By Liza Chernobay, Features Editor
Illustration by: Sylvain Chan
‘Hot Chocolate for Adults’ could very well be the title of a naughty cabaret show or an awkward attempt at re-conceptualising ‘boozy hot chocolate’ on a café menu. But this article is neither about cabarets nor about adding brandy to an otherwise demure drink. Rather, it is a mini-guide to embracing your inner child through the ritual of making hot chocolate. Call it a meditation by means of thoughtful indulgence.
Every corner of LSE campus seems to advertise the act of growing up before most of us are ready for it. Get an internship, convert it into a job, move out with your flatmates, get jolly at Carol… While these life projects are central to the student experience, and some are indeed crucial for future stability, sometimes I feel like my right to be a twenty-something-human-in-the-process-of-exploring-the-world has been stolen away from me. Can one truly appreciate the colours of nature, enjoy the flavours of a home-cooked meal, experience the butterflies of falling in love, you name it – if these sensations are being clouded by the burdens of the grown-up things we ‘have to’ do to avoid the feeling of somehow failing in life?
As I approach the end of my undergraduate degree, I realise that sadly, we can’t reverse societal expectations overnight. After all, each of us will have to become an adult one day: get a job, learn to budget, and pay the bills. In fact, many of us are doing these things already. Yet, it is crucial to relieve this pressure every now and then: to let ourselves feel like carefree kids again and indulge in the sensations of being in the world, without worrying about convincing your landlord to pay for fixing yet another broken thing in your student flat.
So this brings me to hot chocolate. It’s usually regarded as a children’s drink, perhaps because it’s sweet and untainted by alcohol or caffeine. You can also add marshmallows or cream on top, which makes it even more fun! Crucially, most of us would associate hot chocolate with buoyant childhood memories – which is the main point of this meditation. By tuning in to your senses and inviting playfulness into your life, it becomes easier to see what truly matters.
So here is what you need to do:
1. Slip on a snuggly knit jumper, and feel the fibres gently tickling your skin.
2. Prepare your hot chocolate (I like adding warm spices, like ginger and cinnamon), and pour it into your cosiest mug.
3. Make yourself cozy on a sofa or bed, surrounded by blankets and cushions.
4. Lift the mug to your nose, and inhale the sweet-nutty scent of chocolate and spices. Let the aromas disperse throughout your body, and imagine tasting the sweet fluid inside your mug. Exhale.
5. Be still for a moment, tuning into your senses. Imagine your younger self holding this mug of hot chocolate: how would they feel at this moment in time? What would they want to tell you?
6. Finally, take the first sip. Let the warmth fill your body with a sense of play, relief, and child-like joy!
