It was a time of purification, so you had to fast and abstain from pleasure. The hot foods would get the blood flowing.

224

I used to have one in front of my office. Mine was reachable, and people would come up and ask if they could have some of the flowers. You take the pistil out. They are chopped and they are sautéed with garlic and onions and they make good tacos.

125

Carnival comes from the word carne (which means meat). It's a time when people could eat meat and all the rich food they wanted to before Lent.

124

Local restaurants are swamped on Valentine's Day. It's not very romantic to stand in line. For me the most romantic thing is not the meal or the expense but spending time with the person you want to celebrate the day with.

90