Last week, the subject of dates came up in conversation with two friends. One friend, C, questioned whether people went on dates anymore.

"I don't think people go on dates anymore," she said. "Except for when you're already together, and you're like, 'Why don't we go on a date?' "

You know what she means. When you're all bunned-up and glowy and think it's cute to go out on a date like the singletons do, even though you already know who you're going home with at the end of the night.

And I'm inclined to agree. Who really goes out on dates anymore? Last time I went on an official true-to-life "date" was years ago -- freshman year of college, Valentine's Day. And my date ended up taking me to Applebees (Red Lobster was too crowded and he had not made reservations elsewhere) and talked most of the night about how Dragon Ball Z had changed his life.

And that's not to say that I've not had love interests since then. But a bona fide, pick me up at my house, go to dinner and a movie date? Nah. Most relationships and almost relationships I've had tend to flourish or fail after a string of casual outings.

But later in the week, when I talked to my friend A, she said that dates are not dead; there's just different sorts. Coffee dates. Movie dates. Lunch dates. Hang-out-in-the-park dates. And perhaps she is right. The days are long long gone when Johnny picks you up at the door with flowers and takes you to the drive-in for a movie and grope. All those "casual outings" I had? They were dates, according to A.

What do you think? Do you think the date is dead? And if you buy A's theory, how can you tell when it's a date and when it's just hanging out? What draws the line between friendly outing and romantic adventure?