Oysters are considered a top aphrodisiac.
Food and romance – Watch out for those aphrodisiacs!
Nothing is more romantic that a candlelit dinner for two in a gorgeous setting. Unless, that is, you do what I did and avoid mentioning to your date that oysters and champagne produce unfortunate effects on your digestive system. To spare those with delicate sensibilities, let’s just say I put the yak in aphrodisiac that night (and that was our last date!).We have all heard about aphrodisiacs, those foods reputed to help put us in the mood, or enhance romantic moments. Oysters, avocado, garlic, asparagus, honey, almonds, even chocolate are all in this category. If you want to avoid my unfortunate experience with oysters, or any other foods in this category, give some thought to what you plan to eat on this romantic date. Make sure you think about your date too – if you are a devotee of a honey desert with almonds and they have a nut allergy, the only happy ending to dinner will come with the epi pen at the ER.
Even if you plan to keep things simple and go for the garlic at an Italian restaurant, remember that breathing fumes that can knock someone out at twenty paces is definitely not sexy. If you both have the garlic laden Marinara that’s perfect…unless, that is, you manage to slurp tomato sauce and pasta all over your nice white shirt or, even worse, splatter your date with Alfredo sauce.The most important thing about a romantic dinner is to be yourself and think about what you and your date might find fun.
I remember a fancy nouveau cuisine dinner where the portions were so small that my stomach growled constantly. In a desperate attempt not to faint from hunger, I tried to fill up on bread, only succeeding in knocking a very expensive candelabra into a very expensive glass of red wine which landed in the lap of my date. She laughed, I laughed, I paid the (excruciatingly expensive) bill and we left the restaurant under the sneering gaze of the head waiter. The most romantic part of the evening was sharing a bar of chocolate and almonds dipped in honey while we snuggled under a blanket and watched the lights of the city twinkle from the balcony of my apartment. Take it from me, just about any food can be sexy if served with love and laughter. Bon appétit!
Editor’s note: Irwin, today’s guest writer, last wrote about the wonders (and foibles) of having a girlfriend.Â
