Chapter 0 - Author's Preface

I created this book to help you enjoy the remarkable relationship between food and sex. These two themes run brightly through my own life both personally and professionally, and are inseparable from my sense of who I am. Having counseled and taught thousands of people on the loving arts, and having fed nearly as many in my kitchens over the years, I find myself in a state of barely contained excitement over the opportunity to share what I know with you. I am the only author in this field to be credentialed in both sexual health and food, having worked and presented internationally and conducted research on the joint topic over the course of my career.

 

With the 1997 publication of my first book, Love Skills, now in its fourth edition, I was able to reach a broad audience of couples hungry for a fun, upbeat guide to more enjoyable lovemaking. My sense was, and is, that many of us bring a fairly narrow framework of understanding of four key skills - love talk, touch, body knowledge and playfulness - to our intimate relationships. I set about with that book to gently and positively awaken a deeper, joyful, satisfying experience for all who wished for more.

 

That approach continues with Simple Sexy Food, along with my sense that many of us are ready and willing to enrich our mutual love of our partners and of food by the use of everyday aphrodisiacs. I'm not talking about pills, powders, and potions, here.

 

For our simple, sexy purposes, we'll use and enjoy food ingredients whose chemical makeup, flavor, aroma, texture, or appearance can both please and arouse. I won't be slipping any crushed beetle between your filo pastry sheets, I promise, but I will make suggestions for adding pleasure, playfulness, and variety to your eating and loving. Many of you will be astonished at the range of ordinary foods possessing aphrodisiac qualities.

 

It turns out, of course, that there are now many books on the market highlighting the aphrodisiac qualities of food and drink. Several are quite good from the perspective of the recipes, but I've found most of them lacking in terms of explanations about aphrodisiacs and in terms of valid sexual advice for couples. Most lack a thorough listing of aphrodisiac foods and their effects, for example. In the sex department, they're either too flippant, too focused on singles and one-night-stands, or too unstudied about what people actually need and want to enhance their sex lives. One or two of the most prominent of these books belongs on the coffee table, but not in the kitchen or the bedroom!

 

With Simple Sexy Food, I've overcome those issues by creating what I believe is a one-of-a-kind book. The basic premise, beginning with the title, takes into account how hectic and busy everyone is these days. While singles looking for seduction enhancers will find plenty of ideas to amuse themselves, my primary focus is on couples in committed relationships.

 

The organization of the book is based on the time of day and the scenario you want to create, from breakfast in bed to a sit-down dinner to a midnight snack, and everything in between. To my knowledge this is the only book that includes actual survey data about what foods people think are sexy. You'll find a more extensive listing and explanations of the wonderful variety of aphrodisiac foods than I've seen anywhere. Throughout these pages I share tips and suggestions not only for food preparation, but for "love skills," setting the scene, serving, and even what (or what not) to wear!

 

In other words, you're getting a lot of bang for your buck. The truth is that millions of ordinary folks want help in spicing up their sex lives. Eating and loving are everyday actions that sometimes become too every day. It's my hope that with Simple Sexy Food, you're able see the world through a more sensual lens. I want you to discover—or re-discover—a joyful, playful relationship with your partner, one in which sharing great food together helps you connect emotionally as well as physically, and is both fuel and inspiration for loving each other more.

 

Linda De Villers, Ph.D.

Los Angeles, California