My best friend turned vegan a couple of years ago.
As a non-vegetarian, the whole idea baffled me.
It made me think about all the things I’d be missing out on — especially protein.
How could someone survive without it? I wondered.

Then, life happened.
I traveled around the world by myself, met new people, heard new stories.
One day, someone convinced me to watch a documentary.
Eighteen minutes into a seventy-minute film, I realized something was shifting inside me.
I thought about it.
I sat with it.
And finally, I decided: maybe I was ready to become vegan too.

It’s been eight months since.
Yes, maybe it’s true what the wise men say — only fools rush in, and it’s too early to talk about "forever."
But you know how sometimes you just know?

Anyway, the reason I’m telling you all this is to talk about something that's quietly taken up a huge part of my life:
Conscious eating.

Especially as a chocolate lover, it's changed the way I look at chocolate — and this art form — forever.


 

Conscious Eating: A Ritual, Not a Routine

The practice of conscious eating is simple at its heart:
Every bite, every ingredient, every process is honored.
You don't just eat for the sake of it; you eat knowing where your food came from, how it was made, and how your body feels about it.

Food isn’t just nutrition.
It’s history, it’s labor, it’s culture, it’s spirit.

You begin to notice things —
Which oils your body likes.
Which spices it leans toward.
How a certain food makes you feel after eating it.
You begin to weave a quiet ritual around the preparation of your meals.


 

Chocolate After Veganism: The Long Wait

I didn’t eat chocolate for three whole months after turning vegan.
In a country like India, it’s still hard to find chocolate brands that are truly vegan, economical, and aligned with conscious sourcing.

(And honestly, growing up, our idea of chocolate was simple — Dairy Milk, 5 Star, Munch... and maybe KitKat if you were fancy.)

But something shifted once I started seeing chocolate not just as a sweet craving — but as a ceremony.
As something sacred.
As a moment of connection between the earth, the maker, and me.

So how do you turn chocolate into a ritual?

You slow down.
You listen.
You honor the story behind every piece.
You remember that chocolate isn’t just something you eat — it’s something you experience.

You pay attention to the journey of every bite — from the ingredients to the care that went into making it.

For me, Kokomae became that ritual.
It’s not just chocolate; it’s something more.
The way each bar is crafted, with such careful attention to the ingredients, the balance of flavors — it feels different. Every bite is like a small moment of intention, a reminder of the mindful choices that go into the things we love.

Whether it’s the richness of dark chocolate with a touch of sea salt or the smoothness of their plant-based options, Kokomae really captures what it means to enjoy chocolate with purpose.
It’s a simple pleasure, but it feels special.
And honestly, that’s the kind of chocolate I want to keep coming back to.