AP

The chocolates and roses thing has been done to death. Why not try an alternative Valentines Day gift.

The whole chocolates and roses thing has been done to death. Why not try an “alternative” Valentine’s Day gift?

1. The Bronx Zoo wants New Yorkers to pay $10 for the right to give their sweetheart's name - or perhaps that of an ex - to one of its Madagascar hissing cockroaches. For $25, lovebirds can name a cockroach couple. “Each gift comes with a colourful certificate e-mailed to your loved one announcing that a cockroach has been named in his or her honour.”

2. A UK chef has created an aphrodisiac culinary treat made from bull testicle . Charlie Bigham is promoting his cock and bull pie as an alternative to traditional romantic food such as asparagus and oysters. Bull testicles are said to be full of “sexually stimulating ingredients” . The cooking instructions for the pie encourage people to “turn off the phone, light those candles, slip into something more comfortable”.

3. Nothing beats a personalised Valentine's present. Send UK company notonthehigh street. com the name of the place you first met and you'll get a personalised street sign for your bedroom wall. Get it wrong at your own peril, though.

4.

If by any chance your dog is your Valentine, Portland, Maine is the place for you . Dog owners and their significant pooches are invited to the Planet Dog's annual Valentine's Day Canine Cocktail Party and Dog Kissing Contest. According to the Portland Press Herald, last year’s winner Craig Dilger and his “mystery mutt” Miles kissed for 19 seconds, and went home with a gift certificate for dog products.

5. If this year you are feeling underappreciated by your girlfriend, perhaps you should give her the book “50 Boyfriends Worse Than Yours”. According to one book review it’s a “good book for reminding (women) that no man is perfect, and you could be with worse than what you are already with”. - IOL

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