'Hob dating': The new way to date

A while back I read an article titled ‘Your Love Life on The Boil’, written by Jane Mulkerrins; a new dating theory which stood out to me. Despite its name, ‘Hob Theory’ has little to do with cooking but a lot to do with keeping your options open.

The theory goes - on a gas hob you have four gas burners (or induction rings if that’s more your style) and people are the pans; you don’t want to have all four on a high flame simultaneously, too many timing issues and you’ll more than likely get burnt. However, you can turn the heat up and down on each, move the plans from front to back, set some to simmer, or whack one up to flash-fry if you wish. This got me thinking about how this new style of dating lends itself to the modern dater and online dating in particular.

Could hob dating catch on?

For most, the idea of multi-pan dating might not seem like the right way of going about things, with a more conventional way of dating being favoured; that is, finding one person you’re interested in and sticking with them until things either develop or fizzle out. However, if you start every date thinking 'this is the one' and put all of your eggs in one basket (so to speak), you could end up putting  too much pressure on the date and end up missing out on the fun. Of course, in the back of your mind you're hoping the date will go well and lead to something more otherwise there would be no point in going on it in the first place. However, the beauty of multi-pan dating is that it gives you options.

The pan plan

Think about it; you meet someone online who you like the look of and who ticks a few of your boxes. You go on a date and get on really well with them but you’re not sure if the spark is there. You don’t want to rule them out completely so you pop them on to simmer, while you continue to look online. Meanwhile, along comes someone who is on your wavelength and gives you the virtual butterflies. Instead of thinking ‘this is the one’, why not just add them to the hob on a medium heat. No pressure, no expectations, no hurry to rush into anything. At the same time, you stumble across a profile that seems too good to be true and you’re consumed by lust. Why not stick them up to flash-fry and see where things lead.

I’m by no means condoning becoming a ‘player’ or leading people on; after all, what kind of dating advice is that? However, what I am endorsing is the idea that dating doesn’t have to be so rigid, especially when it comes to online dating where you are spoilt for choice. When you’re single and on the dating scene it’s important to keep your options open so you find the most suitable match for you. Look at it this way; you wouldn’t go into a car dealer and by the first car you saw, would you? You’d likely do a little research on the market first, visit a few dealerships and take a few cars for a test drive before you make your mind up on what is a very important decision. So why should dating be any different?

With so many advantages to hob dating maybe it’s time you adjusted the heat on your love life in 2013. Why not visit Independent Dating and put the theory to the test?