How To Size Up A Man By What He Eats

Dining out on date night? 5 ways you can evaluate a man based on what he eats.

By babe scott — Written on Dec 21, 2010

Forget the old adage that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. The truth is that the way to a woman's heart is through her palate. There is no more powerful barometer of a man's potential as a boyfriend and in the bedroom than in how he seduces a woman's taste buds. If you are awake to the clues encrypted in his culinary style, you should have an insight into his ability to satisfy you between the sheets—as well as his potential as a long-term suitor—long before the waiter clears the crockery from the table.

How do I know this? After a love life as disastrous as it was dyspeptic, I embarked on a study of the male species via their stomachs. I dined with more than 100 men of every gourmet genus. I also interviewed more than 200 men and women to further corroborate my findings. I discovered that you can divine a man's essence from his wining and dining style (and potentially save yourself a lifetime of heartburn). All these insights are contained in my new book, Delicious Dating.

In the course of my research, I discovered there are 10 Male Dining Archetypes. These run the gamut from the Transfat Type to the Food Sensualist to the Pretzel Player and the Five Star Man. Understanding a man’s dining type enables women to discern a man's true essence via a single shared dinner. A man's gourmet genus reveals not only his food preferences but a great deal else, from his love-making style to the sort of vacations he likes. Would You Go Vegan For Love?

For instance, the fast food-loving Transfat Type wastes as little time on foreplay as McDonald’s does expediting an order of fries. He also likes holidays as packaged as his processed food. This guy is efficient!

In the same vein, the Food Sensualist believes in slow cooking and suspenseful sex. This is the sort of guy you see molesting produce at the farmer's market and sniffing cheese as if he were at the perfume counter at Macy’s. The Food Sensualist can turn pasta into music and is full of passion.

If it’s more pizzazz than raw passion you are after, the Five Star Man will wow you with extravagant tastes from Beluga caviar to truffles to fine French champagnes and wines. This guy likes to eat in renowned restaurants and to have you accessorize his glamorous lifestyle, which will include holidays at expensive resorts.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Pretzel Player is not interested in seducing a woman's palate, only persuading her out of her pants. He is more interested in encouraging you to down shots than taking you out for dinner. This guy has as little nutritive content as a bowl of beer nuts. He’s only interested in conquest rather than true connection.

If you observe a date closely you will be able to easily discern his "type" and all his salient traits, in and out of the sack. Take heed: if he can’t get you salivating at the table he is unlikely to elsewhere.

If you want to size up a man by what he eats, here are a few morsels of advice:

1. Let Him Run the Date. Women love to be helpful. It's natural for us to make suggestions and try to organize the men in our lives. However, when it comes to your dining dates, let him put his best fork forward. If you start engineering the date, you'll obscure your empirical observations. How he runs the date will be very insightful. It will tell you realms about how considerate a guy is and whether he can whet your palate. It will also reveal if he has the logistical skills of a four-star general or a 14-year-old with ADHD.

2. Seek the Delicious. There is nothing more enticing than a woman who revels in her own appetites. Be determined to squeeze as much enjoyment as you can out of every culinary encounter. The more you do this, the more responsive your dates will be and the more you will get out of each dining experience, whether it's a new squeeze, a better insight into your likes and dislikes or a new food or wine crush.

3. When in Rome Eat as a Roman. To discover a man's inner world, you need to partake of his cuisine. Encourage him to make wine and menu recommendations or even to select your dish—and be prepared to try his selections or share plates. This is a great way to find out how compatible your tastes are.

4. Keep a Dating Journal. Putting your thoughts and impressions down on paper helps crystallize them. It also gives you some perspective. Write notes on the date while it is still fresh in your mind, and try to be objective—no matter how hot he is. In this way, you will quickly be able to work out if he is a man after your own palate.