Beware Of Sneating, A Food-Related Dating Trend That Seriously Sucks

Ever wonder what your date is really thinking? Of course you do. More specifically, do you ever wonder, “Am I being used for food?! Are my good looks or charming words not enough?!”

Or worse — have you found yourself saying yes to a date (or to the food itself) in the hopes that your companion will foot the bill or simply give you an excuse to hit up that new trendy restaurant? (Don’t worry — we won’t tell.) If you’ve found yourself preoccupied about any of the above, what you’re worrying about has a term, and it’s not just “dating kinda sucks.”

It’s called “Sneating,” according to Metro, and it’s a thing.

Sneating: Sneakily Cheating Your Way Into Free Food

Sneating (sneakily cheating your way into eating a meal) is when someone basically ignores you on a date so that they can pay attention to the food. They’re chowing down, ordering all the most expensive bits on the menu, and responding to you in grunts and nods. In short, they’re on a date with the food — not the human across from them.

Now, the Metro crew made up this term, but they’re not wrong!

Want to spot the red flags? Metro says, “What we are talking about is those people who clearly have no interest in getting to know you. They’ve arranged the date just to get free food, and never wanted anything with you beyond the chance to eat some excellent chocolate torte.”

They went on to discuss how an Imgur user (minilogo37) was recently sneated on: “We met up tonight at a restaurant I’d picked out. She didn’t look at me, wore sweatpants, and immediately ordered [a] $13 appetizer. Okay, not a dealbreaker. I tried starting a conversation a few times, but she only gave one-word answers.”

While we don’t condone this behavior because, you know, human connection is really important and dating is hard enough as it is, we do understand how tempting good food can be.

So, we propose this: Next time you’re on a date, be mindful about your conversation, appreciate the food together, and enjoy the company — even if it means you’ll never see them again after you both slurp down your expensive and delish oyster shooters.

Have you been sneated on, or are you a sneater? Go on, confess it!