You see, I’m in a lot of truffle. When it comes to chocolate and vanilla, I can never decide. Do I want to enjoy the subtle sweetness of vanilla, or the deep rich tones of chocolate? I’m sure all of you can see my problem. It’s a question I can never quite answer, regardless of the strife that it causes me.
Years of going to Mack’s Apples or Bricks and staring at the menu for what feels like forever knowing no matter what I pick, I’ll still second guess my choice. Whenever I pick chocolate, it’s too rich, and when I pick vanilla, it’s too subtle to the point where I can barely taste it. So I decided to put that question out to our readers to finally answer this question: chocolate or vanilla?
“As common as vanilla is, it is such a basic flavor,” junior Grace Houston said. “Whenever I must choke down anything vanilla-flavored, I die inside because of how non-exciting and useless it is. On the other hand, chocolate has a distinct flavor that is unmatched by any other, including vanilla.” I can totally agree with that. If you want something with a rich flavor, vanilla can’t really match that. Vanilla’s strength lies in its subtlety. Depending on the product, it can be a hit or miss. Vanilla is a very unforgiving flavor and it’s very easy to make vanilla come across as bland to its detriment. However, Senior Genieve Greene disagrees.
When it comes to sweets, I have always been partial to vanilla. It has a softer taste” Greene said. “Chocolate is a little too rich for my liking.”
For many the robust taste of chocolate is a little too much. Someone may want to just be able to enjoy a lighter treat. The natural subtlety of vanilla when done wrong can be a big detractor, but is also its greatest strength when done right.
When you sit down to eat a chocolate cake, its deep flavor is often extremely filling and doesn’t leave room for much more. A lighter vanilla cake is great for parties or gatherings. Normally, chocolate has such a strong flavor that makes it hard to pair with other things. Vanilla can be used as a complement to many other things like vanilla scones and tea, or vanilla macarons with a darker coffee. Or of course, my all time favorite and constant obsession, vanilla chai tea lattes. Fortunately for me, I’m not the only one torn between these two sides.
“I can’t choose,” junior Sayde White said. “I get the swirl sometimes for soft serve cause I can’t choose.”
White brings up a very solid point. Vanilla makes an amazing compliment to chocolate. For many poor souls suffering from indecisiveness, there is always the third option. Both! Why pick when you can have the benefits of both in one great dessert?
Of course, as is often the case in life, the middle ground is often stamped out by the stronger voices on each of the opposing sides and the twist option is often forgotten and sometimes isn’t even an option.
Deciding between chocolate and vanilla, or just getting both, can be a long and arduous process that will never quite have a happy ending. I beg to differ. No matter which side you fall on, you’re still getting to enjoy something sweet. If it’s chocolate or vanilla or both, you’re still getting to enjoy a sweet dessert and should as always appreciate both sides. They each have their unique benefits and we should enjoy the small differences for what they are.
