# I have been cordially invited to a complimentary dinner event **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-cordially-invited-to-a-complimentary-dinner-event/1021152 "2025-07-21T15:43:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-cordially-invited-to-a-complimentary-dinner-event/1021152/81 "2025-07-25T08:23:25Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > One of the happiest days of my life up to then. I wish I had more than a general mistrust of these schemes; such that I, too, could produce an “anti-sales-pitch” soliloquy. Kudos to you. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-cordially-invited-to-a-complimentary-dinner-event/1021152/82 "2025-07-25T12:40:22Z")
I took a Japanese date to a time share thing here they gave you a gift certificate to a local mall. I honestly said I didn’t have any money (which was true, poor starving student) but she supposedly qualified. We also said she didn’t speak any English and I translated for her. The salesperson would say something, and then she and I would chat for five minutes about whatever. It’s impossible to have high pressure sales tactics when you have someone not translating correctly. Eventually, they gave up and we got the gift certificate, which was worth it for us poor students. As this stage in my life, the prize would have to be in the hundreds of dollars to be worth the aggravation. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-cordially-invited-to-a-complimentary-dinner-event/1021152/83 "2025-07-25T15:39:56Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > I wish I had more than a general mistrust of these schemes; such that I, too, could produce an “anti-sales-pitch” soliloquy. I was lucky in that I had recently had some on-the-job training on finance and real estate, so it was fresh in my mind. I doubt I could do the same today. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-cordially-invited-to-a-complimentary-dinner-event/1021152/84 "2025-07-25T18:57:00Z")
> [@susan](#): > > He then played the social pressure card about would we want our neighbors to know how miserly we were? Awesome story. My answer to that one would be “Fuck, yes!” I remember now that we did score a trip to San Diego from one of these things, which was cool since we got to visit my father and go to the Wild Animal Park. Not a great motel, but it did fine. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-cordially-invited-to-a-complimentary-dinner-event/1021152/85 "2025-07-25T21:07:37Z")
At the time, our neighbors on either side were liberals who recycled and planted their yards with native shrubs, and the people across the street had a “Marriage = 1 Man + 1 Woman” sign pointed at our house, so no, I wasn’t concerned what the neighbors would think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-been-cordially-invited-to-a-complimentary-dinner-event/1021152.md?page=4)