Who's gonna take home a date tonight?
The Pinoy-style of dating has changed gradually from the Maria Clara era to 21st century three-minute rendezvous. Yes, dating in the Philippines is already microwavable. We call it speed dating.
SpeedDating was first introduced by Rabbi Yaacov Deyo of Aish HaTorah for sole intention of gathering Jewish singles to meet and marry. The first speed dating event took place in 1998 in California, USA. In the Philippines, Six Degrees is said to be the country’s pioneer in speed dating. The group has been conducting round-robin events for two years now.
The speed date rate card
My officemate and I decided to attend Six Degrees’ event last night at Sommerset Hotel in Makati. There were about 25-30 persons present, mostly singles in their 20s.
Dinner was served at 7pm. The actual speed dating event started at 8:30pm and ended at 9:30pm. During the activity, one of the organizers grouped speed daters according to gender. Each couple was given 3 minutes to get to know each other. When the whistle blows, they switch partners.
Me and a friend
A rate sheet was given to all participants that would serve as basis for successful date match. Should a couple find each other interesting, their contact information shall be revealed to them. It’s up to the couple to decide whether they want to get to know each other more outside the speed dating premises. Results of matches were given at the end of the activity.
Speed dating provides a safe way of getting to know people in a quiet but relaxed setting. Although it presents a good dating alternative, personality matching among participants was not given emphasis. My officemate and I ended up entertaining younger guys who just got out of college and three of them kept addressing me as “ma’am”. There were mature guys present, but they happened to be too mature for our taste (a.k.a. boring). Maybe Six Degrees should start working on their speed dater profiles if they want to boost up their success rate.
And hire a group who can cook good dinner, too.
