February 16, 2006 Issue
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February 16, 2006 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Webmaster Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or ©2005 Chestnut Hill Local Winner of Three |
Our lass survives ‘speed dating’ with
humor intact
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I am an efficient person. I am the product of the cell phone/laptop/ speedy-Internet generation. I always look for the fastest way of doing things – from traveling to eating to working, even playing.
I saw the movie Hitch a while back and thought the concept of speed dating (as seen in the movie) most interesting and curious, but being a “taken” girl at the time, barely gave it a second thought. Well, now as an efficient-driven, generation X kind of single young person, I find the idea of speed dating most appealing!
Not only do you get to avoid the awkward single date – where you go out, realize you don’t actually like the person enough to date him, and have to suffer through the rest of the dinner/movie/cuddling session – but you actually meet a number of individuals you are allowed to choose from confidentially. It’s a single person’s smorgasbord, if you will. And at the end, if I don’t like anyone, I don’t feel as if I wasted the night, because I just crammed eight bad dates into one evening of buffet-style dating.
Now apparently, this type of dating seems to be the latest fashionable thing for some young folks … along with Internet match-ups, where you run a much greater risk of meeting a scary person who put up a Photoshop-photo of Leonardo DiCaprio’s body with the internet guy’s head (or maybe the other way around). Or maybe some guy who just finished serving a stretch for pedophilia in state prison.
My first experience with speed dating took place at the Manayunk Diner. The dating cost $35, which included finger foods and soft drinks. (Alcohol costs extra.) The food provided consisted of a dish of breaded and fried veggies and quesadillas. Then there were two plates of raw veggies. Not exactly Le Bec Fin fare, but I’m sure nobody got arrested by the cholesterol police.
There was a 35 (years old) to 45 group and a 25 to 34 group. I was in the latter (even though I’m only 22). The dating was set to start at 7:08 p.m. (Witty, isn’t it? It’s called 8-minute Dating, and starts on the eighth minute after seven. Cute.) However we did not begin until 7:30 p.m., which left some good mingling time. Strangely, I mingled with the girls. I guess I figured I had plenty of time (eight minutes to be exact) to mingle with each of the guys, so why not make some friends too. And I did!
So eventually the dating begins, and I would have to say, eight minutes can either be the longest or the shortest time in your life while speed dating. And I am one of those nervous talkers who is afraid if she stops talking, then awkward silence will ensue, so I talked a lot, and fast, and probably made a lot of those guys want to run for cover. But after eight dates and a 20-minute break, I had my list of men, some checked for a second date, some checked for friendship (there was a “business” option, but I wasn’t looking for a business relationship; isn’t that what work is for?) and one lucky man whom I had checked for all three categories because I liked him.
The room was sugared with promise, but on the other hand, as with any encounter with a strange man (strange to you, that is), a young lady must always be skeptical about anything that comes out of a man’s mouth. It’s tempting for a layer of insulation to grow around your heart. One guy indicated after just a couple of minutes that he cared about my well-being, but I got the feeling he cared as much about my well-being as a rabbit cares about the well-being of a wolf. I couldn’t help thinking he’d be all over me like a fat kid on a Snickers bar. If some of these guys told me two and two were four, I think I’d insist they show me proof in a mathematics textbook.
One guy who immediately started saying nice things about me could have been charged with assault and flattery. Another guy with a low speaking voice who could not seem to complete a sentence could have been charged with hummicide. When one guy started talking about his parents, I was tempted to say, “I’d also like to thank my mother and father because without them, I’d have never gotten this far.” One guy’s conversation contained lots of gas but very little flame; the huge “E” on the eye doctor’s chart is a better-kept secret than his negative feelings about women. On the other hand, the one I liked the most had a personality as fresh as this morning’s catch of the day. He had vanity flair. I guess there’s always a chance you’ll find a diamond in a field of rhinestones. As the country music song says, he had me at hello.
Who knows? We may even live happily ever after.
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Within 24 hours of the event, you enter all the names you wish to match with and the type of relationship you are interested in with each. Everyone’s first name is there with all of their identity numbers just in case there were two with the same name, and you choose them either for a “second date,” a “friendship” or a “business” relationship. So I entered the names of those I liked, and then there is The Wait.
I call it The Wait because being 13 minutes away from the diner (according to Mapquest), I was probably the first to put my list online.
9:54 p.m. No matches yet.
10:15 p.m. No matches yet.
10:30 p.m. No matches yet.
10:35 p.m. No matches yet.
10:37 p.m. No matches yet.
10:38, 39, 40, 41. No matches yet.
10:42 p.m. You have a match!
There is his name, address and phone number, which they only give to the people who match in both name and category. So for example, if I choose Man 601 for a friend and he chooses me for a second date, I wouldn’t get his information. (Hint given by the event-runners: if you really like someone, list him in all three categories.)
So now I have a name, number, address, e-mail. And the conundrum: which means is the best way of contacting him? Well, now I leave the ending of this magical experience to the imagination and say only this:
Speed dating is a great way to meet a variety of people in one non-awkward evening. Even if you do not find a mate, it’s still not a total waste of time because it’s just plain fun. If you are in any way curious about it, get online to find an event. There are so many in Philadelphia to choose from, and in my opinion, it is a safer option than picking up a drunk bar attendee or a Photoshopped DiCaprio.
(Jason Bachman contributed to this article.)
