Chinese Valentines Day Story: Salt and Coffee

Since July 7 on the lunar calendar is falling on 08/26/09 (the West's calendar), I thought I would share some of my feelings along with all the love in the air. For those of you that do not know, this day is considered to be the Chinese Valentines Day (or for the singles, Happy Single Awareness Day). Now, why don't you dim the light, lit up the candles, open a bottle of wine, and look in the monitor. Oh, and of course with your significant other by your side.

I have heard this story about two years ago, and what makes it so special is that it is based on a true story. Well, enough with building up the anticipation. Let's dive in shall we?

A side note, if you do not familiar with th origin of the holiday. Click here to have a better understanding (Festival of the Cowherd and Weaving Maiden).

So, it begins...

After he had finished his college education, a man left his family and moved into the big city once he got a job offer. Every day on his way to work, the man would always stop for a cup of coffee at the local coffee store. The man did not drop by because the coffee was good, but there was a beautiful lady who happened to drink coffee at that place every morning. He would always sit across the room, but was never able to go over to the woman and start a conversation.

One morning, the coffee shop was crowded. Seeing how pack the store was, the guy thought he should just turn around and go to work early. At that moment, he saw she was sitting by herself. He realized that this could be the best chance to make his move. With a cup of coffee in his hand, he walked over and said, "Excuse me. Sorry, but there is not table available, may I sit with you?" She smiled and moved her stuff off the table to make room for him. Little by little, he started a conversation with her. While sitting there, the man thought to himself that he has never seen a more beautiful smile than her.

As the time went by, he knew that he need to do something to give her a good lasting impression before they leave for the day. The man then put some salt into his coffee and drank it. Out of curiosity, the woman asked him why. He replied,

"I was born by the beach and lived there all of my life. Each morning when I sat down with my father to drink coffee, the wind from the sea would carry a soft scent of salt into our coffee. Now that I am no longer with my family, I like to have a little bit of salt in my coffee as a reminder of them."

Little does she knew, his home as nowhere near the beach. After listening to the story, she started to think differently about him.

Every morning after that, they would see each other at the coffee shop. Two years later, the couple got married. When the two woke up each morning, the wife would prepare him a cup of coffee with a little salt in it. No matter how disgusting the taste was the man would still drink the coffee until it was finished. The man would drink the same coffee for the next 55 years of their marriage. When the days arrived of him lying on his death bed, he wrote a letter to her. The letter said,

"In my whole life, I had never lied to you about anything except for one." The man then told the whole story to her. After she finished reading, she burst out and cried. Few years later, their children published the couple's story to the world.

By now, I hope that you are in the arm of the person you love. So, how was it? Not too bad, right? Thank you for coming by. I really appreciate it. If you have any question or just want to tell me all about how your day went, you can contact me here. Or, you can follow me on Twitter. From where I am and wherever you are, you should turn off the computer already and enjoy your night. Good night, everybody.

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