Dating etiquette is always evolving, so it is not surprising to wonder what norms have stood the test of time. A person took to the popular subreddit, r/AITAH, to share their experience of a first date and ask if he was wrong to not consider dinner an “important” part of going out in the evening. However, the community made him realise that something else mattered more.
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The first date experience…
The original poster (OP) shared that he asked out a woman he had recently met on a date to a music performance. The show began at 7:30pm, but their date arrived an hour late. While the tardiness irritated the OP, the woman apologised and bought them a drink, so they decided not to make it a big deal and enjoy their time together.
The show went on for another hour, and when it ended, the OP informed their date that they had to head home, which was an hour away, as they had work to do and were under the impression that the date involved the show and a few drinks.
However, the woman told them that she was hungry as she did not have time to eat before leaving home, and that she expected dinner. The OP tried to reason with her that dinner would take much longer than they had anticipated, and that they could have dinner and drinks on their second date.
This did not sit well with the date, as she told them that there would not be any second date, as they “broke a very important rule of asking someone out on a date.” This apparently led to a back-and-forth and left the OP wondering if they were at fault.
Redditors believe OP ‘dodged a bullet’
Redditors sided with the OP and shared that not getting a second date was for the best. They also believed that the woman was further at fault for making the OP wait for an hour on the first date, even when she knew that they were about to attend a live performance.
“You don’t want a second date with this person,” read a comment in the thread.
“Also, imagine being an hour late to a SHOW! That is beyond rude, and I would be mortified to have treated someone so poorly. OP definitely dodged a bullet here. She’d be a nightmare to date,” exclaimed another.
“Oh, so it’s OK for her to be an hour late – and not just for a date, for a performance – but not OK for you not to include a meal? I’d say you dodged a bullet,” echoed a third.
Another person expressed, “I would have gone to the show without her. And it’s completely normal to expect the date to end after the show. Especially a first date.”
“Her expectations are not your problem. And arguing on a 1st date about dinner is a HUGE red flag,” was the opinion of yet another.
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