I feel a bit old when I think about celebrating Valentine’s Day, as it seems to be a young person’s novelty. The sentiment is a worthwhile one, of course, but it does somehow seem to get lost underneath all the tacky red and pink branding all over the place.
As I mentioned in a previous post, it’s usually a very successful night for the restaurant business. I imagine a lot of them wonder whether to turn tables or not… as in terms of making money, it’s great to have two sittings at every place – but then, people don’t want to feel rushed by having a specific time slot to stick to, if they’re supposed to be having a romantic meal.
That’s the problem, I think… a lot of people feel obliged to do something, and that becomes the main thrust of the event, rather than the original idea of spending time with the special person in your life. Too many Valentine’s meals in restaurants seem to consist of tense couples at tables feeling vaguely disappointed that things don’t feel as ‘special’ as they’d hoped – while for those who forgot to book, a night of queuing on the street with an angry partner awaits.
Maybe I’m being too cynical, but despite being an enthusiastic diner most of the time, I don’t feel that restaurants are generally at their best on Valentine’s night – it’s like Christmas office parties… there’s usually a set menu and it all feels a bit mass-produced. As I like to think of myself as older and wiser, I prefer cooking a special meal at home instead, so that Wendy and I can eat exactly what we like with an excellent bottle of wine from our own selection. The only problem is, it tends to be me who cooks for a change… and I haven’t decided what I’m doing yet. It’s only a week away, so I’d better get looking at some recipe websites…
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