Have you ever wondered why there is so much chocolate on the shelves around Valentine's day? Well hopefully this blog will help you better understand why that is. Interesting fact before I start: Have you ever wondered how chocolate started? Well chocolate has not always been a sweet that one would chose from the supermarket or candy store. It was more common to be in drinks to relieve constipation. Disgusting right?
I recently read a very good article posted by the washington post on how chocolate has been transformed into a sensual and enjoyable gift. The link to the article is Here. Very interesting right? Just to summarize what the authors were highlighting: Making chocolate the official snack of Valentine's day was started by the Cadbury founders. The Cadbury boys grew up in a Quaker household that did not ever indulge. The boys decided to start selling chocolate during the victorian age in England. They would sell their chocolates in heart shaped boxes in hopes to start a trend. As many of you have probably guessed, they were very successful. As noted in the article they had to weight their cadbury chocolate beliefs against the Quakers. 
Chocolate has always been a fan favorite since the times of the aztecs. Interesting enough many aztec rulers thought chocolate was an aphrodisiac. In an article that I read they mentioned that chocolate was the "food of the gods". So isn't it fitting that a food that many find as an aphrodisiac is chosen later as the "official valentine sweet". Chocolate's role on valentines day in the U.S is a beautiful sight for all but believe it or not it's not the same in other countries. Here is an interesting Link that talks about Japan. For those of you who did not have time or were a little confused with the article, Japan treats valentines day a lot different than the U.S. 
According to the article that I read, Japan treats Valentine's day a lot different that other countries. It is custom for females to buy their male co-workers chocolates on Valentine's day. In the last couple years this custom has been changing though for many reasons considering it is sexist. In the article is notes that Godiva is refusing to sell chocolates to japan for Valentine's day since they do not agree with their sexist traditions. According to the article Japan does not treat Valentine's day as a day for love, but as a day for getting. 
The Huffington Post posted a really interesting article recently on how Valentine's day is celebrated in different cultures. Here is the Link. I highly recommend this because it shows how different countries react to such a popular U.S holiday. What caught my eye was how Brazil sees Valentine's day. Since the have the Carnival around the same time as the lovers holiday they chose to not celebrate it at all. Instead they have a similar holiday June 12 named "Dia Dos Namorados" which in English is "Lover's day"Cites used
https://twitter.com/washingtonpost
https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/lifestyle/2015/05/11/experiencing-a-midday-slump-eat-some-dark-chocolate/
http://travelreviewmagazine.com/rio-de-janeiro-brazil/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/397583473334244486/
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