Dear Alma,
I’ve been going out with my boyfriend for a while now. Normally, we eat in the dining halls (we LOVE the Ferris pasta bar) or cook in his suite’s private kitchen (shoutout to his suitemate for cleaning up our mess last week). We always joke that we fell in love at JJ’s over a few boneless wings.
For our big anniversary, we decided to splurge and get dinner at Le Monde. I thought it was kind of sexy, us all dressed up and out on the town at a ritzy spot like that. He told me to treat myself, so I ordered the Australian Lamb Chops. But then, at the end of the meal, he pulled out his student ID and paid for everything with Flex.
In that moment, it was honestly a major turn off. Like, have some class, man. Pay with your dad’s credit card, or something. But now I’m wondering if I was too quick to judge. Is it kind of hot that my boyfriend has hella Flex?
Sincerely,
Feisty Fiscophile
Dear Feisty Fiscophile,
You remind me of myself at your age: young, in love, and momentarily seduced by the illusion of capital as romance. Let’s break it down.
First: I get it. You were feeling the Le Monde fantasy: physical menus, real candlelight, your professor seated two tables away from you. In that setting, watching your boyfriend slice through the Parisian ambiance and slide a student ID across the table like it’s an Amex can feel… well, a little proletarian.
But also? Your boyfriend just pulled off a fancy dinner without dipping into real cash. That’s not cheap—that’s strategic. And in this economy? Kudos to him! Financial savviness is sexy. Flex is fake money anyway; why not funnel it into foie gras and shared joy? The man’s basically a romantic socialist.
The real question isn’t about Flex. It’s about what that move meant to you. Did it feel like he wasn’t honoring the occasion? Or did it just disrupt your fantasy of bourgeois courtship? Because if it’s the latter, then maybe it’s time to dust off Capital and reconsider what you expect from “romance,” comrade.
He’s a frugal Flex king, feasting on the institution’s dime. That doesn’t make him a fool—unless he didn’t offer you dessert. 😉
Yours in solidarity,
Alma
