Certain words and phrases appeal to me enough to make me stop and savor them. I’ll pause when listening or reading, and I’ll repeat them under my breath just to experience the sound.

The word chocolate, for example — note how the “c” in the middle wraps around that “l,” bringing to mind giant mixers blending a dark, rich liquid. A liquid that came from cacao beans, from which is derived a hot drink my mother called “cocoa.” We’d be reading at night, or playing a board game, and my mom would say, “You want some cocoa?”

Of course, we did. Lake, bake, cake all affect me (while rake, sake, fake leave me unmoved). Cream, butter, fruits and vegetables each bear repeating. My younger brother and I reached back into our elementary science textbooks and agreed that the four basic food groups and associated language had that savory ring to it.