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Steak and the Single Girl
Ah, the New York Times style section—always on the lookout for the next big trend. But sometimes, it just ends up stirring up a hornets’ nest.
Take yesterday’s article on dating and meat, “Be Yourselves, Girls, Order the Rib-Eye.”
In it, writer Allen Salkin asserts that more women are ordering steak on the first date—not because they crave the protein, but because it makes them look more desirable. According to a former vegetarian quoted in the article:
Red meat sent a message that she was ‘unpretentious and down to earth and unneurotic,’ she said, ‘that I’m not obsessed with my weight even though I’m thin, and I don’t have any food issues.’
With this piece, the Times has hit a trifecta: It has annoyed (at least) three communities. “Offensively bad” snorts a Chowhound topic that is up to 100-plus comments and counting and filled with the vitriol that only food-lovers being told what they should and should not order can muster.
Meanwhile, the sustainable eaters aren’t too happy either. Op-ed writer Kerry Trueman of the sustainable-food organization Eating Liberally won me over by quoting Homer Simpson’s pro-meat chant “You don’t win friends with salad,” complaining that:
Salkin serves up beef as a badge of honor, but stewing in those steak juices is a growing stigma attached to consuming factory farmed meat, because (a) it’s loaded with heart-hazardous saturated fats … and (b) our meat-centric diet is chewing up the planet, spewing greenhouse gases, ravaging rain forests, and miring us in manure lagoons.
And the feminists have a little something to say about it as well. Miriam on Feministing hates the idea of women eating to impress, and reminds us that this isn’t the first time we’ve been given culinary dating advice:
We’ve heard this line before haven’t we? What you decide to order on the first date is of the utmost importance. If you order too much, he might think you’re a pig…if you order only a salad, he might think you’re a waif with body image issues. So what’s the solution? Meat of course!
Maybe we should just choose another activity for first dates, like bowling.
Posted by | Friday, August 10, 2007 at 3:48pm | 7 comments
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Okay, bowling works.
But wait, a hidden chasm opens! What does she order at the snack bar? What message would ordering beer and either nachos or a chili dog send? Is there a way she can eat a hot dog without sending the...ahem..."wrong" message? Secondly, will she share her nachos with her date? This can be a critical decision and will send a message no matter how she chooses.
O man. I think it'd be simpler to avoid food entirely on the first date. Play Frisbee™ golf.
Yeah, upon reading this, I'm pretty happy that I live in Italy where none of this seems to apply--the only thing a girl could order here that would really turn off an Italian guy is probably McDonalds ;)
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I just can't believe the editors at the NY Times thought this was a topic worthy of an article.
It doesn't matter where you go or what you do on a first (or second or third) date. The message to women is always clear: Whatever you do, do not be yourself! Pretend to be what you think HE wants.
Gag.
I always order a salad for appetizar or if it's big a meal.. I like salad!! men hate salad... I always get comments like "You watching you weight or something?" "You are skinny as it is" "I hate salad you shouldn't order salad". I order what I want and it never meets an american man's expectations and maybe I should take consideration that they are such superficial jerks... but it's dinner and I want to eat!! I don't care what they think. Next time I'll just take my salad to go.
Tropicanahana, you've said it all!
you should order what you like, period. steak is way up there in image, like caviar, associated with power and luxury...and that image can do a lot for you on a first date. I wish salads didn't get such a bad rap though. is that an american thing? seems like salad is just part of a meal, an accent, not something to be ignored on the menu.