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May 7, 2012 37 Comments

Incomparable Sensation: My History with Cocoa Mixes (a cautionary tale)

When I was young, I loved to drop a few spoonfuls of Nestle Quick into a glass of milk, stir, and sip. Buoyant pods of powdered chocolate inevitably remained intact, bobbing to the surface, swirling in the milky whirlpool created from my steady stirring.As I lifted the glass to sip, I would lower and raise the glass, swishing the milk backwards and forwards, trying to coax those cocoa-pods front and center so I could suck them in and with my tongue, press them against the roof of my mouth, releasing a burst of cocoa-flavored sweetness that would dissolve into that swishy sip of milk.

In winter, I did the same with hot cocoa mix. I’d heat water in the kettle, spoon cocoa mix into the mug, and then stir, keeping an eye open for the unmixed cocoa blobs. When mixing chocolate milk, I could easily see the dark against white; in a mug, I found it harder to spot unmixed cocoa under the creamy film that formed at the water’s surface. No matter; I’d trust my tongue to feel for them. I loved the sugary sensation as the cocoa separated into granules and dissolved in my mouth.

One cool afternoon I pulled out one of my favorite black mugs, poured in a packet of hot cocoa mix and waited for the water to boil. I pulled out a spoon and spun it between my fingers, waiting. As soon as the kettle burbled, I lifted and poured. Absently, I stirred and watched it blend, anticipating my ritual of hunting down undissolved pockets of cocoa floating to the surface.

Leaning against the kitchen counter, I lifted the mug to my lips, blowing a little to cool the surface, and began sipping. Several sips in, I spotted a blob and sloshed the liquid, working that tempting pod front and center, to suck in and press against the roof of my mouth.

As soon as it was within sipping distance, I tilted the mug, drank it in, and with my tongue pressed up. But it didn’t give when it hit the roof of my mouth. It didn’t dissolve into a hundred granules of sugar. It was…hairy.

I rushed to the sink and spat.

A fly.

A dead fly.

I dumped the contents of the mug into the sink, pushed the faucet and scooped water into my mouth with my hands as fast as possible to rinse, and rinse, and rinse, and rinse. As I rinsed, I had to stare down into the sink where the fly rested against the stainless steel drain basket strainer, the stream of water rinsing specks of cocoa from his lifeless black form.

I started to cry.

To this day, I can still recall the unexpected sensation of hair…legs…wings.

To this day, I always press the curve of my spoon against every pocket of unmixed cocoa, running it against the side of the glass or mug, to ensure that it bursts and blends with the liquid.

To this day, I avoid dark mugs. But if I don’t have a choice, I always peer in, turn the mug upside down, and shake.

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Comments

  1. Susan Squires says

    May 7, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    An elaborate memory. Everything about it felt familiar until the hairy bit. I love it.

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 7, 2012 at 1:41 pm

      I do miss the pre-fly cocoa sensation, but I will not risk it. Nope. Never again…never again.

      Reply
  2. Cheryl Smith says

    May 7, 2012 at 1:53 pm

    Glad it wasn’t a yellow jacket or you would have to add a bee sting to the memory!

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 7, 2012 at 2:14 pm

      Good point! We have so many of those in late summer, it’s almost a rite of passage for a kid to sip pop at a picnic and encounter that sting! Ouch!

      Reply
    • Jennifer@GDWJ says

      May 8, 2012 at 12:08 am

      Interesting enough, Cheryl, Scott actually DID have a bee in his drink when we were on the beach in Mexico two years ago! The drink was yellowish in color, and it had a bee-themed named, so when he discovered the bee floating in his drink, he thought it was supposed to be there. The waiter sheepishly informed us that the bee was NOT supposed to be in his drink. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Monica Sharman says

    May 7, 2012 at 2:09 pm

    Oh, when I was a kid, I sometimes ate the cocoa mix straight! “Nido” brand dried whole-milk is pretty yummy, too. (Weird, I know.)

    You know, my favorite mug is black…

    I had a similar experience in high school involving someone’s old Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups bought on clearance, and…maggots. I did more than just spit. ~shiver at the memory~

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 7, 2012 at 2:13 pm

      Oh, Monica, you just brought to mind a similar memory–I bought a Mr. Goodbar from an old vending machine in the local armory where my parents were bidding on items at an auction. I bit into it–like your Reese’s Peanut Butter cup, it was teeming with maggots. I spit it out into the trash can, horrified. Can you eat peanut butter cups without thinking about it? I can’t eat Mr. Goodbars without thinking about it. I can’t even look at one at the checkout counter.

      Reply
  4. Julie Schwind says

    May 7, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    Oh, Ann, this literally made me want to gag. I am so sorry! It also brought back memories of the day I felt something in my mouth so I bit down on it. It filled my mouth with a bitter, acrid taste, so I spit it out on the ground and saw…three little pieces of what I can only assume was once an intact ant. A very large ant. So, we are sisters in this way!

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 7, 2012 at 2:15 pm

      A huge ant! Oh, I’m so sorry you actually bit and tasted it! I’m so glad I didn’t bite down on the fly.

      I’m bringing back all of these horrifying memories for people–I hope that we can all fix something scrumptious tonight for dinner to make up for it!

      Reply
  5. Carrie Carter says

    May 7, 2012 at 2:37 pm

    So, it probably wouldn’t help you to know that every year at Purdue’s Spring Fest, the entomology department cooks up tasty dishes containing edible bugs…. 😉

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 7, 2012 at 2:43 pm

      Oh, yeah, I’ve heard about that. Well, maybe it’s different if you know what you’re about to bit into? Part of my shock was thinking I was about to taste a delectable burst of cocoa only to encounter the hairy fly. If I KNEW I was about to eat a chocolate-y fly, maybe….

      nope. I still wouldn’t do it.

      But my 14yo daughter would, I’ll bet. She’s the one who said I should go ahead and publish this story.

      Reply
      • Carrie Carter says

        May 7, 2012 at 7:37 pm

        It might do your heart good to know they didn’t use flies. You never know where a fly has been! 😉

        Mealworm stirfry isn’t bad. Really. Nutty-flavored and chock-full of protein! Haha!

        Reply
  6. Julie Boyd says

    May 7, 2012 at 3:52 pm

    Brandon was eating Oreos only to discover they were infested with tiny black ants! He had eaten at least 5 of them before he noticed.

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 7, 2012 at 4:04 pm

      Noooooooo! Not the Oreos?!

      Reply
  7. Jessi says

    May 7, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    I’m going to throw away all of my dark mugs the instant I get home. what a tragic story!

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 7, 2012 at 5:03 pm

      They need not be banned; certainly look closely and perhaps rinse them out before use.

      Reply
    • Jennifer@GDWJ says

      May 8, 2012 at 12:09 am

      I thought the same thing, Jess! Ann … It’s a good thing our Laity Lodge mugs are light-colored, or I’d be in depression right now!

      Reply
  8. Lynn Hopper says

    May 7, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    What about your New Albany friends from high school years who ate grasshoppers to gross out their track competition???

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 7, 2012 at 5:04 pm

      Oh, yes! I forgot about that!

      Reply
  9. Gus Pearcy says

    May 7, 2012 at 5:14 pm

    Ann,

    I loved your story, but I didn’t love the anguish you went through. Although, in some cultures,chocolate-covered flies are a delicacy, I’m sure.
    It’s funny how we have the same experiences and view them totally different. That’s conditioning, I guess.
    Thanks for sharing the memory. I don’t like dark cups either.
    Gus

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 7, 2012 at 5:20 pm

      Good point–someone else could have the same kind of experience and write a completely different story. I’m not sure flies would be a delicacy, but maybe maggots. Somewhere….

      Reply
  10. Sandra Heska King says

    May 7, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    Ew, ew, ew.

    I remember eating Nestle’s Quick by the spoonful, sliding spoon past wetted lips, taking just a little at a time, pressing it to roof of mouth, dissolving it with tongue, and repeating.

    Now I just slurp Hershey’s chocolate in a pinch.

    Reply
    • Ann Kroeker says

      May 8, 2012 at 9:44 am

      Hershey’s syrup should be safe, I’d think, tucked away in the fridge away from insects. Clever solution. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Hazel says

    May 7, 2012 at 9:55 pm

    Oh what a sweet and equally awful story! I could not help it but I laughed out loud at your calamity. I know it wasn’t funny at the time, and I am glad you now look in side the cup before pouring in the coco mix.

    Mostly I laughed because my daughter recently did a post where she was running to get to church on time for a quiz contest, and almost swallowed a fly. Almost vomiting she gagged and after a while gained her composure. Needless to say she was not in a good mood to enter the contest at church once she arrived.

    Reply
    • Ann Kroeker says

      May 8, 2012 at 9:45 am

      Isn’t there some song about a lady who swallowed a fly? I’ve ridden my bike and swallowed gnats before. A fly, though? That’s sizable…and disturbing.

      Reply
  12. Diana Trautwein says

    May 7, 2012 at 11:57 pm

    Even though it made me queasy and my mouth still has a most marked down downturned look, I LOVED this story. Beautifully told and building suspense even. SO sorry you had a fly in your mouth and that hot cocoa mix has been permanently ruined for you (at least the lump against the top of your mouth part!). Also sad that you can’t look Mr. Goodbar in the eye – cause that’s one good candy bar. Been years, but I do remember snitching those and Snickers from my kids’ Halloween stashes.

    Reply
    • Ann Kroeker says

      May 8, 2012 at 9:46 am

      Diana, you make me laugh! I will admit to eating a Mr. Goodbar several times since childhood….but I did so carefully, with pauses for close inspection.

      Reply
  13. Megan Willome says

    May 8, 2012 at 8:13 am

    Oh, when Life doesn’t give us what we expect. Yet we still drink. More carefully from then on.

    Reply
    • Ann Kroeker says

      May 8, 2012 at 9:47 am

      Love this, Megan!

      Reply
  14. David Rupert says

    May 8, 2012 at 10:04 pm

    The beautiful things in our life will at some point, disappoint. A friend will be selfish. A love will act loveless. The cocoa will have an insect. But still, we drink, hoping to find that joy once again

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      May 8, 2012 at 10:47 pm

      David! That’s so insightful, so poignant. You took my goofy fly story and turned it into something beautiful.

      You and Megan can see beyond the obvious.

      Reply
  15. Charity Singleton says

    May 10, 2012 at 7:16 pm

    I’m glad you at least will still drink cocoa, even if the experience is somewhat altered! What a fun story. I’m wondering what brought this up? A similar situation now? And I love the new background.

    Reply
  16. Rachel Olsen says

    May 12, 2012 at 10:27 am

    I have always refused to drink out of mugs that are dark colored inside. I want to see my drink. Now I have good rationale for my quirk. 🙂

    Reply
  17. 'Becca says

    May 30, 2012 at 9:56 am

    Yikes!!

    Years ago we spent a weekend with friends who are cola drinkers. In the morning I asked if they had any coffee. No, but they found some tea in a cupboard. As the hostess put the kettle on, she said, “There are some mugs hanging under the cabinet over there.” I chose one and sleepily put the teabag into it. When I poured in the boiling water, I watched dust bunnies and a dead spider float to the surface! Being people who don’t drink hot drinks to wake up every day, they hadn’t used some of their mugs in months and hadn’t thought to clean them! We have stayed at their house several times since and never forgotten to rinse mugs before use.

    Reply
  18. Jerri says

    August 24, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    Sometimes I just take a dry powder packet and eat without mixing. I have never found a dead fly in it, but whatever. It was nestle? I use swiss miss. I love it, haha.

    Reply
    • annkroeker says

      August 25, 2012 at 10:54 am

      I’ve never done that, but I’ll bet I’d love it. And as long as the Swiss Miss/Nestle factory keeps flies out, we’d be okay! Might be even more safe and reliable than tapping on my dark mugs.

      Reply

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    […] about the cocoa? That was fun. Gross, but […]

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