a chocolate fortune

Summer vacation is nigh. Dan's mom arrives tomorrow. I spent most of today cleaning the apartment, which is not nearly as de-cluttered as I hoped it would be at this point, but progress has been made, and the floors and the bathrooms and the kitchen are (for the next few hours, at least) clean. So there.

Since arriving in Switzerland, we have slowly but surely been collecting visits to chocolate factories. This is more interesting than you might think, because although they all basically do the same thing, each visitor center sells chocolate-making from some slightly different angle. The touristy Maison Cailler near Gruyères has a Disneyland-haunted-house style tour focusing on the history of chocolate making; in Maestrani's Chocolarium "in beautiful eastern Switzerland," visitors search for the secret of happiness (spoiler alert: it's in chocolate); the Läderach Schoggi Erlebnis is smaller and requires a trek through an industrial park if you go by public transit, but you get a sweet little tasting spoon to take home and all the liquid dark, milk, and/or white chocolate you can stand. The Frey visitors center in Aargau tells the story of their chocolate through the stories of its happy employees - not coincidentally, Frey is owned by Migros, the ubiquitous Swiss supermarket cooperative.

This is all to say that today when I was cleaning up, I found a printout from a station in the Frey factory where you can answer questions about what chocolates you like and find out your "chocolate type." Mine came out as "the golden gourmet." This may have happened because I didn't understand the questions well enough and my answers were no better than random guesses, but I'd like to think it is because the chocolate machine has me pegged and I am just this awesome. Check it out [translation me + Google]:

You are someone with a keen sense for the uniqueness of the moment. You avoid worn-out habits. You belong to that rare species of human who has no preconceived patterns of thinking and behavior, but always approaches life with a fresh spirit. Friends value you for your curiosity and openness - but also for your fairness, because you always try to see things from all sides. You are therefore not easy to classify: you are a very versatile person whose behavior isn't predictable and you often have a surprise up your sleeve. Being with you is never boring. 

This is reflected in your chocolate type: you enjoy almost anything. Above all, you love to try new things. If you were in a foreign country and dove in chocolate sauce with cinnamon and grapes were on the menu, you'd probably go for it. But you can just as well put a piece of classic nut chocolate on your tongue and taste heaven. The important thing is, you have choices. Because nothing bothers you more than being trapped in the same routine - food included. 

    Best. Personality. Test. Ever.

Here's a bonus photo of Caroline dressed as a praline at the Frey factory.

You can tell that this was quite a while ago. Let us not think too hard about how this relates to my cleaning habits, or lack thereof, ok?