The “extreme” answer to your date’s hamburger anxiety backfires in a big way

Lifestyle

By News.com.au

March 13, 2023 | 3:52 a.m

A woman who walked out on her date after refusing to pay $3 for a slice of cheese on his burger is dealing with criticism for leaving him at a restaurant for a “crazy” reason.

New York woman Dafna went on a dinner date with a man she met on the dating app Hinge, and things were going well — until she said no to putting cheese on her burger after the waitress told her this comes at an extra cost.

Refusing to part with an extra few dollars proved too much for Dafna, who said she was going to the bathroom after eating, but actually went and paid the bill.

He then left the restaurant without saying goodbye, instead sending her a text that read, “The check has been cleared. You should have bought the cheese.”

Walking home, Dafna screamed about the encounter on TikTok, explaining that the total bill was only $55.00.

However, his harassment of the apparent cheapness of his date angered others, with many claiming he had a ‘lucky escape’.

Dafna didn’t explain why her date’s refusal to pay extra for a burger topping was a deal-breaker, but she said she was exhausted from “dating in her 20s.”

“Why am I doing this to myself?” – he began in the now viral clip, which has been viewed almost six million times.

“So we agreed to go to dinner, we’re sitting in the restaurant, and he seems very nice.” Not a catfish.

– Things are going well and the waitress comes over to take our order.

Dafna ordered branzino, a Mediterranean sea bass, while her date went for the burger, prompting the waitress to ask for cheese on it.

“He asked, ‘Is this going to be extra?

“And he says, ‘Yeah, that’s $3 more.'” He said, ‘Okay, whatever.’

“Am I like the real dick? I’m fine, I’m hungry, I’ll get my branzino and see what happens.”

Dafna continued: “And she’s like, ‘Oh my God, you have to pay extra for everything these days’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah. This is New York City.”

The pair then ate their food before Dafna made an excuse to go to the bathroom to escape her date.

“I picked up my wallet and went up to the waitress and said, ‘Hey, I just want to pay the bill.’

“I just paid and walked out of the restaurant.

“So I texted him and said, ‘The check cleared, you should have gotten the cheese.’

“Then I disabled it.”

But if Dafna was looking for reassurance that she did the right thing, she didn’t get it as thousands of people commented on the video – and many responded publicly with their thoughts.

Some commentators have pointed out that the world is in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis in the aftermath of the pandemic, so it may be watching its money.

“That seems extreme. I mean, maybe he’s not always thrifty, but he’s struggling right now, like so many people are,” said one.

“But $3.00 for a slice of cheese is a crime!” written by another.

Someone else agreed and said, “No, I’m with him. Cheese should be included in the price, and $3 more for a 25-cent slice of cheese is outrageous.”

“I’m not broke, but I’m not going to pay three whole dollars for a slice of cottage cheese,” wrote another.

Others said the woman’s response was “extreme” and described Dafna’s decision to leave as “rude”.

“It’s a little rough. I would never have met him again,” wrote one.

“The problem is that people are too quick to judge someone based on a single comment. You didn’t even give him a chance based on a piece of cheese, someone else said.

Another wrote: “I understand where you are coming from but think about it. What’s a whole package of cheese like? $3.50? They charged him $3 for just one slice.”

Several said they were “confused” about what the problem was, pointing out that his behavior could be seen as a red flag.

“My son was just trying to have a conversation,” said one.

“Am I that confused?” written by another.

“This is not the power move you had in mind,” one woman added.

“Is this a joke? Please tell me it’s a joke. Ugh. Beyond the cheese?” someone else said.

However, there were those who agreed that they also get the ‘ick’ – a dating phenomenon where attraction to a current or potential partner suddenly turns to disgust – when their date is ‘tight’ on money.

“I’m also the bum when a guy complains about the prices the first few times I hang out,” wrote one.

“Not only did she choose not to get it, but she complained to him that everything costs extra. If you don’t want your partner to be more frugal than you and you don’t want them to be broke, that looks good, it doesn’t deserve any traction,” said another.

– Worrying about $3.00 in New York is crazy unless you have serious financial problems. I can see why this affects him,” someone else commented.

The video was so divisive that it made its way to Twitter, where one user described it as “one of the craziest ‘ick’ stories I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s not like he kicked up a fuss or anything, it’s just that when they told him how much the cheese was going to be, he just decided not to get it. Mental,” wrote one.

“Even McDonald’s charges more for cheese in a burger,” said another.

Dafna has since responded to the backlash in a separate video addressing the “unreliable” comments about her dating complaint.

“You think I don’t know I’m crazy? I’m crazy, he said.

“But you guys take it to another level.”

“You really have to take it easy.” Some people watch all my videos and say I’m “ugly” and don’t deserve love.

“That’s not okay.”

Notably, Dafna said she was “going on a second date” with the guy as he had seen the video and thought it was funny, adding that he was actually “crushing”.

“I’m a student, an unpaid intern, my rent is half my salary. I have huge credit card debt. But I’m fine with it. Everything will be fine.

“But when I go out on a date or to a restaurant with my friends, I’m not going to mess around with money. I’m going to enjoy myself and deal with it later.”

However, people continued to blast Dafna’s reasoning as ‘wild’, declaring that she was ‘overreacting’.