Last night I was having dinner with a few guy friends when the subject of flirting came up.
And in relation to food.
Here’s the story: one of my friends goes to a little sushi shop and flirts with the owner who, in turn, gives him extra spicy ahi and salad. The other day he even got avocado on his spicy tuna roll.
“I ask, ‘How’s business?’ and tell her her sushi is the best,” my friend said, smiling. “I’m not lying.”
We had been talking about female students flirting with male teachers to get better grades when this story came up. He was making the point that guys can flirt to — and they should when it comes to food.
I supposed we’ve all been a little, well, friendly to get better service or price. In fact, studies have shown — one out of the University of California, Berkeley last year — that being flirtatious gets us further faster, particularly in the office.
Flirting can be fun, let’s be honest, but I don’t know if I’d feel good about feigning niceness just to get something out of it. (In the case of my friend, however, he really IS nice, so he wasn’t pretending. He was just pouring it on a little thick.) Have I done it? I’m sure, especially if you count the nights during my post-college years when my girlfriends and I would close down bars. But I don’t think I could do it — and get away with it — anymore.
So I ask you: what would you flirt for? An extra scoop of rice?
9 Comments
Flirting or just being nice seems to go a long way in this world. Kill ’em with kindness I always say. If you get perks from that so be it but if not then no worries.
Hello Cat,
I don’t know if I would call it flirting but I try to be nice and polite.
I see flirting as an expression of possible romantic interest. Just being nice without the hope for a date or something like it I don’t consider to be flirting.
CAT: I am accused of being a flirt. But I am old, fat, and poor…I get nothing!
To get lei’d
Cat, to be honest, I have…
Went to a japanese restaurant, asked the waiter about the seaweed thingy they serve before your meal comes. Told him was ” sooooooo onoooooo “. He comes back out with another serving of it! NOW, when I go to the restaurant and he’s working he’ll bring me an extra serving of the seaweed ‘thingy’. I so forget what its called.
Don’t flirt to get something out of it. Flirt to make the “flirtee” feel good.
Cat, you are still a member of the “attractive people” crowd. I think that most people will see any conversation with you as a form of flirting, assuming that you are not rude to them.
Just one data point of course.
Hey Cat: … flirting is fine as long as both (or all) parties are willing and active participants … if it’s just one person doing the flirting with no acknowledgement or reciprocation … that would be weird, uncomfortable and maybe sometimes creepy …
… I would flirt for anything … as long as I think the flirtee knows it’s all in fun … and not too serious …
… is complements a form of flirting??? … because I tend to do that alot … I think I’ve abundantly complemented every female blog host I’ve posted for … including yours … but I dare not do it in person, haha … for fear of a beat-down by Derek … I’m not fond of getting my ass kicked!!! …