My Valentine's Day

Aaah VD (as termed by my students). That joyous infection of a popular holiday that spreads like a virus turning everything itchy shades of pink and red. and then any attempts to remedy the infection by use of the guaranteed love potion sold to you by the vendor (who swears it is the best possible remedy to your heart ailments), does nothing except for taste really good while simultaneously emptying your pockets.  Eventually you just have to wait until the itch goes away. 

My Valentine’s Day preparations consisted of an afternoon spent in collaboration with Furiida (see http://squggly-inkblots.blogspot.com/) baking over 100 sugar cookies for our respective colleagues. This would be as joyous as it sounds if we weren’t baking 6 biscuits at a time due to the limited baking space in my microwave oven. 

We decorated them in true South African sugar cookie style – with icing and Smarties (well Smarties substitute, a recent discovery). Most of these were individually bagged, as is the Japanese style, for distribution at school. 

Valentine’s day here is very different. The “special date night” in Japan is Christmas Eve.  In Japan, on the 14 February, girls are expected to do the giving – usually chocolates or home baked cookies and cakes.  But before you complain at the complete lack of expectations placed on the boys it must be noted that they have to return gifts received on the 14 March, which is called White Day. These return gifts are expected to be of a value 2 to 3 times higher than the original gift. So Valentine’s Day here is really an investment in future returns. 

However, the giving of chocolates on Valentine’s Day is not as simple as just giving gifts. For Japanese woman there are a variety of kinds of gifts that depend on a variety of social hierarchy structures. Tomo-choko is exchanged between friends. Honmei-choko is Favourite chocolate and given to loved ones or those you wish to empress. Many women feel they have to provide gifts to ALL their male colleagues resulting in the distribution of much giri-choko or obligation chocolate. Though my personal favourite is the chocolate reserved for the unpopular co-workers: ultra-obligation chocolate or chõ-giri choko.

I, of course, just gave everyone the same and stashed a box of cookies in the staff kitchen. I like to think it was in promotion of ubuntu and spreading equality through international exchange.

The one joyous thing about all this is that my 7/11 has been stocking Godiva chocolates for the last month, which is like finding Godiva chocolates at the Engine 1-Stop in Brakpan. That and of course my reputation has increased to “honourable”, now that my teachers think I am not entirely as useless as previously thought.