The Food Of Love

If music is the food of love then what is food itself? Is it just sustenance or the surest way to a man's heart? and what about chocolate?Is a good box of it better than any diamond? Actually all those answers are a resounding YES! Food ,its flavors, textures and even our memories of it play an important part of romance. Certain foods have been considered aphrodisiacs for millennia.Oysters have always been considered the food of love. Casanova, that great Italian lover of the 1700's started his day with fifty of them ( surprisingly he never got hives or seafood poisoning from them)It turns out those little bivalves contain rare amino acids that trigger sex hormones.You could eat them raw however a better choice is oysters Rockafellar ,a steamed and baked dish that combines oysters,spinach and bacon.If that doesn't get you charged up, then try other foods such as bananas and asparagus, both deemed the food of love.The phyto chemicals in them help churn out the hormones,needed for romance Then there's chocolate.It's crammed full of phenyletthylamine ,another natural chemical which brings about a feeling of well being and happiness.Nothing beats a box of luscious cremes or caramels. However the way to anyone's heart is through his or her stomach.Happiness is when the one you love cooks your favorite meal.Sometimes a big pot of spaghetti with home made sauce is more of a turn on than lobster tails and steak.Even hamburgers ,homemade with fresh ground meat , is the perfect Valentine's Day meal.Better yet, a meal of comfort food could reel in that special someone. It may sound trite and vastly old fashioned , but if a girl can cook like her beloved's mother ,then she has him ,hook,line and sinker.Nothing says love like a home made meat loaf ,complete with homemade mashed potatoes and brown gravy.Another dish ,sure to win him or her over is baked Mac and cheese.Nothing beats a hoe made one covered with crispy breadcrumbs and layered with bacon.Also learning to cook the dishes of your beloved's ancestry is a big plus.If you can,try to get family recipes from moms, grannies and siblings. There is such a thing as the food of love.It could be something that has "aphrodisiac " properties or a beloved dish from childhood. Whatever it is,if it brings on feelings of romance, then eat it.