Day 1: Free Lunch! (and a story about Triolade)

Today I had a free Panera lunch. I attended a professional meeting, learned about one attorney's successful case management, and took only half a cookie. I even passed up a Starbucks opportunity. Money spent today? $0

And now, a funny story about my adventure with Milka Triolade Chocolate.



I first became acquainted with Triolade while on the ferry from Dover, England to Calais, France. The kid and his girlfriend had gone shopping in the boat's store and purchased some mysterious chocolate in a purple wrapper.

It was unbelievable. A base of milk chocolate, with a white chocolate layer and topped with a triangle of darker milk chocolate. I had quite a few shares of that bar, and assumed I would purchase some during my travels.

But the mystery bars were nowhere to be found! Yes, Milka bars abounded... but no Triolade! Well, maybe not France... but Switzerland, surely. The land of chocolate, right? Apparently not. So I put our entire bus of teenagers on the lookout for my chocolate triolade bar... then finally, in a small grocery store in Seefeld, Austria, did I find a stash. Between there are the Duty Free gift shop in the Frankfurt airport, I have enough to last me throughout the rest of the year.

Husband and I discussed what the secret ingredient might be. Alpine milk, the package said... what makes a good alpine milk? Cows fed from mountain streams? Maybe its actually goat milk... or maybe...

Maybe it's cat milk.

Yes, we decided that must be it. The alpine cats produce this fabulous chocolate, and the purple cow on the package is to fool Americans. Post to this message and I'll share some of my precious Triolade with you!