Times have changed in the Dating Department. Now you hear, "What's a nice girl like you doing on a web site like this?" Thanks to the Internet, you can go on a date without taking a shower. You can even send a dozen roses that don't cost a virtual fortune. And they won't wilt either.

But you don't need a computer to have a relationship. All you need is plasma, according to an article I read recently. Many inhabitants of Japan believe that blood type decides the success or failure of a relationship. <continued below>

Supposedly, people with Type A blood are detail-oriented and nitpicky. Type B's are considered free-wheeling and sloppy. O's are perceived as controlling and driven. And AB's are full of contradictions. But they look great in a swimsuit. ("Abs" -- get it?)

Some Americans have adopted a different approach to dating. A supermarket in Arlington, Virginia hosts singles night once a month. This brings new meaning to the term "meet and potatoes". Lucky ladies come in for hamburger and leave with beefcake.

Speaking of vittles, I have a pamphlet listing twenty-eight foods believed to promote one's love life. I'll pass up the mountain oysters and caviar but I plan to toss the remainder in a chef's salad and give it a whirl.

But getting back to courtship, the process can sometimes take too long. Last year a number of Japanese women gave their boyfriends photos of themselves in a wedding dress for Valentine's Day. This served as a subtle hint to either propose or get off the matrimonial pot.

The nineties have seen some inventive marriage proposals, too. A local guy used a billboard to pop the question. He should have added a bumper sticker that said, "How am I proposing? Call 1-800..."

Another fellow formed colossal letters in the snow for his beloved to read from her second-story window. Romantic, no? I'm assuming, of course, the message wasn't yellow.

If people could maintain that kind of creativity throughout marriage, we'd probably see a lot less divorce. A weekly salad wouldn't hurt either. And hold the dressing.

For more of Corky Corcoran's humor, see her weekly column in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram Online. Visit her site.