Resolution: On balance, a cookie with chocolate chips is better than a cookie with nuts
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After 2 votes and with 11 points ahead, the winner is...
- Publication date
- Last updated date
- Type
- Standard
- Number of rounds
- 3
- Time for argument
- One week
- Max argument characters
- 10,000
- Voting period
- One month
- Point system
- Multiple criterions
- Voting system
- Open
Description: Cookies will attract just about everybody, particularly when just out of the oven. Everyone has their preference of a favorite cookie. Mine, unabashedly, is the cookie with dark [or semi-sweet] chocolate chips/chunks. I am proposing as universal cookie material [other than the chocolate or nuts – any nut], a base ingredient list of flour, granulated and brown sugar, butter, and vanilla extract.
As instigator [Pro], my stand is that the chocolate chip cookie is a better cookie than with nuts.
Con will argue for nuts - pecan [my favorite], macadamia, pistachio, walnut, whatever.
Disallowed as a qualified cookie: mixed chocolate and nuts, which, arguably, is a compromise. Also disallowed: cookie dough; also a compromise, and in
Pro’s opinion, may even be a better choice than the baked cookie.
Definitions:
Cookie: a sweet-tooth pleasure food fabricated from a dough of basic ingredients as listed in Description, above, with the added chocolate or nuts, and baked in the oven in variably acceptable conditions of temperature, or duration.
Chocolate chips: for purposes of this debate, limited to dark chocolate [of minimum 60% cacao], or semi-sweet chocolate [slightly higher sugar content] in morsel-sized pieces. Milk chocolate? Equivalent of wanna-be chocolate – not included. We’re talking rich, decadent flavor, not milquetoast.
Nuts: for purposes of this debate, any nut that is commercially available, such as the short list offered in Description, above, but not limited to this list. A peanut, while not “officially” a nut [it is a legume], is included. Nuts may be whole, or in pieces.
Better: more appreciated, healthier, tastier…
Debate protocol
Three-round debate.
R1, R2: Argument, rebuttal, defense
R3: No new argument; only rebuttal, defense, conclusion
All argument, defense, rebuttal, and sourcing will be listed within the context of the debate argument rounds, or sourcing may also be listed within comments within the debate file to conserve maximum space for argumentation, but only during the argumentation’s three rounds. Neither participant may consult with any person associated with DART to serve as a sourced citation as a feature of participant’s argument.
No waived rounds. No more than one round may be forfeited, or forfeiture of entire debate will result. Concession in any round is a debate loss.
No declaration of victory will be made but in the 3rd round. No declaration of assumption of the opponent’s concession or forfeit in any round. These conditions will be obvious to voters only by either participant’s own declaration.
Arguments, rebuttals, defenses, or conclusions may not address voters directly for voting suggestions beyond statement of validity for arguments, et al, made in all rounds. Participants may encourage voters/readers to read/examine any portion of, or entire rounds.
No kritik, such as: “a cookie is not edible” is not acceptable argument.
Once the debate is accepted by an opponent, Pro [me] may or may not respond to any post in the Comments section of this debate. The preference is a non-response in favor of concentrating on the debate, itself, and for fear of having influence on anyone during the debate’s argument phase, particularly on potential voters.
Thank you, DeadFire27, for accepting this debate. This is a nonsense subject, so, let’s have fun with it. I note you are a relatively new member to the site, so, congratulations for finding us. Welcome aboard!
I Argument: How does one argue about a cookie?
I.a Answer: With a sweet tooth and an opinion. Okay, as a joke, that isn’t.
I.b Seriously, This is a debate about fruits and nuts. Chocolate is, after all, from a fruit – literally from a fruit’s seeds.[1] Nuts are, well… it’s a nut. Call me nuts, but that’s the first and last word on that matter.
I.c Argument can be raised on just about any subject under the sun, which figures prominently in the production of both fruits and nuts, so, the debate is thus enjoined. That’s how, and that’s the first and last word on that matter, so, the game begins.
II Argument: V 1.0: Chocolate is better than nuts
II.a First, what’s the big deal getting pieces of nuts or chocolate to the dinner table? No, it’s not as easy as a trip to the grocery store, or this debate would be about Safeway vs. Albertsons, or whatever middleman provides your quantity of foodstuffs. If you live on a farm, producing your own, my apologies; you are beyond reproach and I value your service to the community.
II.b For many of you, you’re not even that concerned about buying the cookies or making them; I imagine most of you are adept at the former; not so much the latter. I’ll just say for the record: I love cooking. The kitchen is my favorite room in the house. Never you mind the extraneous possible activities! The former of you, being non-farmers, could not care less about making cookies, which is at least half the better for the butter [which, I’ll wager, is not your store-bought cookie ingredient]!
II.c Nevertheless, not all cookie aficionados engage making them, so, your appreciation scale is somewhat limited. So be it. Isn’t the proof of the cookie in the eating? I rest my case on the buy/make matter, which rhymes with batter, which may or may not be the comparable matter with cookie dough. There’s actually a website discussing cookie dough and cake batter,[2] but that’s the last word on that batter.
II.d Chocolate is a distracting ingredient. Sorry. So, Pro claims chocolate is better [recall by definition: more appreciated, healthier, tastier…]. I will feature, first, taste. For all matters kitchen cooking [oh!, but I’ve made chocolate chip cookies at 13,000 feet in the Sierras, so I’m not limited to kitchens], taste is the ultimate experience. I am not Japanese, though I admire their natural skill in presentation. But a cookie? Hey! let the tasty morsel speak for itself, thanks; I refuse to serve a cookie wrapped in dried seaweed, though it might make a good ingredient. As taste goes… well, let’s just say I’ve prepared a sweet/savory sauce for filet mignon whose main ingredient is Theobroma, the genus of the cacao tree, source of our humble chocolate. The Latin translates as “food of the gods.” That should tell you all the taste, health, and appreciation necessary to convince you that chocolate is the preferred main ingredient of the cookie.
II.e Next, is the health matter. Myth buster #1: Chocolate, dark in particular, is a healthy food, taken in moderation. Hell, even water can kill, after all. We call it drowning, so lets not get too wrapped around the axle with comparing, a carrot, for example, to an ounce of dark chocolate. I wouldn’t be surprised if the carrot loses that battle, but I’m not going there. Carrot cake? Do you really eat it for the carrots? Ain’t my thang, but I’m not at all surprised to learn that the Germans may have corrupted chocolate with that recipe. It’s sort of like milk chocolate [I wasn’t supposed to mention that], you know?
II.e.1 Dark chocolate is high in vitamin B-complex. Good for general metabolism and nervous system function.[3]
II.e.2 It has phenolic acid. Targets inflammation and aging. I’m 71, feel like 17.[4]
II.e.3 Rich in minerals: iron, selenium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and a few kitchen sinks. [strike the last] You think Iron Man is all iron? Think again! This is cardiovascular and blood pressure super food.[5]
II.e.4 A mood elevator.[6] So, if you’re anxious about the test tomorrow, an interview next Monday, or your first date this weekend with someone who actually seems to like you, savor a couple of ounces of dark chocolate. We’re talkin’ that extraneous kitchen activity, here, so, lighten up. Is someone going to try to convince you thatisn’t healthy activity? They’ve never been around the block, my friend, so stuff the nuts; it’s party time.
II.f Last, not least, and the big reveal of the shark, and in the first reel, no less! Appreciation. As in, the pleasure delay when the kitchen “oven” has cooled down, you’ve partied hardy, you’re laid back on the sofa, and just thinking nothing could be finer in any Carolina[r] in the morning after that night before. Your teeth itch. You’re tongue’s asleep. You may not even know your name [and there may have been more imbibed than chocolate], even though you’re sure you received a letter yesterday in the mail, but, who cares? What’s in a name, Will Shakespeare? You’ve just had a chocolate high and the kite is still rising. You’re telling me a nut will do that? Sorry, not in my lifetime.
III Argument: It’s Sunday; have some respect
III.a Well, as I write, it’s Sunday. A parting story, real, actual occurrence; no fiction. A few years ago, as usual, I created a Christmas card [I’m an illustrator and writer, so, easy deal] with a definitive, if alternate Christmas theme. What? Chocolate, of course. As a parting shot for R1, I offer the verse of the card:
Think it not strange, if heaven has a care
To justice, good, forthright and fair,
If after our Lord brings us there,
He’ll serve us chocolate all seasons of the year.
You do put out a plate of cookies and milk for Santa, yeah? Let a nut try to do all the above for you, and put those nuts in Santa’s cookies…? It’s coal for you, bud.
[1]https://balconygardenweb.com/is-chocolate-a-fruit-or-vegetable/
[2]http://www.cookie-elf.com/cookie-dough.html#sthash.nkujEvlo.dpbs
[3]https://balconygardenweb.com/is-chocolate-a-fruit-or-vegetable/
[4]ibid
[5]ibid
[6]ibid
II.e.1 Dark chocolate is high in vitamin B-complex. Good for general metabolism and nervous system function.[3] I argue that nuts help the same amount, and more proteins.II.e.2 It has phenolic acid. Targets inflammation and aging. I’m 71, feel like 17.[4] Most nuts, almonds especially, reduce inflammation that can cause skin to look older prematurely. Eating nuts and seeds is a great healthy snack option that also has anti-aging properties. https://www.partnermd.com/blog/best-anti-aging-foods-younger-looking-skinII.e.3 Rich in minerals: iron, selenium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and a few kitchen sinks. [strike the last] You think Iron Man is all iron? Think again! This is cardiovascular and blood pressure super food.[5] , Peanuts contain a range of polyphenols, antioxidants, flavonoids, and amino acids. Research has shown all of these components to be beneficial to human health.II.e.4 A mood elevator.[6] So, if you’re anxious about the test tomorrow, an interview next Monday, or your first date this weekend with someone who actually seems to like you, savor a couple of ounces of dark chocolate. We’re talkin’ that extraneous kitchen activity, here, so, lighten up. Is someone going to try to convince you that isn’t healthy activity? They’ve never been around the block, my friend, so stuff the nuts; it’s party time. Overused, you're not going to worry about things you should be worrying about.The final one: Satisfaction is earned either way, so it doesn't really matter.
Resolution: On balance, a cookie with chocolate chips is better than a cookie with nutsBetter: more appreciated, healthier, tastier…
For the resolution to be true, it is necessary that all definitions of better, must apply.andBetter: more appreciated, healthier, tastier…
Dark chocolate is a concentrated source of calories and eating too much of it can lead to eating too many calories in general, which may result in weight gain. Dark Chocolate Not a Health Food (healthline.com)
hydrox cookies are better
Oh, boy! Forget that mention in my R1, I.e- something about not feeling my age [71]. Just pulled a muscle between the groin and knee. What can a doctor do about a pulled muscle? Nada. "Stay off your leg and let it heal," Doc will say. I can figure that out on my own, thanks. Well, don'tcha know, I tried a chocolate chip cookie pill. Didn't work for the pain, but, satisfying nonetheless. Meanwhile, I feel ashamed saddled to a cane. Not for long!
@ RM
Thanks for voting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCIKxVe4_Xw
this is funny
Good Luck, again. I'll try to not screw up so bad this time.