The Coolest Thing Ever in the World

No, seriously, this IS the coolest thing ever in the world.  A while back, during the Great Chocolate Hunt for top U.S. artisan chocolatiers, a Chocolate Hunter joked that she was taking truffle-making classes and would swap some hand-made truffles for an advanced copy of THE CHOCOLATE KISS.

Probably didn’t know me well enough at the time.  Some of you probably could have warned her how that joke wouldn’t get a, “Ha, ha, funny”.  No, I was on it like a duck on a june bug.  ”Hoo, YEAH, I will write for chocolate.”  Yep.  In fact, that’s pretty much why I already do write.

So…I mean, I didn’t FORCE her or anything.  Not too hard.  I mean, you know, she COULD have weaseled out of it.  I only would have cried a little.

Well, a lot, but I wouldn’t have TOLD her I was sobbing.

And anyway…LOOK what came in the mail yesterday:

In the cutest little box, with chopsticks to eat them with!  But I used my fingers.

The flavors!  Tamarind…bacon…juniper…red bean and sesame!  Also, you can catch a glimpse of the note her daughter wrote to accompany them, after having helped make them.  Is that not the sweetest surprise present ever?

Then look at the contents:

Which I was already pretty excited about, but then it slowly penetrated my brain that the box was awfully DEEP, and did that mean…?

Yes, it did.

By the way, the blue background you see behind it is tousled so artistically because otherwise you can tell how wrinkled that tablecloth is.  I write books, but I do not iron or do housework, if it can possibly be put off for another year.  No, we cannot be all things to all people.

And these things taste AMAZING.  They are so good, so creamy and perfect.

So yes, it is official:  That is the coolest thing ever.  Also, yes, I am happy to trade advanced copies for chocolate like this any day.  I know perfectly well who got the good end of this bargain!

Yum, yum, yum!  Thank you, Linda and daughters!  You made my month!