“Settling down may not seem as adventurous and exciting as moving around and changing directions, but entering and discovering the world of chocolate actually was.”
—Thierry Detournay
Almost every living person on the earth loves chocolate. The mix and match of sweetness and bitterness linger over the tip of your tongue with the cocoa aroma spreading out and filling your taste buds; who does not love it? In Indonesia, with the amount of cocoa production, it is common knowledge that chocolate has been a part of our journey. A long time ago, there was still no chocolate that tasted as tasty as it is now. Therefore, in 2005, a foreigner named Thierry Detournay decided to create delicious chocolates for the Indonesians.
Thierry Detournay is a Belgian who has moved to Indonesia since 2001. He is a founder of Chocolate Monggo, one of the pioneers of homemade chocolate in Yogyakarta. Disappointed with the poor quality of the chocolate he found in Indonesia, Thierry decided to take action by making some chocolate specialties from his home country. In Chocoladventure book, he recalls his struggle days and the glory times of making the best chocolate in Indonesia.
Chocoladventure narrates the history of chocolate in Indonesia and the journey of Thierry Detournay. It has 179 pages in total and comes out with an Indonesian and English versions. Although Chocoladventure is considered a historical book, it is not the same as the stereotypical historical book. Hence, there are some good points that I would like to point out about Chocoladventure.
Visually Appealing
The very first thing that the reader would catch sight of is the enticing cover. It is not unadorned as the usual historical book with a boring cover—there are sneak peeks of various high-quality photographs from inside the storybook.
While the usual history books are mostly composed with overflowing narration, Chocoladventure tucks some high-resolution pictures. Thus, the reader will likely savor the book without getting tired of the story. Collaborating with professional photographers, the aesthetically pleasing photographs have been added to enlivening the book. Included in it are tempting pictures of chocolate and people posing with chocolate.
Well-Written Storyline and Useful Information
The more I flipped the book page by page, the more I was impressed by the entertaining stories of Thierry’s adventure in Yogyakarta as a newcomer until he became a renowned chocolate artisan in Indonesia. The story is narrated with simple explanations and dialogues. Therefore, the readers could feel like they really witnessed the actual events.
Out of 9 sections in Chocoladventure, my favorite one is the comic story of the founder which recounts Thierry's first encounter with Indonesia. It includes the reason why he decided to be a chocolatier and entrepreneur instead of a zoologist after he chose Indonesia as his dwelling place to start 'a new life', and how a simple truffle made by Thierry became the thing that made him started Chocolate Monggo.
Not only the book serves all about Chocolate Monggo, but stories of chocolate from the experts are also written in it. Starting from the process of making chocolate, some thoughts about chocolate in Indonesia, and slightly crucial information on chocolate consumption. On the whole, the way the entire editor team enjoyably presents the story makes the reader not feel like they are reading a historical book.
Looking through every chapter in Chocoladventure, I would say that I had so much fun reading this book! Although it is supposed to be history-packed, Chocoladventure does not present a dull storyline and makes the readers feel like they are also part of the journey. As far as I can tell, it is an all-around book. The reader will not only get to learn about chocolate, but it also helps to broaden their vocabulary, especially when they decide to pick the English version. With particular advantages within the book, it never hurts for you to read Chocoladventure as well!
Do not hesitate to have a bar of chocolate to start your great day, peers!
Writer: Putri Hanin
Editor: Wahyuningtyas
Comments
Post a Comment