The last date I had been on was sometime in August of 2005. It was a casual trip to Starbucks... chatting, sipping overpriced coffee, and just enjoying the company of the person opposite me.
This time, I had no idea who the guy was, what he looked like, where he lived or where he worked. It was like picking a name from a random page out of a telephone directory (except the directory would've provided me with a surname as well). If it wasn't for the persistent nudge of a mutual friend, I would have turned it down and gone for the world record of not having been on a date for a hundred years.
Dating is pretty much like learning to drive a manual car: you never really forget how to do it, but you still need to get used to the whole thing and remember the basics - clutch, gas, brakes, side mirrors, blinkers etc. It's a true test to multitasking and its the same with dates: you need to remember all the codes to appear well-mannered and charming, and at the same time think fast in order to react correctly in response to your date.
It can be painful since it's not easy to act dainty while stuffing food down your throat, and all the more awkward that he may ask a question just as you've put some grub in your mouth, allowing him full view of the faces you make while you try to chew your food and still try to look pretty. It's harder still that you have to make an extra conscious effort to keep your food securely in your mouth as you laugh unexpectedly at a joke and not to let bits fly out and land awkwardly on the table (by the way, never happened).
I've made a strict rule of never having croissant on a first date (the crusts will stick to your lipstick and have you look like an idiot trying to lick it off in the most un-sexy way) or have anything soupy (it might splash and you might slurp) or even any form of mee or spaghetti (how on earth do you eat this?!). On a lunch I had with an acquaintance for the first time, I had ordered Aglio Olio. No matter how I cut the spaghetti (I was told you cross your fork and spoon at the center of the mound of spaghetti and slice the whole thing so they're cut into shorter pieces) I still had long pieces of it dangling off my fork. And even when they were short enough, it was pretty horrible trying to suck in the dangling remains into my mouth in the most polite manner. I ended up telling my acquaintance (who happened to be very understanding and a fun company) that I always had trouble eating in front of people I've met for the first time. I finally packed the lunch and gorged it down in the privacy of my own office.
That said, this time I actually managed to preserve my dignity on my first blind date. It went well and admittedly, the guy was cute. Throwing all caution out the window, I ordered a complex meal (chicken, fries, salad.. all with tendencies to stick to your teeth) and yet had a wonderful time. It had been so long since I'd gone out with a guy that it felt good again for once.
I won't say for sure that I'll ever do blind dates again, but I do know enough to never say never. The mystery and anticipation of meeting a person you've never met can be very refreshing (granted he doesn't turn out to be any degree of a psycho... I've crossed paths with mild ones before but that deserves another entry all its own).
The nature of dates, while some may feel is overrated, is simple. And I've broken it all down to this: a girl needs a male companion, and even if it's just one date, it can mean the world.
