By Traver H. Boehm, LAc
“What is in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet?” Shakespeare posed this question to us a few centuries ago, and it always comes to my mind in the month of Valentine’s Day. Few things elicit as strong of a reaction in people as being handed a dozen roses. As a matter of fact, I can think of only one other substance with the same power – chocolate.
Traver Boehm
During the day, I counsel people on health. As a CrossFit gym owner, a licensed acupuncturist, speaker and writer, I talk to people about fitness, health, nutrition and wellness. But I also have a confession to make. I sell chocolate.
There, I said it. I sell delicious chocolate truffles and scrumptious hot chocolate. I’m probably going to hell for picking both professions simultaneously, and am slowly coming to terms with the dichotomy.
Healthy Chocolates
How does one justify such a split? Well, here’s the kicker. Our chocolates are infused with traditional Chinese medicine’s best formulas! Yep, we sell chocolates for PMS, chocolates that boost concentration, for night sweats and menopause, for stress, for depression, and for low libido in both men and women. In addition, we’ve got chocolates being tested to help with nausea and vomiting for chemotherapy patients. We offer a chocolate insomnia formula as well as truffles for fatigue. From all of our proceeds, we give 10% of our profit to three amazing charities. Our goal is to give them each a million dollars by January 1, 2017!
A Perfect Chocolate for Each Element
In this post, I am going to try to answer a very important question. What is the perfect chocolate for each element? The early Taoist philosophers used the metaphor of the 5 Elements, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, to explain the relationship, interaction, and ongoing change of everything in the Universe. The system is still applied in traditional Chinese medicine. And while we’re all influenced by all the 5 elements, each person has a dominating element that’s characteristic of his or her personality and state of health.
Would a wood element person be better suited with dark or milk chocolate? Truffle or bar? Would a Fire person like a cayenne pepper laced chocolate? I’ve consulted with my business partner and chef extraordinaire, Joel Chapman, who happens to be a true chocolate aficionado. Here’s what we came up with…
Fire
Mien Xiang (= face reading) expert Patrician McCarthy used to tell us that when Fire people lose love in their lives, it feels to them as if they are experiencing physical death. This is because the heart is the organ of the fire element.
I’m going to marry a Fire element woman in September, and I can also tell you that a Fire person’s attention is often hard to keep. What is new and exciting often garners their focus for only so long, until something else new and exciting comes along. For these reasons, Joel and I have decided to go outside of the box on this one and declare that the best chocolate for a Fire element person is – not one chocolate in itself, but rather a box of a variety of chocolates! There is sure to be something delicious for every occasion, and a sampler box can satisfy the Fire person’s lust for variety and change.
Earth
My old boss was a perfect example of an Earth element person. He was a massive man, in great shape, but slow moving. He ran a successful real estate company (go figure), had a large family and never really seemed to go very far, people came to him – all of which are classic Earth element signs.
The Earth element person is a worrier by nature and needs something sweet to calm their worried spleen. We’ve decided that a delicious milk chocolate would be a great gift to pass to the Earth person in your life. Even better, hand deliver it. And better yet, stay and chat for a while. And then hug them.
Metal
The metal element is cold and cutting, calculated, and austere. Never one to break tradition or accept having a hair out of place, the metal person is truly a tricky one to choose for. As a matter of fact, we were so apprehensive of offending the metal masses and risking a life of scorn that we went passive, I am doused in my own shame.
Here is what we think the perfect chocolate for Metal element people is: Okay, here’s where we cop out. It’s either 100% dark chocolate, or it’s 100% white chocolate. There’s nothing in between on this one, it’s either black or white. But that’s up to you.
* Note – if you are delivering the chocolate to a Metal element person, arriving anything but on time or early will result in a drastic decrease in the taste of the chocolate for your recipient. Trust me.
Water
The Water person. They’re your truth seekers, your dreamers, your poets and your gurus. Spiritual by their very nature, easy to get along with and comfortable in their rhythmically moving skin, Water element people are also the stars of any reality television detective show. They’re seeking makes them natural sleuths.
Do you have a friend that can laugh and joke with a group of CEO’s at the company Christmas party as comfortably as they can with the cleanup crew? Their natural flow is why we picked creme or liquid filled chocolate to be their chocolate of choice. When they bite into it and feel the liquid filled center escape in their mouths, they will thank you from the bottom of their kidney’s and heart.
Wood
The Wood element is one that’s near and dear to my heart, I have something of a personal perspective on the element. I might use some terms in this paragraph, such as, “awesome”, “superior”, “super duper”, “correct, all of the time”. Words like that. Don’t let it ruffle your feathers.
Wood element people are your builders, your leaders and your entrepreneurs. They are your NBA basketball players, and both motivational expert Tony Robbins himself as well the vast majority of his circle of friends and clients.
Quick to anger though, this element’s persona needs a soothing, cooling bite and so we’ve chosen a delicious Thin Mint. This will hopefully (probably not) humble our Wood element friends, as well as cool them off a bit. It’s not easy being awesome after all.
Hug your Wood element friend, too. They won’t admit it, but they’ll secretly appreciate it.
Soothe your body and soul with herbal chocolates from ChocolaTao.
Traver H. Boehm, LAc, is a graduate of Yo-San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and in practice with his fiancé in Santa Barbara, California. Boehm is also the co-owner of CrossFit Pacific Coast as well as ChocolaTao Remedies as well as a prolific writer and speaker on the subject of fitness, health and wellness. www.traverboehm.com
Featured image adapted from the photograph “truffles 02” by James Yu, available under a Creative Commons license.
In-post image “chocolate bar samples” by Robyn Lee, available under a Creative Commons license.