In music, the Italian term "da-capo" means "again, from the begining." It is often found in the aria within an opera. Fazer, a Finnish chocolate company, has been manufacturing a little , yellow wrapped, dark chocolate bar 'Da-Capo', since 1916.

Da-Capo has been my favourite since childhood. It was my treat of choice, even during the era when mix and match assorted candy became popular. If I couldn't have that chocolate, I prefered to be without candy and wait until Christmas or my birthday, when I was sure to be given some.

Could Da-Capo's commercial success be due to its alcohol content? The ingredient label reads that it contains both rum and maraschino. By law, a product containing alcohol percentage one can only conclude that any alcohol from the rum or maraschino is cooked off during production, leaving just the aromas, in the same way as vanilla or salt. Where all the 90 calories of such a small 20 grs piece of chocolate actually comes from, is puzzling. That said the pleasure of eating it is even bigger than the colorie count.

This wonderful chocolate made headlines today, for its intoxicating effect. You can't drive a car when you're drunk, can you? You should't go to work while under the influence either, right? It makes me wonder then: has Fazer's Da-Capo chocolate bar made me a closet drinker? Actual alcoholic drinks are of little appeal to me, but I can't live without Da-Capo! I confess to you that I have been driving with Da-Capo in my mouth. Should I  be punished? Should my license be taken away and torn into pieces? I don't think so. After all, it's not the license that does the driving, it just grants the driver permission to do so.

I keep chocolates locked up in a large cabinet that can only be opened by turned key. On the lower shelf of the cabinet are liquor bottles that haven't been touched for years, some even for over a decade. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were spoiled. But chocolate on the other hand, especially Da-capo, spends only a brief moment on the upper shelf. Sometimes they don't even make it into the cabinet.

Architect and designer, Yrjö Wiherheimo, designed a small 'Da-capo' -chair in 2008. It's not my style. I wouldn't want to sit in it while eating Fazer's Da-Capo. I prefer to enjoy chocolate Da-Capo with an aria from some opera playing in the background. What a great name, "again, from the beginning". 

Eilen oli sana kiirinyt, että 'Suomi-täti' on tullut kotiin. Päättelin tämän siitä, että summerini soi illalla poikkeavan  moneen kertaan !

Olisin ollut pulassa ja tuottanut pienille, hyvin 'pelottaville' olennoille suuren pettymyksen, jos kaapistani ei olisi löytynyt mitään makeaa tai yhtään karkkia. Onneksi on aina jotain. On eri pinot mistä popsin ja mitä 'hieman' säästelen yllättävien tilanteiden varalle. Nyt oli yllättävä tilanne. Ilo ja riemu loisti itsetehtyjen naamareiden takaa, jotka poistettiin hetkeksi kohteliaisuudesta ! Muutamat olivat opetelleet sanomaan suomeksi 'Kiitos paljon!". On ihanaa katsoa, kun pienestä makeisesta syntyy noin suuri ilo.

Iloinen on nami-hiirikin pitkän aikaa. Ei kukaan kysynyt tumman suklaan perään. Ei kukaan pienistä haamuista tai luurankomiehistä kurkistanut kaappiini, josko sieltä löytyisi hieman tasokkaampaa, ehkä oikein mitalein palkittua suklaata tai makeisia. Kukaan ei edes moittinut makeisten erilaista kokoa. Kaappini on siitä ihmeellinen, että siellä on kyllä paljon makeisia, mutta montaa samanlaista on turha etsiä 'yllättävissä' tilanteissa. Sitä varten on tehtävä erityinen inventaario ja täydennys. En ollut mitenkään Halloweenia unohtanut - se olisi ollut jopa täysin mahdotontakin menneinä viikkoina. Mutta olin useamman viikon pois kotoa. - Onneksi tuossa iässä, esikouluissa ja koulujen alemmilla luokilla olevat kelpuuttavat kaiken mikä on makeaa. Se, jos mikä tuntuu mukavalta. Kaikki makeiset ovat minustakin hyviä, paitsi........

Luonnollisesti on makuasia mistä pitää erityisesti ja mitä syö, vaikkei ihan tykkäisikään. Kukaan ei  tarjoa minulle esimerkiksi salmiakkia !

Ja ne viimeisetkään illan pienet hämähäkkiset vierailijat - kaksi pikku-poikaa - eivät olleet pahoillaan, vaikka jäljelle oli jäänyt vain tyttöjen Hello Kitty -tikkareita. Silmät iloisesti loistaen 'kiitos ja syvä kumarrus' irtosivat aivan yhtä helposti, kuin aiemmin vierailleiltakin ! Rapussa kaikui iloisia vihellyksiä, poikien astellessa kipin kapin kotiin.

Ghosts ringing the Doorbell ! 

Yesterday word got around that 'the Finnish aunt' had come back home. I could tell because my doorbell rang with unusual frequency this evening.

I would have been in trouble and caused the "very scary" small beings, a great disappontment, if I would have not found anything sweet or any candy in my cabinet. Luckily there is always something. There are separate piles from where I nibble, and a special "little" stash that I save for special occasions. Now it was a special occasion. Happiness and joy beamed from behind the self-made masks, which out of courtesy, were momentarily removed. Some of the kids had learned how to say in Finnish, "Kiitos paljon" (Thank you very much). It's wonderful to see how such a small candy can bring such great pleasure. Nami-hiiri was also happy for a long time.

Nobody was after the dark chocolate. None of the small ghosts or skeleton kids peaked into my special cabinet to see if there were perhaps slighly classier candies or gold-metal winning chocolates. Nobody complained about the differet sizes of the candies.

My cabinet is wonderful because there are many candies, and no two are alike. There is always something there for an unexpected situation. And for that I have to make a special inventory to refill the cabinet. I didn't intentionally forget Halloween - it would have been comletely impossible given the amount of the med decoration around town - but I was away for a few weeks from home. Luckily, children that age seem to accept anything that is sweet. That, if anything, feels nice. I myself accept all candies too, except....

Naturally, it's a matter of taste, what one especially likes and what eats even if when one doesn't exactly like it. No one, for example, offers me "salmiakki". - And those last little spidery visitors of the evening, two little boys, weren't disappointed even when there was only girly 'Hello Kitty' lollipops left to give. Eyes lit up, with that "thank you" and a deep bow came as easily as the previous visitors. The stairwell echoed with happy whistling as they skipped away back home.