22 October 2008

The Point at Which I Knew It Would Not Go Well

Him: Is there anywhere you don't want to eat? Any places you don't like?

Me: I like just about any kind of food but I'm not a fan of chain restaurants.

Him: No chains, huh?

Me: Yep.

Him: So, what if we go to The Olive Garden?

Me: [in head] Orrrr, what if we go somewhere good?

Me: [out loud, because I'm not entirely obnoxious] That would be fine.

Then I felt bad for him that he hadn't met me 10 years ago, when it never would have occurred to me to discriminate against chains.

Just as well. I didn't want to have to explain to my mom about the long hair and the motorcycle anyway.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's always an awkward, awkward moment. Was the guy paying? I'm not usually in a position where the guy I'm with is "taking me out"—I prefer more egalitarian relationships—so maybe I feel more empowered to push for better restaurants since I know he won't be footing my bill.

I had a guy who lives out of state stalk me on the internet for a while, sending me wistful emails with lines like, "Oh, how I wish I lived near you so I could take you out. To wonderful places like... Olive Garden." And he wondered why I didn't swoon in ecstasy at the idea of going on a date with him. (Besides that fact that he was creepy, and we had never met.)

MBC said...

Yeah, he was paying, so I figured I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and at a later date we could discuss how going to the fabulous independent Indian place would cost the same AND fill me with joy AND save the world just a tiny bit.

Anonymous said...

exactly what is wrong with long hair and/or motorcycles? Your brother resembled that.

John

MBC said...

And how did our mother feel about both the hair and the bike? Hmmm?

E said...

I wonder what he thought you meant by "chain restaurants."

Cynthia said...

Despite OG's respectable salads, I boycott on the grounds that they have the stupidest commercials in all of creation.

MBC said...

Emily--I wondered that myself.

Cynthia--I find many reasons to boycott them. I actually have a friend who really likes eating there, so I do go sometimes and find things that are okay, and then I drag my friend off to places that she probably doesn't really like all that much either.

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