Raise your hands if you’ve been guilty of suggesting going for a coffee on a first date? Oh, my, quite a crowd.
Well, I’m here to tell you that going for coffee on a first date sucks for many reasons. First of all, meeting a guy for the first time makes me nervous enough without having to add more caffeine to make me look like I’ve just been released from a study on clinical anxiety.
I know. Yes, of course, I know. Coffee is just a metaphor for let’s meet somewhere (preferably a coffee shop) where you can tell me all about your favorite breakfast cereal and I can tell you how much I hate these first dates. Then what?
So, my suggestion is that you roam around a market where you can have interesting things to talk about.
For instance. Look at these beautiful leeks.
I have a great recipe for a leek pie. Took it from The Silver Palate Cookbook and modified it. No longer put in cream but milk. Sometimes substitute the Gruyère cheese for goat’s cheese, like the Greeks do. Have you ever been to Greece? Oh, you have. So how do you like to travel?
Now would you have a look at these onions?
These are perfect for another pie I make. The secret is in browning the onions and then letting them sit for at least half an hour (even overnight) in a bowl of uncooked whipped eggs. Then you just cook the mixture like an omelet. Do I make my pie crust? No. Oh, except for my blueberry kutchen pie which I put in the recipe in my book Mourning Has Broken. Oh, you’re also a writer. What do you write?
Wow, would you look at all these mushrooms. I used to have an uncle who would go mushroom picking and then place a dime into the pot. If the dime turned green then it meant the mushrooms were poisonous. Apparently, that’s not true. Your grandmother used to do the same thing? She died of mushroom poisoning? Just joking.
You get the point, don’t you? And if you happen to not click with the guy at least you’ve done some of your marketing.
Check out my blog next week, or better still subscribe to it, for the next Top Ten Best First Dates.
Carol Balawyder 
Although I have finally (re)found the one for me.. this would have been a fantastic first date! I hate coffee shops for dates as well; congested, awkward, you wonder if everyone else is looking at you wondering if it is a “first date”!
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Lucky for you to have (re) found The One.
I really had a good time on this series. One of the wonderful things about blogging is that you get to choose what you want to do. I usually work on something I want to learn and then hope, in sharing, it will benefit someone else.
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I am looking forward to reading more of the pieces. I will try to make time this evening. I like how you define what to write about. It benefits you and your readers.
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Oh, thank you so much for saying. I truly appreciate it. 🙂
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You are very welcome. 🙂
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Carol – Love those leeks and onions! Seriously, another great date post and a nice corrective for the old ‘let’s meet for coffee’ routine. Actually I prefer lunch or dinner myself but as you pointed out in another post dinner can be fraught with peril if things don’t work out . . . . 🙂
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Thanks for reading. I think you’ll be the only one who’ll have gone through all these dates. I truly appreciate your comments and it makes me happy that you enjoy them. 🙂
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It’s an honor to have read all the dates posts. Will there be a sequel? — “Ten more first dates.” . . . 🙂
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LOL…I never thought of that. But I really should put more energy in my book The Dating Club and get it out there.
Have a Happy Holiday. 🙂
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Carol I really enjoyed reading your series of blogs on Ten First Dates. I hadn’t thought of the nature walk but I agree you can really get to know someone quickly when seeing how they relate to the outdoors as in do they respect mother nature. I will recommend your blog on my blog – Baby Boomers and Online Dating.
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I’m so happy that you enjoyed this series. It takes time to know if we want to keep seeing someone but it doesn’t take that much time to know if we’d rather not see them again.
Thanks for recommending me on your blog. I really appreciate it.
Have a great day. 🙂
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Many thanks. 🙂
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I always felt that going for a dessert, ice cream cone or a coffee was less time spent, then you don’t need an excuse to ‘bail’ if its not going well. But I have put ‘hiking trails’ on some of my dating wishes when I was on the internet dating site. I feel walking around a market sounds like fun, Carol! This is a great idea, you can still suggest a way to get out of it, if the person is not who you really want to spend more time with, too! Smiles, Robin
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Your comment regarding “a way to get out of it” struck me as funny. 🙂
These dates do have that advantage but also, you’ll be doing something you like. 🙂
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My mom says you never know where you will meet someone.. 🙂 Yes, it could be over a barrel of apples! Great post, Carol!
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Very thoughttful blog
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