Food Detective: If passion’s your goal, Valentine’s Day is no time to overeat

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Dr. Debby Herbenick doesn’t put much stock in food as an aphrodisiacs, but is a fan of “body sugar.” | Photo courtesy David Hammond

Updated: March 9, 2012 8:02AM

Several years ago, Kizoku Sushi and Lounge on Ontario instituted “body sushi.” For $500, a four-person table could nibble raw seafood off a partially clad woman.

“Yuck!” may well be the word that just crossed your mind.

Talking with the Kinsey Institute’s Dr. Debby Herbenick, author of Because It Feels Good, a woman’s guide to sexual pleasure and satisfaction, and this year’s Great in Bed, I asked if body sushi sounded sexy or stupid.

“The idea is kind of sexy,” Herbenick conceded, but, “it’s stupid because this is a stranger you’re eating off of, not your partner.”

Food and romance seem made for each together, and Herbenick certainly was talking to me when she said, “I know some couples for whom everything centers around food.”

We were strolling through Whole Foods in River North, looking at alleged aphrodisiacs such as oysters and chocolate. Regarding the appropriateness of any particular food for Valentine’s Day, Herbenick cautioned that scientists have found no conclusive evidence that any of these so-called aphrodisiacs actually stimulate or enhance the feeling of love or making love.

“We may discover that there are food aphrodisiacs,” said Herbenick, “but right now our method of measuring has been so crude. We’ve asked people to keep food diaries, and then we look at what happens in their sex lives. But people eat so many different things that it’s been hard to identify what works.”

Though grossed out by body sushi with strangers, Herbenick is a fan of “body sugar.” Her recipe is simple: “Take two tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar and a couple of basil or mint leaves, finely chopped. Some might like cocoa powder, anything that’s tasty, savory or sweet. Mix it together; sprinkle it over your partner, and lick it up.”

“How about just going out for Valentine Day’s dinner? You know, maybe the traditional surf n’ turf,” I offered, meekly.

“Unfortunately,” Herbenick told me, “a lot of restaurants have these big portion sizes that contribute to people not wanting to go home and have sex because they’re tired and sluggish. So try to keep your portion sizes small. Save room for sex!”

David Hammond is an Oak Park writer and contributor to WBEZ (91.5 FM) and LTHForum.com. E-mail detective@suntimes.com.