I am understandably kind of looking forward my first Valentine’s Day of actually having someone that could be called my Valentine, but I’m also a little bit bewildered.

I was never one of those bitter single people who really hated Valentine’s Day because it was invented so the greeting card companies and the makers of chocolate could capitalize on love. I mean, I wasn’t really a bitter single person. (Come to think of it, I’m not really that bitter a person. I can be sad and dejected and even cynical, but I never quite make the jump to full-on bitterness.) I really sort of viewed Valentine’s Day as a non-event. The past few years, I’ve been just home for Reading Week and have spent it with my parents.

Of course, this year will be different. I don’t know, I may have mentioned it a couple of times, I’m not sure, but yeah, I have this boyfriend? So, we, uh, have to spend it together. I’m all for an excuse to be romantic, but I don’t know the protocol at all. As much as my younger self dreamed of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, I don’t really feel like we need to buy each other gifts, as we’re both kind of cashtrated of late and my love don’t cost a thing. (I did just buy him slippers, that was pretty romantic, right? What? You say they’re from Ikea and cost less than $5? Shut up.) So, the plan is to cook something together, split a bottle of wine, and be even more adorable than usual.

The thing is, despite my recent obsession with food blogs/foodtv/cookbooks, I have no idea what to make. I don’t care how elaborate it is, it is a reading week day off of lovelitude so I have all the time in the world, plus I have all kinds of specialty food shops in my midst, so there’s no ingredient too obscure. I just have no. idea. what to make. What’s romantic food?

(And no, oysters don’t count because EW.)