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You may remember the famous Forrest Gump quote: "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

This point has just been illustrated perfectly for me this afternoon. A box of chocolates was opened, and there weren’t any diagrams showing which one was which. Now, sometimes I like surprises, but not when it comes to chocolate. I like to know exactly what I am getting, so I can make the choice about whether to indulge or not. If something isn’t worth it, I am more than happy to miss out.

But these were good quality chocolates, and I have a pretty good radar for these things, so I went for the shape that I thought was most likely to contain a caramel or fudge filling. Bingo, I was right, and it was satisfying and delicious.

The problem was, since I picked right, the temptation was there to pick again. It’s kind of like gambling. When you are on a winning streak, it’s hard for people to stop. Well, I had the taste for it, and I wanted to continue my success. So I went in for the second pick. It was a little obscure shaped, which normally isn’t a good sign, but nevertheless, feeling confident, I took a bite.

The first taste was pure chocolate, divine, but then the orange flavour hit my mouth with intensity. I had just gone double or nothing, and in my haste, blew it all. I think you either like orange flavoured chocolate or you don’t – there is no in-between – and I am of the latter category, I can’t stand it.

So in my greediness, I fell into the classic trap. The luscious, sweet flavour of my first chocolate had disappeared, and I was left with the unpleasant taste of disappointment.

I then watched the people around me, and it seems that everyone fell victim to this problem. But instead of cutting their losses, then tended to pick again, hoping to make up for the latest dissatisfaction.

At the end, everyone complained that they ate too many chocolates. It was so sad to see this beautiful box of expensive sweets ending up as a source of disappointment. But it was also a great reminder about the best ways to go about eating.

1. You must take pleasure from the things you eat. If you have decided to have an occasional indulgence, ensure it is one that you really enjoy.

2. There has to be a cut-off point, otherwise, you won’t fully enjoy it. The best way to achieve this is by serving the food on a small plate, and making sure you appreciate every single bite.