I'm A Girl

1. v.day sweethearts .., 2. I Found my Summer Dessert, 3. open the pudding, 4. Heaven or what !?, 5. Sadaharu Aoki - Jardin du Luxembourg, 6. Chocolate cakes from Gaulupeau, Versailles, 7. デザート, 8. Baklava, 9. Pudding-Topped Danish from Crown & Fancy Deli, 10. Stack of Molten Chocolate Cakes and Blue, 11. Tarta de fresa, 12. cupcake heaven, 13. Birthday Girl with a Red Charlotte, 14. Strawberry Macaroon Cupcakes, 15. coated with chocolate

★ Look, I'm a girl. We all know it's true. And let me tell you, in this, the week before St. Valentine was brutally tragically accidentally martyred while minding his own business is the prime time to be knowing what it is that girls like.

And let me tell you this. Girls like chocolate. It's true. No lie. We like sweet things, smooth chocolates, juicy berries, rich cakes, and heavenly whipped creme. If you give us a flower, we'll be wondering why it wasn't dipped in sprinkles. If you give us a slice of German Turtle Cake, we'll be showing up at your door wearing nothing but sprinkles. (Unless, of course, we are sensible to the weather. Some of us are!)

★ See that image in the middle? That is baklava. Baklava is the king of sweets. I married the last person to bring me baklava, no lie. He was an explorer named Sven, and he sailed the Arctic Ocean all the way from Italy to bring me baklava... riding a moose across the Yukon once he crashed into an iceberg, he never faltered, no, not Sven!! Even when dangerous Tundra-Rabbits threatened his very life, he did not stop! No! NOT SVEN! He knew that even if he perished in the task, baklava must be eaten by women! And then he was shot on accident in upstate New York by someone who mistook him for a beaver. So the last bit is a lie, I didn't actually marry him.

But I would have!

★ And don't forget about White Day! If you want to celebrate in a fun and extra way, consider doing as those in Japan and Korea do: Celebrating White Day (March 14), when boys who are accepting the affections of those girls who gave them chocolate on February 14 return the gift in kind. Or, if you want to take the summer route, the Chinese Lunar Calendar places a folk-tale based Valentine's Day on July 7. Have a cool sweet in the dead of summer!

★ This Valentine's Day, I will be going to see Paris, je t'aime for free at my local movie house, snacking on homemade chocolates, and perhaps flinging cake at my loved ones. More to follow on the progress of chocolate exploration!



Elephants Away!