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St. Valentine's Day - Not St. Chocolate Day

Okay, okay.  I can hear the groans.  ANOTHER grumpy old guy complaining about Valentine's Day.  Not so, not so.

I'm not going to get into the origins of St. Valentine's Day or the history of the saint.  Or that St. Valentine's Day is celebrated on or about the Feast of Lupercal, a fertility rite, in ancient Rome (Lupercal is one of the opening scenes, for Shakespeare's play, "Julius Caesar.")  But everything has gone way too far.  I grew up in an era when it was a nice (sweet) gesture, to give the ladies in your life (Grandma and Mom included) a heart-shaped box of chocolates on this calendar date.  But now, from shopping channels to food outlets, chocolate has become the lingua franca of the Day.  The currency, by which everything is measured.

Even my RD friends on Twitter seem to be outdoing themselves, offering "healthier" ways to enjoy chocolate or combinations of chocolate and fruit or chocolate and grain.  Hey! I heard that!  You want to know if I like chocolate and eat it.  Yes and yes.  IN MODERATION, not as a huge glut of it, on one day.  On those rare occasions when I do have chocolate, it's very dark chocolate and only a square or two.  And no, I don't like it as a coating for strawberries.  That only seems to justify using healthful fruit, to ingest chocolate.

Why am I even penning today's blog? Because I'm appalled at the near obsession we seem to have, for this sweet confection, on this one day a year (other sweet confections - such as cookies - are reserved for other holidays).  Know what I think is a tremendously romantic St. Valentine treat - and even MORE romantic than chocolate?  Keep reading. . .

I'd start with paper-thin slices of smoked salmon, twisted into tiny piles, atop small crackers and topped with capers and a squeeze of lemon.  After that, absolutely fresh oysters on the half shell, served with lemon wedges and a touch of Tabasco. All with some well-chilled champagne. Now, for the meal. . .

Palm hearts with olive oil and lemon juice, followed by grilled swordfish steak, with a reduction of jalapeno and tomatillo.  And a side of brown rice, with diced tomato and diced red bell pepper. Served with a bottle of chilled Entre Deux Mers.

Dessert.  Not chocolate, but an assortment of small Italian pastries accompanied by steaming espresso.  On the side, a snifter of Sambuca Romana.

Now THAT'S romantic. . . and all without the piles of chocolate everyone else is eating.  Look - I have nothing against either chocolate or joining the crowd in things that are popular.  But there are so many things that are SO MUCH MORE romantic, than cacao.  Look for it.  It's there.

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