Chocolate Friday - Kid Stuff

Here's my last installment of chocolate history.

Kid Stuff

Hershey didn't think of his products as candy. In fact, he forbade his employees from referring to chocolate as candy. He claimed there was more energy in an ounce of chocolate than there was in a pound of meat. Chocolate wasn't "merely a sweet," he said, it was nutritious food. (That's what I'm talking about.)

Regardless of what Hershey thought, most people considered chocolate candy, more for kids than grown-ups. That began to change during Wold War I, when the government sent candy and chocolate to soldiers in battle. Why? It was cheap, it didn't spoil, and its high sugar content provided a quick energy boost. American soldiers consumed huge quantities of chocolate during the war and when the war was over they continued to indulge their habit.

During World War II, virtually the nation's entire candy output was diverted into the war effort. American soldiers brought Hershey bars with them wherever they went; in many places they became a form of currency. The U.S. Air Force was the largest purchase of M&Ms during the war; it bought them by the ton for bomber pilots flying long missions over North Africa and the Pacific. The Army was the #2 customer; it issued M&Ms to soldiers in tropical regions where ordinary chocolate melted too easily.

During WWII, the average G.I. consumed 50 pounds of candy and chocolate a year, three times what he had eaten before the war. And he brought his appetite for chocolate home with him. It wasn't just for kids anymore; it was the food that had kept the fighting man strong. The two world wars helped to establish what Hershey had been saying for more than 40 years - that chocolate is for everyone.

~ taken from Uncle John's Supremely Satisfying Bathroom Reader

There you have it, folks. Chocolate is for everyone! As if we didn't know that. :)

Last week, I asked you what your favorite Hershey's product was. This week I want to know what your children's favorite Hershey's product is. So, go poll the kiddos and get back to me.

Here's a really great snack recipe for the kids. (Just follow the link).



Go see Lisa (if you haven't already) for more great recipes with chocolate.



Until next time...