Too Much Chocolate.

Says who?

Chocolate has always been my favourite flavour. Of course I like to be adventurous, so I always try out different flavours, but if all else fails, I always go back to chocolate (#loyal), and I can never get tired of it.

Okay, maybe that's a lie. Well no, not the part about liking chocolate, but about never getting tired of it. See, people tend to say things they don't really feel–it's like using the brain but not really speaking from the heart. Yes, I love chocolate, but there are times when it's simply just too much. I clearly remember that one time I got so sick of chocolate because I had too much, and my whole body just felt so dense, heavy-weighted, and simply very sugar-ie it sent chills down my spine.

In 2014, when I was in Montréal for the John Molson Sports Marketing Conference, my friends and I had some time to spare, so we decided to explore around the city. We googled, and noticed excellent reviews on this café called Juliette et Chocolat. So we went, and being as excited as I could be as a chocolate-lover, we looked through the menu quickly, and the waiter took our order. Four of us shared two chocolate fondue plates, and I, of course, ordered an extra cup of their famous hot chocolate (which was about $5-$6).

Our order came and we started gulping down everything so quickly because it was simply mouthwatering and delicious. Although my hot chocolate came in a moderate-sized mug, it was more than enough. It was melted out of pure chocolate, and the taste was simply the richest you and I can ever taste.

And that was the problem.

The fondue came first before the hot chocolate. And the fondue was of course the "main", and so I thought to consume that before drinking the hot chocolate. Waffles, marshmellows, brownies, fresh fruits, and a bowl of chocolate for dipping (i.e. the fondue); it was a pretty big plate, and by the time we got to the end, we were full (Note: this was after a scrumptious dinner at a diner down the street). I thought I was happy until I turned and realized I still have that mug of hot chocolate to drink.

If we didn't have dinner, I would have been fine, but I was 90, close to 100% full at that moment. As an individual who doesn't fancy leftovers, I tried as hard as I could to finish it – but I couldn't. No one else had space in their little tummy for my leftover hot chocolate, so in the end I had to ask as a takeaway.

That night later my post-purchase dissonance kicked in. In Chapter 7: Attitude, this was described as "situations where the consumer has a choice between more than one favourable alternative, or when they find a purchase costly." In this case, it was how costly that hot chocolate was. When I asked for the takeaway, I figured I could just finish it when I get back to the hotel, and after a few hours of digestion. But the night got really late, and I ended up leaving the cup on the counter. The next day I woke up, and the hot chocolate was already room-temperature chocolate, and the liquid simply became cloudy and chunky and didn't look as tempting as it did. And there goes that full cup of hot chocolate into the trash can.

I had felt the dissonance because i) it was pretty pricey, relative to other hot chocolate I've ever had (but I understood this was pure chocolate), ii) it didn't come in big volume, and most importantly, iii) i barely drank any of it and had to throw it out. It was then I told myself that no matter how much I love certain food, less is more. And that's because I will be able to crave for it more in the future.

This year I was lucky to have visited a newly opened café called Cacao 70 in Ottawa twice. As soon as I stepped into the place, the whole Juliette et Chocolat experience came back into my mind. Fortunately, I learned from my lesson, and ordered a just-right amount, and I left with a heart full of chocolate happiness. Clearly, a post purchase dissonance leaves not only a memory to remember, but also serves as an attitude change catalyst in future consumption and/or purchases.

Sources:

Solomon, M., White, K., and Darren Dahl. Consumer Behaviour: Buying, Having, and Being, Sixth Canadian Edition. US: Pearson Canada, 2013.

#chocolate #cacao70 #fondue #postpurchasedissonance #food #chapter7