Dictionary Exercise

The second day of my cooking class had participants doing a dictionary exercise. We were to randomly open a dictionary 10 times, choose the first word that caught our attention, compile the words, and whip up a recipe for a good day or a disaster.

My word list: presumptuous, symbol, dismember, attain, tone, hillbilly (damn, who uses this word nowadays?), etiquette, awake, satiate, lap. I ended up with this fun short piece—my best attempt at pretending to be a pro in dating.

RECIPE FOR A SUCCESSFUL FIRST DATE (FOR WOMEN):

1 bottle of wine, because its stereotypically necessary for romance

2 plates of the best food you can both devour

4 ounces of patience

2 windows of indirect light (to see another perspective)

1 pack of your best behavior

a pinch of expectation, just a little

1. Establish the ambiance. A successful first date depends on the mood of the people involved. Keep your presumptuous attitude in the backburner and come with very little expectations. Don’t make excuses nor rant about the traffic everyone gets stuck in nowadays. And smile, it always works.
2. Remember your table manners and be aware of dining etiquettes. Respect personal space. Never reach out to pick on your date’s plate. Nobody likes a slob. At least not on the first date.
3. Get to know your date. Ask and be genuinely interested—at least pretend when you’re not. A date is not a press conference; it’s not about your issues or your nails or your pet. Keep the conversation running by asking pleasant questions but be wary of superficial ones. Keep the tone light and entertaining. Remember, your date is as nervous as you are.
4. Be mindful of gestures that symbolize interest: leaning closer, giggle or a burst of laughter. A successful first date is all about establishing a connection. Once you have an established common field of interest, you can move to deeper topics. Like politics.
5. Now that the conversation is getting more comfortable, remember: no one wants a hillbilly. And for god’s sake, do not be a Luddite. Be as open and understanding as possible. You and your date come from different backgrounds and breeding so never be critical. Otherwise, your date will prefer dismembering you than entertaining a second round.
6. Satiate in the experience. Enjoy the moment and don’t make a fuss. Do not push for romance if it’s non-existent. It is not the end of the world if it doesn’t work out. And at the end of the day, if he can’t be your boyfriend, he can still be your friend.

The output was better than the first one.  I'm getting used to sudden writing exercises. - 4/5/2014