When Pizza Wasn’t the Only Thing Served Hot
Issue #186 - Lunch, Love, and a Side of Shock
My wife and I went to Pizza Express few weeks back. Two people nearing 60, hungry for lunch, looking forward to some quiet time together. Instead, we got an accidental front-row seat to teenage dating culture.
The tables were crammed so close we could have bumped elbows with our neighbors. No escape. No privacy. No choice but to hear every word.
On both sides of us: groups of teenage girls talking about boys. Not just talking, but dissecting, rating, and strategising.
We’re not prudish. We've seen the world change. But the things we overheard shook us.
To our left, four girls clutched their phones like life vests. They swiped through profiles like menus.
‘Not him. Not husband material,’ one said. Her friend snorted. ‘Who needs husband material? He’s good for a few nights.’
Laughter exploded around the table. My wife and I exchanged a look over our pizza. Did we hear that right? To our right, another table. Same energy.
‘I told him I don’t want anything serious. Just fun,’ said a girl who didn’t look old enough to vote.
‘Smart move. Keep your options open,’ her friend nodded, like a seasoned love guru.
‘I’ve got three guys,’ another chimed in. ‘One for parties, one for deep talks, and one for… you know.’ She raised her eyebrows. The table giggled.
We sat there, trapped, trying to chew through marinara and mozzarella while these girls talked about sex like it was a weekend playlist. In our time, these were whisper-behind-closed-door topics. Not shouted across lunch tables.
Every stage of our relationship had meaning. We savoured it. We grew into it. ‘Rotation’? We didn’t even hold hands until our fifth date.
My wife leaned over and whispered, ‘Sandeep, is this real?’ I had to laugh, even while feeling so far out of our depth.
It wasn’t the talk that rattled me. It was the absence of emotion. No talk of feelings. No mention of dreams or partnership. Just transactions. This boy for status. That one for fun. Another for looks.
‘He’s hot but boring,’ one girl said.
‘Who cares about boring?’ her friend shot back. ‘You’re not marrying him.’
I wonder: will these young people ever know the joy of building something that lasts? Of growing old with someone who knows your whole story?
Maybe they’ll learn later. Maybe this ‘casual’ phase is a rite of passage we just went through more quietly. Or maybe the whole idea of deep, lifelong commitment is fading.
We paid the bill and stepped out into the fresh air.
‘Well,’ my wife said with a small smile, ‘that was some lunch.’
‘More educational than I expected,’ I said, reaching for her hand. The same hand I’ve held for thirty-five years.
As we walked away from Pizza Express, I felt lucky. Lucky to have grown up in a time when love was slower, deeper, maybe a little more sacred. But I also wondered if these girls are just navigating a tougher world than we had to.
Maybe our way worked better. Maybe theirs just fits their time.
What I know is this: thirty-five years in, I wouldn’t trade our old-style love for a dozen casual ‘things.’ And maybe, one day, one of those laughing girls will find herself sitting across from her partner of three decades, listening to the next generation’s idea of romance and feel the same shock we did.
Time will tell.
But next time, we’ll find a place with bigger tables.
⏮ Missed Last Week? Here's What Hit Home
In case you missed it, last issue I shared how reading
Die With Zero by Bill Perkins rewired my thinking about money, time, and legacy.
A few takeaways:
Saving endlessly without living is its own kind of poverty.
‘Later’ is a gamble. Health fades, people move on - use your moments while you have them.
I stopped deferring joy and started investing in experiences now - for myself, my family, and the causes I care about.
Wealth isn’t just for after you’re gone. It’s most powerful when it changes lives while you’re here to see it.
I Stopped Waiting to Live
I read Die With Zero by Bill Perkins a couple of years ago and it stuck with me. The ideas took time to sink in, but once they did, they changed everything.
If you’re holding off on life, read this. It might change your timing.
👉 Read the full post here
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How times have changed 🤔. I think two main reasons for this. 1. Aping the west is a fashion among these gen next kids. 2. They go this way as they have parents who don’t care to inculcate a culture of respect and responsibility