Friday 5 March 2010

Roses and Hot Chocolate


May
I tempt you?

Hot Chocolate?
More whipped cream,
you say?

A spoonful
of sugar?

Another cube of sugar?
A glass of water too?

Milk on the side?
Marbled Guglhupf?
Later, you say?

A Heart of Roses
For all!

*

Hot Chocolate
Memories of Childhood Past

I had the hot chocolate image in petto since I visited my mother the weekend before last, and I wanted to post it before it got redundant. While I rarely drink it nowadays, the fragrance wafting from a freshly brewed cup of hot chocolate has a Proustian effect on me, evoking times of childhood past. My mother used to serve us children bowls of hot chocolate for breakfast. We loved to drop chunks of good bread into it, filling the dish to the rim. Watching us while we were trying to push the bread with the spoon deeper into the bowl, my mother used to observe, with a wry smile, "Not even a cat treading on it with all four paws could get any more bread in there!"

I can still imagine myself sitting there, my short legs dangling from the kitchen bench, the sun caressing the bleached wood kitchen table. I am slowly spooning up one heavenly tasting bit of chocolate soaked bread after the next, all the while looking out into the world through the kitchen window, full of expectation, trusting that the still young day would bring me nothing but good.

*

This post was inspired
by Carol Gillot's
"Etude Blanche" at Paris Breakfasts.
Merci, Carol!

Photographs:
1 - Lavazza poster in front of the Vienna Opera House
2 - Hot Chocolate at Cafe' Prenninger, Ried im Innkreis
3, 4 - Cafe' Diglas, Wollzeile
5 - Private, from my mother in law's collection
6 - Seen yesterday at one of the most creative florists
here in Vienna - have to search for the name


First published March 2008

Images and Text
© by Merisi


24 comments:

  1. Wonderful, Merisi! I was transported back into childhood by your lovely reverie.

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  2. What a gift your words and images are---and how wonderfully you tie them together here.

    I can almost smell the hot chocolate... I imagine a whiff of cinnamon from it, but perhaps that is not Viennese?

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  3. The first picture is gorgeously decadent! Your words re sweet and evocative. Lovely!

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  4. Giulia la gattina volunteers to try & push more bread into the chocolate...

    A lovely late morning bon bon, grazie.


    ciao-meow

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  5. Absolutely gorgeous photos, Merisi! My mouth is watering for hot chocolate. I really like your tender memories of hot chocolate and bread when you were young...golden memories!

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  6. Love the line your mother said about the cat treading on it. what a perfect line of characterization.

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  7. I love, love what your wrote about your childhood memories!

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  8. Love hot chocolate -I still drink it quite often at night, when it's cold. But I didn't know about putting bread in chocolate milk:) Always interesting to learn about new things!
    Love the green fingernail polish too in the first pic!

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  9. Hot chocolate! My favorite! especially now since...sob...it seems I can't have coffee anymore. My body just rebels against it. So thank God for chocolate!

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  10. Love the photo of the hot chocolate ..love the breakfast story even more..the image/idea of a cat standing on bread in a wide cup is gorgeous...We have competition from a real cat for the cream on top...he thinks it should be his..lol

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  11. Lovely childhood memoir, and that chocolate must be as sweet as it looks. You are so talented, Merisina! What camera do you use, and with which lens?

    Hey sad news, old Signor Lavazza of the Italian coffee empire passed away last week :(

    Have a splendid weekend
    E. xx

    PS Word Verif: GLOWS... ha!

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  12. Nice childhood memories!
    I like hot chocolate: in Turin you can have a delicious one at the famous ancient coffee house Bicerin.

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  13. Dear Readers,
    thank you so very much for every single comment of yours, each and everyone is most appreciated!
    I am back in school, 9am to 7pm today. Utter pleasure to come home and read what you have been commenting here.
    A wonderful evening to all of you,
    Merisi

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  14. Thank you for transporting us back to your childhood mornings!

    Have a wonderful week-end,

    xox,
    Susan

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  15. Yum! Hot chocolate for breakfast is such a wonderful treat.

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  16. KARMIC DESTINY!!!
    Just as I'm facing a pile of whipped cream to paint in this picture for H.Kondertorie in Strasburg!!!
    Before I take off for Paree in a few hrs.
    Merci for the perfect VERY BIG picture reference!
    Oh and for the PB reference..
    auf vieder insane

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  17. this is soooo decadent, i love it!

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  18. ...."a Proustian effect",,,,such a perfect visual image! This post is one of my favorites.

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  19. Beautiful post and lovely memories!

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  20. Wonderful post and photos! Hot chocolate is always such a great thing !! Such a treat !!

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