Snickers... Are you Freakin kidding me?

So, I check out the Beijing Olympic home page today, just to see what's new...

Here's what I found:

Effem Foods (Beijing) selected as Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Chocolate Exclusive Supplier

What's the big deal you ask? Well, read the fine print below or click the link in bold above:

(Beijing, May 24) -- The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) today announced Effem Foods (Beijing) as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Exclusive Supplier and SNICKERS as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Official Chocolate at a joint press conference held in Beijing.

SNICKERS? Don't get me wrong, snickers are great for Halloween, midnight snacks, quick empty calories... but the official chocolate of THE olympics?

Having spent 14 days in Belgium last year I can honestly say, there are very few places in the US that make chocolate as good as the Belgians do. It's a form of art, it's made in every mom and pop shop on every street corner that you could imagine. And every little shop is elaborate, beautiful, the smell is powerful, entoxicating and the chocolates themselves are melt in your mouth, permanent memory inducer works of art.

The only chocolate in the US that we've had that even came close is a little place in Parkersburg, WV, coincidentally 1 block from my old home. The stuff is magical, we order it for Easter, Christmas, we splurged for our wedding on it as favors... definitely NOT the run of the mill ordinary wedding favors... believe me.

www.holls.com

Don't get us wrong, there are many fine chocolate shops in the US but there is a huge difference between traditional, commercial, US chocolate VS. chocolate made in a small family shop, nestled down long and winding cobblestone roads. The difference is 'preservatives'. Yeah, the very stuff that makes it last for decades is what kills the decadence of chocolate itself. In the mom and pop shops there are no preservatives, you eat it in a few days (more like hours) and that's it. They are made with fresh cream and ingredients... mmmmm, gosh we miss Belgium. Even Godiva, a Belgian chocolate, if you buy it in the grocery store is NOT the same Godiva in Belgium. I do'nt like Godiva here, but there, it was something else.

Seriously, Snickers for the offical Olympic chocolates? My first Beijing Olympics disappointment... I can see KFC or Micky D's as the offical entre sponsor next!