I turned 40 last week (wow Jaya I never would have guessed, you don’t look a day over 32 omg THANK you). Nothing feels that different, largely because I rang in the day the same way I do every year, with a joint Halloween and birthday party hosted with a dear friend. But this time, aside from the cake and the booze and the incredible costumes, there was one detail that made it feel a little more festive than usual. This year we got a chocolate fountain.
I did not realize this was just something you could have in your home. I assumed the chocolate fountain supply was controlled by the Hotel Event Space cartel, to be doled out specifically for Bar Mitzvahs and Sweet 16s. But a friend just had one, like it was a power drill or a step stool I might borrow for a home improvement project. And so, in the middle of the dining room table, in between the cheese plate and the bowls of bite-sized Snickers, molten chocolate draped down three voluptuous tiers.
Why were we — and I am using “we” in the most inclusive-of-all-humanity way possible — driven to befountain chocolate? What cosmic urge did Roald Dahl tap into when he dreamed of Willy Wonka’s chocolate waterfall? Apparently, the chocolate fountain was invented in the early 90s and started becoming more common at weddings and such in the early 2000s, but by that point I believe manufacturers were merely reaching into the collective unconscious and pulled out “three tiers of liquid candy.” I relished in the shock and delight of every single person who walked in my door upon looking at the fountain. I had set out various options for dipping, like strawberries, pretzels and sliced pound cake, but the main activity of the party soon became experimenting with just what we could cover in chocolate. A friend created a “Four Musketeers" by coating a candy bar in even more chocolate. To our surprise, a sour grape Mike & Ike went amazingly with a chocolate coating. Potato chips, Oreos, and gouda all were improved.
You probably do not need to spend $113 on a chocolate fountain you only use once a year, though if you have the means and the storage space, or a group of neighbors who can all chip in and share, then by all means I guarantee it’ll improve your life. But watching the fountain frenzy was a good reminder that parties should have something special. Dinner parties of the past centered around fondue or a game of snap dragon because it was a departure from the everyday. You can eat chips and beer at home. Chocolate fountains are for friends.
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🐦⬛ Bird Droppings
- DoorDash will acquire Instacart for $17 billion, creating a food delivery behemoth. It is already the largest food delivery provider in the U.S., and has gotten into the reservations game with SevenRooms. DoorDash was also recently made to pay $131 million in New York for underpaying workers. Instacart has also had to provide backpay for underpaying gig workers in Seattle. We’ll be monitoring how this merger impacts the restaurant industry.
- Oh my god I had completely forgotten about the oxygen bar craze.
- Friend of the flock Jess Mayhugh wrote an amazing piece for Gloria about getting laid off while on parental leave.
- Hedge fund Trian Fund Management has offered to buy Wendy’s. No word on if further emo record deals would be involved.
- Best Food Blog rounds up some great cookbooks coming out this fall.
- I’m furious at Alicia Kennedy for introducing me to the phrase “dark nutrition” in a great piece about MAHA-oriented Americans being annoying and ostentatious about eating organ meat. Relatedly, last week I had the pastasciutta at Zimmi’s, a rich ragu made of chicken organs that exists for the pleasure of it, not the shock.
