Valentine’s Day: It’s a day made entirely for expressing your love for your friends, family and special others. But what exactly does love look like? There are long and tight warm hugs for those whose love language is physical touch, love letters filled with sweet messages for those who are more appreciative of words of affirmation, and so on. When it comes down to giving gifts, though, — arguably one of the most important aspects of the holiday– the answer to the broad problem of what to give someone is fairly simple: food.

   Don’t get me wrong, while I’d love to receive the classic flowers with a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day, I’d have absolutely no issue if the flowers were cut out. Even if flowers are the perfect image of love as they encapsulate the whole aesthetic of the holiday with their variety of beautiful colors and soft scents, let’s face the truth: flowers are overrated. The recipient is given the responsibility to take care of them and still, the only service they provide is being a pleasant sight. Sophomore Gabriella Tolentino understands this perfectly. “I prefer receiving sweets because it’s something I can actually indulge in,” she explains. “Yes, flowers are pretty, but they will just end up dying anyway.” With sweet treats, however, at least your stomach is guaranteed to be filled without a single sour thought on your mind.

   In any situation, really, food is always the way to go. Sophomore Dylan Escandell, who plans to give his own valentine sweets this year, notes that “everyone likes chocolate. It tastes good and it’s a safe option you can depend on.” Clearly, you can always trust the process when it comes to chocolates, and not even only that, but the entire range of treats you can give your loved ones on Valentine’s Day! There are candy hearts, chocolate covered strawberries, brownies, cakes, cookies, and so much more! You can even add your own personal touch to them if you make the treat yourself.

   Certainly, the beauty of flowers can add to the look of a gift. However, that’s exactly to what extent its significance goes — flowers are always in the background, a mere side piece. Take a Valentine’s Day breakfast in bed, for example. While you can see the effort given in preparing the entire thing, what stands out is the sweet meal itself; flowers in a vase simply fill up the space and enhance the food’s aesthetic to present a more lovely vibe.

   The fact of the matter is, as sophomore Anaya Andre puts it, “Food always brings people together.” Everyone knows this, whether you’ve had special experiences during Valentine’s Day or not. Knowing your special other enough to get them their favorite flowers is great, of course, but knowing them deeply enough to fill both their heart and their stomach at the same time with any sort of food is even better.

   Like Anaya says, “Something about giving sweets makes the gift so much sweeter.”