A Chocolate Coated Trophy of Thanks Goes to...

There are times in teaching when the emotional moments are overwhelming. Mercifully, some of those are for positive reasons. Last night was one of them, wiping out some of the less pleasant ones of the recent past.

One of my top MA students, Eva Miszoglad, who I also advised for her thesis, set up a coffee date with me. As she approached our rendezvous spot, she was laden with a bag hanging from one arm while carrying a large baking sheet with both hands. She had mentioned that she needed a day’s advance notice before meeting as her distinctive surprise needed to be completed, but was time sensitive.

As the Pillsbury Doughboy said “Nothing Says Lovin' Like Something From the Oven!” This was especially true in this case. Eva made this with special flour for diabetics; it contains no sugar. As much as I wanted to dive in right then and there, I used control to bring it home to show Ron and our guests. 

In addition to the brownies, she gave me three books that she found on a Wish List I had set up for visitors. Now I have Sally Vickers Mr. Golightly’s Holiday, Donna Leon’s Doctored Evidence, and A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy by Sara Bongiorni. All three have been on my Wish List for ages, so I am so excited to have them now. Sally Vicker’s Miss Garnet’s Angel spurred us on to visit Venice the 2nd time to follow the trail in her novel. Donna Leon’s mysteries all take place there too. I have forgotten 10 other of her books. The China book had aroused my curiosity when I first heard about it. This was an exceptional surprise to add to all the other fabulous surprises students have given me over the years. I call all of these gifts, my trophies.

If you were wondering all that is left is T-H-A-N, but maybe not after dinner tonight.

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Wino Wonka, Without Willy

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory must be copyright protected still or else this is just his older brother Vino Wonka. After reading about a wine and chocolate bar, oh, I mean a wine and chocolate salon in Funzine, I had to check it out. With the full moniker Vino Wonka Bor es Csokoládé, it created a curious temptation to hunt it down.

Sitting on a side street off of Ráday u., it is positioned at 

the lonely locale of Erkel u. 14B. How anyone will find it there is anyone's guess as was apparent while I was there. I was the only interested party to grace the business. This is a shame, because it has a cozy warmth with the chocolaty brown walls with a distressed wood tone wainscoting half way up. The red chairs give a British flavor, like you are in great, great, aunt Gertrude's living room after she tried modernizing, while partaking of fancy chocolate bits with a swish of vino as a chaser.

Before you get all teetotaler, they also have superb coffee which is delightfully happy to be served to you. If you are more of a grape rather than a bean person, they have a board which lists the wines that are open and on offer each day. 

The gentleman working did speak English, automatically adding value in my mind, because a shop like this will need tourism trade to last; they cannot do it on the local economy alone. Unfortunately, they are off the beaten path, so it will be a "discovery" unless they do some heavy duty marketing. 

My coffee with the 3 chocolates was a reasonable 890 Ft tab. 

The fact that they offer free WiFi and air conditioning may be a reason enough for some to visit. Let's hope. I waited an hour to get a glimpse of what others who were attracted here may look like, but alas I was still stag by the time I left.

IX. Erkel u. 14a

Monday to Friday 8am to 9pm; Saturday 8am to 10pm.

Telephone: 06-20-460-7424

www.vinowonka.com

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Chocolate for Hungarians

For Hungarian chocoholics there is now Chocome. Similar, but not identical to the previous chocolate post. Enjoy! Anyone super appreciative for this information, they do have gift cards.

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An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Are you are a chocolate lover? In my entire life I have only met two people who did not like chocolate at all or were allergic. For the rest of us, what I am able to share with you could change your waist line forever. Chocomize will change the way you eat chocolate forever more, because you can really have it your way any way that happens to be. 

Start with dark, milk, or white chocolate. Then you can add up to 5 ingredients from such categories as Nuts & Seeds, Fruits, Herbs & Spices, Candy (kind of overkill), Decoration (special events), and Other. With over 100 choices, the combinations are endless. For starters, I want milk chocolate with roasted peanuts and hot curry powder. For later, I would like a white chocolate bar with lavender. For me, too many ingredients would spoil any one flavor. All this goodness shipped right to your door. What more could one ask for? Well, maybe the Chocolate-A-Month Club membership. Anyone want to share a bar?

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Hello Kitty

It is never expected that thesis students reward their adviser with a gift, but when they do, it is always a surprise and a thrill. Today, I was at school solely for my office hour. I don't have classes on Thursdays in the spring semester.

One of my former students, Luca Szabo, came in to see me bearing presents. In a rather oversized gift bag decorated in gold butterflies, she had placed an open wooden box with carved out heart-shaped handles that she herself had decoupage decorated. Inside were Hungarian treats that she made herself. They were chocolate confections shaped into balls and rolled in chocolate sprinkles. The two I sampled were delirious.

The pièce de résistance was a framed needlework that she had created also. She said she knew one of my favorite quotations is "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".and without a doubt it is on my top five list of favorite quotes. This one is a Chinese proverb. I immediately hung the needlework on my office wall, so I had to take the picture with my mobile phone, so it is a little crooked. But the needlework is perfect. I  made a parphrased version for the Writing Center and laminated it. "Give a student the answers and you have helped them survive a day. Teach them to find the answers on their own and you have given them tools for a lifetime."

Getting gifts is always a treat, but having the student make them themselves is something extraordinarily special, which I will never forget.

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