Cramped tables, no privacy, overpriced set menus – why not just stay at home and cook, or share takeaway comfort food snuggled on the sofa?
I am far from a relationship guru, but here is some advice: the least romantic thing you can possibly do on Valentine’s Day is take your date out for dinner.
My apologies to the hospitality industry. I know the sector is still struggling and February 14 is one of the most lucrative days of the year, together with Mother’s Day, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. But from my experience, Valentine’s meals have also been some of the least enjoyable dinners I have ever had to stomach.
For weeks now, the swankier restaurants around Hong Kong have been plugging their Valentine’s menus. The food media help spread the propaganda, creating listicles of the “best” and “most memorable” places to take your partner – based on what seems to me no other criteria than the press releases they received the week of their deadline.
As is usual for this requisite social routine, the wooer will book an overpriced dinner and buy a bouquet of overpriced flowers.
But on the night, instead of feeling special or significant, the vibe often conveyed to the courting pair is that you are just another perfunctory couple in a prefab charade of romance.
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