Green Flag / Red Flag · by Kabir Khan · 2026-10-30

He asked to meet my dad before taking me on a proper date

Cairo. I'm 26F, work at a bank in New Cairo. Met a guy at a friend's engagement party and we talked on WhatsApp for three weeks. When he finally asked me out he said he'd like to "pass by and meet your father first, just for tea, so things are clear".

No proposal, nothing official. Just tea. He came Thursday with a box of basbousa from a good place in Heliopolis, sat with my dad for an hour and talked about Zamalek the whole time. My dad was honestly impressed.

My friends from uni (most of them live abroad now) are horrified. They say I'm 26 not 12 and he's either very old fashioned or controlling. I kind of liked it?? Help

34 sparks · 13 comments

Comments

Noor Janssens · 14 likes

Egyptian here, this is respectful and also kind of smart. your dad likes him now, and you got to see how he talks to someone older than him

Wanjiku Mwangi · 4 likes

Swede here and genuinely confused. what happens if the date is bad, does he have to tell your dad?

Noé Petit · 8 likes

OP here lol no. but my dad will definitely ask

Avery Johnson · 1 likes

so yes

Brave Panda · 3 likes

Pakistani girl in Manchester. my parents would cry with joy. my friends would be horrified. both are valid

Pieter Botha · 3 likes

a man who sits through an hour of tea with an Egyptian dad on purpose is braver than all of us

Yasmine El Amrani · 1 likes

I'd want to see if he can make a plan with YOU directly without your dad in the loop. if he can, fine. if every decision goes through dad, run

Urban Atlas · 0 likes

you're 26. why does your dad get to approve a coffee date. red for me, it's treating you like you need permission

Tiny Noodle · 7 likes

it's not approval, it's an introduction. different thing. in my family (Jordanian) a guy who sneaks around is the red flag

Huy Le · 4 likes

an introduction before the very first date is approval with extra steps

Achieng Njeri · 0 likes

"so things are clear" is lovely honestly. he's telling you he's serious and not here to waste your time

Diego García · 0 likes

the real test is how he reacts the first time you disagree with your dad about something. that'll tell you more than the tea

Maya Williams · 0 likes

talking about Zamalek for an hour is a calculated risk. what if your dad was Ahly