Cupid and the chocolate dream

A wag once said, “Forget love! I’d rather fall in chocolate,” but divorcing the famed derivative of the cocoa plant and the joys of romance is not feasible, especially at this time of year. Why? Because St. Valentine’s Day is a chocofest.

Chocolates have long been used as a silent antidepressant by spurned lovers hoping to find new partners, which is useful at this time of year. In fact, Kim Hye-yeon, a chocolatier at JW Marriott Seoul’s deli in southern Seoul, says a single piece of chocolate can elevate your mood, although scientific research has yet to confirm such claims.

Some may disagree, but there is something about chocolate that gives everyone a little lift. Culinary experts point out that cacao beans contain chemicals that generate a feeling of well being. Phenylethylamine, for example, is an endorphin secreted by the brain that makes your heart beat faster.

That’s why Park Jung-ryul of De Chocolate Coffee, a franchise cafe dedicated to chocolate, sees the confection as one of Cupid’s most trusted means of bringing two people together.

With St. Valentine’s Day approaching faster than one of Cupid’s arrows, here are bite-sized stories about chocolate that will drench the hearts of anyone looking for love.