flowers... in the uk, you'll be lucky..

i guess a normal bog standard date would either meeting at the venue or one getting picked up on the way there..
the date would be something like pub, resturant, cinema... etc.. or maybe something fun like theme park.. but that'll would be left to later on, a few dates down the line..

and usually the woman will have a back up plan if it doesnt go to well like the "important" phone call from a mate..

I have noticed that Americans are more adventurous when it comes to finding people to fixup dates with. They invented supermarket dating where by people would arrange to go on dates with people they found and chatted to in the local supermarket. Americans tend to be more outgoing and extrovert though so are more happy to chat with strangers than Europeans and British who tend to shun interaction with people they don't know.

Sounds to me like we do things pretty much the same. The speed I got with my fellah is a little unusual, but the normal thing is to meet somewhere open and public until you're comfortable, then go for something a little more intimate like a meal.

I have been to the zoo as a first date before Very open, lots of people about and plenty to see if the conversation isn't flowing too smoothly.

I lived in Germany for about 3 years and I found the dating quite different to here in the UK. For example, was on a date with a guy in Germany, we went to an ice cream parlour and he says after we had ben there 10 mins "I have something very special for you" then pulls a condom out of his pocket! I was like WTF? See ya!!

I don't know about the U.K. but I lived in Switzerland for a semester last year, and oh yah, it's different. And thank you, we Canadians don't consider ice fishing a normal date, thank you very much. Or taking the pet beaver for a walk, still don't count.

From what I've heard about the US - cities especially - it's more normal to strike up a conversation with a stranger you fancy and arrange a date straight away. I think if that happened here in the UK the assumption would be that they were talking to a mentalist.

Also in Europe I think they are a bit more forward than UK; I remember in Italy, guys pulling over in their cars to chat me up (either that or I looked like a whore!) or just coming over and saying, Can I walk with you? Have a talk? At the time (I was 19/20 and travelling alone) I found it a bit intimidating but I remember coming back to Scotland, passing cute guys on the street and thinking how cool it would be if we had that carpe diem ethos over here. I for one would get a lot more action!