The Sweetest Place on Earth
After a great week, beginning with appearances in Rome, Georgia (One Book, One Voice, Georgia Highland College, Armuchee High School, Darlington School), and ending with a visit to Cedar Creek College, I’m in Hershey, PA. After meeting farmers in Ivory Coast that grow cocoa, I thought I should go to the American town that cocoa built.
I heard the Hershey hotel had a whipped cocoa bath so I called up their spa.
“I want to sit in a big ol’ bath of chocolate.”
Silence.
“I heard that you have something called a whipped cocoa bath?” I restated my slightly disturbing statement into a question.
“Yes we do,” the man on the phone said, “but they are only for women. You could have a chocolate massage…”
“Only for women? That’s weird. How come?” I asked.
“We have codes.”
So, tomorrow I won’t be taking a whipped cocoa bath because of Hershey’s sexist bath policies, but I will be making my own candy bar. The headlines have already been written.
I’m insanely curious about these “codes.” It’s not like anyone is going to eat the bath chocolate after! …right? …guys?
Daisy, I don’t have a clue. I will look into it. You can bet the fact that I wasn’t allowed to take a chocolate bath will be noted in my next book.
I’ve been to Hershey (the spa, the city, and the museum), as I live only an hour away. The chocolate massage might be worth it. 🙂 But don’t bother buying any Hershey chocolate while you are there, it’s overpriced. And not as good as the chocolate produced in another city not too far away, Lititz. My recommendation? Go to Lititz, visit the Wilbur Chocolate shop, and go home with some truly good Pennsylvania chocolate. (Their dark chocolate Wilbur Buds are divine.)
Becki, thanks for the advice! Unfortunately I just had time to go to Hershey. The experience will be in my next book WHERE AM I EATING. I wanted to be able to contrast the realities of cocoa production with the fantasy land that is Hershey.