“It’s Hard To Make a True Statement”

A wonderful friend and mentor used to say that fairly often — “It’s hard to make a true statement” — which tickled me because that statement itself may be one of the few that is quite true.

The statement runs in my head a good deal, but last Saturday it came with a full choir and orchestration, just to remind me that I rarely know what I’m talking about.

Here is the sequence of events. Around 11 AM last Saturday, I stood at the Lexington Farmers Market, having survived my first attempt to “Twitter the Market.*” Relaxing with the wonderful people on “Luscious Row” (luscious with lilies and jams, chevre, freshly roasted coffee, and, of course, chocolate and pastries all lined up in a row), I blithely told the extraordinary confectioners at Viburnum Valley Farm Confections that chocolate is lost on me.

It seemed true at the time – even though I can testify firsthand to the excellence of Viburnum Valley Farm truffles.  Actually, I HAVE testified right here. And here. And a few more places, too.

I did think it was true, at that very moment, that chocolate is lost on me. I often choose caramel, lemon, blackberry, tart cherry, or apricot desserts instead of chocolate, if I can. But on Saturday, VVFC’s delightful Elaine Shay came out from behind the stand, put her arm around me, and said sweet things about how foolish I was being, and how confused I was, because there is a new truffle, German Chocolate, with “oh, caramel, and nuts, and…all kinds of good things, wrapped in 70 percent chocolate…” And then, “And there’s a little Bourbon in there – you won’t mind that, will you?”

The upshot being that about 90 minutes later, I did as instructed and, sitting in my kitchen after lunch, bit into my room temperature Viburnum Valley Farm Confections German Chocolate Truffle with all kinds of things in it and the Bourbon that I didn’t mind – and I heard the orchestra and chorus tuning up for a grand rendition of “It’s hard to make a true statement.” I can’t share that audio with you, so I reached for the camera.

This truffle could single-handedly convert me to a person upon whom chocolate is not — absolutely not — lost. That, just possibly, maybe, could be a true statement.

*About “Twittering the Market:” Using my Twitter identity, @savoringky, I sent a series of short messages (tweets) and a few photos of the offerings at the May 30 Market to people who follow me on Twitter. Fun, challenging, and a skill I might improve if I practice a bit and get feedback on the best (and least annoying) use of the tool.

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