New Orleans, chocolate city

I have been thinking about New Orleans Mayor Nagin's comments on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. He said New Orleans should be rebuilt as a “chocolate” city. Like most of America, I was astounded and shocked at his statement, until I actually thought about it on a deeper level. Then I decided that I agree with Mayor Nagin, or with what I'm sure he wishes he had meant during that speech.

First of all, chocolate is a substance known for its diversity. On the shelves of any drug store, convenience store or specialty confectioner's shop you can find chocolate in many colors, shapes, textures and sizes. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate and swirled combinations of those mentioned. Bars, blocks, hearts, eggs, bunnies, pellets, cups, and balls. Chocolate can be consumed as a beverage, savored as a frozen treat or drizzled on whatever you please. Chocolate is made in countries all over the world, each creation with its own special claim to uniqueness and decadence. To claim a city as a “chocolate” city must mean it is a place of varied peoples, talents and cultures. That anyone would be welcome there, and that every class, color and flavor would enrich the city's cultural and physical landscape.

Secondly, chocolate is a delicacy that is known as a “comfort” food. It is something people crave and demand on a regular basis to make them happy. Chocolate contains caffeine, which is a stimulant- energizing body and mind. It is a pick-me-up on a bad day. Some people consume chocolate every day, almost as a daily ritual, like drinking coffee. To say a city is a “chocolate city” would imply that people come for miles to get their fill. That people crave the city and find themselves energized by its many and varied offerings; art, entertainment, music, food, history,architecture. It would mean a city that when you leave, you immediately think of the next time you'll be able to visit again.

Third, chocolate is a language of love. What do lovers traditionally bring their sweethearts on Valentine's Day or on an anniversary? A box of chocolates. Pick any holiday and chocolate is an appropriate and meaningful gift that says, “ I love you.” Chocolate is purely sensual, a melting pleasure of smooth creaminess on your tongue. It is dark and lovely, speeding up your heart rate and making you close your eyes with delight. It is white and tantalizingly sweet, a precious commodity that demands delicacy lest it overwhelm you with it's flavor. To describe a city as a “chocolate” city makes me think of a place where love is a rule. Where Desire is a street that people walk down and find the face of love, not the end of a gun. A city whose people reach down and lift up their brothers and sisters and find the greatest pleasure there, where pride ends and charity begins.

Perhaps Mayor Nagin is an idealist, without even realizing it. And I know that New Orleans can be rebuilt, is being rebuilt. All of us watching from the outside or those lending a hand should dispense with the cynicism and hope and work for a revitalized city, a “chocolate” city as we redefine the term. Keep in mind that chocolate is messy. You can't handle it long without getting your hands sticky. But we can work together in New Orleans and in all of our cities to create places we can savor. Cities whose flavor is unique and enticing, and whose self-effacing love binds up all wounds.