Death By Chocolate

Everyone loves chocolate. Or some form of the sweet sugary food. One would never think that eating such a delicious item could cause a memory that would last for 40 years and continue to be a high point in a families life. Such an event happened to me when I was growing up.

It was the middle of the eighties, my brother and I lived across the street from one of my cousins. She was the same age as my brother, less than 14 at the time. It was a beautiful summer day, and we were all out riding our bikes in the mountains of New York State. Tina (to protect her name) decided to make us lunch and desert. Of course being teenagers ourselves, my brother and I were all over a free meal.

The sandwiches were great. While we were out back on the picnic table enjoying the meal, Tina decided to make desert. Double Layered Chocolate Fudge Brownies. Yum!

As the time passed, my brother and I went swimming in the local creek that ran past our house. Finally, Tina said brownies are ready. Man did they smell awesome. Nothing beats the smell of freshly cooked double chocolate fudge. I poured three large glasses of milk for us, and Tina cut huge pieces of the delicious looking fudge brownies.

As we all laughed and enjoyed the afternoon, Tina told us that this was her first time baking anything. I didn't believe her because it looked and smelled amazing.

We started eating the brownies. This put large smiles on our faces. My brother looked at me, with a weird look on his face. I took my bite and new right away why his face had that expression. The delicious looking double chocolate fudge brownie were absolutely inedible. I thought we would all have to go to the hospital to have our stomach pumped.. Horrible.

It turned out that our beloved cousin missed a very important item in the recipe... SUGAR....

My brother and I, being loving family cousins we were, finished the large chuck of brownie.... After which we thanked Tina, and went home. People always use to say too much chocolate kills... What they forget to tell you is, if it is missing sugar... you will suffer for the rest of the day.

We went back over later in the evening to see how Tina was doing. The brownies she made were not in the kitchen. I wondered why. We never told her that they were terrible. My youngest brother be a smarty pants that he was, asked where the brownies were. Tina, started to cry. Her mother had tossed them away. Broke my poor cousins heart. She was not told why they were no good. Her mom just said that the bottom was not cooked properly and she should try again.

As she was making the second batch, Tina's mom watched from a distance to see how she was doing. That is when she noticed she missed the Sugar... Again. Tina's mom finally told her what happened. The poor girl turned nine shades of red. The second batch was a lot better than the first. My brother and I hate most of them.

It has been forty years, and whenever we have a family function or get together, we always ask Tina if she needs sugar. It was evil while we were younger, but now, forty years later, it is hilarious. The biggest joke amongst a loving family. In fact, every once in awhile Tina will make a batch of super rich chocolate brownies, and purposely leave out the sugar. She does this to torture my brother and I. A child hood memory that can never be forgotten.

So, yes.... death by chocolate is most certainly possible. Especially if a young teenage chef is trying to cook it all herself... The glory days of youth. She did make up for it by making us another giant turkey sandwich... Thanks Cuz.....