Evening, gents, it’s Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide here! First of all, I want to sincerely apologize for not having anything up on here or any of our social media for the last few weeks. I just started a new semester at San Francisco State, and I’ve been trying to adjust to my new schedule. But now that I’m settled in, I should be back to my regular posting schedule soon, though the schedule may have to change up a little bit. In any case, today’s article is inspired by The Art of Manliness. There’s an entire section in the Art of Manliness book my godmother gave me that’s all about the best way for you to conduct yourself on a dinner date, so today, I’ll be listing some ways to make that special dinner date all the more special!

Disclaimer: Most of what I’m about to say is almost entirely accredited to The Art of Manliness, and I do not intend to claim credit for any of it. If you’d like to read their original piece about this, you can find it right here.

1. She goes first

The most important thing to remember is something to keep in mind before you even get to the restaurant, and that’s that the woman goes first. She’s the first to get in the car and the first to enter the restaurant, since you’ll be holding the door for her in both situations. She’s the first to take her coat off and sit down at the table since you’ll be helping there as well. She’s also the first to look at the wine list and the first to order her food when the time comes. However, there is an exception to this, and that’s when you’re sharing some dishes that the both of you agreed on. In that case, it’s your job to order for the both of you. She also picks up the first piece of the appetizer and is the first to take a bite of the main course. Men by nature are selfish and impatient. As Mr. McKay puts in his article, “We’re used to fighting for that slice of pizza or the last beer amongst our equally selfish man friends.” But tonight, your date is your top priority, not your food.

2. Slow down

For the most part, men tend to eat faster than women, but here’s the catch: there’s no reason to rush it! Slow down, take smaller bites, don’t shovel the food into your mouth like an animal. How can you expect to hold a conversation with a mouthful of food? Which leads very nicely to our next point.

3. Pay attention to her!

This should just go without saying. You’re going on this date to connect with your date, so how can you expect to have a conversation with her if you’re shoving food in your mouth or keeping your face glued to your phone? She might be quite interesting, which is most likely the reason you’re out on the date in the first place. So if you just take that little extra effort to pay attention to her, you might learn something even more interesting about her!

4. Keep drinks to a minimum

This really only applies to those of you who are twenty-one or over, but nonetheless, it’s still something important to keep in mind. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail during your meal, but you should generally refrain from having any more than two drinks. One of you will have to drive home.

5. In regards to payment…

To put it bluntly, you’re covering everything. The check, the tip, and everything else.

So there it is! Just remember these very simple things, and I’m sure your next dinner date will go swimmingly! While you should still obviously keep in mind general dining etiquette, these things are special things to keep in mind specifically for those special nights out with your special lady. Also, one last apology for not putting up anything for such a long time, we should be back to our regular posting schedule soon. In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading today’s article. Please be sure to share the article, follow the blog, follow The Young Gentleman’s Guide on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!

Afternoon gents, it’s Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide here! As strange as the subject of today’s article may be, I think it’s an incredibly important thing for young men to know. And when  I say “speak like a gentleman”, I actually don’t mean how to speak more eloquently or professionally, though I may get to that in a later article. I literally mean how to give your voice that specific tone and timbre in order to make it sound more mature and, for lack of a better word, “manly.” So without any further delay, let’s get started!

In reality, there’s really only one real tip I can give to improve your gentlemanly voice, but trust me, this tip will go a long way. This is actually a technique I learned for singing that applies just as well to speaking. This can be a bit difficult to explain, but in short, what you’ll want to do is focus your voice more into your head or hard palate. If you don’t understand me, here’s a good way to test yourself. Plug your nose and try to speak. As silly as that sounds, this is the perfect way to practice this. Pretty much everybody tends to focus their voice into the front of their heads and their nose, and if you were to plug your nose while speaking that way, you’d most likely end up with the stereotypical squeaky, nasally voice that I’m sure we’ve heard before. But if you focus your voice properly, you should be able to speak with your normal voice even with your nose plugged (even though you’ll still get “d” and “b” sounds when trying to pronounce “n” and “m”). And even after you unplug your nose and continue to focus your voice this way, you may notice that your voice is just more full and more resonant. Whether you’re giving a presentation, meeting someone new, or just conversing with friends, it’ll make you sound so much more mature and sophisticated.

So there it is! Follow this one simple tip, and I’m sure you’ll win over a ton of people with just your voice. I’ll get to the eloquence and actual words of speech later on in another article, but if there’s anything else you can think of to help improve these young gentlemans’ voices, please leave it in the comments below! In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading today’s article. Please be sure to share the article, follow the blog, follow The Young Gentleman’s Guide on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!

Afternoon gents, it’s Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide here! Today’s article is, surprise surprise, inspired by another article by Elena from A Vintage Athenian. In this article, Elena speaks about how the art of flirtation has evolved over the years. She gives some optimal advice for both young men and women to heed when approaching each other in the romantic manner. So today, I thought I would throw my hat into the ring and give you young gents some pointers on how to snag some digits from that certain woman.

1. Approach her in person

I’m sure we’ve all done or seen it before. Someone leaves a flirtatious comment under an attractive woman’s photo online in an attempt to woo her, which more often than not leads to nothing developing unless he then “slides into her DMs” as people say. Technology has no doubt played a huge role in how we interact with people, but it has seriously downplayed the art of flirtation. If you really want to win over a lady, you should approach her in person. Even if nothing develops between the two of you, you’ll still end up developing a better connection than you would just send messages back and forth on Facebook.

2. Be complementary, but not predatory

While the line between those two adjectives seems to be dissolving more and more as time goes on, a real gentleman knows the difference between complimenting a woman and acting like an animal. If you want to compliment a woman without being creepy or predatory, complement on what she’s wearing or how she has her hair done. Saying something like “That dress looks great on you” or “I love how you’ve done your hair” will be much more flattering to a woman than saying you like her breasts or her rear. While those two things can definitely contribute to how attractive a woman is to you, straight up commenting on her body like that can be incredibly demeaning, not to mention it just makes you look and sound like an animal.

3. Don’t be too pushy

This is probably the most difficult line specifically for men to draw. There are very few things to be admired more than a gentleman with ambition, determination, and persistence. That said, there is a difference between pursuing a woman and being pushy. If you’re pursuing a woman, you strike up a conversation with her and try to get to know her, but you also recognize if she’s not interested, and stop pursuing her then. Being pushy means that you keep trying to have a conversation with her even if she’s already made it clear, whether verbally or not, that she’s not interested. And there is no circumstance in which you should ever chase after her. By that point you’ll just appear to be desperate, and no one, especially a woman would find that attractive.

4. Just be yourself

I know this may sound like just typical bumper sticker advice, but even as cliché as it may sound, it will go a long way. You should obviously be confident whenever you approach a woman, but there is a huge difference between being confident and being fake. If you end up striking a conversation, keep it colloquial, and just talk about things that she might find attractive in you. In my case, I would most likely tell her that I play in a band. It’s simple, colloquial, and a lot of ladies might find that attractive. Just be confident, be yourself, and keep it simple.

So there we have it! I’m obviously not saying that all of these plans are completely foolproof, but I’m willing to bet that any of you gents who practice these things will end up snagging some digits before the end of the night! If there are any tips we may have missed, please let us know in the comments, send us an email at younggentlemansguide@gmail.com, or check out Elena’s article about this subject! In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading today’s article. Please be sure to share the article, follow the blog, follow The Young Gentleman’s Guide on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!