Chocolate Flavours

When chatting with Frasier Chocolate the other day, the conversation turned – not surprisingly – to chocolate. He had recently expanded his considerable range of confectionery to create a treat named after his daughter Freya. The freychoca delight used a different variety of cocoa bean; its flavour had a slight hint of strawberry. It was proving to be quite popular with the youngsters.

“Where do you find these new beans, Frasier?” I asked, “Especially since you never seem to leave Mellowdene?”

“Don’t need to leave, Jackson,” he grinned. “I have an extensive network of contacts. They keep me up to speed with the latest chocolate news.”

“Would that be the hill cats?” I knew that Frasier’s deliveries came by canal.

“No. I keep in touch with my contacts by telephone. We’ve paid for permanent switchboard connections and have special switching boxes so that we don’t inconvenience Mabel Periwinkle and the other operators. ”

“Oh. But how did you make these contacts in the first place?”

“Simple. They’re my family.”

 “Family?”

“I’ve got distant relations all over Sylvania, many of whom have been in the business for generations. How do you think we got our family name?”

I laughed. “I never really thought about that. Are they all as adventurous as you?” I teased.

“Most of them are happy to stay home, love their families, make chocolate, I gather.”

“Most?”

“Well… there are a few notable exceptions.”

“Go on.”

“There’s Clamber Chocolate. He likes mountaineering.”

“Then there’s Waverley Chocolate. He likes surfing.”

“And I can’t forget Cousteau Chocolate. Deep sea diving’s his thing.”

“They’re the main ones that come to mind. Although the craziest of all are Wilbur and Orville Chocolate. Orville flies his bi-plane and Wilbur walks on the wings.”

“Bi-plane? Walking on wings?”

“That’s right. Orville owns one of the few flying machines in Sylvania. He dusts crops down south. Wilbur is just potty.”

I had to laugh. Especially since I visualised Frasier doing all these things.

“I think I’d prefer you stick to your domesticity rather than start walking on the wings of flying machines.”

“Me too.”

I smiled, and my thoughts meandered, thinking of the wide variety of Frasier’s chocolate beans. They were sourced from all over Sylvania – although I wasn’t sure how the hill cats were able to satisfy his delivery requirements. I must ask him one of these days.

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Additional Flavours

Southwest of Acorn Valley, in the west facing mountains of Pinnisula, you may stumble across the cocoa mines where blocks of wispachocs are embedded in the rock walls.

Spelunker Chocolate - one of Frasier's numerous relatives - is an avid caver who became one of the miners here. He extracts the blocks for transportation to Mellowdene and the rest of Sylvania.

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