Hm. Interesting. I understand that you were just flirting, btw - I've only spent two months of the last 5 years single (two serious relationships) but in the current one, we live in different countries and also have the same attitude towards flirting, so it's allowed within the relationship so long as it's always playful :P We're both fairly big flirts, so we figured so long as we're in control and it stops before anyone gets any ideas, it's harmless!
Also understanding the cialis remark being a joke, however it'd be close enough to a jab defined as "Well Harsh" over here, basically meaning that you've overstepped the boundaries of a joke and that the subject of the jab is justified in taking the offended "and what exactly do you mean by that?" approach, and making you out to be the bad guy in the situation. Especially if he was only in his 50s, chances are he has plenty of life left, and would have shrugged something like that off like nothing :P
However, I guess a lot of it comes down to having a style that suits your physical attributes and personality. I'm not a big guy: I have an athletic shape, but it's a lean one, and I'm far better at talking than I am at fighting! So for me, the best approach is to play to my advantage and keep the whole thing purely verbal. If I'm calm, controlled, and good natured, I can blow off anyone acting aggressive as going over the top and overreacting, and I can beat anyone playing the same game. Taking an aggressive stance means, while it may not lead to actualy physical blows, physical posturing is certainly more important, and a bigger guy would always win against me in a looming competition, or even just in looking more aggressive, and if I went aggressive and someone undercut me in the way I normally would react, I'd be caught effectively high and dry.
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