12 Jun 2011

CHOCOLATE AND JOKES - THESE ARE TWO OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS.


Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

So sang Maria in that wonderful film The Sound Of Music.

Well I don't know about any of the above being my favourite things but I do know two that are .......

Chocolate and jokes.

And with regards to chocolate, its official chocolate desert is good for you. Well, when I say good for you research has shown that it makes you brainier.

Not just one but two studies have shown that polyphenols in chocolate (and red wine) increase the blood flow and oxygen to the brain which could boost its power, especially in 43 year-olds the elderly.

And for those of you who like both chocolate and wine its even better news as the researchers believe taking them together could be even more effective.

As for jokes ...........

Believe it or not I'm not a good joke teller in that I often get to the punch-line and can't for the life of me think what it is. Then of course there's the fact that I'm not always that quick on the up-take and often, much to the amusement of Husband dearest, only get the joke and start chuckling some minutes after everyone else has finished laughing OR worse again, don't get the joke at all so that Hd has to spend so much time explaining it by which time it isn't funny any more.

Anyway, I'm sure that many of you will have heard the expression 'it's how I tell 'em'.

Wellllllll, research has shown that its not actually how you tell them so much as who tells them.

Yes, researchers have found that how funny people perceive a joke to be depends on the person who is telling it and not the quality of the material - which just goes to show why you all love my jokes no matter how bad they are.

Sources: Richard Alleyne, The Telegraph (May 2011)  READ FULL CHOCOLATE ARTICLE.  READ FULL JOKE ARTICLE.

Oh and going back to chocolate .......

Thanks to chef Thierry Marx, its now possible to enjoy chocolate without putting on weight. Working with Havard professor David Edwards he has created Le Whif  (I think I have mentioned their 'breathable coffee before) - a spray that allows you to suck in the taste, but only has one calorie. It costs £1.99 and comes in 3 flavours - plain, raspberry and mint. Click HERE for more information.

17 comments:

Dorte H said...

We definitely love your jokes :)

The Bookworm said...

Chocolate and jokes and two of my favorite things too :)

Su said...

I'm with you on the chocolate and jokes! And your joke-telling makes me chuckle, b/c my hubby is the same way! ;)

Betty Manousos said...

visiting in a while...

b xx

Monalisa said...

chocolates and jokes are my favorite too.

My Gallery of Worlds said...

I can not tell a joke to save my life...but I do enjoy hearing a good one :D As for chocolate and wine...if it's for my health...I guess I *have* do do it...lol

Kelly said...

I prefer jokes to chocolate (though I do enjoy chocolate!) and have trouble telling them myself. I like lots of humor and I know we share similar tastes in much of it. (puns and silly jokes anyone??)

Go back and look at the recipe I posted on Friday. It was vegetarian for a change!

Carol said...

Well I love the way you type them (the jokes)!

I must remember to take wine with my choc in future :)

carol

NRIGirl said...

Interesting...

Suko said...

Your posts are often very funny, Petty! You frequently present international humorous human antics. As for chocolate and jokes, they are two of my favorite things as well.

Betty Manousos said...

great jokes! chocolates and jokes definitely are my favourite things, too!

betty xx

Valerie said...

I just borrowed a book from the library, "Cinch!" by Cynthia Sass and I guess it is a diet/nutrition book. The real reason I checked it out is because a couple recipes caught my eye and I wanted to copy them. But, in this book,she includes dark chocolate as part of the diet. So I need to find out her logic behind why! :-)

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

Chocolate and Jokes, FTW! :)

Jenners said...

You'd think with all the chocolate I eat, I would be a genius by now. Maybe it is just helping me to hold on!!!

And I'm a horrible joke teller for the same reason. I often forget the punchline. Or I'll mix up the order of things and tell the punch line too early and have to back track. It is horrific really. We have a lot in common.

R. Ramesh said...

hey cute post i almost missed seeing this..cheers

Misha said...

Chocolates and jokes are my favorites as well! :)

raji said...

hm....so chocolates have some fascinating facts.well even i love chocos.