# Ivoirian cocoa-bean farmers trying chocolate for the first time **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 31, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivoirian-cocoa-bean-farmers-trying-chocolate-for-the-first-time/694496 "2014-07-31T15:42:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivoirian-cocoa-bean-farmers-trying-chocolate-for-the-first-time/694496/1 "2014-07-31T15:42:07Z")
Video [here](http://sploid.gizmodo.com/cocoa-farmers-trying-chocolate-for-the-first-time-is-a-1612726978). I’m especially tickled by this because of family connection to Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), which is the largest exporter of cocoa beans in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivoirian-cocoa-bean-farmers-trying-chocolate-for-the-first-time/694496/2 "2014-07-31T15:51:51Z")
That is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivoirian-cocoa-bean-farmers-trying-chocolate-for-the-first-time/694496/3 "2014-07-31T16:25:59Z")
Very interesting and sad at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivoirian-cocoa-bean-farmers-trying-chocolate-for-the-first-time/694496/4 "2014-07-31T16:31:28Z")
I don’t think those folks would want us to feel sad about this – I tend to think they’d want us to share their joy and pleasure. If those folks have difficulties in their lives, it’s not because they haven’t tasted chocolate. And tasting chocolate, while nice, will have very little impact on their lives beyond a few moments of joy and pleasure. So please share their joy and pleasure, and try to avoid sadness and pity, which can smack of feelings of paternalism, in my view (and in the view of many Africans I’ve known, including family members). No one can control their immediate emotional reactions, of course, but I think this stuff is good to know. Most Africans lead full and fulfilled lives, even if they may experience more hardship on average than those who live in wealthy countries. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivoirian-cocoa-bean-farmers-trying-chocolate-for-the-first-time/694496/5 "2014-07-31T16:31:54Z")
“…This is why white people are so healthy!” ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivoirian-cocoa-bean-farmers-trying-chocolate-for-the-first-time/694496/6 "2014-07-31T22:45:21Z")
Wow, did y’all watch the 45min documentary someone put in the comments of that page though? Child slavery used in plantations of the Ivory Coast. More powerful than the original vid. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivoirian-cocoa-bean-farmers-trying-chocolate-for-the-first-time/694496/7 "2014-08-01T14:39:30Z")
I’m sure you’re right about the feeling sad part, I guess that’s just the way I am. But I am happy that they finally got to try the end product of their labors. I wonder if they’d have liked it as much if it had been on of the high cacao bars rather than what was probably milk chocolate? They should try one of the bars with chilis in it!