With only a few days left until Valentine's, we thought that it would be fun to take a look at the role that food can play in our relationships with a little mini series leading into February 14th.

The number of dates that take place at restaurants is not something that trend-watching companies devote resources to because they know, and you know, that it is a high proportion. First dates are especially likely to involve food, since it sets a common ground while you get to know each other. The real question is what makes a great date restaurant? How do all these restaurant daters decide where they want to go?

There are a few schools of thought here. The first one says to go for the atmosphere, somewhere that is either romantic or intimate in some way and that isn't so noisy that you have to shout all night. The second one says that you should go for the food, because if the dinner is exquisite it can only help your chances for getting a second date.

With only a few days left until Valentine's, we thought that it would be fun to take a look at the role that food can play in our relationships with a little mini series leading into February 14th.

Yesterday, we talked about what it was like to date someone with really restrictive diet, or conversely, what it was like to date someone with a very broad palate when you were the one with a restricted eating habits. Some shared that the felt it gave them new perspective and forced them to become more creative in the kitchen, while others were of the mindset that "if you are a picky eater, that is remarkably unsexy and you are gone." This all leads us into today's question, which is whether or not you would change your eating habits to impress?

Small things are easy to change and it isn't uncommon for us to be more aware of our eating quirks when we're out on a first date and want to make a good impression. For example, even if you don't particularly care for broccoli, you might find yourself taking a few bites if it is served with your dinner on a first date with a girl you really like. Or perhaps you are a chicken-and-fish kind of girl, but decide to share in an order of beef chili fries at a big football game, since you know your date loves them. The more restrictive the diet, however, the more difficult the change, but there are some dedicated meat-lovers who are willing to go vegetarian, or mostly vegetarian, to try and impress a vegan or vegetarian significant other.

The interesting thing about these types of dietary changes is that they are not permanent. Meat-lovers go back to eating meat and broccoli-haters continue to avoid broccoli, which makes you wonder whether the change is worthwhile in the first place, since there is minimal intention of changing your overall inclinations.

With only a few days left until Valentine's, we thought that it would be fun to take a look at the role that food can play in our relationships with a little mini series leading into February 14th.

While we may not think about food all the time, it is a huge part of our daily lives. If we're not eating, we might be planning for the next meal or looking at restaurant reviews online, trying to decide where to eat over the weekend. Our own food preferences are usually at the forefront of our minds as we think about these things. We judge what sounds appealing to us, what menu items are tempting.

It isn't until another person is introduced into the equation that we run into problems. Most of the time, this isn't a big deal. Restaurants offer large menus and most people eat a wide variety of foods, but when your date has a very restrictive diet - vegan, macrobiotic, only purple foods - it can really through a kink into your plans. Have you ever dated someone with a really restrictive diet? How did you work around it or did it turn out to be a dealbreaker?

Pizza?!?! He's taking you out to grab a slice of pizza?!?! Forget it. What kind of cheapskate/Peter Pan/unimaginative guy is he!??! Drop him!

Don't pretend like you haven't done it before -- judged a guy (or girl) before you've even met, based on where they want to go on the first date. Fancy expensive reservations-30-days-in-advance-only and you're impressed, right? KFC drive-thru and...well, you get the picture.

Though they don't have an opinion about pizza, AOL has put together a short feature about what his restaurant/cuisine choice could say about him. If you don't have the time to read through it, here's the lowdown:

• Tapas - "don't expect a commitment from this professional dabbler anytime soon"
• Seafood - "it's nice to spend time with somebody who believes money is no object, but if he never lets you forget it..."
• Pancake house - "a guy who knows what he wants, and exactly where to go to get it"
• Sushi - "an eclectic lifestyle, so he wants to try everything"
• Mexican - "hot and spicy guy is the kind that will dance the night away"
• Chinese - "he needs a little motivation"
• Steakhouse - "since he won't stray too far from the norm, he could be a huge bore"
• Italian - "you've got a serious romantic on your hands"
• Burgers and fries - "likes it straight, so he can save himself for the BMX race he's in"

It's not often that you see Dr. Joyce Brother's answer a question pertaining to food, but this seems like an issue that could be a problem for many foodies. No, it's not a 9 1/2 Weeks sort of thing. The question is about what to do when an adventurous eater is interested in someone who is not only picky and unadventurous ("the culinary tastes of a 6-year-old) in their eating habits, but is also entirely uninterested in changing.

Dr. Joyce said that the foodie is better off finding someone who can share her interest in food, since cooking and meals are not only important to her, but are a huge part of everyday life. It can be difficult to choose restaurants and menus when dining with friends if one or two people only ever want a cheeseburger and fries - imagine how much more frustrating that would be in a relationship when the issue comes up three times a day. Even if she could put aside her interests from time to time, it would only cause friction in the relationship as time went on.

It's sound advice. But the temptation must be there to try and convince the unwilling eater to expand his or her horizons. Has anyone succeeded in converting the PB&J devotee to something a little more exciting?

I used to be skeptical when friends or acquaintances would tell me about their dating on the Internet via dating sites or even "meeting" someone in a chatroom. But this was five, six, seven years ago. With such things as Match.com and eHarmony now, online dating doesn't have the same weird, creepy, somewhat desperate, stigmas attached to it.

Then along comes the food blogosphere, and one beautifully photographed, beautifully written blog, Orangette. Molly, the voice behind Orangette has recently posted the story of how her just over-a-year-old food blog brought her true love. A man was inspired by her blog about a year ago, emailed her, they communicated, met, visited each other frequently (cross country!) over the course of a year, and now, they are...engaged. What a beautiful story!

And they say a way to man's heart is through his stomach! How right they are...

I've been sick with a cold, and it's Valentine's Day, and so what? I've had this cold so long I'm sick of writing about remedies. I want to address some things that many have come to me about, mainly, the secrets of getting a nice dinner squeezed into life between the time you go out after work to have a few drinks or go to a party and the time you go home and go to bed.

We all know the feeling of being out on a Valentine's Day date for a few drinks, and you start to get dizzy, and the hunger is affecting your ability to be glib. You are even starting to get angry, but mentioning food on the first date of "let's meet for coffee/a drink" seems so terribly vulgar. 

This is the age of the anorexic, when needing to eat all the time is a sign of weakness. There is nothing wrong with going out to eat of course, but being the one who suggests it, right before you pass out from hunger even though you've just had three bowls of popcorn at the bar, that's not cool. Nor is saying "Hope you don't mind if I go ahead and order something," and then trying to look sexy while scarfing down a giant cheeseburger, your eyes bulging out of your head as you try and fit a bite into your mouth.

If you happen to be single on Valentine’s Day, there is no reason to feel blue. After all, it’s only one day a year that the media lets us know that we are really supposed to be part of a couple. It’s worse if you’re a woman, of course. The message to men seems to be to celebrate the fact that they’re not “obligated” to take someone of to dinner and ply her with chocolates and flowers. Women, on the other hand, are expected to eat ice cream and chips by the pound and cry while watching sappy movies.

Single or not, a sappy movie from time to time is not a bad thing, but I definitely take issue with the ice cream and chips side of the equation. If you want to meet someone, eating ice cream in front of the television is not the way to go about it. And besides, there are much better things that you can be eating, even if you’re alone, whether you are a guy or a gal.

On Valentine's Day, more than 30% of all Americans will eat at a restaurant, making it the second most popular holiday for dining out, after Mother's Day. When numbers are broken down by age, it is not surprising to see that for people between the ages of 25 and 34, the numbers are much higher, with 41% of people dining at a restaurant on February 14. The highest numbers are among the 18-24 year olds, with 47% percent heading out to eat. Those who dine out will spend an average of $62 dollars on dinner, while possibly spending more on gifts such as chocolates and flowers. OpenTable.com is a great way to check for reservations are some of your favorite restaurants across the country and the world.

Though dining out can be fun and romantic, for some lovebirds there is nothing as romantic as a home-cooked meal shared across a table for two. Cooking together or cooking for a loved one can be a more romantic and thoughtful gift than a box of chocolates, for those who enjoy cooking.

If it's Friday night and you're reading this, then there really is a need for Gourmet Gatherings more than I thought! Gourmet Gatherings is a Bay Area-based company that basically helps you throw cooking parties. I have heard of this before - the company will either come into your home and do demos and teach you and your guests how to cook your own dinner, or you and your friends go to a professional kitchen and do it all there.

One of Gourmet Gatherings' parties has a twist - it's a singles party. According to their website, guests are "greeted at the door with a nibble and nametag." A nibble? Hey, I don't do that on the first date. After an introductory cooking course,  everyone is divided into co-ed teams to cook a recipe from the evening's menu, "while sipping wine and listening to upbeat music." Well, thank God for the music otherwise there might be lots of dead silences amongst complete strangers awkwardly trying to hit on each other with stupid lines like "Mind if I grease your loaf pan?"

I don't know why I'm so bitter. I'm the one who's writing this on a Friday night, right? Okay, actaully, if anyone has gone to one of these, I'd love to know what it's really like, rather than reading the quotes of people who found the loves of their lives while whisking eggs.