(Photo: Dan the Chemist)
The only thing better than a chocolate bar is a chocolate bar that’s been chilled. Why? Dan, a doctoral student in chemistry, explains that the cocoa butter in chocolate exists in six different forms depending on the temperature. When chocolate is about 34-36⁰C, the structure of it begins to break down. This is called “fat bloom.” You can see it when chocolate appears to turn somewhat dusty and splotchy, such as the example above. Dan writes:
You then might ask how you can tell this has happened? The change in crystal structure is usually accompanied by something called ‘fat bloom,’ which is where the chocolate begins to look dusty, and pale spots appear on the surface as shown in the attached image. We’ve all been there (you’re incredibly lucky if you haven’t). It’s off putting, but still safe to eat. It happens because of partial melting in the solid which cases the fats within it to rise to the surface. It’s this strange occurrence that leads me to believe that keeping my chocolate in the fridge is in fact the correct way to keep it, and also why all the chocolate I bought on my exchange year in Australia just didn’t taste as good as the stuff at home in the UK due to their hotter climate!
-via TYWKIWDBI
Comments (5)
It is always a good time to go full PlasmaGryphon.
However, even when I lived in a hot climate, it took weeks for chocolate to lose its temper at a warm room temperature, and when it happened it is visually quite obvious. Whether or not your chocolate is cold at the time you eat it is not going to change the temper. But temperature can change what flavours you notice most, and you can already find endless arguments online about the temperature of things like beer and whiskey.
Much more experimentation needs to be done, by everyone, on a very large sample size, over a long stretch of time. As a personal sacrifice, I will consume large amounts of different brands of chocolate, in different ways, over the next decade, in order to verify the results.
Saying "Make them wait and learn from it." is like saying "Don't speak up and clearly for a deaf person, just keep mumbling and they'll have to learn."
That doesn't mean I agree with this idea - just that if you've ever had anything to do with the real thing you wouldn't think it's OK to wait for a hour in a line.
Same for old people, or people who hate crowds, have claustrophobia, or people that dislike lines, or people that have a sense of self entitlement. I'm sure these self entitled people would feel rather stressed to think that they are cattle just like everyone else.
By treating someone different and giving them special privileges, you are, in fact discriminating against someone else without said magical difference.
Why? Because the rides have queues for hours. He physically CANNOT stand there doing nothing for hours. he can barely manage it for minutes. And it isn't HIM who would be bothered by his incessant talking, twitching, pacing, prodding, shacking, rattling or whatever. it's all the poor people who are forced to stand near him in the queue. And believe me, after a few minutes of it, you'd be more than happy to let him take a place ahead of you if it meant he would go away from you.
How is it fair to keep him at home and deny him a treat for good school results [his whole class got taken to the amusement park for good test results]? He is brain damaged. So that means he can't have fun and live a normal life?
He is perfectly 'controlled'. He is not a bad child, wouldn't hurt anyone, wouldn't attack anyone or steal anything. He does what he's told and tries his hardest to be good. He's just BLOODY annoying, despite the drugs he's on to calm him down.
As for 'they'll have to wait at some point', I totally agree. this is very true. and we work very hard to lengthen the time he can wait and to say no when appropriate and to put delays on things to teach him more about time management. But those queues are LONG. not uncommon to wait two or three hours. And we'd rather teach him those things in a safe, private home environment than force him to break down into a sobbing twitching heap in the middle of a crowded area.
REAL ADHD is very dramatic. it's more than just being a bit impatient or a bit excitable. It's permanent brain damage and a real disability. Would you force someone on crutches to stand and hobble the whole two hours through the queue?
YES, it seems unfair to the healthy kids. but LIFE has been unfair to the disabled kids, give them a fucking break.
However, if it is true that waiting in long lines is physically painful for ADHD children, why would the parents put them through it? There are ways to get around just sitting and waiting.
Go to the park during low season or on a weekday.
Head to the popular rides when there are less people in the park and less popular rides when it is crowded.
As a camp counselor, we had a ton of games up our sleeves to keep kids from being bored at any point. Playing rock, paper, scissors over and over would be boring, but mixing up games will keep everyone's mind off the waiting. Lines can also be a good time for snacking and making sure everyone is hydrated and sun-blocked.
Although my first reaction would be that it all depends on the number of ADHD kids + friends out there. I can accept letting some people in front of me, but I don't want to wait an extra half an hour at each ride because a bunch of kids brought their ADHD friend to cut the lines ;)
I can't cope with the stress of waiting in a line with annoying kids. Can I skip to the front, too?
and i think people are missing the main point of the whole scheme. they queue-jumping isn't to help the ADHD/autistic kids, it's to stop the rest of the queuers from being driving insane by them. The scheme is helping everyone else out!
And as for "why inflict queues on them in the first place", this is an idea to allow ADHD and autistic kids, who otherwise would NOT be able to go and enjoy the park, to visit it and have a fun day like a normal kid for once, instead of being locked up at home for their behaviour. it's making an allowance so they CAN go.
and zeroxero: sure, a DS might keep our kid entertained for 15 minutes. but two hours? standing in line shuffling along? no way. You're obviously coping well with it. Our kid is not as far along that path. We're working hard with him, but its a slow process, especially when we have to work so hard at getting him up to normal in so many other aspects. why should he always be left out when his whole class are treated?