An Alternative Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day people get extreme. First, there are the extreme romantics. On February 14, they overrun the restaurants, holding each other's chocolate smudged hands under the table and sharing strands of spaghetti. Then, of course, there are the extremely single and bitter. They tend to organize drunken self-pity fests at crummy restaurants (because all the good ones are full of swooning couples), followed by more wallowing at grim neighborhood bars.

This year, we want to present you with some Valentine's Day options that strike a balance between misery and bliss. Hopefully, the following suggestions will inspire those of us who are currently unattached to lift our heads out of the pint glass and see Valentine's Day in a new light. Couples who don't want to live down the shame of baking heart-shaped meatloaves and wearing edible underwear (or whatever it is people do on Valentine's Day) can obviously participate as well.

1) To enjoy Valentine's Day - free of resentment, we all need to engage in a little bit of reframing. Let's begin by thinking about Valentine's Day as an opportunity to celebrate all kinds of love. Before you roll your eyes so far into the back of your head that you can't roll them back out again, think about it. Why not invite all of your (single) friends and family over for a collaborative dinner party like the one recently described by Gennefer Snowfield in the Behind the Burner article section? If nothing else, it will distract you from your tragic singledom long enough to appreciate the people you love non-romantically.

2) If a collaborative dinner party isn't your thing, take it back in the day. Wasn't Valentine's Day more fun when it was all about conversation hearts and drugstore valentines? This February 14th, organize a valentine party. Send an invitation to your friends asking them to bring homemade cards and some kind of decorated, shoebox receptacle. Then, line up the shoeboxes and let people deliver their notes. Provide extra red construction paper and a few shoeboxes for any slackers who forget their own. To stay in the spirit, only serve red, white and pink treats. My favorite pink beverage is a combination of prosecco, pink grapefruit juice and St. Germaine. Make a pitcher and relax. Who knows, maybe you'll end up with a Valentine after all...

3) Some of us, however, have closed the homemade valentine chapter of our lives. We understand. The next suggestion will appeal to anyone who doesn't want to deal with the glitter and glue sticks. For a more mature riff on the valentine party, host a chocolate and wine tasting. Spend an hour researching a few bottles of wine (maybe include a rose champagne) and sourcing exotic chocolates. The "peaces" of cacao beans by Sweetriot are a welcome alternative to Hershey kisses. Other show stopping options include the hand-dipped salted caramels from Brooklyn's Nunu Chocolates and Vosges' Naga bar, a rich chocolate infused with sweet Indian curry and coconut.

While none of these ideas will make you go moony-eyed with romantic delirium, they will keep you out of the doldrums. They will also keep you from drinking too much and complaining loudly in public. They are also an excuse to indulge in things we usually avoid. So, go ahead and pop open a bottle wine, devour those special chocolates and unsheathe your glue stick-it's not really that bad, is it?

— Written by Cecilia Estreich

< PREVIOUS ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE >

Tags : ---

Login to comment