First dates are nerve-wracking enough. Now imagine if there are food-related disasters that happen during your dinner. While you’re trying to make a good impression and get to know each other, the last thing you want to happen is to deal with garlic breath. Note that smart dating strategies also include smart food choices. With that, we’re bringing you 10 foods you should never order on your first date.
10. Overly Spicy Food
Unless you know your date shares your tolerance for heat, not ordering the spiciest food might save you from embarrassment. Imagine sweating up, tearing up, and even turning into different shades of red in front of the person you’re getting to know. You end up chugging too much water and spilling it on your clothes. Save the spicy food for the fourth date (if there is.)
9. Foods That Require Assembly
These are foods that are labeled as “build your own” or some deconstructed name under the menu. It simply means that your server will bring you food that you’ll end up assembling. Why? You’ll be busy constructing your food instead of focusing your attention on your date. Also, there’s always the risk of structural failure as soon as you bite into your food. You wouldn’t want the ingredients cascading on your lap, right?
8. Ribs or Bone-In Meat
Any dish that requires you to gnaw meat off, like ribs, chicken wings, or lamb, is a big no. Instead of conversing with your date, you’ll end up having a hard time slicing the meat off the bones. Of course, you wouldn’t want to hold them with your hand and be messy, right? Save the embarrassing dining experience for later in the relationship.
7. Garlic-Heavy Dishes
Save yourself from the garlic breath by not ordering any garlic-heavy dishes. Yup, we’re talking about garlic bread or garlic shrimp, and yes, that includes dishes swimming in garlic butter. Your garlic breath will make your date avoid being close to you. It might also guarantee no second date, as they didn’t survive one evening alone with you.
6. Lobster or Crab
Cracking shells using tools and plastic bibs isn’t exactly an ideal date. Foods like these require 100% of your focus and technique. Also, you will definitely get messy with all of the slurping and seafood juice on your clothes. Yes, that means avoiding bringing your date to seafood boil restaurants.
5. Bean-Heavy Dishes
Yup, it means avoiding burritos and three-bean chili at all costs. Why? They’re considered stomach time bombs. Consuming beans through meals can create an uncomfortable digestive situation later in the evening. You wouldn’t want to go in and out of the comfort room, as it ruins the mood of your date. Your date will probably get the idea of what just happened and may avoid being close to you.
4. Anything with Poppy Seeds or Sesame Seeds
For some reason, seeds have a magnetic attraction to your teeth. With that, they get stuck between your molars, and the rest is history. Imagine laughing as your date spots that little black seed stuck in your teeth. Also, you’ll feel the seed the entire evening, and it feels uncomfortable. Yup, better avoid that everything bagel!
3. Corn on the Cob
Sadly, there’s no elegant way to eat corn on the cob. You’ll munch them in typewriter-style and get kernels stuck in your teeth. It’s not the best experience feeling those kernels in your teeth while constantly worrying if your date can see through them.
2. Dishes With Unpredictable Textures
We get it, sometimes you want to impress your date by ordering food that’s not usually on your palate. But unless you really enjoy eating oysters, escargot, or any of the foods that are chewy and slimy, then it’s probably not the best choice. Why? Your date won’t like to watch your face turn in disgust towards these unfamiliar foods. Instead, stick with the ones you want.
1. Oversized Burgers
Yup, that towering burger of three patties and beyond is a first date nightmare. Many things can happen, like deconstruction and a messy plate that won’t look appealing to your date. Imagine the juice and sauce dripping down your arms. Save the burger meal for a time when both of you are comfortable being messy, so you can have your burger dates. Maybe you can even share one.