Sinanation

Name: Ahmet Keyman

Nickname: Amo, Anahtar Cocuk (Key kid)

Notable Appearance: Huge feet, hairless face with a naturally unnatural-looking nose and shiny white teeth. A unique walking style resembling the letter V, leading the watchers to think he could be a street rapper getting ready to dance to an incredible beat

Can’t do without: Money clips, fur hoodies, Audemars Piguet, Rolex, wrist watches, cuff links, large cigars, Winning 11, Fenerbahce, soccer, sushi, Blackberry, white Adidas sneakers, hip hop, sunglasses, foot massage, American Apparel, Gucci, the gym, Entourage, Casa Aurelio, Chinese Contemporary Art focused on scary men portraits, Fogo de Chao Chicago, Shanghai Tang

Hobbies: Clubbing, celebrity hunting, working out, traveling

Notable Weakness: Minimal music, spelling in Turkish, eating healthy, Cine5 Cable Network

Favorite Quote: “Ummmmmm”

Last Seen: The Box NYC, Anjelique Istanbul, Nobu Uptown NYC, Avenue NYC, Zurich, South of France, South of Turkey, London, Casa Aurelio Zurich, Ulus 29, Chicago, Lest Ottomans Istanbul

We visited the 12th Annual Chocolate Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York last Sunday. It was a 3-day event running from October 30th until November 1st. To tell you honestly, I wasn’t aware of a chocolate show until I visited this one. I now know how huge it is, running in multiple cities every year from New York to Moscow. You  are required to buy tickets to attend, but once inside you realize that it is worth every dime. Numerous chocolate shops open up small booths at this event, giving out free samples of their delicious products.  Some charge a small amount for the tasting of extraordinary deserts such as Lily O’Brien’s chocolate fondue fountain. Visitors also have the opportunity to buy the chocolate they like (generally with cash, but some shops take credit cards).

Some fun facts from the program book we received:

• Chocolate manufacturers consume 40% of world’s almonds, 20% of the peanuts and 8% of the sugar.
• Chocolate does not cause acne (contrary to popular belief)  and is low in caffeine.

My three favorites from the show:

• Chocolatier Mathez’s Mon Ami truffles. This is simply the best truffle I have ever tasted. It is marketed under the slogan “No Chewing Allowed!” by the 75 years-old family-owned chocolatier. It is messy, but literally melts in your mouth. The company was wise enough to open up a seperate online store for these goodies at www.nochewingallowed.com. Remember to keep it in cool place (aka the fridge). I didn’t and the box turned into a jar of Nutella.

• Peanut Butter & Co’s Cinnamon Raisin Swirl and Dark Chocolate Dreams. I am not a huge peanut butter fan, but I could change my mind after tasting these two flavors. They can be found at the company’s NYC store (240 Sulliwan St. (between Bleecker & West 3rd) and online at www.ilovepeanutbutter.com

• Berkshire Bark Chocolate’s White Lightning. Ingredients include white chocolate, roasted cashews, crystallized ginger and lemon zest, making it the best white chocolate I have tasted so far. Sale locations are available at www.berkshirebark.com