Gourmet Food and Wine Expo

This weekend I attended the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the very first time.  Let's just say that I learned a big lesson of not buying admission tickets online!  My friend and I had to wait over 1 1/2 hours before we could even enter the expo.  Nonetheless, it was definately worth the wait! 

The highlights of the show for me, that were dessert related include:

1. Eating ice cream made with liquid nitrogen!  For a person who doesn't like eggnog, this ice cream was still amazing!  This level of richness and smoothness cannot be achieved using traditional methods, because the ice cream mixture solidifies instaneously upon the addition of liquid nitrogen.  Therefore, there is no time lag available for ice crystals to form. I wish I got to try more than just a mere spoonful!  I guess that's moderation at the extreme?! 
2. Trying hazelnut liqueur that was served in a little chocolate cup!  Absolutely adorable!  I can still taste and smell the irrestabily hazelnut flavour and distinct aroma.  At first you get the hint of sweetness and subtle notes of vanilla and chocolate followed by the unforgetable burning sensation in your throat.  I cannot believe that this flavour of liqueur has been missing from my repetoire of ingredients for so long!
3. Sampling chocolate that was tooted for its triple antioxidant properties, since it not only contained high amounts of cocoa by also is made with the exotic flavours of acai berry and blueberries.  

The company that were sampling the chocolates was:

I probably listened to the sale rep. talk for at least 10 minutes before I even got to have a taste of their supposedly "one-of-a-kind" super antioxidant chocolate product.   The 7 reasons that they gave me, as to why I should be eating their chocolate is as follows:

1. Supports cardiovascular health
2. Promotes healthy inflammatory response
3. Provides antioxidant protection
4. Helps protect cellular function
5. Is diabetec friendly
6. Supports memory/cognitive function
7. Can contribute to healthy weight control

As the sales rep. kept on emphasizing on these points, I kept thinking to myself, doesn't all products containing cocoa offer the exact same benefits?  What makes their chocolate so much better than other brands of authentic extra-dark chocolate? The one thing that he said that made it clear that this was all a marketing scheme, was the fact that he kept on harping on the fact that their chocolate was made with pure cane sugar, and not the "refined white granulated sugar." In addition, that was the reasoning behind why their chocolate was supposedly "diabetic friendly." 

I want to clear up this misconeption once and for all.  Sugar is sugar, no matter what the source.  Keep in mind that people with diabetes can still enjoy sweets, so long as it is in moderation.  Oh and one more thing, since granulated sugar is made from sugar beets, wouldn't that also be considered, natural and pure?