BY HANNAH DUCHARME, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD-- It is that time of life when you begin going on dates to eventually find the perfect one, but no less, it is quite the crazy, laughter filled, cringing journey.
BHS teacher, Jason Foti had some crazy experiences when it came to best and worst first dates.
“My worst first date was definitely in college,” Foti said. “It was a good friend’s birthday and my friends set me up on a blind date telling me how cool this girl was and how I should go with her, so I thought why not? We were all laughing and having a good time singing happy birthday, when all of a sudden, it got quiet and she looked me dead in the eyes in all seriousness and said I love you. Everyone was completely silent and staring at me and I was caught completely off guard and replied with the first thing in my eyesight which happened to be cake, so I said I love...cake. That was hands down one of the most awkward and uncomfortable moments of my life.”
Thankfully, after that train wreck of a first date, Foti met his wife and had the best first date of his life.
“My best first date was the day I met my wife. We went out to eat and saw Toy Story 3. We were completely comfortable, yet still kept it interesting by keeping each other on our toes. It clearly worked out pretty great considering we’re married now and I couldn’t be any happier,” stated Foti.
Foti also had some very helpful tips for first goers.
“Definitely be yourself and have fun on a first date. Corny, I know but I guarantee it will make your date 100 times better and make the other person feel a lot more comfortable. Also, if you’re a girl eat what you want to eat! Guys like girls that aren’t afraid to eat what they actually want, so skip the salad. Lastly, make sure you keep your date on their toes...you don’t want them getting bored,” Foti said.
BHS teacher Katie Webber has also had her fair share of interesting best and worst first dates.
“My worst first date was when I went on a date with this guy from high school...it was all bad...he wasn't old enough to drive so we had to ride with his parents,” Webber said. “They first took us to the outlets. We walked around for 2 hours and went into 1 store. Then they took us to the mall and we walked around for 2 hours and didn't go in any stores..weird right? We literally walked around and around. Then we went to dinner with his parents and I had to sit by his dad because he sat by his mom....more weird right? So it was like I was on a dinner date with his dad. Definitely one of the most awkward situations I’ve been in.”
Webber may have had a pretty brutal first date, but her best first date for sure made up for it.
“The best first date was probably with my fiance,” Webber stated. “Of course he started off right by coming inside and meeting my parents. Then he opened the car door for me and wouldn't let me open any doors that night. I was really sick the first night we were supposed to go out. My throat was really swollen and I wasn't able to eat whole foods. So he changed the plans he originally made us for dinner and looked up soup places. But he didn't know what soup I would like, so he found a place that only served soup so they had 35 different options...I found to find something I liked.. And then he took me to get ice cream (although he REALLY hates sweets but knows I LOVE them!). And hey we're getting married now, so I guess he did something right.”
Webber also had some very valuable tips for both girls and boys for first dates.
“To the guys: make sure you open the car door; if your parents have to drive you...try to make sure they are seen as little as possible and NEVER honk when you are outside her house, go to the door and ring the doorbell
to get her,” Webber said. “To the girls: don't get into the car until the guy opens the door (I promise if you stand there long enough, he will get out of the car and come open it for you); if the guy texts you and says "I'm here" or if you hear him honking, ignore the text and the honk, make sure he comes to the door to get you.”
Sophomore, Stephanie Robinson also encountered a pretty awkward situation on her first worst date, but made up for it in her best first date.
“My worst first date was when this guy I just started talking to picked me up and we went back to his house to meet his parents (red flag I know). It was extremely awkward, he barely talked to me at all and we didn’t really do anything. His parents wanted us to eat dinner with them but I guess he didn’t want to, so instead we just sat there awkwardly,” Robinson said.
Although Robinson struggled through the worst first date, her best first date made it totally worth it.
“My best first date was when the guy came and picked me up and took me to my favorite restaurant, Olive Garden. After dinner, we went to see a movie and then went back to my house. It was a pretty simple date, but I think that’s why I loved it so much. We had a lot of time to just hang out and be ourselves,” Robinson stated.
Robinson had some great tips for first dates based off her own experiences.
“For first days don’t be awkward! That is the absolute worst thing you can do! Just be yourself and try and make the other person laugh. Everyone's a sucker for someone that makes them laugh,” Robinson said.
Sophomore, Savannah Kitowicz had an unfortunate worst first date, but a fantastic best first date.
“My worst first date was awful but not because of the guy I was with strange enough,” Kitowicz said. “It was because of the other girl! We went on a double date with one of his friends who brought his girlfriend that was extremely rude and mean to me all night! Not only was it incredibly awkward, but I couldn’t focus on the guy I was with because I was upset about her being so rude for no reason.”
Kitowicz was put in one of the most awkward and uncomfortable girl moments but her best first date was totally worth the torture.
“My best first date was when the guy I was with picked me up and took me to the lights at the zoo,” Kitowicz said. “It was such a beautiful and thoughtful date because the lights are so pretty and I love animals! Plus it created such a romantic atmosphere and was a lot of fun.”
Junior, Megan McCutcheon first worst date wasn’t too bad, but her best first date wins it all.
“I’ve really never had a bad first date because I always make sure to go on a date with someone I know really well but the guy I was with didn’t open any doors for me which is a huge red flag,”McCutcheon said. “Opening doors for the girl you’re with is just common courtesy and something I guess I sort’ve expect.”
McCutcheon’s first best day was a great success to say the least.
“My best first date was with my boyfriend of over a year currently. He took me stargazing while laying on the bed of his truck,” McCutcheon stated. “It was the sweetest and prettiest date ever. It gave us a chance to really be ourselves and get to know each other better and it was just a really sweet gesture.”
McCutcheon suggested asking your date an intriguing question or giving out a nice compliment.
“For a first date, you’re both going to be a little nervous, so try your absolute best not to be awkward,”McCutcheon said. “Compliment your date and ask them a simple question to break the ice like “how was your day?” or “what did you do today?” This will really help you start a conversation that hopefully never stops! Goodluck!”
