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 From hot chocolate to churros, winter warmth comes in many tantalizing forms.
I thought we’d made it. A month in America and we hadn’t succumbed to the worst of dietary infatuations. We’d avoided upsizing, aerosol EZ Cheeze and Suddenly Salad (yes, it exists). We’d negotiated the land of choices with mute awe, which worked quite well. Our only real culinary demon had been answering in the affirmative every time we were offered ranch dressing, which was often. I’d also quickly adopted the American habit of spending every waking moment with a beverage within reach. They make it easy over there – even baby seats have cup holders. I’d survived a month on a constant drip of Cherry Dr Pepper, the kind with real sugar, whilst Partner abstained from all manner of sugary temptations. We’d made it all the way to JFK before Partner’s blood sugar levels finally crashed. The only thing for it was a Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino Blended Coffee from Starbucks. At over 1500 kilojoules of fat and sugar, it did the trick. Newly charged, she struck up a conversation with airport security. It was clearly time to leave. It’s easy to overlook the extra kilojoules that sneak into our daily intake through beverages. In winter it’s even more of a hazard. Drinks that really warm you up are often high in sugar and fat, hence their wonderfully warming properties. According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 20 per cent of the calories in the average western diet are derived from drinks. Having extra cups of tea with milk and sugar or doubling your coffee intake is easy to do when it’s cold. They are a common hazard. Add to that the other enticing perils of the season, and you really have to watch your choices. Hot chocolate is a seductive winter vixen. This stuff comes with a sliding kilojoule scale, and this warning: stick to one good cup. If you’re going to take a little tumble, don’t do what Partner did. Make sure your tumble really means something. I don’t know which came first, the churro or the chocolate, but together they form a perfect epicurean marriage. Churros are Spanish doughnuts that, at their best, are light and crunchy, a little soft in the middle and still hot. Served with hot chocolate so thick you could stand one of these long pastries straight up in it. In Spain this is typical breakfast food, and it’s quite the sugar rush to kick-start the day. A good place to get a feel for this cold weather temptation is San Churro, a franchise that has 12 outlets dotted all over Melbourne. Commuters through Flinders Street Station will be familiar with the irresistible doughnut smell wafting from Choco Churro. If you crave a little more authenticity, get one at Movida in Hosier Lane. Then you can drown in an ocean of high sucrose guilt. Just like Partner did after her Starbucks. After that, follow her example and spend a week taking laxatives, herbal teas and two Body Pump classes a day. Ah, winter.
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