Experimenting with aphrodisiacs
Does champagne make you horny? How about caviar? And I heard somewhere that even truffles do the (sexy) trick. But, just how true are these aphrodisiac myths? Do they really spark something in one's libido? And if that's the case, let's put these foods to the test.
I did some research to get to the bottom of these aphrodisiac tales. Are they as effective as we've been told in the past? A lover and I tried them out -- on different nights -- as well as one night where we didn't try any (you know, because we needed a "nothing" day as a control), and here's what we found.
Caviar
The Test: Caviar can cost upwards of $50 for one measly pound sometimes even more depending on the type. It better have more of an effect than a good taste! And it does -- caviar has a special quality to nourish and enhance nerve cells, which also enhance romantic feelings. When mixed with vodka, passions will be ignited for sure. My lover and I had some caviar with crackers. To be honest, we didn't feel romance really -- we just enjoyed the great snack. We added a couple of vodka martinis to the mix.
The Verdict: It wasn't long until we did start to feel something. Yes -- we started to feel a little more relaxed, a little more comfortable, and a hint sexual. But then again, it might've just been the alcohol.
Chocolate
The Test: Chocolate does many things to a woman. It can be comforting, it can cheer her up and be guilt-inducing at the same time. But, sex? Can it make a man or woman in the mood? Supposedly, chocolate contains stimulants for your nervous system that can help heighten the "mood." In fact, legend has it that Montezuma, a powerful Aztec emperor, drank 50 cups of chocolate every day to boost his stamina. He absolutely needed to in order to satisfy his harem of 600 women. Wow. My boyfriend and I got ourselves some Toblerone, Ferrero Rocher and Hershey Kisses. Romance had to be evident -- I mean, love is in the names of the candies we were about to consume. We had a couple of bites of each in the span of an hour.
The Verdict: After snacking, neither of us felt a thing. If anything, we felt so disgusted with ourselves (and our ailing tummies) that sex was the furthest thing from either of our minds.
Truffles
The Test: They say truffles contain an ingredient that is quite similar to the male pig sex hormone. I can't vouch for boy pigs and their lovemaking ways, but apparently they used truffles to seek out girl pigs in the wild. This special chemical in the truffle that girl pigs are attracted to is full of romantic reputation. Now truffles are hard to find. You'll have to go to a specialty supermarket or gourmet shop to score some good pieces. My man and I finally found them. We made truffles and potatoes (on the side of our roast beef dinner) -- yummy!
The Verdict: To be honest, nothing. We felt nothing. The truffles, on the other hand, were so delicious. We can't complain. The meal alone was enough to satisfy us. The search and cooking frenzy was totally worth it.
The Control (Nothing)
The Test: We were beginning to think that maybe we're not as attracted to each other as we thought. Three nights with caviar, chocolate and truffles -- known aphrodisiacs -- and we felt nothing. With the exception of vodka, which merely lowers one's inhibitions, our sex success rate with these supposed aphrodisiacs wasn't a high number. Could it be that these aphrodisiac tales aren't real? Or, could it be that we're just not as into each other? Have we just been spending time together for no reason? Will this not last?
The Verdict: You can understand our cause for concern. So we tried a night with nothing -- no aphrodisiacs, that is. And finally -- something. We felt "something." Without being vulgar, let's just say having nothing worked. No aphrodisiacs and romance? Interesting.
We then came to the conclusion that while these well-known aphrodisiacs scientifically and historically have helped with romance and urges, another aphrodisiac to add to the list is (which we found to be the most effective, I might add) is by using nothing. No pressure -- it's just you and him, and it's raw. Love, after all, is about enjoying one another. Humans have a chemistry in them already (if you're with the right person, that is) that calls for no sexual aids. Find someone that you really connect with and aphrodisiacs are not necessary.
