I was astounded to learn there is a dating site for people who want to eat with other people who enjoy their favorite restaurants. It is called HiDine.com and is relatively new in the online dating site industry. A friend of mine who is researching dating sites (I know that sounds fake) asked me if I had heard of HiDine and I had not. I found a review of the HiDine dating service and was intrigued.
The service is controversial and some people consider it to be sexist. I think you have to read between the lines though. HiDine sounds to me as if it is trying to bring together people with sophisticated tastes and some social experience. These are people who may be a little beyond the simple "get to know each other" form of dating; they have expectations. Perhaps I am totally wrong but I think I know a little something about dating and dining.
The typical "first date" is hard on people because they are nervous and they don't know much about the other person as a dating partner. They may have known each other for years or they may be partnered through a blind date. When you know nothing about the other person at all you should be careful about what you eat and where you eat.
I think a first date should be at a modest restaurant. If you're not accustomed to dressing in fine clothes and drinking fine wines then your first date should not be designed to impress your partner. A better first date is a cozy rendezvous in a semi-quiet restaurant (too quiet may mean the food is not good!) where you can talk softly together and get to know each other a little better.
The best foods to select when you are dining with your partner for the first time are light meals. Go easy on the spices and the acidic foods (tomatoes, especially) because you don't want to have an awkward moment. And though most people drink alcohol on a date I think you should go easy on it, especially since you don't know how it will affect the other person.
The AskMen Website has a list of "top 10 first date ideas" that I think is mostly fine but I would be careful about their TOP top idea, which is to try new cuisines. If you don't know much about the food you're going to eat your first date can turn into a real disaster. Leave that kind of discovery for later dates after you and your partner have decided to accept each other's little flaws.
Food should really not be the center point of your first date with anyone unless you are both so comfortable with your dining experience that you can agree in advance on the cuisine you will share. In that case I think a food date is a wonderful idea and it can be great fun. People of experience have fewer unlimited expectations and are less likely to feel like they are infatuated or in love too soon. Young people should allow themselves to enjoy the discovery of love first and leave the discovery of food until a little later.
