my Japanese Valentine

Is there any point to St. Valentine's Day other than to coerce people into spending money?

(Alrighty, that's my anti-Valentine's Day statement for the year. I have nothing personal against the "holiday," I just don't see much of a reason for it. It is properly placed on the calendar, I will say that, considering the approach of spring and all.)

I got a little bit of chocolate from my girls today, and that's all (probably a good thing, considering the amount of peanut butter balls that's occupying my apartment), but there's also a good reason for it. Simply put, on Valentine's Day, guys are the ones who get the chocolate. The ladies do the buying and the giving and very little of the receiving. They give chocolates and a personal gift to their special someone, as well as small treats for the other men in their lives (friends, co-workers, family, etc.), so it can get a bit expensive sometimes. From my observation, it seems to be more of a holiday for the younger generations - the vast majority of candy purchasers at the mall on Wednesday were teenagers and twenty-somethings.

My contribution to this Valentine's week was peanut butter balls. I've been meaning to make them for a couple of months now, and I decided that it was about time I made them. They went over quite well, especially with the adults. Handmade treats always seem to please them, and they were amused by the idea of American peanut butter being so different from Japanese peanut butter (which is sweet and thin and not quite as flavorful). Also, most of them were impressed that it was an old family recipe, something that's well appreciated. Actually, the kids were the most reluctant to try it; several of them said they didn't like peanut butter. For the most part, they liked them after trying them. A couple of the boys even asked to take a couple home to their mothers. That's always nice. I'm planning on making them some cookies soon, this time with the shortening my parents sent me.

Returning to the topic of Valentine's Day. The gift-giving is reciprocated on March 14th - White Day. Having received candy, the guys are fairly obligated to return the favor. Interestingly enough, the candies and presents given on White Day are supposed to be more expensive than what one received on Valentine's Day. Say what you will, but Japanese vendors know how to get people to spend more money.

And if you're Korean, you can celebrate Black Day on April 14th if you received nothing on Valentine's Day or White Day. The custom is for these singletons to gather together at restaurants and eat noodles in a black bean sauce to confirm their single status.