Diversity Rules Magazine

18 Diversity Rules Magazine January 2015 Portland - Con't from page 17 Even though they don't own the building, the Bridge- port folks stepped up and paid to have the building retrofitted so they could stay in their iconic building. Now the building has a beautiful public space where you can enjoy their ales and a little something to eat, too. ey showed us a hops flower – the little guy that fig- ures so largely in the flavor of beers and ales. Next, we stopped in at the Tea Zone – a tea shop that serves all kinds of hot teas, as well as one of our fa- vorites – bubble tea. Regular readers of the newsletter will remember that we first found bubble tea – iced tea with milk, sugar, and some tapioca bubbles that you suck up with a big straw. We also got to check out a brick of tea – a big rectangular block of tea that was used for transport in the ancient world. Pearl Bakery - PortlandNext, we stopped at our favorite place on the tour – e Pearl Bakery – with some fan- tastic fresh baked breads, croissants, and other treats: We also stopped by In Good Taste, a cooking store with a cooking school in the middle and every kind of pot, pan, cooking implement and spice known to man – we tried a couple flavored mustards with some wine here: And we wrapped it all up with a cup of tasty gelato. It's a great tour – just bring your appetite and some good walking shoes: Also offered is the Underground tour, into the old streets and catacombs beneath the current city. Or the Chocolate Tour Cacao PodWe took a new tour this time around – the Chocolate Tour(www.portlandwalkingtours.com/ tours/chocolate-decadence-chocolate-tour/). If you love chocolate, this tour is the one for you. We started off this one at the Heathman Hotel too, up on the second floor, with our great tour guide, Donna. A brash Texan who relocated to Portland, she has a passion for chocolate. She started out by passing around a cacao seed pod – almost as big as your hand. Inside, there's a white creamy liquid (yeah, she had our attention) called a mucilaginous pulp – in which are embedded 30-50 seeds. e mucilaginous pulp is ed- ible, but is instead usually used to ferment the beans. ese seed pods must be har- vested by hand – they grow di- rectly on the tree branches, and automated harvesting could damage the tree, allowing fun- gus to infiltrate its system. Chocolate is rich in antioxi- dants and a chemical called theobromine, which is what gives you that chocolate "rush". Unlike caffeine, theobromine's rush is akin to the feelings experienced form a long kiss or hug, and it doesn't crash you like caffeine does. In a recent poll in the UK, more than 50% of women said they'd rather give up sex than chocolate! ere are at least 24 distinct cacao varieties worldwide, but they break down into three categories – commod- ity grade – easier to raise but less flavorful; flavor grade – with more flavor but harder to raise/more expensive, and hybrids of the two. You'll learn so much more on the tour, and you'll get to try samples of many types of chocolate. e tour starts and ends at Cacao (www.cacao- drinkchocolate.com), a gay owned chocolate shop. When we say chocolate, we mean both chocolate from renowned makers worldwide and fantastic, locally made drinking chocolate. e latter is divine, and is the store specialty – while we were there, we tasted a dark chocolate drink that was really good. ey also make one that's truly fascinating – a drinking choco- late with a complex flavor that included a hint of spicy pepper, giving the drink an unexpected kick. If you've had the really thick hot chocolate in Italy, this is simi- lar, but not quite as pudding-like. e main store (or should we call it a cafe?) is beauti- ful decorated in warm woods, and the chocolate bars beckon with fantasic, brightly colored wrappers. e menu also includes coffees: espresso, americano, mac- chiato, cappuccino, and more. Chris was our host at Cacao's main store – very cute and totally knowledgable about the various chocolates we sampled at the store. e shop is in what's being called the West End, an area that's quickly becoming a trendy new district, just across the street from the Pearl District/ Cacao is

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