Single on Valentine's Day

[MoonCat]

Contrary to popular opinion, it's quite possible to celebrate Valentine's Day without giving in to the overdone hype. The holiday has actually been around for a very, very long time. It's only in recent years that the marketing has gone crazy with it.

So perhaps we'll have a Southwestern-themed dinner (not sure about the prickly pear, though; don't think it's available around here, but you never know until you look) and then a Valentine-themed dessert, such as the cake I mentioned upthread. And recall people and pets that we have loved who are now gone.

See? No hype, no Hallmark, no hurling

[Jester]

I've mentioned this before, but back when I was doing college radio, this time of year always prompted me to do an anti-Valentine's Day show, or what I called a Black Valentine's Day show. In it, I would play every single anti-love or anti-romance song I could find, or just stuff that was blatantly inappropriate for the "holiday." "I Used To Love Her But I Had To Kill Her" by Guns n' Roses and "Love Stinks" by J. Geils Band would have been obvious choices, but it was an alternative station, so I had to find other musical selections. My favorite to this day that I played on such a show was Transvision Vamp's "Down on My Knees Again."

Ah, good times!

[Jester]

By the way, depending in your market and your grocery stores, you may be able to find prickly pear, but most likely if you find it, you will find prickly pear juice. Get it. Good stuff.

[wolfie]

In it, I would play every single anti-love or anti-romance song I could find,

I assume "Thank God and Greyhound You're Gone" would be appropriate for the playlist.

[Valentinian]

Single this year, for really the first time in a decade. So, I'm going to London with a friend to see a musical, she's being a brat and 'demanding' roses. So I'll have those for her. I may have to explain them to her mother, but hey, that'll provide some entertainment.

Demand roses back!

[blas]

I think guys that whine about Valentine's Day, if they have a woman, need to just shut their pie holes for a day and let girls who do enjoy the holiday enjoy it. Complain about having to do what guys do on Valentine's Day, you're either with the wrong woman or you're just being a dick. Unless you get a girl who also hates it, then good on you!

That said, my boyfriend says there shouldn't just be one singled out day for appreciation, but it won't stop him from taking me out to eat and/or to the movies.

And it probably won't stop me from trying buy him 10 pounds of Skittles.

[Ghel]

My ex did once buy a heart-shaped box of chocolates, emptied out the chocolates, and filled the box with beef jerky for me for Valentine's Day. It was the nicest, yummiest, and most memorable Valentine's Day present I ever got.

I've been looking up variations on the traditional margarita recipe in preparation for this year's Valentine's Day romcomathon.

[Tama]

Al and I will be celebrating with Majora's Mask. Given this is a 4 day weekend and we will only have one copy, things could get...interesting.

[Ceir]

Also rather single, but no, I never did anything special for Valentine's day.

Now, *after* Valentine's day, when all the leftover chocolate went on sale...

There are four times a year I buy candy: the days after Valentine's, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. Huzzah for half-price.

[Cia]

Combine a wholesome, awesome, fantastic holiday with an overly commercialized, forcefed, saccharine, nauseating, ridiculous Hallmark holiday? How dare you, madam. How dare you!

Now, if you wanted to celebrate the only true holiday on that date, "typical" Arizona food is Southwestern food, though if you really want to go full Zona, incorporate prickly pear cactus or prickly pear cactus juice into it. Prickly pear margaritas, for example, or utterly fantastic.

Prickly pear cactus tea is awesome!

[Kittish]

By the way, depending in your market and your grocery stores, you may be able to find prickly pear, but most likely if you find it, you will find prickly pear juice. Get it. Good stuff.

I've been really leery of prickly pear ever since the time I foolishly tried to collect some from a cactus growing wild across the street from where I lived at the time. I had no idea just how NASTY those tiny little hairs all over it are. Took me several hours with tweezers and a magnifying glass to get them all out.

[Tama]

You pricked a raw paw. Next time beware.

[Food Lady]

I volunteered to work Saturday night, but not to avoid the holiday. I need the money. I've been single for 20 years; seeing other people celebrate their love doesn't bother me at all. It makes me happy. OK, don't sling arrows at me now.

[wolfie]

BTW, the prickly pears you can buy in the supermarket have MOST of the tiny hair-spines removed, but not all. Don't get careless with them.

[MoonCat]

Ugh, forget it. I don't like food that fights back