It's Friday. We All Deserve Some Chocolate

I'll take the Shelia Na Gig, thank you.

Theobroma: Food of the Gods

Believed to be of divine origin, the cocoa tree was the bridge between heaven and earth. The Maya, believing no other tree was worth naming, simply called the cacao tree, cachuaquchtl, or "Tree." Believing that the "tree" belonged to the gods and that the pods were an offering from the gods, if not the gods' food itself, the Maya quickly incorporated its pod into their everyday symbolism and mythology. They believed the gods placed this tree and its wonderful seed pods on Mother Earth for man [sic] to cultivate, enjoy and offer back to them.

From Chocolate's beginnings, there was an intimate connection between the gods and humankind--one that touches the body, mind, and ultimately the soul.

Chocolate Deities: It all started nearly ten years ago when Jeanne Fleming and Jessica Bard were asked to make the hors d’oeuvres for an opening at a local art gallery. The show was entitled: Shrines and Altars. So, we decided to make a goddess entirely out of food, wine flowing freely from her breasts, and providing everything from nibbles to dessert. We were inspired by the Tibetan goddess Tara–a Green Tara–the Goddess of Compassion and the Goddess of the "god-less" in that she was a totally accepting goddess who welcomed all into her protection whether they were direct followers of her or not or whether they worshiped any god at all. That was the spirit we wanted for our original creation: a generous, welcoming and warm goddess.

Our Goddess turned out to be a massive project, taking the skills of a sculptor, who carved her in Styrofoam to our specifications. A trip to the local beer making guys showed us how to make wine mysteriously flow from her breasts. That information and a few hundred dollars worth of fruits, vegetables, and candy later, we began what turned into a week long project for both of us. In the end, we developed a philosophy for our food goddess and a raison d’etre for every piece of food that she offered up to the amazed opening night crowd. No one ever figured out how we made the wine flow on request (into specially made cups!). The children finished off the candy in her beautiful headdress and our local Green Man kept stealing her beautiful, huge, strawberry nipples (we came prepared to replace them, of course!)