February 8, 1995

LATE in the 17th century, the Spanish Inquisition in Mexico put several women on trial on a heinous charge. Discarding their civilized ways, the Inquisitor charged, these women had indulged in the drinking of chocolate and, under its influence, had consorted with the Devil himself. This accusation surprised no one, for the dark, mysteriously seductive drink of the cocoa plant had been famous since the time of the Aztecs as a powerful incantatory tool. To some modern sensibilities, attributing such power to chocolate may seem ridiculous. But in a few days, untold numbers of Americans will observe Valentine's Day by presenting a symbol of their love in the form of -- what else? -- chocolates. When they do, they will be paying unwitting homage to the power of food as magic.

After withholding her endorsement for a month, Gov. Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey has agreed to support Gov. George E. Pataki's choice of a Conservative Party leader to head the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, all but guaranteeing that the nomination will be approved. By dropping her objections to the Conservative politician, George J. Marlin, Mrs. Whitman will likely save Mr. Pataki from a setback to his new administration. Mr. Marlin has come under attack from some commissioners of the agency, who said they were reluctant to vote for him because he lacked the experience of previous executive directors.

IN a world where people become impatient waiting for a fax to go through or a microwave oven to beep, few are willing to spend 20 minutes assembling a cake, let alone the hours involved in making bread. A science skillfully practiced by the ancient Egyptians is slowly becoming a dying art at home. Only 20 percent of all adults in the United States baked at least once in 1994 as a leisure activity, down from 22 percent in 1985, according to Mediamark Research Inc. of New York City.

Three days after imposing record sanctions on China for its piracy of American-made movies and software, the Clinton Administration announced today that it would expand subsidized wheat sales to Beijing, rather than let European farmers win a bigger share of the Chinese market. The move points up the complexity of trying to punish a major trading partner even as the Government grapples with protecting the interests of American businesses that are trying to gain a larger foothold there.

FOR our 12th wedding anniversary, I bought my wife a diamond ring. She got me bread pans. We were both thrilled. They weren't just ordinary bread pans, of course. I already had those. These were specialty pans for French bread -- elegant little stainless-steel couches where the baguettes could rise, yet still maintain their rough irregular forms right into the oven. And they went well with my other bread toys -- my stained, character-etched old baking stone, my bread paddle, my collection of eclectic ingredients.