Saint Valentine’s Day: friend or foe?

(commercial and ironic vision of italians most loved and hated celebration)

An anonymous joker poet once wrote "for you I would give up Carbonara for a year". Although the writer has been following a plant based diet for years, for an average Italian, mass consumer of simple and complex carbs, giving up the queen of Roman pasta might seem like a great declaration of love. And indeed it is!
Seriously, in the past everything has been written and said about love and the romance of past times has given way, in recent decades, to reality, cynicism and people are used to be ironic both when they love and are loved back, both when, alas, this does not happen. And here we are, a few days before Valentine's Day, the day for celebrating love.

But how did the custom of celebrating this day come about? Searching through books and websites, we come across a legend that tells of Valentino's kindness. The bishop, in fact, would have given a poor girl an amount of money, as a dowry for her marriage, which, without it, could not have been celebrated. The generous gift - fruit of love and aimed at love - would therefore have created the tradition of considering the holy bishop Valentine as the protector of lovers. In literature, this recurrence is also mentioned in Shakespeare's Hamlet during the scene of Ophelia's madness, who, raving, sings: "Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine".

In short, legend and history often intertwine and confuse us a little as love does but, the only certain fact that we can see this year is the impossibility of taking our husband or wife out for dinner because of the restrictions that prevent us, hopefully until February 18, from dining in elegant candlelit restaurants. So here, in the defense of romanticism, elegance and to prevent yet another dinner watching Netflix in your pajamas with pizza cardboard, we offer you some elegant and romantic table settings that will help you to find the atmosphere of the first date even if, maybe, you don't remember it anymore!
Let's start, therefore, with the traditional candle which, instead of being abandoned randomly on the table in its original and often cheap packaging, will be elegantly placed on the tablecloth in a special glass candle holder.

Then you will proceed with the classic mise en place with deep and flat plates if you want a more casual effect, adding the charger for a more classic and glamorous table setting. We chose Ginori - Oriente Italiano for the elegant - fine dining style, and Zafferano - Mannaggia li Pescetti (coming soon in the showroom) for the casual option.

And what about wine? Of course, you have to match the right glass for this occasion. So, green light to the tulip-shaped champagne glass or the classic cup, followed by the glass for white and/or red if you are a real wine lover and you want to prepare an important dinner by combining the right wine with each course.

Last but not least, you need a floral touch. Searching on Pinterest and  Instagram, you will find fantastic flower arrangements to add as centrepiece to make your Valentine's Day dinner a little shabby, but still chic! 
As for food, if you want to cook, we suggest you take a look at our videos on IGTV where you will find some ideas for both western and local cuisine. 
And what about those who are not coupled or, sadly, do not have the loving company of their loved one at the moment, due to Covid? Don't panic! Since government restrictions also apply to single friends, please remember you won't be able to party in SoHo; therefore, the only possible alternative will be to stay home and sip (in good company or alone) a good wine, a beer or a whiskey without forgetting that, sometimes, it is better to be alone than in bad company.

For your perfect Valentine's Day gift, don't forget you can find us on line, in Wan Chai but also in Sogo (10th floor) and City Super!

Happy Valentine's Day to all and, as always, #staysafe #staytuned!