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THE EXECUTIVE LIFE
Health	Entertainment	Valentine’s day

Valentine’s day
Recipes for romance

Valentine’s Day: the one day of the year you can’t be alone for. (Never mind that Egyptians have complicated the matter by inventing a second one later in the year.) Many would-be romantics seem to always find themselves single come V-Day. But if you do happen to be coupled, certain arrangements must be made – lest you quickly find yourself alone again.

Men are generally clueless when it comes to all things romantic. Women, on the other hand, are crystal clear on the active ingredients of a successful Valentine’s Day: chocolate, cards, flowers and – perhaps most importantly – a candlelit dinner for two. While any one of these will usually do the job on its own, success rates tend to multiply exponentially when they are applied in conjunction.

There are those who might say that women can never be satisfied (I personally would be more than happy with a four-carat diamond ring). However, a little planning, along with a general idea of what’s available, can go a long way.

The first step is to accessorize.
Chocolate is to Valentine’s as turkey is to Thanksgiving – and you hardly need a significant other to binge. For both couples in love and cynical singles, Cairo boasts more than its share of confectionaries offering calorie-laden delights. Patchi (maker of famous Passionelle chocolates), for example, has several branches around town and does great platters and arrangements. Choco-chocolat, with outlets in Dokki and Heliopolis, also offers a delicious variety of sweets.

If you have something to say – or wish you did, but can’t think of anything smart or witty enough – great selections of Valentine’s Day cards can be found at Khodeir (with branches all over town) and No Name (Heliopolis).

An important note about flowers: the price of bouquets jumps on Valentine’s Day like a telecom stock after a well talked-up IPO. Be prepared to dish out some serious cash – whether you’re buying a single rose from the corner kiosk or an imported masterpiece from Flower Power (Mohandiseen), Hope or Florabel (both in Heliopolis).

Boys beware – buying flowers on February 13 in order to save time and/or money isn’t advisable.

Women can usually detect day-old buds, and you could end up paying a much higher price than that of a fresh bouquet.

And now, the venue. Where to go? For those with carte blanche expense-wise, I highly recommend the Four Seasons Hotel’s Valentine’s Special. For $500, you get a suite for the night, a four-course dinner served in the privacy of your room (violin players optional), breakfast in bed the next morning and a full day’s use of the spa. If that’s a little too pricey, you can have the fixed-menu Valentine’s Day dinner at the Seasons restaurant for £E 180 a person.

Within the same price bracket is the Nile Hilton’s Rotisserie Belvedere, with its breathtaking views of the Nile. The Belvedere’s new French chef has recently revamped the menu, and has created a five-course special in honor of Saint Valentine.

Other great locations offering spectacular Nile views (and a hefty price tag) are Windows on the World in the Ramses Hilton, the Revolving Restaurant at the top of the Royal Nile Tower (formerly the Royal Meridien hotel) and Le Pacha, a floating restaurant docked in Zamalek. Villa d’Este at the Conrad and Trader Vic’s at the Sheraton Royal Gardens are favorite date spots as well.

If your budget doesn’t allow for such an outlay, and if you like Chinese food, Peking – with branches all over the city – always offers special Valentine’s Day menus, complete with fortune cookies and flowers for the ladies. (Word is, the outlet by Dokki’s Shooting Club is by far the best for the food.)
For those wanting to impress their respective mates with their spontaneity, a felucca cruise on the river provides a less obvious – and less expensive – option. You can pack a picnic meal, bring your own tunes, cuddle up with a blanket under the stars and watch other star-struck lovers on the banks of the Nile.

Finally, pre-conceived notions aside, it is possible to get through Valentine’s Day single. For unattached females, my advice is to forget the bingeing and cheesy movies with the girls – that’s definitely passé. Going out for cocktails with friends, or hiding under the covers and crying, are both totally viable options.

And while you may not necessarily feel the urge to celebrate a day that is rumored to have been invented by greeting-card companies (legend has it Hallmark is behind the entire phenomenon), you can always take comfort in the fact that – single or not – by February 15, no one really gives a damn.

Carina Kamel

Disclaimer: This is in no way a guarantee of a happy Valentine’s Day. This writer takes no responsibility whatsoever for any Valentine’s Day “scenes” that might ensue due to the volatile nature of the allegedly “softer” sex.

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