First Date Food: Concentrate on your date, not your plate!

First dates can be nerve wracking. Many people avoid a dinner or food-based first date because it opens tremendous opportunity for messy and embarrassing mishaps. Spilling on your shirt, sauce stains around your mouth, seeds in your teeth – let’s face it, food can be pretty unsexy.

Some people go so far as to ban eating on a first get together, or they choose low-pressure, low-contact methods of meeting people that don’t involve food. But even at a speed dating event, or group social, food is likely to play at least a minor role, so it’s really best to learn how to master the situation instead of running away from it.

Don’t give up on food for your first date. There is a fool-proof way to get through the situation without turning it into a sloppy, food-stained nightmare. Simply choose safe, sexy foods. These are foods that will not fall all over you, and will not litter your clothes and area with an unattractive mess.

The following foods are sexy. Try them (or ones similar) for your first date, and be surprised at how quickly a meal can go from an excruciatingly unnatural situation to a great opportunity for conversation and fun. Remember, you should be concentrating on your date, not your plate!

Appetizers:
Potato skins
Veggies or chips and dip
Calimari
Chicken tenders
Crab cakes
Spring rolls

Main Courses:
Wraps or fajitas
Sushi
Fettucini Alfredo (it won’t stain as spaghetti sauce does)
Korean BBQ/hibachi
Fish & chips
Oysters

Dessert:
Fruit
Cheesecake
Crepes
Mousse
Cookies
Candy

Justin Parfitt is the CEO and Founder of FastLife International, the world's largest speed dating and singles events company. At first catering to speed dating in Melbourne, Sydney, and the rest of Australia, FastLife has grown to host speed dating in London, New York, and 45 other cities in 6 countries.