Hunting in packs

My single friends and I are forever harping on about the romance and excitement that we encounter with men whenever we travel, whether it’s a flying visit to bustling London, a few days in the vineyards of France or a week in sunny Spain, there are always great stories about international men. Whether it is a brief encounter on a street or a romantic beachside dinner, we seem to get whisked off our feet by these men. I have begun to explore the reason for our apparent ‘success’ when travelling, in the quest to determine why the same thing doesn’t happen when at home. Firstly there is the obvious. They know we’re only in town for a short period of time and will be boarding a 737 home within a few days... therefore no messy break up, no drama etc. This theory is quite apt for certain situations, particularly in the party hotspots! But the aforementioned brief pillow talk is not the one that I am referring to. I am simply talking about being approached, being talked to and being complimented by men in an unobtrusive fashion. And while this may sound quite ordinary, it just doesn’t seem to happen at home for some reason. Even the simple fact of being approached by a guy in a bar in Cork doesn’t seem to happen for so many of my single friends and I. So then, I began to look at the situation and realised that maybe the Irish men weren’t at fault at all. Maybe when we travel and leave Cork territory, we exude a different aura. Maybe when all the normal daily stresses and tensions aren’t weighing on our mind, we appear more fun, carefree and more approachable. I think there is a certain amount of Shirley Valentine in all women, where we love the excitement of a holiday romance particularly where there is a Latin based fiery language like Italian or Spanish involved. But as for any Shirley Valentine, there is no place like home. While I do love Irish men, I do unfortunately, like most single friends, find that they can be a little bit Neanderthal when it comes to approaching women. But, women are to blame too, in certain situations. On recent night out, I began to observe comings and goings in bars. The women were hunting in packs! For the first time, I noticed how intimidating this behaviour was. If I were a man, no way would I risk entering the lion’s den of glaring eyes and perfectly manicured talons carefully and methodically drumming the table top, knowing that as soon as I left the table a ruthless analysis would ensue. On the same night, I was approached by what happened to be probably the most desirable man in the bar. Hw will remain anonymous, but I was amused to see the amount of female attention he received from the hunting packs due to his public life but instead opted to approach the girl who was sitting at the bar waiting on friends to arrive. So right there, my point was proven. Even the most confident of men, don’t feel comfortable approaching the ‘hunting packs’.