Chocolate spices up love life
many siuici (Jiuviuea muiuiuueui vcuenune
chocolates, from the sensual to the erotic
Ryan Bornheimer
Senior Pulse Reporter
Chocolate is arguably the most sensuous food in the world. And this
sweet, decadent confection has become synonymous with the sexiest
holiday of the year — Valentine’s Day. While “chocolatoriums” in Eu
gene struggle to keep up with the Valentine rush, the bewildered
boyfriend or girlfriend searches for a unique take on the chocolate pur
chase. However, local experts can alleviate the confusion. As you’ll see,
there’s no end to the possibilities.
Euphoria Chocolate Company Manager Kris Ogden said people
have been extremely creative in incorporating chocolate into their
romantic life.
Ogden, who manages the 17th Street location, said she once sold a
bulk amount of the store’s popular “Ultra Sauce” — a rich fudge con
coction — to a local florist. She found out later that the sauce was being
sold as body paint for Valentine’s Day.
Valley River Center Euphoria manager Laura Betty has also seen her
share of love-related chocolate purchases in her 20 years in the business.
“We’ve been asked to design a truffle with a piece of jewelry in the
center,” Betty said.
She also said some customers have purchased one of the store’s
heart-shaped tins filled with chocolates, then returned every year to
refill the same tin.
Whatever the selection, there’s no doubt that Valentine’s Day is big busi
ness for local chocolate distributors.
Christmas remains the busiest time of the year for Euphoria, ac
counting for 25 percent of the year’s business, while Valentine’s Day ac
counts for 15 percent. However, Betty said the numbers are a bit de
ceiving, considering Christmas purchases last throughout the month
of December, and Valentine’s Day sales are usually limited to the three
days leading up to the holiday.
Joyful Confection owner Joy DuYan said people have bought hundreds
of dollars worth of chocolate for the holiday. Her store, located at 1035
Conger, offers chocolate ring boxes and Romance Boxes, containing an
array of love-related items, including chocolate lips, a rose “for her,” a
chocolate kiss “for him,” and peanut butter-filled chocolate hearts.
If you’re looking for straight-up sexual chocolate, stop by Castle Su
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Euphoria Chocolate Co. is famous for its truffles, which are the most common
item sold around Valentine's Day.
per Store, located at 3270 Gateway Street. This adult store has some
thing for every erotic taste. Among other things, Castle sells chocolate
handcuffs, breasts, penises, vaginas and, for the ultra-safe consumer,
chocolate penises with condoms.
Love birds can also pick up the chocolate police officer’s kit, which
includes a chocolate badge, night stick and walkie-talkies.
Castle Sales Representative Kevin Tee said Valentine’s Day is defi
nitely the shop’s busiest time of year.
“It’s a time to recognize that loved one,” Tee said. “You can do that
with everything from chocolate to toys to lingerie.”
You can even combine all three and get a pair of edible undies. Now
that’s one-stop shopping.
Contact the senior Pulse reporter
at ryanbornheimer@dailyemerald.com
Bad things can happen to good dates
From testing potential mates to getting
soaked in rivers, students share
memories about their dating disasters
Katalin Linder
Freelance Reporter
People generally hope for the best as they
head out on a date with a new man or woman.
However, sometimes dates do not turn out
as planned, and an evening meant for romance
turns into a disaster story that evokes bad
memories or great stories for years to come.
Students say there are many ways a date can
turn sour.
University junior Joey Albert has had a few
dating mishaps. A few years ago, Albert said
he took a date to a Portland Trailblazers
game at the Rose Garden. Those familiar
with the arena know there is a large fountain
in the courtyard that periodically spurts dif
ferent water formations.
Albert decided to walk across the fountain
during one of its intermissions. Hewas imme
diately soaked to the bone, humiliating him in
front of his date — and thousands of sports
fans, as he had to sit through the entire game
sopping wet.
As if Albert’s dating life hadn’t been soiled
enough, he was harshly introduced to the
world of protective parents when he picked up
a date for the first time. It wasn’t exactly a
warm greeting that awaited him.
“They handed me a three-page test about
the future and premarital sex,” he said.
Senior Tara Hadley has also been the victim
of a few bad dates. Hadley said her worst date
happened last summer, when a man she was
dating took her camping along the Deschutes
River with a group of his friends from Oregon
State University.
“The fact that I was wearing an Oregon
sweatshirt didn’t help,” Hadley said.
Hadley said her date got so drunk he wound
up at the bottpm of a steep hill after taking a
wrong turn when trying to go to the bathroom.
Then, he proceeded to vomit all over himself
before passing out in the tent. Then, the next
day, while rafting, the men all got a kick out of
tossing Hadley in the river at every interval of
calm water. Gold and annoyed, she waited out
the miserable trip.
Needless to say, Hadley is no longer interest
ed in this particular man.
Junior Tyler Stenson took a date to a Tracy
Chapman concert in Portland. After the con
cert, Stenson’s car ran out of gas just a few
miles from his date’s home.
“It was really humiliating, but she was gra
cious about it,” Stenson said.
Katalin Linder is a freelance writer
for the Emerald.
tk
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Candlelight,
soft music, that sick-to-your-stomach, first
real-date feeling. Ah, yes. Romance. You’ve
planned the perfect night. Gone over every
situation. You know what to say, how to act, even how
to cook the chicken. And then, as you pour the last
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A
romantic
vening calls
a perfect
bottle of wine.
Hearts
a-flutter
Hearts by the numbers
Beats per minute: 130 for a newborn;
72 for an adult
Number of heartbeats in a 70-year life
time: 2.5 billion
Output of blood per beat for each
chamber: 2 tablespoons (which amounts
to 5 quarts per minute)
Weight of the human heart: 8 ounces
(adult woman) to 10 ounces (adult man)
Layers in the walls of the heart: three
Lifetime blood output (over 70 years):
250,000 gallons
Length of blood-vessel system (arteries,
veins and capillaries): 60,000 miles
© 2003, The State (Columbia, S.C.). Distributed
by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
Compiled by Christine Schweickert, The State.
Sourcesditness.howstuffworks.com/heart6.htm,
www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/eheart/facts.html.
Photos by jeremy Forrest Emerald
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