Why isn't chocolate considered a vegetable since chocolate comes from cocoa beans and beans are vegetables?

In response to last week's question, “Why isn't chocolate considered a vegetable since chocolate comes from cocoa beans and beans are vegetables?”, this must have been a redundant question since my sailing buddy Scott had what was the common answer, “It isn’t considered a vegetable? Uh oh… “ Similarly, my doctor friend Joel wrote, “I didn't know chocolate wasn't a vegetable. Isn’t ketchup a fruit?” And my dad’s beach buddy Bob asked, “You mean I shouldn't have 5 servings a day?”

My running friend Tony realized that chocolate manufacturers don’t want it to be a vegetable because “no one would eat chocolate since veggies are good for you!” My friend Tracey agreed, “No mother at the dinner table ever said, ‘No dessert until you've eaten ALL of your chocolate.’ Instead, chocolate is in a class all by itself.” My ‘on the road again’ neighbor, Matt the Builder, agreed, “Chocolate is a major food group. End of discussion.”

With that understanding, my friend Cheryl, who hopes to contribute more often, shared this advice: Eat a balanced diet from the 4 basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and cocoa.” My dog rescuing friend David added, “Since Peanuts are considered in the meat group, is a Reese’s Cup a “meat and vegetable?”

“During your childhood, mothers told their young sons to “Eat your vegetables; it will put hair on your chest,” explained my bicycling dentist friend Ted. “Therefore, logic would dictate that a vegetable is any naturally grown substance that adds hair to the chest. Since women adore and consume chocolate far more than the male species, and they do not display any pectoral hirsutism, the cocoa bean cannot possibly be a vegetable. This definition was drawn strictly by females, and as we established last week, there is just no good way to argue with a woman!”

Please share your thoughts about “things that make you go ‘Hmmm’ “:

When French people swear, do they say pardon my English?

Live well…..laugh often….be happy…have a good week.

Hal

PS: My dog rescuing friend David added, “In the 16^th century, cocoa beans were used as money, therefore money did grow on trees. And chocolate is a unique vegetable: the only one that its fat is solid at room temperature.”

ADDITIONAL thoughts to last week’s question about arguing with woman: My favorite vet Max wrote, “If she likes it, you love it!” And my Melges 24 skipper Tony offered this advice, “The smart guys let the woman win the argument. The trick is to pre-engineer the discussion so that what they argue for turns out to be what you really want. To achieve this takes planning and some intellectual development / practice for most of us.”