I'm posting this here because it's not even remotely a full-fledged pickup field report. It's just a little success story about challenging my approach anxiety. I hope that others suffering from various forms of social anxiety find this encouraging.

I live around Minneapolis, Minnesota so I have access to the Mall of America. It is a stupendous place to go for a walk when it's ten degrees out, let me tell you. Tonight, during my walk, I talked to more than 30 random strangers. Some of them told me to get lost, which I did. I wasn't there to practice persistence or attraction. Today was all about approaching. Next time, I will start to incorporate some further principles.

I had two opinion-oriented questions that I was asking.
1) Suppose you've been invited to a fancy dinner party. Five courses, no expenses spared. Which appetizer would you prefer the host serve: caeser salad or french onion soup.
2) Which colour do you think looks better on men: pink or purple.

The first question generated some interesting conversation out of the responses (such as with the woman who, it turns out, is allergic to lettuce.) The second question almost universally led to a response of "it depends," which gave me a chance to figure out what it depends on and offer some alternatives.

I did tally the responses, for whatever it's worth, and I remember the more interesting exchanges. If for any reason, you want to know whether people prefer caeser salad or french onion soup, and why, PM me. I'd be happy to share.

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Some vices miss what is right because they are deficient, others because they are excessive, in feelings or in actions, while virtue finds and chooses the mean.
Aristotle, Ethica Nichomachea