He ages like ... cheese

The myth goes: men get better with age, but only some women age gracefully. Men in their twenties don't need to settle down because they will get more handsome and marketable, which can wait to be exposed to the dating pool until their late thirties/early forties. So, they wait and then they make shameless plugs to being "ready" when they are older. Case and point:
This week I was in LA for work and out to drink with colleagues, a group of older men come over to talk about absolutely nothing: so and so is an executive chef and someone else owning real estate. Honestly, after a long day, I just was not in the mood for entertaining the elderly. Then the classic lines from the fogies "what do you do?" "Oh, isn't that interesting..." "So do you have a boyfriend?" For some reason my answer, "yes we've been together for four years", doesn't deter men in their forties as easily as it does their younger peers. The man literally replies with "oh that's nice, you know, I'm ready for marriage now..." I wanted to say, "congratulations for making that revelation so timely in your life," but instead I made a really awkward motion to one of my co-workers mentioning the man's occupation and made the ever-popular escape.
Unfortunately, my thoughts about this man being pathetic seemed to anger karma and a waiter spilled red wine down my shirt and onto a practically new pair of beige shoes (luckily sparing my favorite cargo pants). Maybe karma is favoring the older men that capitalize on waiting? But honestly, did this man really think sans boyfriend someone twenty plus years his junior would be interested in a marriage-friendly male of his age?
And then I thought about the book and now movie "Think Like A Man" that argues men are ready to be married when they feel their life is where it's suppose to be: financially stable, career-elevated, and structurally sound in all other capacities.
Do women simply feel these stable platforms earlier on and men get the realization later? I think men choose to age like cheese, they teeter on curdled and come out as an acquired taste. But don't worry there are plenty of women closer in age that are single, fabulous, and spared of the cougar status. And these are the same women that age like a fine wine, women that know their worth, but no one has uncorked them yet. I'm no match-maker, but since wine and cheese pair well together, maybe if men stop believing in age ain't nothing but a number they could wind up with a nice bottle :)

How do you like your coffee?

I haven't done a relationship post in a while - so it was fate when I was pulled into a heated argument with my roommates (and one of their boyfriends) - tada! A post is born.
The question of the day: Do Black men step up to the plate when it comes to marriage? Or have Black women taken their role as Mighty Woman too seriously and their melanin counterparts are adding milk and sugar to their coffee?

Before jumping in, let me set the stage and give you a synopsis of the characters:
Roommate Number 1: She's loud. Her argument style is to keep repeating what she wants to say at increasing decibels until someone's ear drums burst OR someone throws up the white flag.
Roommate Number 2: Was the one with her boyfriend present, so she was a little quiet until he said something that could be indicative of their relationship.
The Male: #losing

The women argued that the men in this situation can't accept the responsibilities of marriage. Our male perspective told us that it was Black women like roommate number 1 that makes Black men shy away from marriage - implying her attitude was the main reason Black women don't make it to the marriage material folder (rude *insert eye roll). Both roommates seemed to be concerned that once the financial security comes and marriage is feasible - they add milk to their coffee and no longer like their coffee black and strong.

When I was asked for my two cents my answer was this: Most men black or white need to feel financially complete before they can commit to something like marriage. For example, if financial security is not in the horizon, chances are you're not getting a ring any time soon. In terms of the Black man changing their flavor and taste, I do think Black women need to expand their palette and consider a cafe au lait - if the coffee is weak.