With Saint Valentine's Day around the corner, I thought we'd explore chocolate because every supermarket and pharmacy I go to these days has boxes of chocolates on display, front and center. Do you like chocolate? Silly question: who doesn't?

In today's short episode, I'll share a brief history of chocolate (what it is and its origins), then we'll explore whether it's good for us and if it's an aphrodisiac, and finally, we'll wrap up by looking at the ugly side of the chocolate business.

Along the way, you'll hear a fair number of idiomatic expressions, some advanced vocabulary, and a conscious effort on my part to stress certain words for effect. Take note of all this as part of your listening practice, and think about why I chose to emphasize these words.

Here are some of the links I mention in the episode:

History of chocolate - Wikipedia.

The history of chocolate video: https://youtu.be/ibjUpk9Iagk?si=iOvj7zk5XvswGbXE

How chocolate is made: https://youtu.be/7XaTay21-Ag?si=txl-keUgWV0_U0Wl

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The Hear We Go podcast community is free until February 26th, so don't miss your chance to see what it's all about. I have great extra materials to accompany each podcast episode to help you and your students explore the language and practice listening in a meaningful way. The transcript is colour-coded to draw your attention to all kinds of useful language.

Finally, give a listen to Amos the Transparent, the band that provides my theme music. They're a talented group.

Thanks for listening!

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