As anyone who saw Varsity Blues and Ali Larter’s whipped cream bikini can attest, food can be very sexy. But, as anyone who’s ever had a boyfriend who talks with his mouth full or had a propensity for poppy seed bagels can argue, food and love are not always a good mix. There is a difference between your food being yummy and you being yummy.
It may seem obvious to avoid the risk of spinach in your teeth or garlic breath, but did you know that basil, arugula and even carrots are said to decrease potency? On the other hand, carrots, with their high dose of Vitamin E and phallic shape, are traditionally eaten as an aphrodisiac. The lovin’ food comes back to myths and superstition, but research has shown that certain shapes, vitamins, and even smells from food can set the mood as effectively as your dinner’s candlelight.
Food can be an aphrodisiac for many different reasons. You can look good eating it—think whipped cream. Food itself can increase potency; cayenne pepper increases circulation and enhances love. Asparagus is high in Vitamin E, which is associated with the production of sex hormones. The vegetable’s phallic silhouette finds its way onto most restaurants’ Valentine’s Day menus.
Oysters are particularly famous for their resemblance to Georgia O’Keeffe paintings and increasing both male and female virility. Because they are served raw, you feel as if you are being served a luxurious treat without having a heavy meal. I recently tried the oysters at J. Paul’s on M Str. I slipped the Blue Point oyster into my mouth and pressed the slimy thing to the roof of my mouth. Unsure of whether to chew the sweet, briny mollusk or swallow it whole, the mass soon melted in my mouth. Not bad, but I certainly was not in need of a cold shower after supper either. I would prefer the perfectly grilled asparagus served beneath a salad mache—small, sweet lettuce leaves and salty shavings of parmesan cheese—at Leopold’s Kafe in Cady’s Alley off M Street. (For disclosure: I used to waitress there.)
As I learned, no matter what science or legend suggests about a food, it won’t work if you don’t enjoy it. The Kama Sutra suggests goat testicles boiled with milk and honey. I’d prefer to eat some honey off the spoon that stirred my cup of Chai tea than eat balls. The tea is warming, spicy, and the caffeine gets your heart pumping. Drink it after a dinner of Vitamin-E packed pine nuts and raisins sprinkled over a nice salad.
Nothing is more romantic than cooking for your babe, so turn on some Barry Manilow, light some candles and just to be safe, throw some spinach in the salad for a bit of extra stamina.
