In the old days, when women were less likely to work and earn their own money, it became normal for the man to pick up the bill while on a dinner date. In some cultures, this hangover from the past is still very much the accepted norm, while in gender equality-progressive countries like Denmark for example, men insisting on paying for everything can be seen as rude and sexist.
Image credits: findemaxa (not the actual photo)
First dates can be an awkward social minefield in general, and this little ambiguity only adds to the confusion. Reddit user u/CuteBananaMuffin decided to share his story recently, and it’s fair to say, his date definitely had some old-fashioned first date ideas. After doing the progressive (and frankly, fair) thing on the first date, he thought he’d try to ask her out again. He obviously thought it had gone pretty well, and perhaps it had, up until the fateful moment the restaurant bill appeared, and he learned how rude people could truly be.
“The date was fun at first until she started talking about another guy and how much he liked him, but I thought ‘let’s eat, talk and leave’ since she’s into another guy, and it all crumbled when it came to the bill,” he told Bored Panda. “She was shocked that I let her pay. She didn’t say anything at the time, but from her facial expression, I realized she was furious for not getting free food.”
“I usually pay for both sides when it comes to the bill, but I’m a student, and I work 60 hours a week to pay for food, books, etc. so I obviously couldn’t afford to pay 110 euros for her food. I asked her out again to apologize pretty much for the previous time, hoping we can go to a cheaper place so I could make up for it, but as you can see, the result was awful…
Here’s what others had to say about the exchange
