**TL;DR - To all the chocolate lovers out there, I say that vanilla is so much better because it is a classic flavour in so many forms and can be combined with many other ingredients**. Vanilla is a simple yet delicious flavour in desserts like ice cream and cake that provides a better taste than the sweeter and more intense chocolate flavour. Chocolate has become the synonym of sweetness, yet vanilla is what so many people secretly prefer in sweets like ice cream, bakes like cookies, and even as a basic fragrance in body products, as *Queen* affirms. Another interesting fact is that vanilla actually enhances the taste of chocolate. As *Queen* says, 'back in the 15th century, the Totonac Indians of the East Coast of Mexico, founders and keepers of vanilla, used ground vanilla beans to flavour “Chocolatl”, a drink made from water, ground roasted cocoa beans and honey'. Vanilla is so dynamic and stimulating that it brings forward flavours like chocolate and many more, making it a powerful ingredient and a favourite choice. Vanilla is simple and light, which is one of the reason it is sometimes preferred to the many times overshadowing taste of chocolate. According to Jessie Blaeser, 'vanilla' is the perfect base for an ice cream sundae, where rivers of hot fudge, mountains of cookie crumbles, and a touch of sprinkles improve overall flavor, rather than overpower it'. Vanilla is a favourite ingredient because it can be combined with so many things and enhance their flavour. It takes the taste and the smell to another level. Last but not least, vanilla-based food is something you can eat at all times. As Allison Shuster observes, *a vanilla latte is an essential part of many people’s morning routines. At lunch, a vanilla yogurt parfait is a healthy dose of calcium and digestive-aiding bacteria. And at dinner time, people can enjoy ice cream, cake, and pretty much any other dessert in the flavor of vanilla*. Personally, I believe chocolate is more intense and difficult to combine with other kinds of food. Also, I believe that chocolate can make a dessert too sweet. I choose vanilla all the way, and vanilla cake is one of my favourite things to eat at all times of day. Works Cited Blaeser, Jessie, 'Which is more delicious: chocolate or vanilla ice cream?' (2020) <https://thetylt.com/culture/chocolate-or-vanilla-ice-cream> [accessed 12 February 2021]. Schuster, Allison, 'Vanilla takes the cake: Vanilla flavoring is better, more versatile than chocolate' (2020) <http://hillsdalecollegian.com/2020/04/54251/> [accessed 12 February 2021]. 'Why Vanilla is Way Better than Chocolate' <https://queen.com.au/why-vanilla-is-way-better-than-chocolate/> [accessed 12 February 2021].

TL;DR - Every other poll suggests chocolate is preferred, and just because vanilla is used on every desert doesn't mean its better than chocolate on its own. Numerous arguments could be generated in favor of chocolate; chocolate ice cream is more widely preferred than vanilla [1], hot chocolate/hot cocoa vs eggnog is the ongoing debate over preferred holiday drink, and chocolate cupcakes (with a chocolate base) are more widely preferred over vanilla (with vanilla base)[2]. Even Nesquik discontinued their vanilla flavored due to low sales in 2006 [3]. This argument relies on the argument that vanilla is superior because deserts require the enhancement of vanilla to improve the flavor. Furthermore, vanilla is an essential variable to chocolate deserts, and there so there is no question that vanilla is overall a better ingredient. But because vanilla is a better ingredient and is essential to other things doesn't mean it's better than chocolate. Flour, for example, is essential to cake but that doesn't mean flour is better than cake. We don't secretly want vanilla; we want the things that contain vanilla as an ingredient, just like we don't secretly want flour; we want things that are made with flour. If I used this logic for chocolate I could argue that everyone that prefers red velvet cake secretly likes chocolate because it has a cocoa base. This somewhat undermines preference because now red velvet lovers are chocolate fans against their will due to a technicality. [1] This is the most popular ice cream flavor in America https://today.yougov.com/topics/food/articles-reports/2020/07/14/popular-ice-cream-flavor-poll-survey-direct [2] Poll Results: Cupcakes https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2014/07/14/poll-results-cupcakes [3]Nesquik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nesquik

I think chocolate is better than vanilla. Chocolate and cocoa powder contain antioxidant molecules that are mainly flavonoids such as epicatechin, which have beneficial effects in the brain. Epicatechin, for example, can improve cognition in humans and animals, and flavonoids decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease and stroke in humans. Chocolate has been scientifically proven to boost mood also. I do not think vanilla is as good as chocolate because whilst it also contains flavonoids, vanilla is more expensive than chocolate and not as tasty. Therefore chocolate, as the tastier, healthy and more abundantly cheaper option, is better than vanilla. References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5644282/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3575938/