Leonard: Look, I understand that breaking up with someone can be very painful....
Penny: GO AWAY! Howard: Apparently he posted intimate details of their physical relationship on his blog, which I cannot find anywhere. Sheldon: I'd love to, but I don't have tangerine chicken. You know, macho, with the perfect body and the hair, and the money. I am... asking you out. Show me your...
Penny (tapping him on the shoulder): Sheldon. Sheldon: Just like Schrodinger's Cat, your potential relationship with Leonard right now can be thought of as both good and bad. But go on. Sheldon: Well, if we accept your premise, and also accept the highly improbable assumption that Penny is the only woman in the world for you then we can logically conclude that the result of blowing it would be that you end up a lonely, bitter old man with no progeny. Leonard: Tell me whether or not to go through with the date. (He grabs her and kisses her.) Penny: Alright, the cat's alive, let's go to dinner. Sheldon (in Mandarin): This is not a tangerine bicycle. Owner (in English): Crazy man. (Leonard and Penny are seen entering, and then leaving again quickly.)
Plan: A: Penny; Q: Who breaks up with Mike? A: his blog; Q: Where did Mike post details of their sex life? A: Sheldon; Q: Who is determined to prove that the Chinese restaurant uses oranges instead of tangerines in their "Tangerine chicken"? A: Howard; Q: Who does Sheldon ask to teach him Mandarin? A: her choice; Q: What does Penny lament about her men? A: Leonard; Q: Who asks Penny out? A: a few days; Q: How long does Leonard and Penny worry that their relationship could ruin their friendship? A: Sheldon's advice; Q: What do Leonard and Penny seek after they worry that their relationship could ruin their friendship? A: Schrödinger's cat; Q: What thought experiment does Sheldon use to explain that a date has both good and bad possible outcomes? A: the date; Q: What is the only way to determine which outcome is to go on what? A: the cat; Q: What does Penny conclude is alive after Leonard kisses her passionately? A: dinner; Q: What do Leonard and Penny leave for after Leonard kisses her passionately? A: the patrons; Q: Who does Sheldon disturb by arguing with the owner of the Chinese restaurant? Summary: Penny furiously breaks up with Mike after he posts details of their sex life on his blog, while Sheldon, determined to prove that the Chinese restaurant uses oranges instead of tangerines in their "Tangerine chicken", asks Howard to teach him Mandarin. When Penny laments her choice of men, Leonard awkwardly asks her out. After a few days, both worry that this relationship could ruin their friendship, and each seeks Sheldon's advice. Sheldon uses the "Schrödinger's cat" thought experiment to explain that the date has both "good" and "bad" possible outcomes, and the only way to determine which outcome is to go on the date. When Leonard arrives to pick up Penny, he mentions the thought experiment and kisses her passionately. She concludes that "the cat is alive" and they leave for dinner. Leonard and Penny go to the Chinese restaurant, but they leave before entering on seeing Sheldon arguing with the owner in Mandarin, and doing it very badly, disturbing the patrons.