england in 2004, and saw the choices they have in london. americans just think they like chocolate, but some of the stuff I saw over there.... that stuff could sit down and whip you in a game of chess, it's so deep.

I don't like dark chocolate. It's all too bitter for me. A bit too much.

Sean got me a platinum box of Godiva chocolates for my birthday. I've found I have to suffer through the dark chocolate and some of the other flavors.. Now that I've about finished the top layer, I know which ones to eat first, and which ones to save for special occasions.

I eat loads and loads of chocolate, and expensive stuff, too! I like dark chocolate, but I'm not much into Lindt, which I find bitter. Let me recommend two favorites: Michel Cluizel Plantation "Mangaro", 1er Cru de Plantation. It's milk chocolate, containing 50% cocoa. So it's really a combination of dark and milk chocolate: the softening milk powder is there, but it also contains as much cocoa as dark chocolate usually does in the U.S. "Mangaro" really only contains the following five ingredients: whole milk powder, cocoa, cocoa butter, cane sugar, Bourbon vanilla pod. It's so smooth and rich, you wouldn't believe it!!!

A second favorite of mine is C Henriet, Biarritz, Chocolat Noir à la Menthe. It's dark chocolate, 70%, flavored with just a touch of mint. There's no soft white mint filling, mind you, because it's the chocolate itself which has an extremely pleasant, quite mild, delicately refreshing minty taste. This makes the chocolate appear very slightly sweeter than is the norm for dark chocolate.

Oh, and let's not forget Galler Cognac, a 70% dark chocolate bar filled with a totally delicious, fluffy, creamy, light brown, cognac flavored filling!!

And then there's the things you scoop up for yourself and put in paper bags and pay for by its weight in my favorite chocholate shop here in Malmö, Sweden. The shop is called Ahlgrens, and if you ever visit Malmö, don't miss Ahlgrens! Why don't you try the mint truffles? There's a generous dollop of rich dark truffle on top of a white mint filling, all covered in dark chocolate. Me, I could kill for the orange bows, orange-flavored bow-shaped jelly pieces covered in dark chocolate. Don't you like jelly? Don't say anything until you've tried these! Of course, they are rather sweet, so after a few orange bows you need to restore your system by popping a few Danish salty-flavored liquorice pieces into your mouth!

But Lois, you get to keep the Double Crunch Fudge Bars for yourself!

Ann

I'm all for white chocolate. I'm seriously addicted to it. I find milk chocolate too simple, and dark isn't entirely my taste. So white.

If that's not available, I go for chocolate with hazelnuts. Or, if I really want to go all the way, Cadbury's Fruit & Nuts. Now that is delicious!

And if you'll excuse, I'm hungry now and need to go have breakfast. <g>

Saskia

I'm not a huge fan of plain or milk chocolate. In fact, some of it I find is quite gross. Now... add stuff to it, then I'll eat it like nothing else! I'm especially fond of the Dove Promises Dark.

Sara

Don't care for dark chocolate at all unless it is covering vanilla ice cream. As for candy - (I'm American) I prefer Hersheys - milk ch. with any nuts or carmel. I also make fudge at Christmas and like that - better than any you can get in a store. The favorite of everyone I give it to is where I make it with two layers one of Chocolate Fudge (semi dark) and a Layer of Peanut Butter Fudge.

That's strange isn't it, when you think about it. As I say, I don't like plain chocolate, never have. But my absolute favourite ice cream is a plain Magnum - plain chocolate over vanilla ice cream. Maybe the ice cream has some weird nullifying effect on the chocolate and makes it less bitter. Who knows? But that one is definitely an exception to the rule imo.

LabRat

I used to love dark chocolate. I found it so much better than milk chocolate. (we need a sigh emoticon...)

Anyway, I have recently given up on chocolate . Yes, it's true. For years, I have suffered headaches and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to them. Recently, I started keeping really A retentive notes about them and the only thing I could come up with was caffeine. I talked with my doctor about it and he confirmed the symptoms(he being an ex-coffee/soda pop drinker himself). He also said I should avoid chocolate.

"Chocolate?!"

"Yeah. For the truly sensitive, even chocolate will set them off."

I was devastated. He could have just as easily told me to hold out my wrist so he could slit it for me!

I refused to believe him (denial). I cut out all other sources of caffeine, except chocolate. After 5 days of withdrawal, my headaches, for the most part, went away. They only showed up after I had had some chocolate. I still didn't want to give up. I started experimenting with amounts. Turns out I can have a little more that one Hershey Kiss before I will develop a mild headache later.

At that point, I gave up. What is the point in indulging in something that you can have less than a serving size of!!!

So, I now only eat things that have a trace amount of chocolate in it, but the real stuff is off limits. I like my headache free world, I just read more Filk now

James

Yeah, James, chocolate and caffeine (and cheese!) have been associated for years with migraines.

I sympathise because I have the same thing with peanuts. <G> Love them to bits, but they hate me. I did exactly the same thing you did - worked out exactly how many peanuts I could get away with eating before the pain hit. But I still can't cut them out completely.

I know it's sacrilege to say so, <g> but I don't eat that much chocolate and haven't for years. I find if I have it I start to crave it and then it gets silly and I'm eating it every night. If I don't have it, I don't miss it and since being diagnosed with diabetes I have it very rarely.

LabRat (who admits to going off the rails completely over Christmas and eating more chocolate in two weeks than she has in three years. Erk! I was following the CC diet: "It was there, I ate it, someone had to!" )

Ooh, I absolutely love chocolate. I like milk chocolate the most, but at Eastern I like to eat some white chocolate eggs. Hmm.

I don't like dark chocolate. Except when it's used to make chocolate sauce for ice cream. Or for cake. A few weeks ago, I make a chocolate cake with three different kinds of Belgian chocolate. Callebaut for the dough, Côte d'Or for the frosting and chocolate mousse for between it. It was delicious

Of candy, I love things like Snickers, Mars, Chocotoff... Chocolate bars, I prefer Côte d'Or (Double Lait or Dessert 58). And then of course the Guylian sea fruits. I don't know if you have them in the US, but they're very addictive (especially if you have a glass of cold milke to go with it). Oh, and I love warm chocolate milk as well

I have to say, I'm happy being a Belgian if it means having a lot of Belgian chocolate available

I have a similar issue with peanuts and sugar. I can have either without a problem, but if I have them together, true heartburn, pain and suffering.

When I found this out, prior to the chocolate issue, I came to the realization that about roughly 70% of candy/sweets have some peanut butter in it in some way! ?me sighs...

James

I voted for dark chocolate, but I'm extremely picky...not just any brand of chocolate will do. Had some supposedly "dark" chocolate yesterday that was horrendous.

Just to qualify my answer a little

I'm a Hershey's girl -- probably has to do with having grown up within easy driving distance of the town and working at HersheyPark for four summers! In general, it's milk chocolate for me -- I like the Hershey's version of dark chocolate, but I have the feeling y'all will tell me that doesn't count

PJ

I'm an equal opportunity chocolate eater. I'll eat all types, but dark chocolate is my favorite.

JD

Hersey's Park! Kewl!!! I went there once during a family reunion. I have family that lives in the Pennsylvania area.

My particular weakness is chocolate covered macadmia nuts. Get me around those and I'll eat the whole box in no time. Fortunately for my weight loss program, people don't start passing those out on a regular basis around my place except during Christmas. On the other hand, this Christmas I gained five pounds with no effort at all and am now working hard to get rid of them (down 3 so far, 2 to go). I'd love to have my grandmother's metabolism. She lived to be 90 years old, ate boxes and boxes of chocolate and never seemed to gain a pound. Of course she had false teeth, but most of her generation did, whether or not they were chocoholics.

Nan

Milk chocolate. And, to me, milk chocoate is Cadbury\'s . The best chocolate in the world - accept no substitutes!

There's nothing better than a bar of Cadbury\'s Dairy Milk . Unless it's a Flake . Or a Crunchie . Or anything else from the Cadbury\'s range either!


Wendy

<whimper> Chocolate-covered hazelnuts... <cue Homer Simpsonesque Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm>

And I hear you on that weight thing, Nan. I put on 7. It's not fair.

LabRat

Not a big chocolate fan. I like it, but I don't go into spasms of joy or anything. I prefer milk chocolate and white chocolate (I like truffles, especially).

I wish I could try the Flake and Snowflake bars, but I don't know anywhere here that has them.

OK, now all this talk about chocolate left me with the urge to eat some. ...nah! If I do that, there goes the diet I just started this week.

Oh, why did I open this thread?

Going to get something to eat (NOT chocolate!)

See ya!

malu

I like milk chocolate better, although dark's all right too. And I'll leave it here, if you don't mind, because I don't want to get cravings

See ya,
AnnaBtG.

yes, Wendy, Cadbury's is quite good. if I had to eat milk, it would be theirs. cadbury's and caramel....mmmm

oo! ooo! cadbury's eggs! o yes! o yes! golly, when I had my first one of those.... oooo man. I think I spent about 24 hours vibrating on a sugar high. mmmm!

yeah, for milk chocolate to be palatable (sp?) for me, it's gotta have something in it---peanuts, almonds, rice crispies, something in it.

and for those non-americans out there who prefer milk----I'm willing to bet that what us americans call dark chocolate is closer to what you'd call milk (this is said by someone who prefers dark!). your chocolate is sooooo yummy. but otherwise, I still don't see the point of a hershey's (milk chocolate) kiss except for smashingly cool tv ads. but their DARK chocolate kisses are....well, I'll vacuum up a bag of those in no time!

Hi,

I like milk chocolate, but I don't like all. Growing up I hated Hershey's. I liked the stuff my grandparents brought over from the UK and the limited range of Cadbury's they have here.

I don't consider milk chocolate to be plain. Plain chocolate to me is the cheap stuff that tastes horrid, but I can see it being the plain stuff. To me it hardly is.

I now like Hershey's. I enjoy it with Almonds. I like the Kisses and Kitkat (regular) though forever. My mum only eats white and dark.

I am not a fan of dark chocolate because it makes me sick. All chocolate does if I eat too much, but dark is the kicker for me. As soon as it hits my tongue it is game over man.

I don't like Godiva or Lindt's. However I did have Lindt choclate that had a nut in the centre. That rocked. I like those Ferrio Rochers (sp?). I like Morden's Chocolate (a family store where I live. I don't know where they ship to). I like some stuff from Laura Secord - yum. I only like a couple from Pot of Gold, but to me that is a poor excuse for a chocolate box. As for the Guylian sea fruits, it depends on how I am feeling.

I dislike any organe or strawberry chocolate. I like it plain, with nuts or raisins. I didn't get a lot of treats like this in my house, only when I went to my grandparents so maybe that is why I am picky.

I am beginning to like white chocolate, however only cookies and cream one by I think Hershey! Yeah, not pure white. I can't do that yet.

The cheap 'bon bon' chocolate is deathly horrible. The only bon bon ones I like have a caramel centre or with coconut, nuts. Me picky!

Some of my favourites:


These but I have not tried their version with caramel:


I could go on forever, but then I'd crave chocolate and I'm trying to be good here! Oh and it is almost midnight and I have to be up at 7. OH, look at the trouble chocolate got me into this time!!!!

Cheers.

EDIT -- see my avatar at Zoomway\'s boards ?

Okay, this is what I consider dark chocolate (or pure chocolate):



And this is milk chocolate:



These are delicious sea fruits:



And then there are bouchees:



I don't know how well known these chocolates are abroad, but I know I love them

well, cheers, thank you people so very much, but reading/drooling over the above posts on chocolate and I NEARLY LET MY (CHOCOLATE COVERED) COOKIES BURN IN THE OVEN!!!!!

so this one's for you people. *me flings small pan of blackness straight at chocolate crowd's head*