Going out for a meal on a first date can be a vey awkward moment in life. For a start you are eating for the first time in front of someone you are attracted to and at the same time, you are still getting to know that person. The worst thing to do is be even more uncomfortable by going out for a meal to somewhere you may not even like the food. This is one thing that needs to be sorted out when planning the date. You must both establish and place that you both enjoy the food, rather than go somewhere just to impress your date. At the end of the day, food that you both like is a necessity if you want to have something in common. These can all be pre-date questions to ask one another.
Pre-Date Preparations
Always make sure that you have made some pre-date preparations. The best thing to do is try to get to know one another briefly before you go out for your first meal date. Establish each others likes and dislikes so you know where you would both like to eat. Make sure you know whether one or both of you have allergies or special dietary requirements, e.g. a vegetarian. If this is the case you don’t want to be going to a restaurant that only serves meat dishes or doesn’t have many options for vegetarians.
Foods to Order on a first date
Safe food to order are meals that you actually enjoy eating, rather than pretend to enjoy eating. You also want to go for something safe in terms of not risking catching food poisoning such as sea food as this could be an unpleasant site for your date or hot food. If you are worried about how you look on the date, whilst eating the food, then stick to something simple. Pizza or a burger and fries is usually quite tidy, whereas pasta or dishes that are sauced based can sometimes be quite messy. With desserts if you are worried about how you were look then again a simple dish such as ice-cream is probably the least messy. Chocolate cake could end up around your mouth and it all depends on how kind your date is in telling you that you have food on around your mouth.
Foods to Avoid on a first date
The main thing to do is avoid experimenting with a new dish on your first date. It could end up being something you don’t like and ruin the overall feeling of the evening. Try to avoid eating something just to impress your partner or showing off in anyway. Sea food and hot spicy food are foods to avoid. The sea food could be not be cooked quite right and therefore lead you to feeling unwell, which wouldn’t be very nice for your partner. Hot foods can sometimes be too hot and spicy and therefore result in you needing to drink lots and feeling uncomfortable.
If anyone remembers watching the cringing scene in Along Came Polly where the actor Ben Stiller is trying to impress the actress Jennifer Anniston by going to a restaurant of her choice and eating hot food which he didn’t get on with, then you will know that it is always best to stay clear of any foods that you may not get along with, that don’t agree with you or that you simply just don’t like.
Just go for a dish that you know that you like and you enjoy. That way you will be safe for the evening.
Ways to Save a bit of Money – The Romantic Way
Obviously you don’t want to seem cheap on a first date but there are ways that you could save money discreetly. One way could be by ordering tap water on the side for you both to drink along side that enjoyable glass of wine. Ask whether your partner would like to share a starter or a dessert. This would not only save money, but would also be a nice thing to do on a first date with someone as it’s quite romantic. It also means you could manage three courses, as three courses each can be quite heavy going and can eventually make you feel quite uncomfortable. Keep in mind that many women will try not to eat so much so that the flattering dress still looks good by the end of the night. sharing starters or desserts could avoid the over-bloated “look”.
What if the Meal goes Wrong Somehow?
If the meal doesn’t go to plan by something going wrong with the meal itself, then stay calm and remain focused on the reason you are going for a meal in the first place. If one of the meals is incorrect then make sure that this is put right. If they only go to take the one incorrect meal away, and leave the other meal on the table, then make sure that they take both meals as you have planned a meal to eat together at the same time rather than at separate times as this defeats the object of going out for a meal. This could also be quite awkward eating meals separately. Also make sure that you get some compensation, but in a calm matter, maybe be romantic and ask for either a free drink for your partner or a free dessert.
Overall
If you follow the simple tips on going on a first date then everything should go smoothly and go just right. Just remember to ask those pre-date questions and go for a meal where you both enjoy the food, so you can both have an enjoyable meal. Don’t worry about the costs of a meal, its traditional that men usually pays, however if you both agree to split it down the middle then this is also okay as after all it is only a first date. But if things work out, then its the first of many dates and the first date could be one that you look back on with good or bad memories depending on how it all goes. Overall just try to enjoy yourselves and most importantly be relaxed with one another.
