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LIFESTYLES
By Lora Vanderhall
Post Staff Writer
Valentines Day Is a day that
has been set aside for showing
your loved ones you care. Dur
ing the holiday It Is common to
see large red hearts, cards, pa
per lace and cuplds everywhere.
Children particularly enjoy the
holiday because they exchange
valentine cards with their class
mates and sometimes are al
lowed to have parties. Some
adults also enjoy Valentine's
Day just as much as children. 1
have often wondered who start
ed all of this Valentine sending
and who was St. Valentine?
Hundreds of years ago In the
days of the Roman festivals to
pagan gods, there was a festival
called the Lupercalla. Lupercal-
la Is an ancient Roman fertility
festival celebrated on Februsuy
15. It was the custom at this
feast for the young Romans to
put Into a box the names of
young maidens and then draw
the names out by chance. The
3Toung lady whose name he drew
became the young man's part
ner for the Lupercalla festfvi.
With the Introduction of Chris
tianity the celebration In honor
of heathen gods were removed In
every way possible. However,
the people had become so ac
customed to the rituals of their
various holidays and festivals
that It was Imp)osslble to do
away with them enUrely. In the
year A.D. 496, Pope G^aslus of
Rome Chose a substitute holi
day for Christians. The new cel
ebration was to honor a bishop
by the name of Valentine who
on February 14, around A.D. 270,
had been executed on Palatine
Hill.
Very little Is known about the
life of Bishop Valentine. Some
historians have claimed that he
has been confused with another
St. Vailentlne, who lived during
emperor Claudius's time and
was Imprlsloned for marrying
couples secretly when the em
peror had forbidden the marri
ages to take place. However, the
best authorities Identify St. Val
entine as the churchman who
was beaten and beheaded on
February 14 because he had
cured his jail-keeper's daughter
of blindness.
In Derbyshire the girls used to
look through the keywhole eeirly
In the morning of St. Valentine's
Day and "If they saw only a sin
gle object or prerson, they would
remain unmarried all that year.
However, If they saw two or more
objects or prersons, they would
be sure to have a sweetheart,
and that In no distant time; but
If fortune so favored them that
by chance the saw a rooster and
a hen, they might be certain to
be married before the year was
out"
There was an old saying that If
snowdrops were brought Into
the house before St. Valentine's
Valentine's Day originated
from the Lupercalla festival
therefore many of the customs
of the ancient Lupercalla con
tinued. One custom that has not
continued In England and Scot
land Is drawing names from an
urn. In Norwich, England. St.
Veilentlne's Day use to be a day
for giving gifts. These gifts were
baskets that were left at the
doorsteps of the recipient. In
the town of Norfolk It was the
custom for children to catch
each other for Valentines. They
would say, "Good morrow, Valen-
tlnel" and If the speaker could
repeat his words before he was
given a reply, he was rewarded
with a small gilt.
''What Have You Done For Me Lately?^'
with Februaiy 14 approaching what will It be? . ^
With February 14 approaching
the question of what have you
done for me lately usually deter
mines the type of gift or gesture
given at Valentines. Ideally, the
gift or gesture should be deter
mined by how much you care
about a person and/or how
much you can afford. The whole
Idea Is to let those sp>eclal peo
ple know you care.
After deciding that you will do
something for that sp>eclal per
son on Valentine's Day, the next
question Is, how much can you
afford? The price range can be
from 50 cents to several thou
sand dollars or greater. The sky
Is the limit! After deciding your
price range the next question Is
Is
If
what will It be?
Flowers are still very popular
at this time of year. Helen Mun
go, owner of University Flowers
& Gifts said, "Roses are still the
most pxjpular flower with carna
tions running a close second."
The price range for roses
$45.00-$60.00 per dozen,
that's a bit expensive for you _
single rose says a lot too.
Sometimes, depending on the
person, flowers are not the way
to go, or ihaybe you just want to
change your gift this year.
Some people rationalize that If
you have $50.00 to spend, put It
In something that will last forev
er.
That opens up a large range of
V
gift Ideas, from clothing to cars.
Jewelry Is a good gift Idea for the
jewelry connolseur. The saying
"Diamonds are a girls best
friend" heis some merit.
Another probe for deciding
what that sp>eclal person would
like Is to ask yourself, what have
they procrastinated about buy
ing lately? Some women would
love to have designer clothes or
pocketbooks but for whatever
reason continue to put It off. I'm
sure that would be a welcomed
surprise. Buying for men seems
to be a little more dlfilcult but by
no means an excuse for not buy
ing. Men are Increasingly be
coming Involved with the de
signer thing too. Anything from
designer clothes to wallets are
some of the things they seem to
FDY Restaurant Offers Tastefully Delicious Food
By Lora Vanderhall
Ptost Staff Writer
FDY Is Charlotte's newest a la
carte style restaurant. FDY
opened on January 25th of this
year and It Is owned by Flojrd D.
Young.
Mr. Young's expertise In the
food Industry spans over 30
years. When he moved to Char
lotte In 1969 he served as food
service director for a company
that served Johnson C. Smith
University In Charlotte. Living
stone College In Salisbury , Bar-
ber-Scotla College In Concord
and Denmark Technical College
In Denmark, S.C.
In 1983. Young formed FDY,
Inc. when he took over the con
tracts of the above Carolina
colleges. The services the com
pany offers Includes Industrial
feedings, catering. Institutional
feedings, vending operations
and most recently a restaurant/
creasing banquet clientele.
Young says.
The restaurant offers a variety
of USDA choice meats Including
beef, pork, flsh, lamb, jmd veal.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are
of the highest f>osslble quality
and delivered dally. The cafete
ria style restaurant also offers
an open salad bar, assorted
fnilts and juices, a variety of
desserts Including baa'd amd soft
serve Ice cream amd a grill.
The staff at FDY has grown
from 75 to 200 employees since
Its founding In 1983. The com
pany's commitment to quality
service at fair prices has been
the primary reaison for Its suc
cess. Their motto Is
Exceptionally prepared. Taste
fully delicious..." "We have a va
riety of food that will meet all of
the public's palate," said Mr.
Young.
bancroet facility.
FDY restaurant Is located In
77 Coporate Park at 1-77 and
Clanton Road. The 11,124-
square foot facility will seat 375
people and can accommodate
500 people. The restaurant Is
open for lunch Monday thru Fri
day. 11:15 until 1:45. The facility
will also help serve FDY's In
in observance of Black History
Month FDY and The Charlotte
Post will host a drop-ln Friday
February 12th at FDY. Inc. Eve
ryone Is Invited to come out and
enjoy free hors d'oeuvres and
music from 5-9 p.m. FDY Is lo
cated at 3411-K St. VardeU Lane
(off of 1-77 South and Clanton
Rd).
"Last Friday was Valentine's
Day and the night before I got
five bay-leaves, and pinned fixtr
of them to the four comers qf my
pillow, and the fifth to the mid
dle; and then y I dreamt of my
sweetheart, we should be mar
ried before the year is out. But
to make It sure, I boiled an egg
hard and took out the yolk, and
filled tt wlh salt; and when ! went
to bed ate It, shell and all, with
out speaking or drinking after tt.
We also wrote our lovers' name
upon bits of paper, and rolled
them up in clay, and put them
into water; and the first that
rose up was to be our valenttne."
There was a superstition
among rural people that the
birds select their mates on St.
Valentine's Day.
In some areas of England It Is
still custcrnary for children to go
about on Valentine's Eve singing
for pennies, apples, or oranges.
Also In some sections of Eng
land, It Is customary to eat a
certain kind of bun made with
caraway seeds and currants or
plums. In Rutland these buns
have been given to the boys and
girls of the town on Valentine's
Day for hundreds of years.
The Sicilians hold a happy fes
tival on February 14. It Is said
that a young girl in Sicily should
stand at her window for a half
hour before the sun rises on the
morning of St. Valentine's Day,
and If she sees no one pass she
will have to remain unmarried
that year. But If a man should
happen to come within sight of
her watching eyes. It means that
either he or someone closely re
sembling him will become her
husband, and that within the
year!
So much for superstitions. To
day our thoughts turn to candy,
cards, and Cupid on Valentine's
Day.
Day the single women of that
house would remain unmarried
all year! Other superstitions
along this line are evident In the
following extract from a young
lacfy's diary from 1754:
gr
enjoy but procrastinate about
buying. A subscription to his fa-
voriate NBA or NIT., newspaper
would also be a good gift Idea.
Some novelty Items this year
are dinosaurs and devil stuffed
animals. They come In different
sizes and can be Incoporated
Into flower arrangements. Ba-
loon-a-grams and certificates
stating how much you care are
still very popular.
Ultimately, It Is the thought
that counts. A special dinner for
two or an offer to do the dishes
for a change may make your val
entine very happy. You may not
be able to afford a gift per se but
you can always give a kind ges
ture.
MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE
CHEF
Julius Hart serves up mouth
watering pies at the new FDY
Restaurant but of course that
is not the extent of his culi
nary skills. Like the entire
professionally trained FDY
staff. Hart aims to please.