I'm romantic at the table: Valentine's Day at Spaghetti & Mandolino.

And you? Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?
So, let's start by dividing humanity into two categories: those who answer this question with "of course!" and who have already called the string quartet and taken out a mortgage to buy two dozen red roses, and then there are those, the fantastic realists who say "no, Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday created by consumer society just to make you spend money", and who usually continue with "I love my partner every day, not just on Valentine's Day!"
Well, if you even slightly identified with one of these categories or know someone who definitely belongs to one, or you're just curious about where I will go with this article, feel free to keep reading!

I've always wondered which group I belong to among those mentioned above, because here we laugh and joke, but this "holiday" generates panic!
But why do we have to self-categorize? Can't one find themselves somewhat in between, and thus take the opportunity of a holiday to show all their affection? Or just celebrate "just because"?

So, to recap, the ideal would be: celebrate Valentine's Day, which is a commercial strategy so without following the crowd, doing something romantic but not too much, something alternative and not cliché.

Now allow me to quote an esteemed poetess named Sora Lella: "But let me eat, what do I care!" (legendary Sora Lella).
Ladies and gentlemen, we have the solution.

The Valentine's Day of Spaghetti & Mandolino is full of passion and flavor

Italy, land of flavors, synonymous with passion, the best cuisine in the world... but do we want to take advantage of all these qualities? We have excellent, artisanal, genuine products, rich in taste and tradition. Let's put them on the table and take this opportunity to enjoy a nice intoxicating and aphrodisiac dinner and to dedicate some of our time to the person we love the most.

Love is sharing, food is sharing, so love is food, right? It’s a perfect syllogism in my opinion.

Have you got a cavity yet? Okay, I'll stop with the clichés in a moment, but try to imagine for a moment this year's Valentine's Day: it's Sunday, a day of relaxation. You're at home with your guy or girl and you want to do something special, something different. 2021 is not a normal year, just like 2020 wasn’t. Most of us will stay at home (today all regions are yellow, who knows what February 14 will bring!) so nothing will be organized. So what to do?

Two glasses of red wine, a wooden cutting board with thin slices of salamis arranged in a circle, and in the center cheese.
Then another two glasses of wine paired with a bar of chocolate lovingly divided into equal parts, and to finish beautifully two nice glasses of red (yes, let’s go for it). All accompanied by the sweet notes of "Le Festin" from Ratatouille or "How deep is your love" by the Bee Gees, your choice. Nice, right? And how did you imagine it?

In the end, if you think about it, there's nothing fictitious or constructed. It's just two people, some quality products, and a considerable amount of wine. Because it's you who create the atmosphere, we just provide the ingredients.
I’ve given you a few ideas; I can't tell you everything!

Want the menu? We'll make it for you!

Not enough for you? Then I’ll go all out, because I can tell you all the ingredients I've painted in your mind: the wine for dinner is a Chianti, like the Vigna Vecchia Gran Selezione from Vecchie Terre di Montefili, or you can choose a wonderful Amarone from Ferragù, or a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from La Quercia.

On the cutting board, there's salami, but not just any salami, an Amarone-aged salami, the Cordivino, or if you'd prefer something else, there’s the Deavina capocollo, both from Corrado Benedetti.
The cheese, on the other hand, is a blue cheese, the Blu 61, which is already a love story since its creator dedicated it to his wife on their fiftieth anniversary. He had already understood everything. If you like cheeses that are a bit more aged, you might choose another dairy poem, the Drunk with Love, also from Casearia Carpenedo.
Let's talk about dessert. The chocolate is the Grand Cuvée Character 309 Extra Dark 85% from Noalya: an explosion of emotions! Alternatively, we can suggest two specialties: the Gianduia Heart from Domori or another love story, that of the Cercepiccola Heart (which comes in three variations: with apples, citrus, and chocolate. Try to guess which one we recommend?).

Don’t say I didn't help you; you practically don’t even have to cook, the energy expenditure required for this preparation is truly minimal.

So do you celebrate Valentine's Day? Whether you are a romantic or the most skeptical of skeptics, you have to admit that I’ve given you a nice idea, and you don’t have to necessarily use the products I suggested, there are many more on the Spaghetti & Mandolino portal.
And if you are single and think this text doesn’t concern you, know that it’s not true, because I spoke of the person you love the most, who can be anyone, even yourself. Treat yourself to a day of love and passion, be romantic at the table.

Sara Bettoni