So I was on this first date with a man, he chose this small restaurant, we met outside. Going in, the waiter showed us a table right at the front of the place which was very busy. He asked if there was another table at the back and the waiter said 'no'.
We sat down and he told me he called to book and asked for a 'quiet' table (opposite to what we got). The table was okay but the main problem was that it was next to the main door and every time someone came in and out, the cold wind would blast us and that was unpleasant. It was the kind of restaurant where people come to collect take out orders as well as eat in so the door was being used quite a bit and everytime the wind blasted us, he complained.
Service was slow and we were there for a bit of time, the restaurant started to get less busy and I told him a couple of times when he complained that it was okay to move tables now that there were some available, but he refused to, saying that is was too late / we already settled there / it would give the waiter more work etc etc etc. I told him I had worked as a waitress before and that kind of request is absolutely no problem, I could ask myself if he was uncomfortable to do so, but he refused to try and solve the issue and preferred to be annoyed with the situation instead.
So, once we finished our starters and before the main course, the waiter came to ask if everything was okay, if we needed anything...I then super politely asked if we could possibly move to another table and referred to a cosy one tucked in a corner that was now free. The waiter said "of course" "I know this table is very tricky and apologies for seating you here"
So I took my bag and my coat and moved to the other table while my date was there trying to juggle his coat, his drink, his phone, the wine bottle and some plates. The waiter told him a couple of times to leave the plates, the bottle and the glasses as it was his job to carry it and he was more than happy to transfer everything over to the new table but my date seemed baffled. In the end he decided to come to the table carrying his personal belongings and his wine glass so I joked "oh no, I forgot my wine" to which the waiter jokingly said "don't worry madam I will bring it to you" and my date was confused as to who should have carried my wine glass: me, him or the waiter?
Anyway, we settled at the new table which was a lot better and ate our main courses. Without the blast of cold wind hitting us every 5 minutes, we were a lot more relaxed. The food was delicious too.
Overall a good date.
The reason why I'm posting this is because I was the type of woman who would sit there and endure anything in attempts to be 'nice', 'agreeable', 'not go against the man wishes' (especially on a 1st date) and the worst of all: to be 'feminine' and let the man 'lead' even when his leadership was not good for me. Then I would feel angry and resentful afterwards.
Curious about your thoughts.