Just what are you at the moment? Tesco's or Sainsbury's? Selfridges or House of Fraser? Single or attached? Of course Birmingham is big enough to accommodate all, and you'd think a place as thriving as Brum would be a singles playground, and it is.
 But it can also be a bit of a dating nightmare. I don't use the term nightmare lightly, it's just that the sheer amount going on in the city can actually be quite intimidating sometimes. Symphony Hall or the Academy? The Rep or the Hippodrome? Indian, Italian, Thai, or Chinese? They're all so different, and therein lies the seduction. Whatever you chose, by the end of the night the proverbial grass always appears to have been greener. Decisions become a lot easier for two for some reason. The single person can dine alone, but too many good restaurants still turn their noses up at a table for one, especially at the weekend. It may be that economically you are less important than the couple fawning and playing footsie with each other at the next table, but in terms of customer loyalty the unattached is probably a better long-term bet. They certainly pay more attention to the food. Maybe it would just make more sense to find other single people and go out for dinner with them. So, my question now is simple: where are all the other single people hanging out? (The shenanigans of Broad Street on a Saturday night really don't count I'm afraid). Considering I once sat next to a future girlfriend on a plane to Antarctica (look, it's a long story, so maybe another time, OK?), I know that human beings are always on the lookout for a connection, even in the most unlikely of places. In fact, it never ever stops, whether single or not. What you do with that connection once you've found it is the only difference. If cities are the highpoint of any civilisation, then you would think it would be relatively easy to furnish yourself with a suitable partner. But if other Brummie singles are anything like me then they're probably fatally attracted to venues that offer as little social interaction as possible (like the cinema, or the fish stalls down the market). And then we get to the British thing. If a stranger speaks to you on a train or in the gym or over the wet fish counter in this country people immediately think they're barking mad. We miss out. In other parts of the world they indulge that kind of behaviour. It's called being friendly. So, what's left? Speed dating? Singles nights at the art gallery (I'm tempted, there's just the fear that I'll be found out. Q: What do you think of the Canaletto? A: Oh well, it's got a nice sky, hasn't it?) Personally, I think they should revive the good old supermarket singles nights in the interests of all the too-busy, professional punters now populating the city centre who are endlessly buying prepacked salads and boxes of spinach and ricotta tortellini. These people need help. And for information, you'll find my goodself in Tesco's at Five Ways and Sainsbury's on Bennett's Hill most nights. I'll probably be hanging around the prepacked salad aisle with a copy of CityLiving under my arm. | 
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