In a letter to Marie Bonaparte, close to his death, Sigmond Freud wrote:
“Die grosse Frage, die nie beantwortet worden ist und die ich trotz dreißig Jahre langem Forschen in der weiblichen Seele nie habe beantworten können, ist die: Was will das Weib?”
a very rough translation would be:
“The big question that has never been answered in spite of my nearly thirty years on the subject is what do women want?”
With a wife and three daughters, this is the question that haunts me at birthdays, anniversaries and, yes, at Valentine’s Day! When I first met Laura, we were both 17 and her favorite cuisine was pop tarts washed down with a slug of Tang. Well, she was 17. Since then we have discovered many interesting foods from around the world that she has favored, but to find one is a challenge… and on Valentine’s Day, it’s important to get it right.
The answer came by following the fusion example of South Africa and combining a few worthy items. Laura loves scallops and pasta. She has also become fond of a South African curry sauce I make with Peri Peri and about a dozen spices that make the curry. Fortunately this was relatively dietetic as well and delicious!
So, women may not be so simple in reading their desires as in reading the hopes and wishes of men, but when in doubt… ask them! 😉 … or fix them a South African gastronomic experience worthy of connoisseurs!
Roger Freberg