One of the mini prompts I posted on my instagram this week was A Family Tradition.
I think this is a fun prompt! Especially for the upcoming holidays. Family traditions as a prompt has a near infinite amount of possibilities.
And I was excited to take a stab at this one myself. So I did!
My mom coined the term "Spicy Chocolate" when she was a kid and that's what it's been called in my family ever since. Chocolate melted over a double broiler, cut with cream, then blended with cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and a sliced chili pepper.
Some families drink Champaign or wine on special occasions. But we drink spicy chocolate. Birthday. Graduations. Engagements. Anniversaries. Baby showers. Thanksgiving. Christmas Easter. Going away parties. When we come home for the first time in a while. Good report cards. Winning soccer games. Recitals. Waking up with bad dreams in the middle of the night.
Spicy Chocolate is so important in our family that when my sister found out she was having twins, she joked about giving them the middle names "Spicy" and "Chocolate" so much, there was a long time I thought she actually might.
My grandmother maintains it's the perfect litmus test for significant others. If they don't "get" spicy chocolate, they're not a good fit for her grandchildren. We all used to laugh at her for it. She hasn't been wrong once.
We have to make special requests for wedding receptions, and usually Grandma ends up running the kitchen so it tastes like OUR Spicy Chocolate.
In college, I used to order something called "Mexican hot chocolate" at restaurants when I was especially home sick and desperate for something familiar. And I regretted it every time.
So imagine my surprise, when, at a random bar, on a random night, after talking with a random bar tender, I mention missing home, missing my family, and our little quirks and ...
"Oh yeah?" he asked. "Like what?"
"Well, like this drink that we make all the time. I haven't had it since Christmas and its killing me."
"What is it? I can make it for you."
"I doubt it. ... No, not like that. Your drinks are great. It's just ... it's weird."
"I like a challenge."
"It's kind of like a Mexican hot chocolate, but..."
"I can work with that!"
And a few minutes later a few questions about his family, I had a steaming mug of velvety chocolate in front of me. It smelled nice, and I wanted to keep the conversation going, so I took a sip to be polite. But I knew there was no way-
"Holy shit!"
"What, what's wrong? I told you it was hot!"
"No, it's ... Are, uh, are you by any change a Hernandez?"
"No..."
"Not related to any Hernandez's?"
"Uh, no, we're mostly Williams and Buchanan's. Why?"
"What's the next holiday?"
"Um, St. Patrick's Day, I think. Are you okay? Do I need to call someone for you?"
"I'm fine! But, um, have you ever been to Springfield?"
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