History of Chocolates
This talk was originally presented at TED.Com, you can click on this link to view the full version of this Presentation
This is a presentation by Deanna Pucciarelli , who attempts to present the History of Chocolates with the introduction, that, if you can’t imagine a life without Chocolates, then you are lucky that you weren’t born before the 16th century.
Of course, you should thank your stars for that, for if you were born before the 16th Century, the odds of you ending up a Slave is well stacked against you. So thank the Almighty for that.
Now, let us get to presentation. Foremost, there is a serious flaw in the very fact that the presenter, Deanna Pucciarelli, has confused two terms, Cacao and Chocolate. Cacao is a fruit, however, there can be an argument that it is a nut, if it is a nut then what would you call the fruit that covers the Nut? So, for simplicity of the language, let us settle down to the fact that Cacao, for sure is not Chocolate.
Then what is Chocolate, well, according to stories aired, the word Chocolate comes from the Aztec word, Xocoati, a bitter drink brewed from Cacao. You know what is the heights of the injustice, the Civilization that was responsible in giving this food of Gods, as called in Latin, was totally annihilated, by the Spaniards. But, wait, let us continue.
Deanna Pucciarelli has the audacity to compare Toxin ridden store purchased so called relaxing hot chocolate drink to the Naturally made ones of the Natives
Deanna Pucciarelli, terms this drink [the naturally made one by the Natives] as invigorating concoction frothing with foam and weighs it cynically against the hot Cocoa drink of today sourced from stores. What is more painful is that Deanna, calls the drink of today, relaxing.
Even without knowing the toxins that these drinks are laden with.
Carrageenan
causes Inflammation and is found in most of so called “Organic foods”
Alkali
Gives that drink that flavor, thus removing all of the Natural benefits of the Original Cacao
Corn Syrup
Sweetener responsible for high incidence of Obesity and early onset of Diabetics among the consumers
Vegetable Oil
Causes Inflammation and Heart diseases
Sucralose
A sweetener family which changes the original composition of the Food to Toxin, during high temperature.
Maltodextrin
Added to extend shelve life and produce a thicker product. Has reputation in causing Skin allergies and Inflammation.
You can read further by clicking on this Link
The comparison made by Deanna merely shows her amateur standards when it comes to eating healthy, plus the heights of ignorance in being unaware that none of the Natural products when packaged doesn’t remain the same as they were sourced.
More so we have a huge problem with this comparison, foremost, we wish to know by what evidence is Deanna, suggesting that the brewed drink of the Natives was a concoction, frothing with foam and if it does what makes the author to think that this drink wouldn’t be better than the so called cocoa drinks of today which are Toxin ridden.
Why Deanna hid the truth about Hernán Cortés’s intentions?
Now comes the interesting part, we observe the author, mentions the name of Hernán Cortés, without mentioning the atrocities that Hernán, committed.
For all the love, kindness and kindred spirit that the Aztec extended, Hernán Cortés, the Spanish Conquistador, killed, mutilated, enslaved and destroyed the entire Aztec civilization. Yet, today, we read anthropology publications talking great of the Aztecs and their way of life, wow!, chop the child’s hands and rock the cradle.
The Aphrodisiac the brought the animal out
Spanish courts found that mixing Honey with the drink made it into an Aphrodisiac, the never quenching ravenous desire for Cacao took to their minds.
The whole of Europe wanted to embark on an expedition to procure the “drink of the Gods”, as translated from Latin. With creativity and commerce fusion, the European powers started ruthlessly, the Transatlantic Slave trade.
The trade involved snatching, mutilating and human trafficking the innocent People of Africa, to the South Americas.
Millions were ravaged, yet the delicacy of Chocolate was a delectable food that no Royal could do away with. With conditions beyond the human bearable limits and the indecency that were forced on to the African people, with the jungle, pests, snakes, devouring the multitude, while the swamps cleaning up remains, yet still the pathetic irony is, being given the opportunity to showcase the gruesome inhuman injustice meted out to one sect of the people, yet Deanna, stood there mum.
The History of Chocolate is an embarrassing scar on the very human history with millions of families losing their loved ones, with entire Civilizations being destroyed, with countless laborers serving without dignity and honor.
Just to give you glimpse of the atrocities committed, the Transatlantic Slave trade lasted for 400 years, and over 13 million people were separated from families served their lives out in those snakes, mosquitoes and caiman infested jungles of Americas, yet the author has cleverly shunted and shuttered all of the important facts from the presentation. This is what you call, self interest, and the author is no different from those perpetrators.
Child labor and Chocolates
The author towards the conclusion of the presentation does make a mention of the Slave labor used in the chocolate industry, but apparently brings a goodwill gesture towards the Major Chocolate manufacturers, thus stating that, “major chocolate manufacturing companies are partnering with African Nations to reduce Child and indentured labor practices”, Bravo! What is missed out of this story is the inhuman conditions that these children from the West African countries are forced to live in by their slave masters. The children are fed with corn and mashed banana, everyday.
Most times, just one meal is provided, most of these Children don’t even attain their acceptable growth standards for any normal child living in the US or UK. These children are made to sleep in open air, with merely a thatch to shield them from night rains. With little protection, snakes bites and scorpion stings are common phenomenon.
For this fear, most children spend the nights keeping awake. On top of this, most Children are violated by their slave masters. This is a serious human rights violation, and here we have a speaker, blowing the good work horns of the Chocolate manufacturers who had been instrumental in perpetrating these woes that these children suffer. For if the buying stops, the woes will stop too.
Our Goal and Intentention
We want child labor and indentured labor, Abolished in all forms, but here we have the major beneficiaries, trying to “reduce”, meaning, this would always go on, and no West African child is entitled to Education, Honor and Future, wow!, great work, Deanna Pucciarelli.
Conclusion
At the end, there is this only a jot of solace from Deanna Pucciarelli, who is generous enough to mention that not everything about Chocolate is sweet.
But apparently, the truth is NOT spoken completely and is left with merely a slightest mention towards the end. The question would be, what good would this do? Without much representation or importance nothing tangible would happen.
our Concluding remarks
In other words, the author and presenter, Deanna, has totally camouflaged the true history behind sourcing Cacao and the Chocolate making.
The brutality, the atrocities, the injustice, the human violation, all that were and are being committed since the Transatlantic Trade and yet still continues, appears to have completely overshadowed in a bid to stay in the good books.
This is shameful. Given the reputation of Cacao and Chocolate, the number of lives it still continues to ruin, no stable and clear thinking human should ever consume or support another bar of Chocolate.
Guess what, this would be brushed under the mat, and still the Multi Billion dollar industry will thrive for it is reported that Chocolate is 7 times more addictive than Cocaine.
