If a man asked me out for dinner, I wouldn't assume we're boyfriend and girlfriend. And I would absolutely expect to pay for my own meal. If he offered to pay for it at that time, I might or might not accept. It would depend on if I felt comfortable enough with him to accept.
I think what throws people into a whirlwind is when they don't take enough time to find out if they'd make good friends first. If we're looking for romance before friendship, if we're looking for love right off the bat, we're getting ahead of the game.
Seriously, if you can't take the time to get to know one another for real, if you can't relax and just have fun together, if you can't be your real imperfect self and accept the other person's imperfections, how in the world do you expect a romance to endure?
Plus, who knows? Maybe they're crazier than YOU?
heehee