Valentine
Happenings
Beer Gordon Block
Roses in me Dining
Room. Free odmit
tonce. 21 ond over
Weekend of
Animation International
Style. 180 PIC First show
ing is Alice by Jan
Svankinajer at 7 p m
Second showing
Barefoot Gen by Mosaki
Mori at 9 p m Repeats
Feb 14
Postcards. Flaying at the
Pocket Playhouse at 5
pm in 102 Villard Hall SI
donation Repeats on
Feb 13
I Benefit for
Womenspoce and
HIV/AIDS resources.
Chris Williamson and
Tret Fure in the EMU
Ballroom at 8 p m
Caddy shack Sponsored
by Alpha Tau Omega
and Gamma Phi Beta at
7 and 9pm Cost S3 To
benefit Eugene
Emergency Housing
I: Mark Allen. Playing
j at JoFedengos
Can't write?
Don’t Fret
Perhaps you don't
have the write stuff
Maybe you’d rather pay
a week-long visit to me
dentist than put your
deepest feelings on
paper
Don't fret The old rell
ables are still available
this Valentine s Day
PREPRINTED VALEN
TINE'S DAY CARDS An
estimated 1 billion of
'em. Children -
unschooled in me serious
ramifications of these
heart-Infested notes -
send an average of 22
apiece Elvis gets 100
eoch year at Graceiand
FLOWERS A big day for
baby's bream. The indus
try estimates mat 140 mil
lion roses and 160 million
carnations will change
hands
CANDY Last year,
lovers bought $642 mil
lion in sweets for their
sweets
Chocolate "Smoochies"
Ingredients
•1 package sugar-tree
chocolate podding mix
•2 cups skim milk
•3 cups peanut butter
•70 graham cracker squares
• 1 envelope reduced calone
whipped topping mix
Mix chocolate pudding accord
ing to directions on package,
using skim milk. Cool thor
oughly Mix peanut butter with
podding Drop 2 tbsp onto
each cracker Place 1 tbsp
whipped topping on top ot the
pudding-peanut butter mixture
and cover with second crack
er Wrap and freeze
>
aientines
You don't
have to
empty
poor mallet
to please
pr
beloved
Thn St. Valentine's Day
shopping season has
arrived in Eugene, and
many icx^il retailers are
experiencing an upswing
in business.
Kim Young, assistant
manager at Carleton
Cards and Gifts in Valley
River Center, said busi
ness is always goo<l this
time of year, but this was
the strongest year she
could remember,
"We've been doing
three times our normal
sales so lar this week, and
we expect to get up to
four times as much even
tually." she said
Brooks said people thinking of giving flow
ers on Valentine's Day. but do not want to
spend excessively, have other options.
"Everyone thinks roses are the only way to
go. but. we have so many other things too,"
she said.
Some of Brooks' suggestions include pink
carnation arrangements and personalized
arrangements with mylar balloons.
Don Knight, owner ofOnson Hot Tubs,
said he expects business to boom Valentine's
Day.
"We have always been booked solid in the
past on Valentine’s." Knight said, "and wo
expect to be again this year. We don't accept
reservations more than a day ahead of time
unless people pay in advance, and we've
already had several people go ahead and do
that this year."
Knight said those looking for a little steamy
Nol surprisingly, busi
nesses that do w<t11 this lime of year are often
gift, candy, flower or greeting card shops.
Seventy-eight percent of American adults
will buy at least one valentine <ard this
year. Men will buy on average of
three, and women will buy six.
(arris range in price from $1 for
the standard greeting or holiday
card to $15 for the high-tech musi
cal "singing cards."
University junior Matt Kmgwi said
he has already spent $35 at See's
Candy this year.
"I bought a girl a $20 heart-shaped
box of candy earlier this week, but I
opened it and hod one. so then I decided
to eat the rest." he said. "Then I went
hack and bought her a $15 box "
See's, a popular confectioners, has valen
tine candy boxes ranging in prices from
$.1.85 to $27.
Baskin Robbins Ice Cream shop has its
busiest day of the year Valentine's Day. the
most popular item being heart-shaped ice
cream cakes that range in price from $5 to
$15.
Pat Brooks, owner of University Florist,
said Valentine's Day is her busiest day of the
year, but also her most costly.
“We have to hire a lot of extra help and
make an enormous amount of deliveries." she
said. "We get a lot of complaints about prices
this time of year, but they don't know that
our costs triple on Valentine's."
A dozen rod roses costs bet ween $36 and
$60 at University Florist, a price that com
pares favorably to other florists around town.
9m N this Hfhtf
rwe M KckiH Stiitfo
ana sticky lun to pay oariy 10 avoio gtnimg
loft out in the cold.
Victoria's .Secret sales representatives said
sales were comparable to the Christmas sea
son already, with the biggest selling items
being anything in red.
Some of Eugene's dining spots are also
expecting a big upswing in business
Valentine's Day- A spokesman for
Ambrosia Restaurant said he expected
the night to lie one of its biggest of the
year, based on the number of reserva
tions for the night.
Zenon Cafe, the Oregon Electric
Station and Ocean Sky Chinese
Restaurant all expect large crowds,
with the majority of tables being for
two. Restaurants such as El Torito.
McGrath's Publick Fish House and
Zenon Cafe do not take reserva
tions, so prospective diners
should arrive early.
One business that remains
surprisingly unaffected
Valentine's Day is the "adult
entertainment business."
Fantasy Warehouse, purvey
ors of "adult entertainment."
said business stays constant and
does not noticeably differ from other times
of the year.
That has not prevented at least some
University students from looking for love in
all the wrong places. One student, who asked
only to be identified as Tad said. “I can't wait
to see the expression on my girlfriend's face
when she sees this." hoisting his purchase
over his head.
Ciltai Undersoil
eb.14 has
forever
been
deemed the
day for loved
ones to show
how much they
appreciate one another by exchang
ing all sorts of tokens of affection.
But. one doesn’t have to know the his
tory of this holiday's festivities, or
even be connected with a significant
other to join in the traditions of St.
Valentine s Day.
Since the middle ages, Valentino s
Day has been dedicated to love and the
profession of it upon others. From the
moment cupid shot that first arrow into
Psyche of the great Greek legend, the asso
ciation became clear that the feelings that
arrow created should be celebrated
throughout time.
Thus we now have Valentine's Day and
the traditions that have developed through
history in honor of cupid's aim.
The celebrated traditions have been
ingrained in our minds from elementary
school on. with cards and candy o'plenty for
every member of the classroom. The only differ
ence with the exchange of the traditional gifts at that
time, in most of our lives, was that they arrived from
everywhere and everyone in the class. There wasn t a
soul in the building who didn't have a valentine
buddy or two Feb. 14.
Wasn't it great! Not one individual went home
with an empty bag of valentine achievements.
Nowadays in the collegiate frenzy of study, study.
study, we've somehow
managed to forget about
that old "Valentine
Buddy" tradition: But
just ttecanse we have all
grown up and no longer
rutnain seated in one
classroom all dav long,
there is no reason we
should make this holi
day a "couples-only"
celebration.
After all those bulk |
packaged messages with
the bonus teacher's card -
inside ore even sold
conveniently in the
local 7-Elevens these
days. Imagine how ■\
pleased your professors
would be to receive the 9
big heart-shaped apple
card with "World’s !l
Greatest Teacher" writ- 8
ten neatly across the ■
top. Easy pass? It's
Of course,
there is the
Hersheii god.
the Whitmans
god and the
J Brachs god or
I the eodiva god
if iiou're the
spendi) type.
wumi ti uy.
But where did this tradition of card exchanging
originate in the first place?
The first commercial Valentines were made in the
1800s. They were painstakingly handpainted and
decorated with such things as paper flowers, fenth
ers. imitation jewels, sea shells and lace, and their
price sometimes reached as much as $10.
The tradition itself supposedly tamo about when a
frenchman Charles, Duke of Orleans, was put in
prison in 1415. On Valentine's Day he sent his wife a
rhymed love letter from his cell in the Tower of
tendon, and the exchange of verse t arried on from
there.
The carried-on part was also probably the most
necessary feature of the traditional grade school
Valentine's Day sack. The candy portion, containing
chocolates and message hearts with those corny "Luv
Ya” and "Hot Stuff sayings written on top were a
real bonus. Yes. those sweet-nothings of youth had to
be the greatest part of the valentine exchange
The Sweethearts originate from sugar and corn
syrup mixed nicely with gelatin, gum and acid
pyrophosphate. Oh. and U S certified artificial fla
vors and colors are also cooked up marvelously in
the chalky candies from Pewaukee. Wis Originally,
they were meant to replace the sweetheart cards, hut
instead became an additive to the festive messages of
the day.
The chocolates on the other hand came from a
Mexican tradition based on cocoa. A mythical god
named Quelzalcoall introduced man to the cocoa
seeds. He was the god of sweet air and thus fits
appropriately with valentine chocolates.
Of course, there is also the Hershey god. the
Whitmans god and the Brachs god or the Godiva god
if your the spendy type, which also fit nicely with
valentine traditions and chocolate
Whatever the tradition may be. the festivities and
gifts are for all to enjoy on Feh. 14. Don't be bah
humbugging this holiday simply because it's become
known for "lovers only." l.ook back into the tradi
tions of grade school past and get out and celebrate
the old-fashioned way.
Hat do you
hate most
about
Valentines
DauP
"All the silty ads that people
put in the Emerald ''
SCOTT DERICKSON
sew, PPM
"That we don't communicate
how much we care until it s an
official holiday which is sad *
JEROME MTCHELl
senior, music
“The Valentine s Day tight with
my girlfriend It happens
every year *
TYLER WELT
junior, economics
its been commercialized so
much that I have to buy my
wile a gift that cost more than
$10”
TIM CARL
sophomore, biology
"Looking tor a card They
never have the right message
They are always to lovely"
SAMFAUS
freshman, undeclared
'All the people who walk
around holding hands, giving
each other hugs and kisses
It's depressing"
KIA CHELEEN
sophomore. Japanese/
asian studies
“Having to ship everyones
valentines I work tor UPS "
GRANT GOSSETT
juniof. accounting
"The headache I get from all
the sugar"
DEBORAH TUCKER
junior. bkJtogy/chemistry
Everything is reo ana musny
and everyone gets cute and
cuddty"
STEVE MURAOKA
semor, japanese/management