Holidays, love, and food!

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December 2, 4:35 PM

by Kristen Houghton, Relationship Examiner

 

Relationships and holidays are made of many components. Love, caring, romance and food. Food? Yes, for some reason these four seem to go together. Maybe it’s because the basic element of nourishment is considered a part of caring and love and holiday fun. And romance? Part of romance is enjoying being together with your love and food is, well, enjoyment.
 
One of the great pleasures in life is eating good food. Sharing this experience with the one you love is sure to heighten the pleasure. Cooking together can be fun especially when you’re trying out new recipes and creating “something new and exotic.” But preparing a daily meal can become tedious, even if you both share the work.

This holiday season, leave the cooking to the pros for at least one special night out.
A more “fun way” to share the experience of eating is to find a restaurant where the food is good and the ambience romantic. In other words, make the eating out experience a married date.

Eating out at holiday time makes you feel special. You dress up a bit more, the food is prepared for you, and you and your spouse can relax. Conversation becomes easier because you're not hassled by any diversions and you can concentrate on each other.

Planning a dinner out is worth every second of your time because, by doing this, you are telling each other that being alone together is important. You want to spend time with each other enjoying a delicious meal.

The best way to plan for a night out is to pick a date night in advance, a night when you're not exhausted by the demands of the week. Discuss with your husband what foods he might want to have. Maybe he’s looking for a great steak and you want good seafood; if so, a compromise might be in order. If you can’t find a restaurant that can satisfy you both you may be able to get the seafood on one night out and the steak on another. Two date nights, a week or so apart, can make it more fun! Anticipation can be a pleasure.

Choose a restaurant with which you're familiar or check out a new one. However, if you're going to try a brand new restaurant, ask friends and family about the quality and the prices. Nothing spoils a night out more than paying an exorbitant price for a meal that doesn’t satisfy.

Your restaurant date needn’t be at an expensive place. Sometimes the smaller, more intimate restaurants offer better quality food and service simply because they are smaller. They don’t have the hustle and bustle of a larger place and the staff can be more attentive to details. Also the portions seem to be larger at the smaller establishments so you’ll get more for your money.

Want to extend the romance and food night? Don’t forget dessert, but plan to go somewhere else for it. A stop at a gourmet ice cream place is a good idea or you might want to go someplace where they specialize in pies and pastries.

Food is a holiday gift of love and sharing this gift makes it doubly sweet. Enjoy and live well!

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