Balsamic Date Dressing

My mother called me the other day and asked if I could make her a sweeter salad dressing.

“Not too sweet,” she said.

My mother does this a lot. She'll ask for something and then immediately tell me what she doesn't want.

She wanted something a little sweeter than my regular balsamic dressing, but nothing that tasted like dessert. I suggested dates, which are naturally sweet and go very nicely with balsamic vinegar.

She thought that sounded wonderful.

I've always had a complicated relationship with dates.

The fruit is fine.

It's the other kind I've never quite figured out.

I suppose I've had plenty of dates in my life, but most of them have been printed on calendars.

I did go out to dinner with someone once. I still don't know if it was a date.

It was a Saturday, and we'd been talking at work about a restaurant that had just opened. I mentioned that I'd been meaning to try it, and the next thing I knew, we were going together.

I spent most of Friday evening deciding what to wear.

I have a blue button-down shirt that I save for special occasions. It's a very nice shirt. My mother bought it for me several years ago, and I've worn it to two weddings, a funeral, and a retirement dinner for a man I didn't particularly like.

I thought about wearing a tie.

I actually tried three.

Then I worried that wearing a tie might suggest I thought it was a date, which could make things uncomfortable if it wasn't.

On the other hand, if it was a date, perhaps not wearing a tie would suggest I wasn't taking it seriously.

I eventually left the tie off but put one in the glove compartment.

I don't know what I thought I was going to do with it once we got there.

Excuse myself to the restroom and come back looking more romantically committed?

Anyway, dinner was very nice.

I ordered chicken. We talked about work and our families, and at one point I spent a little too long explaining how the Chicago River was reversed in 1900 so the city's sewage wouldn't flow into Lake Michigan.

I find municipal engineering fascinating.

Apparently, not everybody does.

When we said goodbye, I said, “Well, that was nice.”

And the other person said, “Yes, it was.”

Which really didn't clear anything up.

We never went out again.

Sometimes I wonder if I should have worn the tie.

I've given a fair amount of thought to what my ideal date would look like, if I ever had the opportunity.

I think I'd like to take someone to the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.

They have those wonderful sky shows where you sit in a big dark theater and look up at the stars while a person with a very soothing voice explains the universe.

I think that would be very romantic.

You wouldn't have to worry about making conversation, because you're not supposed to talk during the presentation. And if you wanted to sit close to someone, there would be plenty of opportunity.

I've wondered if it would be appropriate to hold hands during a show about black holes.

I think it probably would be, provided neither person was frightened.

Afterward, we could take a walk along Lake Michigan and talk about what we'd learned.

Or not talk.

Sometimes just walking beside someone is nice.

Then maybe we'd stop for coffee.

I don't drink much coffee after six because it keeps me awake, but I could have a decaf.

I imagine we'd be home around nine.

Nine-thirty if things were going particularly well.

I mentioned this plan to my mother once.

She said, “Randy, you have to actually ask somebody.”

I told her I understood that part.

It's just that I haven't worked out the details.

Speaking of details, there's one thing I forgot to mention about that dinner years ago.

When I got home, I discovered the price tag was still attached to the back of my blue shirt.

My mother had bought it on clearance.

It was a very good price.

I don't know if the other person noticed.

I hope not.

Anyway, back to the salad dressing.

The dates give the balsamic a gentle sweetness without overpowering it, which is exactly what my mother wanted. You can adjust the amount depending on how sweet you like things.

I eat a fairly large salad almost every day, and this dressing works beautifully with vegetables, grilled chicken, and just about anything else you might put in a bowl.

It's nice to find something that goes well with nearly everyone.

I hope to be that way myself someday.

My mother tried the dressing and said it was perfect.

Then she asked if I was seeing anybody.

I told her I'd been thinking about going to the planetarium.

She said, “With who?”

I told her I hadn't gotten that far.

She sighed.

I think she'd prefer I make something a little less sweet next time.