Conversation Hearts

It's that time of the year again. True, Valentine's Day may have been an undeniable presence since 12.01am on New Year's when all the stores immediately erupted in a froth of pink, red, and white lace. But now that I've actually got a bowl of real conversation hearts on the table and I've been steadily snacking my way through "Be Mine"s, "Call Me"s, and "True Love"s, the holiday feels more real.

So of course Susan and I are thinking about food and love. In the last year, we've heard some great food-related stories about all the stages of love. People possibly meeting over food: a woman wanted to post a picture of donut cuff links on her match.com profile, reasoning that any man who'd appreciate them would appreciate her. People falling in love over food: a couple shared a pink sprinkled donut on their first date. People having trouble admitting their feelings: a man was terribly shy and when he wanted to tell his future wife that he loved her for the first time, he said "I love... waffles" instead.

But food isn't just connected with romantic love. Think about all those little acts of love that happen in families or between friends: the note in the lunchbox, the favorite snack after school, grabbing a milkshake a fries to make a bad day better, best friends sharing a pint of ice cream and secrets.

That's why our favorite conversation heart is XO- it's the perfect combination of a food and the sweet hugs and kisses sentiment that food happily given expresses. And it's why this Valentine's Day, we hope that everyone has a special someone (best friend, mom, dad, sister, husband, wife, neighbor) with whom they'll share something delicious and memorable!