Goodbeer Faucets, Tokyo
I was in Tokyo for barely 48 hours when someone mentioned that I should go and visit this bar and surprisingly it was near to my hotel, like half a mile, so I walked down to the bar. For people who have already been there, it looks aesthetic, but I found alcohol little expensive.
I was sitting at the bar alone when someone tapped my shoulder and asked if the seat was taken. Now, this guy was drop dead gorgeous; he had this British Accent, blonde hair, and a deadly smile. I nodded, and he sat next to me.
"Indian?" he asked, I smiled.
"Namastey," he said, and I was head over heels for him.
We spent 2 hours knowing each other; he mentioned being an artist from Italy, he gave up his London based job after 11 years into it. We talked about a lot of things and of course at one point topic was relationships.
He smiled and said, 'I'm 55 years old, my views on dating will be very different.'
I smiled and said, 'I'm 40-year old trapped in the body of 20 years old, tell me.'
And next 30 minutes gave me a new perspective on dating. He mentioned, 'I belong to a very orthodox family, Concept of hook up or multiple relationships was never promoted in our house. However, my family was very welcoming to people my siblings, and I use to bring, in short, there was no scope of casual relationships. That's how I came up with this theory called 4 Date Theory.'
Theory suggests going on four dates, and each date places a very significant role in understanding them, your chemistry with them and how far will conversations.
Date 1: Place of your choice: You get a chance of letting someone into your comfort zone, food is an essential part of any relationship and if likes match then it is good. Another thing is, you get to know how open person is to new suggestions, how they lead in such situations, etc.
Date2: Place of your partner’s choice: You get to know the person you are going out with, what kind of places they like, what type of food, how do they take up leadership they get, etc
Date 3: A movie: Choice of entertainment is significant, it helps you in knowing their choice of music, genre and how they behave in public place and how honest they are when it comes to giving feedback.
Date 4: A walk: Other than giving a slight glimpse of health, it is old school romantic, you get a chance to hold the hand, ask if they want to coat. Also, how they react to a proper public environment which means some weird weather, beggars asking for money, their love for street food, etc.
So by the end of these four dates, you will know their choice of music, movie, mode of transportation, food, their behavior and other factors which you need to oversee over time and not ask.
But the question is, who has time for old school love?