The History of Chocolate Essay Example for Free

The History of Chocolate Essay Do you like chocolate? Who doesn’t like chocolate? Chocolate is a favorite food of many people, but only few people know about the history of chocolate. That is why I am going to ask you to explore the history of chocolate by reading this essay. The history of chocolate begins with a plant whose scientific name is theobroma cacao which means â€Å"food of the gods†. According to the historians, the Mayan in Central America is the first who learned to plant the cacao plants around 2. 000 years ago. The Maya took the cacao trees from the rainforests and plant them around home. They cooked the cacao seeds then crushed them into a soft paste. They mixed the paste with water and flavorful spices to make an unsweetened chocolate drink. Cacao and chocolate were an important part of Maya culture. There are many images of cacao plants found on Maya buildings and art objects. Royal families drank chocolate at ceremonies. Even poor families of Mayan could enjoy the chocolate drink once in a while. Historians tell us that cacao seeds also used in marriage ceremonies as the sign of the union between a husband and wife. The Aztec culture in Mexico also valued chocolate. Unfortunately, cacao plants could not grow in the land where the Aztec lived, so they traded to get cacao plants. They even used cacao seeds as money to pay taxes. Only the very wealthy people of Aztec that could afford to enjoy chocolate drink because cacao was very valuable. The Aztec authority, Montezuma, believed that they had to drink 50 cups of chocolate drink every day. Some experts believe that the word â€Å"chocolate† came from the Aztec word â€Å"xocolatl†, which means â€Å"bitter water† in the Nahuatl language. It was spelled variously as â€Å"chocalatall†, â€Å"jocolatte†, â€Å"jacolatte† and â€Å"chockelet†. Others believe the word â€Å"chocolate† was formed by combining the words of Mayan and Nahuatl. When the explorer Christopher Columbus did his fourth trip to Central America in 1502, he encountered a great Mayan trading canoe on the island of Guanaja, Honduras, carrying a cargo of cocoa seeds. Then Christopher Columbus brought cacao seeds to Spain. He presented the King and Queen of Spain with the cacao seeds, but Ferdinand and Isabella saw no worth in them. It was Hernando Cortez, a Spanish, who understood that chocolate which was made from cacao seeds, was valuable and could be commercialized. In 1519, Cortez arrived in Mexico. He believed that chocolate drink would be popular with Spaniards. Then, chocolate became very popular in Spain, so they needed to supply more cacao seeds. When the Spanish soldiers defeated with the Aztec empire in 1527 or 1528, the Spanish soldiers won the war, so they were able to seize the supplies of cacao, equipments and recipes from the Aztec to bring them home. Later, Spain began planting the cacao seeds in its colonies in order to supply the large demand for chocolate. Before, chocolate drink was made unsweetened, and it was Spanish court of King Charles V and the wealthy people in Spain who became the first people that enjoyed chocolate drink in sweetened version. It was greeted with excitement. At first, monks, hidden away in Spanish monasteries, are appointed as the processors of cocoa seeds to keep chocolate a secret for nearly another century. Hernando Cortez built a cocoa plantation to â€Å"grow money† in the name of Spain, beginning a Spanish cocoa monopoly that lasted two centuries. It made a profitable industry for Spain, which planted cocoa trees in its overseas colonies. In 1585, the first official shipments of cocoa seeds began arriving in Seville from Vera Cruz, Mexico. Later, the popularity of the chocolate drink spread throughout Europe. The English, French, and Dutch began to plant cacao trees in their own lands. Until the 18th century, none but the rich and noble people could afford to drink chocolate. During the period known as the Industrial Revolution, new technologies helped to produce chocolate in less cost. After the Industrial Revolution, not only wealthy people, but also mediocre people, even poor people can enjoy the sweetness of â€Å"food of the gods†, chocolate. Farmers grow cacao trees in many countries in Africa, Central and South America. The trees grow in shady areas of rainforests near the Earth’s equator, but these trees can be difficult to grow. They require the exact amount of water, warmth, soil, and protection. After about five years, cacao trees start producing large fruits called â€Å"pods†, which grow near the trunk of the trees. The seeds inside the pods are harvested to make chocolate. Growing cacao is very hard work for farmers. They sell their harvest on futures market. This means that the economical condition outside of the control can affect the amount of money that they will earn. Today, chocolate industry officials, activists, and scientists are working with farmers. They are trying to make sure that cacao can be grown in a way that is fair for farmers and safe for the environment. To become chocolate, cacao seeds go through a long production process in factory. Workers must sort, clean and cook the seeds. Then they break off the covering of the seeds so that only the inside fruit (nibs) remain. Workers crush the nibs into the a soft substance called chocolate liquor. This gets separated into cacao solids and a fat called cacao butter. Chocolate makers of different chocolate factories have their own special recipes in combining the chocolate liquor with exact amount of sugar, milk and cocoa fat. The finely crush this crumb mixture, so it becomes smooth. Then the smooth mixture goes through two more processes before it is shaped into a mold form. Pour the smooth mixture into molds or a large pan that then the chocolate can be cut into small bars. Let the chocolate cool and harden in a room temperature or in a fridge covered by foil. Then the chocolate can be packed and sold. That is the chocolate that a modern people consume.

WWII survivor, Elie Wiesel Essay -- Auschwitz, indifference

Indifference; a lack of sympathy. This is a word of power that describes how a person may watch or know of violence that occurs, yet not take action till it is too late. WWII survivor, Elie Wiesel, creates a dramatic speech, The Perils of Indifference, in which this one word is presented to a group of world leaders. He provides valid examples of how it is our fault, as a united people, for the evil that revealed itself in the last era. One example used in his speech is Auschwitz, a German concentration camp where its prisoners were slaughtered with no remorse from their murderers. The author, though only mentioning this place once, captures his audience as they are silently reminded of what happened and how indifference is to blame for the disaster. Auschwitz is a grand example in Elie Wiesel’s speech and shows how indifference was to blame and that the world leaders are to blame, for this one concentration camp defines that one word with accurate evidence such as by what happ ened within its walls, how the nation leaders let Hitler’s Third Reich grow, and how they did not liberate or delay it before the lives of innocent people were exterminated The horrors in Auschwitz were dark and twisted, and he uses the emotional tension to show what we let happen within those walls. Prison doctors, such as Josef Mengele, would experiment on prisoners with new types of drugs, or in pressure chambers. Mengele also conducted multiple twin dissections and would often kill for no apparent reason other than intimidation, giving him the nickname â€Å"The Angel of Death†. Between medical barracks and crematorium stood the â€Å"Black Wall†, where German soldiers executed hundreds of prisoners. But the prisoners were not only captured Jews. All who opposed H... ...ow and expand before good prevails. It has been a trait passed down generation after generation and must be eradicated in order for our race to be at its fullest. Works Cited "Auschwitz." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. N.p., 10 June 2013. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. . "Auschwitz Bombing Controversy." Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. . Bulow, Louis. "Gate to Hell, Auschwitz." Auschwitz, Nazi Death Camp. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013. . "Hitler's rise and fall: Timeline." The Open University. Open University, 26 Apr. 2005. Web. 9 Jan. 2014. .

In What Ways Did Deng’s Leadership Bring Change to China in the Late 1970s and 1980s Essay

After Mao’s death in 1976, Deng abandoned the Maoist economic model and decided to open China up to free market economic reforms and Western style capitalism – all carefully controlled by the state still. He also introduced the ‘One Child’ policy. The domestic social, political, and most notably, economic systems would undergo significant changes during Deng’s time as leader. The goals of Deng’s reforms were summarized by the Four Modernizations, those of agriculture, industry, science and technology and the military. The strategy for achieving these aims of becoming a modern, industrial nation was the socialist market economy. For agriculture, it changed for the better. Deng first took steps to repair the damage done to farm production during the Great Leap Forward. In place of the communes he established the contract responsibility system. Under this arrangement, the government rented land to individual farm families, who then decided for themselves what to produce. The families contracted with the government simply to provide a certain amount of crops at a set price. Once the contract was fulfilled, the families were free to sell any extra crops at markets for whatever prices they could get. This chance to make more money by growing more crops greatly increased China’s farm production. Since the introduction of the contract responsibility system, Chinese farmers produced about 8 percent more each year than they did in the previous year. And many farmers have benefited greatly from the new plan. Under the contract responsibility system, families still did not own the land. The long-term leases awar ded by the government, however, helped to develop an â€Å"owner† attitude among the farmers. As a result, many families have made improvements to the land. As for the economy, Deng attracted foreign companies to a series of Special Economic Zones, where foreign investment and market liberalization were encouraged. Which meant that China needed Western technology and investment, and that it could open the door to foreign businesses who wanted to set up in China. The reforms centered on improving labor productivity as well. New material incentives and bonus systems were introduced. Rural markets selling peasants’ homegrown products and the surplus products of communes were revived. Not only did rural markets increase agricultural output, they stimulated industrial development as well. With peasants able to sell surplus agricultural yields on the open market, domestic consumption stimulated industrialization as well and also created political support for more difficult economic reforms. Another change for China was it’s industry, the four modernizations affected the industry positively. It provided electricity in the rural areas, industrial automation, a new economic outlook, and greatly enhanced defense strength. His program for industry had two goals. First, he wanted people to spend more money on consumer goods. Therefore, he changed the focus from heavy industry to light industry, the production of small consumer goods such as clothing, appliances, and bicycles. He also wanted factories to step up production. So he gave more decision-making power to individual factory managers. And he started a system of rewards for managers and workers who found ways to make factories produce more. All in all, these changes brought good results, and changed China for the better and is the China that is here today. Deng’s leadership really helped modernize China.

Increasing the Minimum Wage Will Reduce Income Inequality...

No person can maximize the American Dream on the minimum wage. -- Benjamin Todd Jealous No family gets rich from earning the minimum wage. In fact, the current minimum wage does not even lift a family out of poverty. -- Jon Corzine Income inequality has been a major problem facing American society for decades, but has recently become a major concern. I personally believe the major gap between the income of the rich and poor is a not just, but is not a major concern for the government and society. If the Federal Government addresses other major concerns facing American citizens the inequality will be adjusted due to other changes. The government needs to step in and adjust minimum wage and public education. If the government†¦show more content†¦Not only is minimum wage a major social issue that needs to be addressed in order to help appease income inequality, but also education is a huge social concern. The reason this is such a concern is because families living in low income housing neighborhoods attend low income schools and are unable to rise above, because their schools do not have the same quality funding as high income neighborhood schools or private ones. The low income schools do not have prop er funding and put the students at an immediate disadvantage compared to high income neighborhood schools and private schools. I personally believe if the Federal Government supplies public schools with more than just 15% of their budget, students would not be at such a disadvantage and have a greater chance to be motivated to attend college and hopefully obtain a degree to earn a high wage job. In my education classes the teachers place a huge emphasis on making sure students are getting full educations. Meaning students start in kindergarten or a pre-kindergarten program and finish high school in order to benefit society and not bring society down. The fact is the earnings of high school graduates have grown â€Å"more rapidly, so that the gap between dropout and graduate earnings expanded over time,† even if they do not attend college it is so important for students to graduate from high school so the inequality does not increase even more (Becker 1). Additionally, ifShow MoreRelatedIncreasing Minimum Wage For Women And Young Employees901 Words   |  4 Pagesproblems concerning pay discrimination. This essay is going to discuss whether or not the solution of increasing minimum wage for women and young employees could reduce the issue of income inequality such that it would improve all salaries from different occupations, help single mothers to support the family, and reduce youth unemployment. The first result from the solution of increasing minimum wage is improving all salaries from different occupations. 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