Are oysters an aphrodisiac? Can any food make you feel more loving? Well, there has to be some truth in the idea, bearing in mind that most first dates, anniversaries, engagements and weddings involve some kind of shared meal experience. So, what is it about food and love, and how can we harness the power?
Firstly, eating close together “tête à tête” is a little bit like kissing – open mouths, flowing saliva, and shared sensory experiences. The repeated opening of the mouths (but please chew with mouth shut!!) and flowing saliva (thanks to the deliciousness of the food) mean that you’re exchanging information about what’s going on in your body and brain – liberating and capturing pheromones that indicate your interest in a more intimate exchange as well as showing off your physiological qualities like hormone levels, fertility, youth, desire, and physical fitness. The way you set up the table to maximize shared head space is therefore important.
What to put on the menu? We all have strong associations between food and emotion – it’s called the Proust effect, and smell is more effective than any other sense at making us nostalgic. Sharing an intimate meal is a great opportunity to create a joint nostalgic moment – researchers say that “such shared positive affective experiences can help us develop shared preferences and goals, leading to a mutual understanding of the world”. The power of a delicious meal! So our main objective is to make the moment unique so that it will be a shared happy memory between you, and to include as many positive sensory stimuli as you can to firmly fix that memory in your two brains. Think about food you both like but don’t eat every day, or something you’d both like to try for the first time. Add lighting, music and many smiles and only good things can follow!
Special collaboration with spoonfulfelicity.com for Valentine's day
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