Don’t get me wrong, my mom was quite a conscientious mother when I was being reared as a child. But there were days when she would ask me to go to the nearby grocery to buy Nestle Chocolate Crunch bar as substitute viand to a plate of rice, particularly when the maid or help was gone, and she was too lazy or perhaps busy to prepare food. And truth to be told, I loved it when chocolate bar became part of the meal – nopes not just chocolate drink such Milo, Ovaltine, Chocolait or ChocoVim.
Of course if you were a kid of the 70s or the 80s, you would remember Serg Chocolate Bar or Nips (M&M’s pinoy counterpart). Do you still remember Horlicks – that chocolate flavored discs, good for energy (well that is what my mom said to me)? How about those addicting Curly Tops by Ricoa? Or probably you would have good memories of those fascinating but strange looking fake gold coins, laden with creamy chocolate that melted and annoyingly smeared your clothes.
Yet there is no denying that when we were kids, and probably the kids of this generation, would prefer those imported chocolates, direct from the United States or even from those PX stores from Angeles, Pampanga then.
Kitkat (my personal favorite). Three Musketeers. Baby Ruth. Butterfinger. Milky Way. Mr. Goodbar. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Almond Rocha. Almond Joy. Ferrero Roche. Toblerone. And of course, Kisses. These were the chocolates of our colonial-mentality fixated youth.
So when the opportunity came up, from my sisters Jane and Christie, together with niece Ernestine, to passby Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey’s, Pennsylvania, I could not forego it since the trip would surely bring back the yummy-filled memories of my childhood.
Just like a kid in candy store, I was in awe of how grand the whole area was as envisioned by Mr. Milton Hershey, the grand daddy of confectionery when he started his choco factory. The Hershey factories and corporate office have been located in several hectares or acreage of land. But thoughtfully, a covered mini theme park has been set up to welcome visitors, comprised mainly of families.
In such hall, there were movies that account of Mr. Hershey’s rise to chocolatedom. There were rides that show the processes of chocolate making. And of course, the best part was the Hershey’s store that showcased all the candy products and keepsakes alike. The place was like being in the wonderful world of Willie Wonka without the scary and mean Wonka wrecking you out for being troublesome.
Obviously, there is much love for chocolates by Filipinos, particularly the imported ones. But there is one truly Pinoy chocolate that can rival any of these American goodies in terms of popularity, and even possibly in taste. Definitely, it is Chocnut or Tsoknut – that humble nutty confection that one can get at the corner sari-sari store for a measely peso per piece (I remember it at 25 cents per piece before).
There is a continuing love for this chocolate that started as kids’ fare and now has become an important ingredient for sophisticated restaurant deserts – from cakes to ice-cream concoctions. Surely, this choco brand has become part of the Filipinos’ consciousness that spells comfort and happiness. Sweet kisses to you, Chocnut.
let's go pinas!! 