Happy Valentine’s Day!…Wait, Can We Really Say It’s “Happy”?

Happy Valentine’s Day! 

This is one of the days that people either LOVE or HATE…Well I know my readers are on LOVE side, let me explain why Valentine’s Day is sometimes hated.

 

Unwanted mandatory gift giving from female to male in workplace

In Japan, we have a tradition of a mandatory gift giving (although no one say you have to, but yes, you HAVE TO!) from women to male co-workers/bosses even if there is no special feelings. I’m not sure if this tradition still exists today since people are getting liberal. If it is, ladies have to visit some stores and buy some gifts, usually a fancy set of chocolate in a special box, meaning much more pricey than usual. It’s true that ladies buy extra for themselves too, but the budget completely comes from their pockets. The happiness of having sweets only lasts for about a min after they popped in those chocolate candies…burning the extra calories from those chocolate candies takes so much longer than anyone can think of. 

 

Unwanted mandatory gift giving back awaits a month later.

March 14th is called “White Day” in Japan, and this is the day that those who got some gift from ladies have to give something back. The situation is the same: gifts are pricey, stores get crowded, and again, all the budget comes from their own pockets. Some ladies are suffer on the day before White Day too because if they’re married, they’d be asked to buy “something…anything” for someone she doesn’t even know.

 

Restaurants get extra crowded even though the menu is “special” too (in price)

This happens both in Japan and the US. These special menus for Valentine’s Day appear as soon as the calendar hits February, and the menu itself looks not so special but the price gets special…in the upper direction. I had worked as a waitress in both countries, and I gotta tell you…if you have to work on Valentine’s Day, It’s going to be an extra stressful day because customers are mostly couples, meaning smooching everywhere! I really didn’t know where to look at TBH…

 

Mainly the “gift” is a box of chocolate candies, meaning extra sugar!

It’s good that around Valentine’s Day, a lot of stores collaborate with well-known chocolatier from all around the world and only a limited time “oh-are-you-a-box-of-jewelry” type of chocolate candies gets available. But! They’re chocolate, meaning sugar dense(if it’s not dark chocolate) so someone has to worry about extra calorie intake and dentist appointments around that time.

 

Chocolate also contains caffeine.

So, I’m making an unwanted excuse this year and probably next year too. As I am pregnant, I have to limit caffeine intake and this limiting caffeine thing will probably continue for 2 years for nursing. I recently had a nursing class and the instructor said we can have caffeine (or even alcohol as long as there is a 2 hrs gap!) but my husband doesn’t approve of it…dear chocolate, let’s wish he takes an unexpected nap so that I can see you!  

 

Is making a homemade gift good? Probably yes, if you keep 1 important factor.

If you’re making homemade Valentine’s Day treats to your love, make sure it’s a bite size. When I was a kid, I made a special chocolate candy. What was the special, you ask? The size! It’s almost as big as a wrestler’s palm and the thickness was over 1 inch. That chocolate candy had no addition of nuts or creams. I melted chocolate, and cooled it to set. A lethal weapon for teeth! I gave it to my brother since I thought he was a perfect scapegoat…ahem, to show thanks and love, but as soon as he realized the size and how hard it was, he never touched it again but put it in the very back of the fridge. I didn’t want to waste it, so I tried to eat, and gave up…if you don’t know it yet, let me tell you, chocolate could be as hard as a diamond! So if you’re making homemade chocolate candies, make it as small as possible so that your prince charming can just pop it and melt it in his mouth! 

 

Although I have to admit I love going to Valentine’s Day shopping because just being around fancy looking sweets makes me feel excited, there are many downsides to think about too…

So who’s enjoying Valentine’s Day this year? Enjoy…without me haha! 

What’s your opinion towards Valentine’s Day? I’d love to hear it!

 

<Some Valentine’s Day Treats Idea>

Sigh…last year was fun! Fruit Tart

Healthy breakfast for Valentine’s Day! Yogurt, Berry Smoothie Parfait

Make some fancy meals for Dinner! Eggplant Parmesan

Enjoy home cooking and your own creation of homemade food:)