Chocolate Rush Festival (and contest winner!)

The Chocolate Rush Festival took place in the Docklands this weekend, and I was intrigued. A whole festival dedicated to chocolate? Surely this must be heaven. So yesterday while Zack was out mountain biking, I went, expecting to stuff myself silly with all forms of chocolate. This was, unfortunately, not what happened. Instead, this lame "festival" consisted of paying an outrageous entry fee to walk around what looked like an abandoned warehouse with about fifteen "booths" run by various chocolatiers selling their wares. That's right...you had to PAY to eat chocolate...after already paying the entry fee! Argh! Yes, there were a few samples, but they were teeny tiny morsels. One booth selling chocolate bars did have some plates with chunks of chocolate, so I "happened" to walk by them about six times trying to get my money's worth!

I did give in and buy myself a passionfruit hot chocolate (because it sounded too interesting to pass up-yes it was good) and got a couple of macaroons to share with Zack (pistachio and raspberry), but that was it. There was a cooking demonstration going on (and they handed out recipes), and the chocolate sculptures on display were kind of neat, but otherwise, it was a total waste of time. Oh well. I'm just glad I didn't drag Zack there with me. And now I can say I've been and can warn others not to go. I could have just gone to Max Brenner, spent my entry fee there, and been sick with chocolatey goodness!

Now what you've all been waiting for...the winners of the Chocolate Contest! I couldn't count the late entry (though it was good!), because the winners had already been decided. In second place, Cindy! Her line about "trying seven" really resonated with me, and her reference to Acland Street showed that she reads this blog on a regular basis!  Congratulations Cindy...there might just be a small treat headed your way (and maybe one for the doggies too). Drumroll please...we have a TIE for first place. One of our winners is Aunt Jean. Though her line about hiding it "in her hem" was a bit of a stretch, the other lines were clever and had me laughing out loud. Our other winner is the combo of Chelsey and Katie. Their plea was heartfelt, and I liked how they worked my name into their rhyme scheme. Winners, you can expect some delicious Australian chocolate to arrive at your homes in about a week. Thank you to all who entered; the poems amused me. I'll have to do another contest sometime. I hope everyone had a good weekend!