Gather 'Round the Table - Our Favorite Things About Valentine's Day
By Anthony Todd in Food on Feb 7, 2011 8:20PM
Valentine's Day is a contentious holiday. Some love it while others detest it, and these feelings are usually contingent on who accompanies us on any particular February 14th. I asked the Chicagoist foodies to tell me their favorite things about Valentine's Day, defined however they liked. Single, coupled, fine dining or home on the couch - these are our favorite. Caitlin prefers wine to chocolate, Minna is annoyed by American V-Day, John likes trashy heart-shaped candy and Roger is trying to plan a great date. If you have a great story, add it in the comments.
Minna: Valentine’s Day in the U.S. seems kind of harsh to me. Taken men are obliged to spend tons on buying chocolates and teddy bears that are soon forgotten. Some lucky ladies are pampered, while the singles end up buying enough ice cream to stock a full commercial kitchen. So for 2011 moving forward, I suggest we adopt a more global approach to the looming Valentine’s Day… one similar to the South Korean tradition.
In South Korea, not one, but three holidays are spent celebrating love or the lack of it in a person’s life: V-Day, White Day and Black Day. V-Day, celebrated similarly on Feb. 14, is reserved for when women give chocolate to men. That’s right boys, sit back and get ready to be showered in chocolates by the gals in your life. But don’t get too comfortable, because just around the corner is White Day. Celebrated on Mar. 14, this day is when men are obliged to present the ladies they love with sweets and candies (usually in larger abundance than was received). Then comes the looming doom of Black Day, on Apr. 14 where those who didn’t receive anything on either V-Day or White Day gather in Chinese restaurants to eat black bean noodles and lament over their singledom. Now while not initially part of the tradition, from my experience I’ve observed that Black Day can be fun, as copious amounts of liquor and soju may change your fate for the following year!
Caitlin: I am not a big chocolate eater, so any Valentines Day when I can trade in the big boxes of chocolate for something better, like good wine, makes me a happy camper. The food I always think of on Valentines Day is a cake from my grandmother's cookbook - it is hideous, heart-shaped, and dyed pink with pink sugary frosting. On the top, you write, "Love Me True" with crushed cinnamon candies. It's terrible to look at and way too sweet, but someone has to know that you love them when you go to all that work.
John: Halloween candy is fun. Christmas candy is a nice, festive touch. But for me, nothing compares to Valentine's candy. Cardboard hearts stuffed with chocolates, themselves packed with sweet and sometimes mysterious fillings, set my cocoa-loving soul on fire! Forrest Gump references aside, few things excite me as much as a box of fine chocolates. Hell, even a box of the cheap stuff makes me grin. Biting into those rich, creamy squares with anticipation of what's inside is the perfect Valentine's Day game. Hold the roses and jewelry. The key to my heart is made of chocolate. Several years ago, a now ex of mine presented me with a box of Betsy Ann's famed raspberry truffles. It was just four little chocolates in a delicate red box. The way I reacted, you would have thought he had given me the Crown Jewels! He had to order them well in advance as most Betsy Ann fans knew they were impossible to get in February. Each was so precious and so delicious that I actually had to ration myself. I was allowed one a day . . . for just a few moments of heaven. How good were they? Well, the memory of those truffles has long out lasted that romance. I still think about them fondly. Him, on the other hand . . .
Roger - Valentine's Day can exert a great deal of pressure on those of us planning the festivities, to say nothing of the demands it can make on our poor wallets. If you're feeling something more romantically low-key this year - or you just haven't gotten around to planning your evening out, ahem - consider an early dinner at Davanti Enoteca (1359 West Taylor Street). They're not taking reservations or presenting a set menu - just business as usual (their business being delicious Italian bites and good wine). You can enjoy the full range of food options and reasonably priced bottles (or bring your own) without having to clamor for a reservation. That said, Davanti typically fills up fast, so go early to land a table before a crowd forms. Either way, if you decide to go, remember to embrace the low-key-ness of your decision; mentally prepare for a little waiting - maybe occupied by a nuzzled stroll around Little Italy or a cocktail at a nearby bar. You know, let the romance happen.