So, Valentines Day was on Friday.

Meh.

As you can tell, I’m not a very romantic person. It makes me uncomfortable, which means hubby and I don’t do a lot of those cutesy “couple” things that many young people do.

What can I say? I’m just too old for that sh*t.

However!

I think it’s fine when others do it, though. The whole romance thing just doesn’t fit both our personalities.

That also doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate a good gesture here and there.

For us, romantic means not doing things we do normally–like me buying my husband chocolates.

In Japan, girls give chocolates to boys during Valentines Day. Many women also give chocolates to their male co-workers at work–even if they don’t really like these men. It’s called girichoco, 義理チョコ in Japanese. Roughly, it translates as “Duty Chocolates.” You’re duty-bound to give men chocolates because it’s your fate as a woman.

I don’t do it because I’m not Japanese. In fact, I refuse to do it. My sweet Japanese co-workers do it because they’re very nice women. I’ve gotten chocolate from them because they give it to everyone, not just to the male teachers.

Like I said, it’s such a nice gesture–I like that I’m included in it. But part of me thinks they do it because they think I’ve got male qualities 😅

This year, I decided to give hubby chocolates just for the fun of it.

I chose to buy chocolates produced by Ishiya, which makes the very famous Hokkaido souvenir, Shiroi Koibito.

These chocolates came beautifully (and expensively) packaged in a round box. For small seven pieces, I paid ¥1080. Just for this special occasion. I don’t normally buy chocolates that are these expensive, but it was a holiday and I’m curious to see how they’d taste.

They were so good, though. As the name says, they were heart-shaped white, milk, and ruby chocolate.

But wait, there’s more. Inside these chocolates were some really delicious filling. The white had yuzu. The milk chocolate had caramel. And finally, the ruby had cassis.

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Hubby said thank you and then demolished most of it on the spot. I’m glad he shared some with me, but hubby also wanted to have cake–which he’d always prefer. So we went and got some.

Ugh. I wish we’d stopped with just the chocolate–but they were small pieces.

I tried not to get caught up in the marketing and the chocolate propaganda, but I couldn’t resist. Chocolate has always been my weakness. Plus, I’m trying to stuff myself and get my fill before Lent starts on Februay 26, Ash Wednesday. During Lent, I’m planning on giving up sweet treats so I won’t be able to eat any of this for forty days.

Unfortunately, too, White Day falls within that period. White Day is a made-up holiday in Japan where the men, this time, have to give the women chocolate–usually to the ladies who gave them sweets on Valentines Day. It’s part giri (duty) and part exchange. Again, it’s all the power of marketing and advertising.

I’m not expecting any chocolates, but if I do, I hope the expiration date is past Easter Sunday so I can store it, then eat it when Lent is over 🙂