A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Chocolate Shooter

By Raul Dias

It’s a bone-numbingly chilly day in Antwerp, Belgium and there’s a palpable sense of nervousness and apprehension building up in the room. All this, as a bunch of us line up for our first…well, line! My feeble protests that it’s my very first time ‘shooting up’ fall on deaf ears. My initiator into the world of ‘nasal pleasure’ pays no attention to my agitated state of mind and thrusts the tiny plexiglass apparatus in front of my reluctant nose.
On his count of “three”, I hear the gentle vibrating sound of a released spring. “Sniff!” I’m told, and I do just that, albeit hesitatingly. The bitter-smelling powder travels up my nasal canal, invading secret olfactory places hitherto unconquered. Suddenly, my palate is exploding with the multitude of sensations and flavours dancing on it. I can taste cocoa, vanilla and ginger at the back of my throat. Separately at first, and then all at the same time. My initiation is complete…
Now, before you begin to get any ideas about my rather graphic debut experiment of ‘snorting up’ as it were, let me set the record straight. I was merely indulging in the coolest chocolate sensation to invade Belgium, the chocolate capital of the world—The Chocolate Shooter at the famous chocolate shop The Chocolate Line by master chocolatiere Dominique Persoone.
Apparently, this tiny spring-triggered contraption is what one uses to snort up powdered flavoured cocoa for the ultimate theobromine-induced high. All this, thanks to recent research that has shown us how important our nose is when tasting food. Hence, the guys at this Belgian chocolate institution came up with the idea of allowing it to enjoy a chocolate ‘tasting’ of its own. And according to them, sniffing cocoa with raspberry or ginger and mint will help enhance the pleasure of the chocolate experience.
And there couldn’t have been a more apt and opportune time to launch this bizarre, yet innovative contraption than a few years ago at the birthday celebrations of one of the most notorious rock bands—The Rolling Stones! At first, only available to try and buy at the store’s Antwerp and Bruges branches, The Chocolate Shooter can now be bought online as well.

(This column first appeared in the 10th June 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/chocolate-shooter/article24125692.ece)