Foreign Fever
A personal notebook about dating abroad as a Western man: apps, bars, first dates, language gaps, money expectations, soft scams, awkward signals, cheap logistics, and the ego boost that comes from dating an Asian woman.
Foreign Fever is for men who know dating in Asia can be easier, stranger, and more dangerous for the ego than dating at home.
Dating in Asia as a Western Man: The Fever, the Advantage, and the Traps
A practical field note on attention, apps, money, signals, and language barriers when dating in Asia as a Western man.
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Susukino and the Law on the Pavement
Susukino is Sapporo's entertainment district, and the men working its corners are breaking a city ordinance that has been enforced since 2005.
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Otoshi and the Dish I Never Ordered
Otoshi is the small dish an izakaya sets down before I order anything, and the few hundred yen it adds to the bill is the table charge nobody mentions.
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Golden Gai and the Price on the Door
Golden Gai is six alleys of tiny Shinjuku bars that mostly post their seat charge outside, which makes it the most honest drinking in the neighbourhood.
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Kabukicho Nightlife and the Padded Bill
Kabukicho is safe enough to walk and expensive to sit down in. The money goes wrong on the pavement, in the seconds before you agree to anything.
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Hongdae Nightlife and the Ride Home
Hongdae nightlife runs until the trains stop, and the taxi meter is the only number anybody can quote you honestly at four in the morning.
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Philippines Dating Apps Are Two Markets
The apps that rank for Philippines dating apps aren't the ones Filipinos download, and the gap between those two lists is priced in dollars.
City: [redacted]
Name: [redacted]
Mistake: Expensive