This week: Sweet, Sweet, Sweetness Edited by: Annette  
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A few years ago my husband was working on Valentine's Day. We're not big on Valentine's Day or anything like that, but it's nice to have a little moment of acknowledgement of this day where sweetness for sweetness's sake is encouraged.
I went onto social media and posted: "This Valentine's Day blows. Where is the chocolate?"
Readers and writers of romance, I am Annette and I will help you get through this week. |
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Amazon's Price: $ 13.94
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Sweet, Sweet, Sweetness
Is Valentine's Day a basic Hallmark Holiday or is there more to the story?
It turns out, that sweetness that we associate with Valentine's Day started out a long time ago.
The Aztecs already knew of the aphrodisiac properties of chocolate. Their magic potion was a simple mix of cacao with ground maize. Sometimes, to add some spice, they added ground chili. A far cry from the sweet milk chocolate bars of today. In the same way real love can have some bitter parts, the Aztecs had the blend of sweet, bitter, and spicy just right.
The effects of chocolate were known not only to Aztecs, but to ancient Greeks also. They knew how powerful the stuff is as they called it "Theobroma cacao" which means "food for the Gods."
Chocolate inflames desire and makes your beloved more open to romance. Being privy to that knowledge, European royals gave their lovers chocolates mixed with amber to stimulate them.
Science is on the side of those who give chocolates on Valentine's Day. As the chocolate makes its way through your lover, it causes several physiological effects. The brain feels soothed while energy and desire levels rise. The naturally elevated mood from eating chocolates will give your lover feelings of being in love.
The idea to give heart shaped boxes of chocolates for Valentine's Day was obviously a business decision. Richard Cadbury's chocolate company released the first ever such boxes more than 100 years ago in mid-nineteenth century England. Cadbury marketed the boxes for double duty. First, they would contain his new brand of "eating chocolate," versus "drinking chocolate." Second, that heart-shaped box would become a keepsake for special mementos shared between lovers.
Designating a day to give chocolates to a lover sounds like good relationship policy. Here on Writing.Com, we have the Chocolate Emporium for virtual delicacies of the chocolate kind. There is also a contest that teaches you about all the different types of love. If all else fails, you can always send a Valentine's Day c-note. Find those resources to make the site more romantic below. |
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If you wondered what happened as a result of my Valentine's Day social media post: It worked. My husband came home from work bearing several tablets of chocolate.
I received one reply to my last Romance/Love newsletter "Nemesis to Lover"
Bikerider  wrote: Your May 6th newsletter made some very good points. Having characters competing with each other is a great way to generate conflict in a love story. I've used other conflicts in some of my romance stories, but never a competition; but it will be in my next romance story. Thank you for the idea. "A Promise Honored"
Thank you for reading and commenting. Since it was a while ago, did you get around to use competition as a hook for a romance?
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| ASIN: 0995498113 |
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Romance/Love: February 10, 2021 Issue [#10604]
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