Decode a Box of Chocolates


	"Life's like a box of chocolates," quipped Forrest Gump. "You never know what
you're gonna get." Not everyone wants life to imitate art, however. Some of us would
like to know what's inside those morsels before biting in. Are there any clues?

	"There's not a standard," says Susan Smith, spokesperson for the Chocolate
Manufacturers' Association. "The designs on top mean something different for each
manufacturer." Still, some chocolatiers provide maps or even brochures in the box.

	Whitman's Samplers still come with a guide printed on the back of the lid, and
Godiva assortments include an elaborate brochure. (For the price, they should.)

	Russell Stover's chocolates remain a mystery to most people, but Mark Frame,
director of new product development and marketing, offers some help: round or oblong
shapes are soft-centered creams; square or rectangular shapes are chewy--caramel or
nougat; and bumps indicate nuts or coconut. Of course, there's always the old-fashioned
way of doing things too. Break the pieces open and see what's inside. --Jessica Hartshorn