Chocolate Roll Festival - Now they tell me...

             Seems a favorite expression in NE Arkansas is “I’ve had worse.” The first time I heard it, I was shocked into silence. What is that statement saying? The concoction is terrible, but there are things that taste worse, like NyQuil? This recipe tastes like shoe leather and most likely has some in it, or worse (think The Help and Minny’s Pie Recipe).

That phrase (I’ve had worse) is uttered only in this northeast corner of Arkansas, as if it’s a “Well, she tried, bless her heart.” Nothing remains to be said after the remark, "I've had worse." The reason I was on the receiving end of this remark: chocolate rolls.

Chocolate Rolls: the ultimate chocolate-fantasy, NE Arkansas delicacy. Cooks auction big jars of chocolate rolls, one jar going for an astronomical price.  The winner hoarded the stash and did not pass the jar among friends, instead secreted one for himself when he thought no one was looking.  I was looking, hoping. 

No one claims to have a recipe for chocolate rolls and if there is a family recipe secreted away in a family Bible, written in Old English, no one shares.

So, I attempted chocolate rolls with no recipe. I had seen one and tasted one. What the heck, I’ll just make it up.  How hard can it be?

Well, they were not too bad.  There was warm, gooey chocolate involved. Though they were not sweet enough and the roll part was not soft, smooth and pastry-like enough, Marvin said, “the second one tasted better.” Now, there is a man who wishes to live to taste a third one.

My neighbor-teen said, “Hmmm... I’ve had worse.”