We aren’t marriage counselors, but from personal experience, we believe that deciding where to eat is the most common reason for marital discord, and arguing over where to eat is possibly the most common reason for divorce.
It’s not a bad problem to have. When you have to decide where to eat, you just have so much to choose from. You could go for food delivery. You could go for fast food. You could choose those delicious chicken wings at that spot downtown. Or pizza. Burgers. There are probably a few great Latin restaurants you haven’t tried yet. Living in the land of prosperity has it’s benefits, but can also lead to conflict when deciding where to eat.
If we just described you, you need help deciding where to eat. That’s why we’ve put together a simple list of tips for figuring out where to eat when no one can decide.
Six Ways to Figure Out Where to Eat
- Ask yourself what limitations you have.
Is someone in your dining party restricted to a particular diet? Is your spouse a vegan? Are you gluten free? Chances are, there’s a great place to eat that everyone can enjoy, you just have to consider what would have to be on the menu (or not) in order for it to be a great dining choice. Starting with this question will really narrow down the options. - Ask Your Future Self for Advice
We all know that place. They sell humongous, extra spicy, extra fried, extra fat burritos will a side of hamburgers. So delicious and so good. However, you hate yourself after you eat it. Or those places that are an incredible experience, but leave you with a large hole in your wallet.
Instead of just thinking what you want to eat now, ask your future self what you’ll be glad you ate later. - Take Turns Choosing
When you and your significant other have very distinct pallets, try making a list of places you both approve of. Then, alternate who gets to choose where you eat at. Perhaps, the non-choosing party has one chance to veto the choice of the chooser, to prevent having to eat at a place that you just aren’t feeling. Even if this leaves you will some meals that you just feel “eh” about, other times, you’ll get to choose exactly where you want to, without hearing any complaints! - Phone a Friend
People who do not have a vested interested in your dinner choice provide a non-biased mediator in the battle of where to eat. Consider polling your friends on Facebook or Twitter for suggestions. People love giving advice to other people, and perhaps it will open your world to an eating option you’ve never considered before. - Flip a Coin
This option could be played a variety of ways. Let’s say that you want to go one place and your dining partner wants to go somewhere else. Pulling out the ol’ Abraham Lincoln and giving it a fliperoo is a simple (and fair) way to solve this quandary.
However, let’s say that neither of you are incredibly inspired about where you should eat at. Nothing sounds bad and nothing sounds good. What to do? Get into the car. The non-driving member of the party flips a coin. Heads means you turn left and tails means you turn right. Continue to follow where the coin leads you until you land at a place you both want to eat at. - Hit Up the Interwebs
There are a variety of websites and apps designed just for telling you what’s nearby that’s awesome. Do a quick search for some good suggestions from the Google-bots, and it might land you at an awesome dining spot that you never would have considered otherwise.
What’s Nearby?
Sometimes great food is worth the drive across town. However, in many cases, there are a variety of great dining options near enough to you for that to be unnecessary. Consider how much time you have available for dining and what your transportation situation is; that will likely help you narrow down your search for dining spots in town.
Do you have any other tips finding somewhere to eat when you feel uninspired? Share your wisdom in the comment section below!
See this reference for more.
Leave a Reply