They say the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach, and nothing quite says “I like you” like the effort and love involved in cooking a meal.
How to Impress an Older Woman with a Homemade Romantic Meal
It is often said the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach – however, this is often true for women. There is nothing quite like the effort it takes to cook a good meal, to express just how much you like someone.
Many older women were born when women were “tied to the kitchen sink,” and men were never seen at the cooker. However, times are changing, and many women feel there is nothing sexier than a man who knows his way around the kitchen.
Things to Consider When Building your Menu
Menu building is the most important part of cooking a meal for an older woman. While execution and nailing the dish is important, your choice of ingredients not only say a lot about you but also what you think of her.
One of the best ways to create and build your menu is to talk to women and listen to their answers. When you are chatting with older women, try to find out about their favorite foods, drinks, etc., because your tastes may not be the same.
Not only might you have different tastes, but older women might have different dietary requirements, avoid certain foods and even be allergic to different ingredients. It’s best to know before you start cooking.
Observe Dinner Etiquette
Once you have spoken to the older lady in question and planned the perfect menu to impress her, you need to consider dinner etiquette and the dining differences you might have. In a restaurant, the right glasses, cutlery, and dinner settings are set by professionals, but you’ll need to do it yourself at home.
On top of setting the table, older women often have polished dinner etiquette – growing up at a time where meals always took place around the table. It is important to consider several different things before sitting down for dinner with an older woman, including:
· How you hold yourself at the table (keep elbows off the table, don’t slouch etc.)
· Don’t drink too much (Dutch courage is great, but getting sloppy drunk at the table will not impress your date).
· Keep conversation clean (unless she takes it in a different direction)
· Don’t eat with your mouthful.
· Ask questions – and listen to her answers.
· Offer drinks, check things are ok and clean dirty plates from the table.
Ideas of What to Cook
While it might seem tempting to impress your date with an extensive selection of food and dishes. As the host, if your meal requires a lot of cooking, your guest will be left alone for long periods – or worse, she might join you in the kitchen when you’re at the most stressful time.
Instead, carefully plan meals that can be prepped in advance or reheated before serving – this way, you can ensure you’ll not leave your date alone too long.
Salads:
Salads can be prepped long before your guest arrives. Prepare the salad of your choice and leave it in the fridge until it’s ready to serve. If you find your salads get soggy when left in the fridge, don’t add the dressing until it’s ready to serve and better still, keep all elements of the salad prepped but separate – this way you’ll be able to throw it together at the last minute, and it will taste fresh.
Charcuterie:
Another great dish that can be prepped in advance are charcuterie boards – they look impressive and great for fussy eaters and require no cooking. Simply prep your meats and cheeses, and you can pick up sauces, olives, and crackers in the supermarket, and your dish will be complete. They make for a great starter for when your guest arrives, or just a pre-meal snack.
Oven Roasts:
Oven roasts taste great, require very little preparation, and can be left alone to cook. Any meat can be used in a roast, and if you don’t have an oven, a slow cooker or crockpot will work just as well. The most difficult part of a roast is your timings; everything else is thrown into the oven together and taken out just before serving.
Fish:
Fish isn’t everyone’s favorite, but if your older date likes seafood when done well, it’s one of the best meals you can enjoy. Fish takes a matter of minutes to be pan-fried and can be served with something as simple as a salad or roasted vegetables and doesn’t require any sauces – just a squeeze of lemon.
Complete a Practice Run with Friends
Before your cooking date with your older lady, if you’re not used to cooking, others do a practice run in your house before inviting her over. Your friends will be honest, you can test your timings and tweak anything that didn’t come out quite right.
Make sure you write down everything you need to do and keep a plan or a checklist to ensure you don’t forget any ingredients or crucial parts of the cooking process.
