February 14: Valentine’s Day

Honestly, I think Valentine’s Day—the so-called day of lovers—is the worst excuse that El Corte Inglés, Harrods, Marks & Spencer, Galeries Lafayette, Walmart, KaDeWe and the like have ever invented to make people buy nonsense. They create insecurities in people’s minds, telling them they have to make a gesture, they have to buy a flower, they have to give a present—they have to buy.

Normally I would ignore such a day, or if I mentioned it at all, it would be to remember what happened 63 years ago. But today, on my way to work, Tjiang—the Vietnamese owner of the flower and drinks stall next to the Adlershof station (in the six months I’ve been here I’ve never seen a single customer walk out)—surprised me with his handmade and original sign reminding us what day it is.