22. If I Feed Him With My College Meal Plan?
Today we return to the halcyon days of all-we-could-eat pasta covered in a layer of french fries, and the girls who swiped their university meal cards to deliver it to us. If you go to a school where the cafeteria is a main social hub, the exchange of meal cards can be confusing or misleading. In the real world, when someone buys you a meal, it’s a date (unless there’s some other reason you know it’s not.)
But what about in the college world, where someone’s parents buy you a meal? Is that a clear-cut case of flirting? Generally yes, but with two huge, gaping exceptions. If you use your card to get someone into the cafeteria, and you don’t want your generosity to appear like an attempt to get laid, just don’t eat with them. Say, “Ok, have a good lunch! I’ll see you later!” and go do your own thing. Problem solved. That’s exception number one.
The other exception applies at the end of the semester, when some kids have beaucoups of excess meals that they’re never going to use, and others would blow you for some chips and salsa. In this case, the college economy evens itself out, and meals flow freely from the rich to the poor, no fellatio required. If those extra meals are yours, feel free to give them away with no expectations. If you actually wanted to use your meal plan to flirt, shame on you. Ask the object of your affection to join you at a real restaurant instead.
