Edible Healing

Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge-Intercourses: An Aphorodisiac Cookbook (Terrace)

As long as there has been sex, there have been aphrodisiacs-defined in Webster's as "agents (as a food or drug) that arouse or are held to arouse sexual desire." Ancient texts mention snake blood and Spanish flies as poweful enhancers of the sexual experience. Other than being weird, they have another thing in common-they're extemely hard to obtain. The rarer (and more expensive) the ingredient, the more likely people are to believe that it works. Powdered rhinocerous horn? Other than that it's almost impossible to get, it's a nutrient-packed phallic symbol. Bingo-instant aphrodisiac. Chocolate on the other hand, is the lovers' best friend. Not only does the caffeine in the candy set one's heart a-pumping, but Hopkins and Lockridge assert that it contains phenylethylalamine, "the very same molecule that courses through the veins of one who is in love."

So just what are true aphrodisiacs? Candles, champagne, strawberries, honey, chocolate, artichokes.... Wait-what's this with the artichokes? They're aphrodisiacs. At least that's what Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge's recent gift/cookbook, Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook, has to say. And I believe them. After even just glancing through the book, you'll believe any romatinc story Hopkins and Lockridge have to tell you.

The cookbook is filled with brightly colored photos that please the eye and tantalize the senses. You can almost smell the coffee and taste the honey. And you can certainly see the romantic scene these dishes can create.

Are you wooing? Trying to design the perfect date? Are you cooking for Valentine's Day? Then Intercourses is your panacea. Not only does the book have lists of sensual dishes, each recipe is accompanied by a short paragraph-sometimes tips on recipe preparation, but more often a vignette on another couple's romantic experience. While cheesy at first, the personal accounts draw you into the moment as your romantic fantasy and the couples' tales wind into the same scene.

While a little pricey at $24.95, you're getting more than just a list of recipes. You get a tidbit of massage oil, how to plan your dinner experience with the season, and an instructional on the body's erogenous zones-a tutorial all but the best of lovers could use.