Show Me The Money

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to pick a restaurant in DC or Virginia - any restaurant I wanted - for lunch.  Any restaurant!  A man was willing and wanting to take me anywhere I wanted to go. 

 

There are a few top notch places in the city that intrigue.  The foodies rave about Citronelle, Palena, Komi, Hook, and 2941 in Virginia.   

 

I happily sat at my computer, avoiding my work and researching which I wanted to try. 

 

And I rejected all of them.  Each review winning, foodie raving choice.  I rejected them all!

 

I am sure that they are great restaurants.  I am sure that the chef at each is wonderful and is truly a specialist at his/her art.  But, to be frank, I prefer simple foods cooked to perfection.  I also am not sure that any meal is worth the price listed on the menu.  Realizing that my date for the day was a foodie, I pick Spezie, an Italian restaurant which does receive its share of great reviews.  (Food was okay, but a bit rich - prefer Villa Mozart in Virginia)   

 

I quickly realized that, despite being given carte blanche to choose a restaurant, I was more interested in finding something that was suitable for both of us and would allow us to spend time together.  Price didn't matter in the least.  I found that my idea of sharing a meal was more about the conversation and the time shared than about the listed price. 

 

Perhaps I am betraying woman kind in believing that a date is not about the money a man spends but about the opportunity to get to know him in a relaxed setting.  It is about enjoying oneself, relaxing, and sharing a meal or a moment of the day.

 

Why do women want men to spend money on dates? 

 

Any man can pull out a credit card and spend an extreme amount of money on a meal.  It doesn't mean that it will be a great meal or a fun evening, it just means that he is willing to spend that money.  My experience suggests that a date spent doing something beyond the restaurant leads to more fun and a greater chance to get to know the man (because he isn't trying so hard I think).  Getting to know one another is the fun of a date.  

 

And isn't getting to know one another the point?

 

For me, a great date is relaxed.  It is sharing a glass of wine and cooking together (and a man who can cook is beyond sexy, thank you very much).  It is spending the day on the water sailing or strolling through parks and markets.  If I lived in Italy, I would be one of those people enjoying la passeggiata every evening - and that, with a gelato, would be such a wonderful date.  

 

Many women desire that expensive date.  The date where the menus do not display the price, the wine flows freely, and everyone is dressed to a tee.

 

I realize that we each look for different qualities in a date.  We each define a date quite differently.  But my question is, does the price of the date matter?  If yes, why?