溶解 rong jie

English: to dissolve

dis·solve

1a: to cause to disperse or disappear

“If a substance dissolves in liquid, or if you dissolve a substance, it mixes with the liquid, becoming weaker until it finally disappears.”

My friend threw a Christmas party that was nearly undone by awful hot chocolate. He was confused and angry. “I don’t get it, this is HIGH GRADE hot cocoa, why does it taste so bad!?”

His guests were salty, the mood was dour. All the holiday cheer was spilling out into the cold night air, like a drafty door left wide open.

We rarely allow ourselves to admit how fragile Christmastime is, with the fate of family, western religion and capitalism all hanging in the balance. Any imperfections in the system can bring the whole thing crashing down. So yes, great hot chocolate does matter and we brew it carelessly at our own peril.

***

Now, not everywhere is like here though. In some places of the world Christmas is just a day, or really not a day at all. It’s like that random Tuesday in March when everything is over, yet nothing has rushed in to fill the empty space. It’s a dreary day, a dull day, a day to forget.

It was on this day several years ago, that I walked the floor of Santa’s workshop, or as you might call it – a factory in China. The elves were working away at their 12-hour shifts making toys for all the good boys and girls of Europe and America. Well truthfully, they weren’t making toys, but rather customized packaging for the toys. However, do not belittle the importance of packaging and its potential impact on the greatest of all holidays. Packaging matters a lot! For Christmas presents are a lot like selfies – more than half the battle is presentation.

‘But get to the point!’ you say. ‘I’m not reading this stupid blog to hear you pontificate on the meaning of Christmas. Are you going to teach me how to make a great hot chocolate or not!?’

Fair enough friend. Well in case you read no further here is how to make one. First let’s start with the wrong way to do it.

Now that I’ve given you what you came for, allow me to return briefly to the topic of packaging and the fragility of the holidays. For these packages we were making were no ordinary packages. Oh no, not some sleezy plastic bag or molting brown box. No, these were premium pieces, biodegradable and dyed bright orange and blue.

And it was a very miserable Christmas because tiny black dots kept showing up on the side of the packages. That’s because powered dye and powdered chocolate share many similarities. Like cocoa, the dye wasn’t fully dissolving into the mix. It would bunch up into disgusting dried balls and burn on the mold. Those blemished pieces, obviously, couldn’t be sold in stores for people wanted a clean look to the packaging they would toss out later than day.

So, we threw out product like it was incriminating evidence. Nearly a million dollars’ worth of precious hard work was thrown into the trash. The workers were all salty, the mood was dour. And all the holiday cheer (as well as everyone’s bonuses) was spilling out into the cold night air, like a drafty door left wide open.

You might think that’s wasteful, but you don’t understand Christmas. (or hot chocolate)

The key to Christmas is dissolution. You’ve got to throw it all into a small container – the elves, Santa’s workshop, the toys, the defects, the dyes and the dots, the powder and the packaging. You’ve got to mix it all around until it disperses and disappears. Let the flavor become smooth and sweet, otherwise the whole façade starts to breakdown. You’ll see the dye in the dots, the powder in the cocoa. You’ll notice that Christmas is a dreary day, a dull day, a day to forget

And so, to all who celebrate, remember: it doesn’t matter whether you’re mass producing unnaturally dyed natural packaging or a jumbo thermos of rich hot chocolate for a party. One poorly placed defect can send reverberating shockwaves through the system and put us all at risk. Will we make it through another year or will our way of life be utterly destroyed? During such a crucial time as this, the tiniest of imperfections can cause the greatest damage to Christmas.

Don’t let bad hot chocolate ruin your holiday season guys. Remember, mix the cocoa powder into a smaller solution, let it totally dissolve, THEN add it to the larger container. Hopefully this million-dollar mistake helps you make a great hot chocolate this year.

溶解 (How to Make a Great Hot Chocolate)