Not that I have any idea, but this seems like a reasonable question. Besides worrying about backne, awkward conversation, which shoes to wear, and how you greet someone you’ve only “met” electronically (do you shake hands? hug? I’m not kidding), one definitely needs to take comfort in the pre-date food. So rule #2: comfort food.

And yes, you need to eat, particularly if you’re going out for drinks. That’s rule #1.

So what to eat? Don’t want to eat anything too heavy, in case you veer off for snacks at some point, and to ensure you don’t nod off. Anything stinky or gassy, out…for obvious reasons. Rules #3 and 4. Starch might be good, so you don’t get hammered as you nervously burn through your first drink in 5 minutes flat. Well, just don’t do that anyway. Rule #5.

And rule #6: Whatever it is, it shouldn’t require a lot of cleanup, so you can get out of the house and show up on time. (I don’t know about you, but my date would lose points showing up late to a first meeting.) But frankly, you’re probably too distracted to get complicated anyway.

So I’m going with simple and delicious and comforting and aromatic.

A pal brought me a basket of Meyer lemons last week (the first crop from her tree), and I actually have some greens in the house, so I’m making the pasta with lemon, creme fraiche, and arugula from Amanda Hesser’s Cooking for Mr. Latte.

The dish couldn’t be easier: Cook some linguine, toss it in a bowl with a handful of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, the zest of a couple of the lemons, and a few handfuls of torn arugula. Add a half cup of creme fraiche, some juice from the lemons, and freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water, if it’s too thick. That’s it.

I don’t have creme fraiche today, so I’m using my new favorite ingredient: thick and creamy Greek-style Fage yogurt. I’ve been using that stuff lately wherever I’d use sour cream, and sometimes even to thicken a sauce when I’m out of cream…it’s awesome. I suspect the tang here will be lovely.

The date, we’ll see. But don’t forget rule #7: Brush your teeth before you leave.

Weirdest kitchen accident ever.

I somehow just threw blackstrap molasses all over the floor and into my right eye.

Good news is that I also found a recipe for the blackstrap molasses (most non-healthnut recipes call for original strength, not the burly blackstrap flavor): Tartine ginger cake. The batter is so thin, I can’t believe it’ll turn out, but we’ll see.

Make soup. And cornbread.

The soup because you feel like crap, it’s cold out, and you need something warm and spicy with vegetables and soothing broth. The cornbread because it’s so easy, you’ll barely expend any of your dwindling energy, and oven-fresh bread is probably one of the world’s ultimate comfort foods. Besides soup.

If you don’t believe me: I made the cornbread after I’d already started the soup, and by the time I was finished with the dishes, everything was ready. Here’s the verbal re-creation of the Mark Bittman recipe I used (verbal because I feel so yucky, I don’t feel like getting up):

Heat some fat in an 8″ square pan. (I used bacon drippings! Don’t ask.) While you’re doing that, mix together 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal, 1/2 cup of flour, a teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, a tablespoon of sugar, and maybe some smoked paprika. Mix together 1 1/4 cups of buttermilk or yogurt and an egg, then stir that into the dry stuff. Pour it in the pan, cook half an hour, done.

So to the soup: I’m a big fan (well, maybe just an enthusiast) of “whatever’s in the house” soup. (I’m sick, ok? Maybe I really want pho, but I do not feel like going to the store.) My strategy is to think about what I do have that’s fresh, evaluate the freezer, then pick a genre. Tonight I had some leftover shredded pork shoulder (I know, good, huh?) and little in the way of fresh veg, so Mexican seemed like the right direction.

Pantry tip: Always, always keep some beans in your freezer. Once a month, while you’re watching TV or something, just simmer a pound of dried beans in water to cover, maybe with a few cloves of garlic, until done. Divide into pint containers or Ziplocs and freeze. You can dump the frozen beans right into your cooking soup! And if you’re really stuck, cook up some rice, defrost some beans, pull out the hot sauce, and you have easiest dinner ever.

In any case, I’ll spare you a recipe, since I didn’t really have one, but here’s what went in, in order of appearance:

• onions, carrots, garlic (some chopped chile in adobo would have been nice, but I was out…too lazy for dried chiles)
• a couple of fresh kaffir lime leaves I got from Michael’s tree (some lime zest would be fine)
• a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce, a half pint of still-frozen black beans
• some really good chili powder, salt, oregano
• 4 cups of stock (water would be fine, with all this other stuff)
• chopped-up leftover pork
• a can of hominy, some frozen spinach, cilantro

When it was good and hot, I ladled myself a huge bowlful, topped with a bit of crumbled feta (watch the salt) and some of the cornbread.

I still feel crappy, but I bet I’ll be better tomorrow.