The Honest Broker

The Honest Broker

A Manifesto in Defense of Courtship

Today the Honest Broker gives love advice

Ted Gioia's avatar
Ted Gioia
Jan 15, 2025
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I can’t hide it—my romance credentials are a bit rusty.

The last time I went on a first date was, let’s see. . . [Ted checks his calendar]. . . okay, it was April 14, 1990.

Gas was 78 cents per gallon back then. The Berlin Wall was still standing. And “The Humpty Dance” kept playing on the radio (but never for long—because I’d change the station).

And on that chilly April evening, I was sitting (for the first time) with my future wife at a restaurant in Manhattan.


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That was a long, long time ago….

So If I possess any high level game in dating, it would be like those other forgotten games—cribbage, backgammon, Parcheesi—gathering dust in the attic.

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