Lynne Kiesling
Happy vestigial-holiday-of-romance to one and all (sorry, I'm not particularly sentimental). Around the KP house Valentine's Day is an excuse to eat better quality chocolate than we usually do. As in most of the past 8 years, this year it's Chicago's own Vosges Haut Chocolat. The brain child of two women, one of whom is a French-trained dessert chef, Vosges makes distinctive truffles. One of my favorite is Naga, which is dark chocolate with curry powder. Absolutely decadent, exotic, and delicious flavors. This year we will also be enjoying a Red Fire Bar, which is a dark chocolate bar with ancho chile, chipotle chile, and cinnamon. YUM!
We also tend to get Vosges for St. Patrick's Day: Bailey's Irish Creme truffles,Guinness truffles, Jameson's Irish whisky truffles. Good thing no one around here gave up chocolate for Lent!
We spent a few weeks in South India Jan-Feb 2003. Valentines Day was a big thing for middle class Indian teens and twenty somethings to shock their parents with. Icky greeting cards, and holding hands and kissing. Hotels held Valentine parties for kids. Several kids on the day itself (in a smaller temple town could be Tanjore?)shouted "Happy Valentines Day," when they they recognized us as Americans.
The main Hindu nationalist party (the BJP) was working hard to stamp it, with well publicized burnings of Valentines parephernalia. Everyone had great fun.