Below is what i wrote for Twentyfour7, Feb issue. Just thought it would be apt to post up pre V-day.
“Rainbow trout” sounded like something romantically delicious for the first dinner date. The truth is, the well-covered skinny, spiky bones hiding inside the tender flesh of the said fish were enough to make toothpick supply for the entire Antarctic nation.
I spent more than one hour de-boning the damn fish with my dainty fingers, trying to pick up itsy-bitsy bits of smashed meat before they fall off my fork again. I spent more time picking out tiny bones that got stuck between my molars than chewing on the fish. I hardly ate anything at all, except some cauliflower and lettuce at the side. In the end, I pushed away a plate of mess which looked like it has just been ditched by a toddler who’s done playing with, while staring monumentally embarrassed at my cute date who went out the first time with me.
It was a complete disaster. Let’s face it, no matter how gorgeously dressed you are, or how perfect your make-up-of-the-day is, you can’t come off as graceful or suave when you are picking your teeth half the time.
Three years later, I still cringe when I see the word “rainbow trout” on the menu. So, if you ever wondered why a massive crush of yours whom you invited out for a dinner hasn’t returned your call, it could be as simple as you’ve just ordered the wrong dish.
Apart from the notorious raw garlic and onion, I’ve compiled a list of what I believe is “forbidden to have on a first dinner date”.
1. Buffet
It’s a lose-lose situation. Why? Because if you eat too little, you end up feeling guilty about not filling your tummy up with what’s worth the price. If you pig out until you feel your dress is almost ripping off, you end up feeling even guiltier with that extra 500 calories that will go around your hips. What’s worse, I’ve met someone at a buffet table who couldn’t even keep a decent conversation going for more than 5 minutes because the glutton kept excusing himself for more food to make up for what he was paying. No one will go out with such a kiasu freak the second time.
2. Spinach (or anything with it)
You never find out until you get home and look into the mirror. Behold! There’s a big chunk of spinach in every crevice of your perfect smile. Only then do you realize the true reason why you date couldn’t seem to take his eyes off you.
3.Temaki
If you decide to eat in a Japanese Restaurant, order maki (sushi roll) instead of temaki (handroll). You see, eating a temaki, in fact, could be a very seducing action. But let me ask you this question: do you eat it from the bottom or from the top? Whichever way, it requires great decorum and grace, and unfortunately, only few people can pull it off effortlessly–cramming a giant California roll in their mouth and try to look cute while doing it. Sometimes they fall apart, tumbling gracelessly out of your mouth, more often than not into your lap. It is worse when the seaweed gets all limp and so difficult to tear off, that when you attempt to bite it off, you risk looking like a ferocious alligator that descends upon the prey and peck at it viciously, tearing and swinging its head from side to side. What a beastly act of eating! And your date might for a moment thinks that he’s watching Animal Planet.
4.Salad
You are in a two star Michelin restaurant and the only thing that you order is a salad? Why, why, why? “Oh no, after seven strands of alfalfa and a crouton, I couldn’t possibly fit a sesame seed into my tummy without looking like a whale”. Right. I don’t have a vendetta against salads, but some guys are just very skeptical towards girls who are obsessed with salad AND its dressing. They will think you’re an anorexic herbivore or something. To avoid that, it’s best to at least pretend to be a human, and order that steamed fish.
5.Lobster/Oyster
As much as the latter being one of the top aphrodisiacs on the chart, they are, however, not recommended on the first date. Slurping oysters straight off the half-shell might just freak your innocent date out (and make him/her wonder if you have any ulterior motive ordering that). Working one’s way through a lobster is nothing like peeling off a lollipop wrapper either. For those who have not had the luxury of lobster bisque, you pinch the heads off, peel the body out of its shell, and then suck all the mellow juices out. Not exactly a wonderful sight.
6.Pussy Foot (or any fancy cocktail with a suggestive name)
No. Uh-uh. Do not ever even mention it.
7. Xiao Long Bao (Chinese Soup Dumpling)
Requires as much skill eating it as a Dim Sum Master pefecting the art of the (in)famous dumplings. I once went to a Dim Sum place and witnessed an appalling incident, where a guy lifted a juicy piece of dumpling to his mouth, took a bite, and the broth inside the dumpling spurted out everywhere. His shirt, the tablecloth, the bowl, and his date’s shocked face.
8. Nothing
This is the ultimate steam potonger. No amount of excuse like, “Oh, but I’m on a diet” or “I’ve just had a double cheeseburger deluxe, a pint of chocolate mint and a plate of mee goreng two hours ago” will save you from being utterly unattractive.
9. Your date’s food
I know sharing is caring but please, finish your own food before preying on mine. And if I like you enough to share my food with you, I WILL. You don’t scoop whatever you want onto your own plate like I’m a buffet table. That’s just plain rude. Also, please don’t ask, “Are you not going to finish your food?” while drooling profusely over that chicken skin I peeled off.
10. XL sized burgers
Read THIS.
Last but not on the list, don’t wear overpowering perfume. Your date doesn’t want her aglio olio pasta smelling like Polo Sport.
Thank you everyone. Free to add your forbidden food on first date to the list and have a happy, lucky, and mess-free Valentine’s dinner.
February 13th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
1st?
February 13th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
omg this is SO SO SO SO true.
especially d buffet, lobster and the sushi roll!
bt i think shudn’t eat steamboat oso, make you sweat dt much and only remembering 2 put stuff in
February 13th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
so what food do you recommend on first dates?
February 13th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Hahaha… The spinach thing is so true! Especially when one has braces! haha >.
February 13th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Steamboat is a no-no. Especially the Korean kind! Haha!
Ribs! It’s especially difficult when you want to reach those difficult to reach places. You won’t want to go using your hands now, would you?
Steaks are the safest!! Impressive, Not CHEAP, Tasty and Safe. But don’t go ordering a sizzling one. But i think it’s kinda boring!
February 13th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Everything you have suggested so far, they are all spot on. Totally agree with you. And something like what happened to that guy with the dim sum is just not “elegant” for first dates.
XL burger? Yeah, tried that before. now that we got Roma’s and Carls Jr, we ought to get some good practice on handling those gigantic burgers ;P
February 13th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
“Steaks are the safest!! Impressive, Not CHEAP, Tasty and Safe. But don’t go ordering a sizzling one. But i think it’s kinda boring!”
Why not try pasta? It’s a safe bet. I’d go for that most of the time.
February 13th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
happy V day to you jiejie Ringo
February 13th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
very funny and all of them are so true!
….and anything with garlic can ruin the first date too! nothing worse than bad breath!
February 13th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
whoa I learned new word: steamboat. I eat many times but, now I know it’s called steamboat haha. It’s delicious!
Pasta is good I think, but… if you can’t eat well… messy.
I think important is, choose something that you can eat “gracefully”… not like XL burger
I think normal food is best choice if you want make sure enjoy your food and then your date will know you really happy…
English T_T
February 13th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
and KFC also, i mean the fried chicken or whatever food which needs u to tear and bite like an ugly carnivorous animal~~@.@
February 13th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
btw i’ve changed my blog url feel free to drop by ^^
February 13th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Anything durian related?
February 13th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I avoid anything too spicy and hot …it makes my nose run!
February 13th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Too funny! I had california roll on one of our dates (when we were still in the courting phase). I still remember the mess I made and the look on his face. But he ended up marrying me 3 years later. Haha
February 13th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
lol how come we don’t get photo’s of you picking your teeth?
February 13th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
- spaghetti or any long pasta noodles with sauce/soup.
- clams / mussels
- BBQ ribs or wings
February 13th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Can’t seems to find this TwentyFour in the Starbucks I went.
February 13th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
avoid eating banana!……
ok…bad joke
February 14th, 2008 at 12:51 am
ah, i would order what i want, crabs, lobsters, spaghetti, ice-cream…if he doesn’t like me for what/how i eat, then good-bye lo…
February 14th, 2008 at 3:10 am
STEAMBOAT! When you eat too much, you look super unglam ‘cos you’re perspiring and grabbing the food. What if you forgot to shave your armpit and you are wearing your super sleek sleevelesss dress?! AND. When you eat too much, you tend to burp. You will so “blow your partner away” and leave him totally “breathless”.
February 14th, 2008 at 6:30 am
It’s Valentines Day! Happy Valentines Ringo!
February 14th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Tonight’s the night! happy v-day Cheesie!
February 14th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Good post!! The first date with my current bf, i ordered steak cooked rare. hahaha. He was mortified when blood started oozing out form the meat and I told him how delicious it was. But I guess he liked me too much at that time to be very bothered by it
btw, it’s ’shocked face’, not ’shocking face’.
February 14th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Hahaha don’t eat ANYTHING with chopsticks, cause I drop my stuff a lot =P
February 14th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Happy Valentine! XOXO
February 14th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
hey! great article u have here! and happe valentines day!
February 14th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
the best food to eat during first date is mamak stall…
February 14th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
but.. i like Pussy Foot cocktail.. and temaki.. and lobster.. hmmm…
oh wait.. i don’t go on first date.. so doesn’t apply to me
*someone whack me*!!
February 15th, 2008 at 12:32 am
kcin and tom could make a good couple…they both opt for mamak stall..kekekeke…..
February 15th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
i am legend now..
tom = the one who will only date at mamak stalls -_-
February 15th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
LOL. Lobster would be such a nightmare.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
yer rainbow trout has bloody many tiny bones. but i dun remember eating it being that bad of experience. i once had a really superb one from smeaton farm and it’s one of the nicest angmoh style fish i ever had =p
February 16th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
and say no to tomato based pasta! i’ve seen people with mouth looking much bigger bcoz of the red paste on and outlining the lips
February 17th, 2008 at 4:06 am
Mmmmm. How about garlic? The raw minced kind that goes with practically everything Italian?
Although, if I had a date that also ordered garlic, that’s a match made in heaven!! Chances are she’s a foodie too!
February 19th, 2008 at 12:06 am
What the fish I used to think you were the girl in #4! And boy, is chicken skin such a thing to waste!
June 21st, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Did it ever occur to anyone that if the date liked you enough,
he/she’d just laugh off any embarrassing food accidents that happened?
espesh on a first date!
celebrate the inner klutz baby x)