For the past couple of weeks, in newspapers, on websites,
and on television, I’ve been reading and hearing about that rich Torinese concoction
of coffee, chocolate, and cream known as bicerin. Clearly, this winning combination has made a
profound impression on American tastebuds (or at least on the tastebuds of those
reporting from Torino).
During this same two-week period, I’ve been reading and
hearing a great deal about the withdrawal of chocolaty Chantico from Starbucks’
menu. According to these reports, the decadent Chantico has been forever banished to
never-should-have-been-land because consumers could not regulate its “health
profile” – it was offered in only one size with a preset mélange of ingredients
that were deliriously fattening.
Well, folks, bicerin, similarly, is offered in only one size
with a preset mélange of ingredients and is about as deliriously fattening as any
liquid or solid can get. Yet, of course,
bar owners in Torino would never consider
removing it from their menus, nor would Italian consumers ever consider asking
the baristi to alter the concoction in any way.
So, what’s the deal?
Not being a fan of Starbucks’ products (I grew up with original
cappuccini, café latte, espressi and find the Starbucks’ versions completely
lacking), I have not tasted their Chantico so I can’t vouch for its
quality. Perhaps management was forced
to withdraw it from the menu simply because it sucked and therefore didn’t sell
as planned. But if that’s not the case and
if it really was withdrawn because of consumer complaints, something is
seriously amiss here.
Italians (and French and, indeed, most Europeans) base their
food choices on a number of factors including season. This not only means that they cook and eat seasonal
produce, seasonal meats, etc., this also means that they pay attention to how
season affects their appetites. Bicerin
has a season, the cold season: it’s offered year round, of course, but Italians
won’t drink it until the weather becomes invitingly chilly.
Americans are finally learning about the benefits of
seasonal cooking, but they have yet to make this seasonal connection to their appetites. A rich, hot chocolate is hair-raisingly
delicious when the mercury heads south, but when that mercury's peaking northward, a
rich, hot chocolate can only provoke nausea.
This is true for rich foods generally – they are best appreciated when,
baby, it’s cold outside.
You don’t have to go on faith here, you can certainly test
this out for yourselves. Your appetites
are feedback mechanisms: they might be out of kilter from too many food commercials
and too much bad food, but they are absolutely reparable.
If Chantico tasted as good as the hot chocolates of Europe’s bars (and, as I pointed out earlier, I certainly can’t vouch for this), it’s
a shame that it was withdrawn only because of its non-negotiable size and ingredient
profile. By all means, indulge in hot chocolate, just make certain it's high quality and don’t order the damned stuff during hot months. Enjoy it when it should be enjoyed, when your fingers
and toes turn purple and your breath freezes into icy puffs. Unless you live in San Diego or Miami or somewhere along the equator, that, my friend, would mean NOW, so take advantage!
11:27:21 AM 
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