Tips for when you're cooking for him on a date

Okay. You've met a nice guy, had a beer with him, maybe even kissed, and you're both looking forward to a new date. Cook for him. Or cook at his place, that works too. Liesbeth (the date doctor) tells me that you should really be quite far along in the dating process by then, because it will inevitably lead to sex, or, if it's not fun, you don't really have an easy escape or anything. That can all happen, of course. But anyway, if you decide to invite him to your place, I'll give you some tips to make everything go smoothly.

• Ask what he likes to eat. He'll probably say, “Oh, I like everything.” Then ask what he really doesn't like. There must be something, and you can't go wrong with that.
• Don't drink too much while you're cooking. That's where I tend to mess up. Once it's ready, you can go wild.
• Keep it simple, you're already super nervous.
• If you find it all way too exciting and you think you’re not necessarily a great cook, I have here a little post for you that can help you fake your cooking skills really well.
• Be careful with too much garlic. You know why.
• Cook something that's easy to eat. Especially for yourself. I can sometimes be clumsy with that. It's not charming to mess around with big leaves of lettuce, chicken legs, or strands of asparagus hanging out of your mouth.
• Also, try not to cook too heavy. You don't want to have the “Wow, I need to catch my breath and digest” effect. That can be okay if you've been dating for a while.
• Don't experiment. Cook something you've made a hundred times that can't go wrong. I recently made (okay, it's been a while since a first date but still) beef shank Thai style. Just thinking about it now makes me blush again. I think I had to chew on the smallest piece about 30 times. Not. To. Eat.
• Oh yes, if you're shopping anyway, buy a nice breakfast too. You never know.