The Ara Wellbeing Action Group is running their annual Chocolate Chip Cookie Competition at City Campus on Wednesday the 26th August. This event is open to both staff and students.
No prior registration is required to enter…you simply bring a batch of your favorite home baked chocolate chip cookies to the Atrium in the Rakaia Centre between 10 and 11 am on the day of the competition. Note: a batch is defined as at least 8 cookies.
Bake a batch of your most tasty chocolate chip cookies
There are two categories: Classic Chocolate Chip (standard recipe no extras added) and Freestyle (must have chocolate chips/chunks but other ingredients are allowed).
Entries will be judged from 11-12 noon after which the will be sold as a fund raising for the St John Ambulance Service. There will be prizes for 1st and 2nd place winners and also for the most “interesting” take on the main theme.
Proceeds go to St Johns Ambulance Service, Christchurch
Why not get your bake on and show off your cookery skills while helping a worthy cause. See you there!!!
Can you guess why this today is a very important day. No idea? Today is . . .
World Chocolate Day, also known as International Chocolate Day!
What’s the history of chocolate?
Chocolate was first introduced to Europe in the mid-16th Century (“History of Chocolate,” 2020). But chocolate consumption actually goes back about 4,000 years – the ancient Olmec people of Latin America drank a form of hot chocolate and used it as a medicine (Kim, 2019). When the European explorers arrived in South American Cacao beans became a very valuable trade commodity. Cacao beans are the most raw form of what eventually becomes chocolate.
Cacao Beans are the raw ingrediant for making chocolate…
Back to today…
How do we celebrate this awesome World Chocolate Day?
No prizes for the correct answer. Yes, celebrate by consuming (even more) chocolate. What’s your favourite chocolate? Cadbury dairy milk, Whittakers fruit and nut, Queen Anne boxed chocolates or an Italian Ferrero Rocher? What about the pricey but definitely worth it handmade Belgian or Swiss chocolate? Whatever your preference just enjoy…
Queen Anne boxed chocolates…
Why not try a different variety of chocolate today. It’s a great idea – you never know what you’re missing, till you try it for yourself!
Is Chocolate Good for Us?
Wait a minute! Isn’t overindulgence in chocolate not exactly good for our waistline and overall health? What does the science say. Milk chocolate, seemingly the most popular and affordable type of chocolate in the world, gives us beneficial protein and calcium. But milk chocolate is often very high in sugar, which has been linked to tooth decay, diabetes, cardio-vascular ailments and other health issues. So, it seems that we need to curb our over-indulgence in milk chocolate.
Figure 1. Chocolates (JillWellington, n.d.).
What about dark chocolate?
Dark chocolate has been touted as a healthier chocolate. The reason..its main ingredient cocoa has biologically active phenolic compounds, which Nordqvist (2018) says may benefit us by:
• lowering cholesterol levels
• preventing cognitive decline
• reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems
Dark chocolate has many positive health benefits…
Takeaway: Based on what is known, it seems that eating high cocoa content dark chocolate that is low in sugar is beneficial, especially for those of us who enjoy chocolate frequently.
How is Chocolate Made?
Curious about how chocolate is made? Watch this very interesting video while savouring your chocolate!
Guest blog by Rose Edgar, Advisor – Student Disability Services
I have a problem….a chocolate problem. More often than not I am at Café X buying a chocolate Danish. It has become so regular that they even said “they would put one aside for me” each morning to make sure I don’t miss out.
Talking to others, it seems a lot of us have “a problem” when it comes to chocolate. Whether it’s a Danish, those awesome cookies from Countdown, or a straight up chocolate bar, we love the stuff.
Today is world chocolate day and while we may love it, what do we actually know about chocolate? A quick Wikipedia search on “chocolate” will give you all you need to know (yes, yes I know, Wikipedia is not the most ‘legitimate’ of sites, but come on, we all use it).
Chocolate is made with seeds of the Cacao tree – that’s right, it is totally a salad! The seeds are dried and fermented to create cocoa beans. This is ground, melted and processed into 2 parts and with the addition of sugar, milk solids, and oil, becomes the sweet chocolate we are familiar with.
Two thirds of chocolate production occurs in West Africa and contributes as a source of income for 50 million people. However, production of chocolate has been the subject of criticism as it is linked to child labour and slavery. Even with the increase in demand for chocolate products, farmers are still receiving less than fair pay and perpetuating child labour. This has become a huge ethical issue and many companies are now making sure their products are fair trade.
Some of you may have heard of the company Trade Aid. They sell many fair trade products, including chocolate! Even better, the chocolate is made right here in Christchurch at the Sweet Justice Chocolate Factory! Whittakers chocolate also has fair trade certification for their Creamy Milk and Dark Ghana 250g blocks.
So next time you are looking to get your chocolate fix, maybe think about switching to fair trade, or researching if your favourite chocolate is fair trade. As for me, I will be checking up at the café to see where the chocolate in my much needed Danish is coming from.
Check the shelf location TX767.C5 in the Library for more chocolatey inspiration.
It is Research Week at CPIT, an annual opportunity to celebrate the diverse range of research activity happening around the Campus. There are a series of public lectures, and an exhibition of research posters shares the Atrium with the art exhibitions which opened on the 12th Sept.
There is a rich applied research culture at CPIT and presentation topics include the science of chocolate , the impact of the earthquake on nursing students, and research into peer instruction using tablet PC’s. Local, national and international issues are addressed by research staff from Creative Industries, Health Humanities and Science, and Commerce.
If you are interested in the science of chocolate you might also be interested to know that 2011 is the International Year of Chemistry. At last… a chance to celebrate chemistry!
There are a range of events, competitions, and activities, including knitting the Periodic Table. There is a New Zealand website where you can learn a few things … such as…
There is even a Chemist of the Week, and you can follow Chemistry celebrations on Facebook
So let’s celebrate Science and research. Follow up with some reading in the Library, you can start with a basic introduction to Chemistry and then learn how to knit…..so you can contribute to the periodic table.
..and finally, visit She Chocolat and savour the art behind the science, it’s good for you!
Ara Library Blog 