There’s no doubt that ribs are delicious — whether you’re at a summer picnic or a county fair, ribs slathered in smokey barbecue sauce seriously hit the spot. But on a first date, the only spots that ribs will hit are the many stains on your shirt while you attempt to enjoy the finger food without making a mess.
Spaghetti’s dark sauce, slippery nature, and unwieldy slurp factor should definitely be taken into account when ordering, especially if you showed up to your first date in your best, light-colored attire. But with proper fork technique, you can easily cut your spaghetti into bite-size pieces or swirl it onto your utensil like a pro. Ribs, on the other hand, have very few options when deciding how to tackle your dripping plate. If you attempt to scrape the saucy meat off the bone, you may end up making even more of a mess than if you grabbed them with your bare hands. No matter how careful you are, the probability of being covered in sauce is pretty high.
That said, eating messy ribs could be a good test to decide how tolerant your date is. As one commenter on The Daily Meal’s Facebook page said, “If they can watch you eat ribs and still want to continue the date, then cool, they like you.”