“Ms. DoRight, I’m going on a date with a guy in one of my classes. I’m pretty sure we’re going out to dinner somewhere kind of nice. My friends keep telling me that I will look like a fat pig if I eat all of what I order. They say he will think I’m cute if I only eat half of my dinner.”
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Ms. DoRight,

I’m going on a date with a guy in one of my classes. I’m pretty sure we’re going out to dinner somewhere kind of nice. My friends keep telling me that I will look like a fat pig if I eat all of what I order. They say he will think I’m cute if I only eat half of my dinner. Is this really what is expected of a girl on a date?

Thank you,

Miss McHungry

Miss McHungry,

First off, if you are in college and are going out on dates, you are a woman, not a girl. It’s part of growing up.

It seems to me that your friends are telling you how to behave on dates because they have plenty of free time. It is rude to waste a dinner that someone else is paying for. It is also senseless. What if this is your only meal for the day?

If your friends have done this repeatedly, they probably aren’t getting asked out on too many dates.

Eating half the food on your plate does not make you look cute and eating more than that certainly should not make anyone think you are a fat pig. Anyone who does this on purpose will look more like a baby. If you plan on doing this anyway, you might as well ask your date to cut up your food into manageable bite-size pieces.

After that, he could help you put a bib on so you don’t make a mess. When you’re comfortable in your high chair, he can spoon-feed you. Your server can probably bring you a sippy cup.

When the two of you are finished eating, you could play with the food you chose not to eat. Babies like to throw food at the walls. That might be fun.

On the way home, you could settle into the car seat, suck your thumb and take a relaxing nap.

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