I dated a lot of people, many of them seriously, but never really went on "dates" ... at leats not until we had been "dating" for a while. I just got to know people through classes, or because we had similar interests in activities, or had common friends, or whatever. It's dangerous, though, to limit yourself to a narrow pool, because every group has its own rules and customs and whatnot. Not allowing yourself to be branded allows you to float in and out and really look at the /people/, rather than just be caught up in the ritual.
But all of that aside, I've know very few people who started going from being picked up in a bar (or any other activity that has a short gestation period from first meeting to first date) who have been more than just cheap flings or hollow relationships.
...not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that.
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