Barbecue Ribs Vs Spaghetti: Which First Date Meal Is Worse, According To Our Readers

Have you ever been on a first date that has gone horribly wrong? Maybe they talked about themselves the entire time, they were two hours late, or you couldn't look away while they spent the entire night eating the messiest food imaginable. The right activity will make or break a first date, but so can the meal you order. Dinner dates are often awkward – you're trying to get to know someone who is making direct eye contact with you from across the table while you try to eat your meal and keep the conversation going at the same time. When you're perusing the menu, consider what cuisine will be relatively mess-free, and avoid foods that will require a whole stack of napkins.

The Daily Meal posed a question to readers on Facebook, asking foodies, "What's the worst food to order on a date: spaghetti or ribs?" While commenters can agree that both ribs and spaghetti have the potential to be seriously messy, a majority of responses claimed that ribs are not ideal to enjoy on a first date. One commenter put it ever so intricately, "Ribs, because of the need to lick the fingies." Sadly for barbecue lovers, we have to agree; the thought of sitting across from a date while they are sucking sauce off of their hands gives us the ick. If you are a hardcore ribs fan, save the trip to your favorite comfort food spot until you've celebrated your first month-iversary.

There's no doubt that ribs are delicious — whether you're at a summer picnic or a county fair, ribs slathered in smokey barbecue sauce seriously hit the spot. But on a first date, the only spots that ribs will hit are the many stains on your shirt while you attempt to enjoy the finger food without making a mess.

Spaghetti's dark sauce, slippery nature, and unwieldy slurp factor should definitely be taken into account when ordering, especially if you showed up to your first date in your best, light-colored attire. But with proper fork technique, you can easily cut your spaghetti into bite-size pieces or swirl it onto your utensil like a pro. Ribs, on the other hand, have very few options when deciding how to tackle your dripping plate. If you attempt to scrape the saucy meat off the bone, you may end up making even more of a mess than if you grabbed them with your bare hands. No matter how careful you are, the probability of being covered in sauce is pretty high. 

That said, eating messy ribs could be a good test to decide how tolerant your date is. As one commenter on The Daily Meal's Facebook page said, "If they can watch you eat ribs and still want to continue the date, then cool, they like you."

We'll see your plates of pasta and barbecue and raise you a nice steak dinner. When deciding where to take your first date out to eat, there are a few things to keep in mind: The vibe, the cost, and the cuisine are all important factors to consider when picking a place. Besides, if this person really is "the one," this restaurant will likely become a very important spot.

A good first date location should indicate that you have put some thought into picking a place, like how loud the restaurant gets, and how upscale the food is. One Daily Meal reader responded to our Facebook post with a piping hot take: "If I was invited out to eat, it better be seafood or prime rib." While we don't recommend spending an entire week's paycheck on one meal in an attempt to impress your date, a trip to your favorite fast food spot might not go over well either. (Save those late-night trips through the drive-thru for post-date moonlit burgers and bonding after you've been dating for a little while).

When you're deciding on a place, think about how easily you can safely eat the cuisine while still chatting with your date, avoiding drips, spills, and the dreaded splatter. A trendy sushi spot, a tapas bar, or even an upscale Mexican restaurant with tacos and fajitas are all good choices that are widely enjoyed and easy to eat.