5 Foods to Avoid on a First Date

If you worry about what foods you should or shouldn’t order when on a first date, join the club! Pretty much every woman feels some level of stress looking over a menu on a first date, worrying about how their choice of entree will make them feel and whether their man will judge them according to what they choose to order.

Ladies, you’re already stressed about what to wear and what to say so don’t feel intimidated by what to order!

While every woman who has ordered a salad instead of the steak she craved can stand to relax and enjoy herself a bit more, avoiding the following foods is a good way to sidestep some of the potential pitfalls first date dinners throw your way.

We all love a good bowl of pasta, but many pasta dishes incorporating spaghetti, linguini, angel hair or any other type of noodle tend to splatter their sauce everywhere as you eat them.

Do you really want to spend your whole date focusing intensely on getting noodles into your mouth without spraying their sauce around? Do you really want to have to wipe your mouth, chin and cheeks after every bite just to stay presentable?

Do I really need to explain this one? Some people digest legumes like black beans or chickpeas better than others, but most people experience some level of gas when they down these treats.

Gas will not only keep you on the defensive for the rest of the date lest you (God forbid) pass some wind, it will also make you feel bloated and unattractive. So save that appetizing bowl of rice and beans for your second date.

“If you plan on simply

pecking on croutons, forget it.”

Your first date is not the right time to show off your ability to handle the spiciest foods the world’s cuisines have to offer. Like with legumes, everyone’s tolerance for spicy foods is different, but it’s better to play it safe than to order a dish with 10 chili peppers printed next to it on the menu and spend the rest of your date blowing your nose while huffing and puffing with a blotchy, red face, looking like you just wrapped up your first half marathon.

Hey, there’s nothing wrong with having a glass or two of wine with your meal. In fact, most first dates don’t start to loosen up and get interesting until a little alcohol starts flowing. That being said, nothing kills a first date faster than a drink, drank, drunk mishap. Know your tolerance and ease off once you feel a buzz.

The problem with foods containing alcohol is simple — you don’t know how much alcohol is in them, so you can’t monitor your consumption and control your sobriety with any certainty.

Women were traditionally told to only order a salad whenever they went out on a date because it sends the “right” message to their man. Even if this tactic once worked, it’s now been driven to obsolescence by too many women opting for the Caesar when they really want the steak, with every man in existence now well aware of this strategy.

If you truly love salads and want to order one, then go for it. But if you plan on simply pecking on croutons for the sake of some misguided and outdated notion of gender dynamics, forget it and follow the above rules to find something appropriate that you actually want to eat!