"No Thanks, I had a late lunch today you guys enjoy the appetizer, just going to wait for my entrée". I sheepishly said to a few friends as we all gathered at a new trendy Japanese tapas restaurant for a friends birthday. My "late lunch" consisted of baby carrots and roasted red pepper hummus (side bar if you buy the roasted garlic hummus you are trash). So there I was faced with an embarrassing dilemma, just order some skewers to avoid using any utensils or throw the white towel and succumb to asking the waitress for a fork.
Growing up in a middle class Irish family, the far east food that we consumed was the takeout Sunday night special of orange chicken, friend rice and dumplings. It wasn't until college when I began actually talking to girls and learning of the magic that is Tuesday night half of sushi and scorpion bowls . Even then I would immediately ask for a fork and cannonball my dragon roll into soy sauce and smear wasabi all over. I didn't even hesitate nor cared, its college meaning impossible to turn a girl off.
Fast forward to my postgrad life and the cycle of work, happy hour, and shitty bumble dates, I've come to realize I am handicapping myself on date spots due to my incompetence of handling chopsticks. Imagine asking for a fork while out on a date, its almost as bad as ordering a salad for an entrée (Yes, I have done that too).
Practice makes perfect right? WRONG, I have tried for years and will joke around with friends asking them to show me. Christ I am ambidextrous, your boy should be dueling chopsticks like Darth Maul.
So do I avoid first dates at chopstick restaurants or hit up old friend Pat Morita.
