Speed dating: A Fun New Fad

  In today’s fast-paced world, we look for newer and faster ways to do everything, whether it is communicating, commuting or dating. Even youngsters are on a fast-track towards achieving their ambitions and have no time for old-fashioned wooing and courting methods. Speed-dating is the latest innovation which has come about to meet an old –fashioned need.

Speed dating is in effect a new take on the traditional system of matchmaking. During the speed dating process people get the opportunity to meet and talk for a relatively small period of time. Most people who register for speed dating events are also potentially looking out for possible relationships with others. Everybody in the speed dating event is aware that everybody else is equally serious about dating.

Speed dating has very interesting origins. Rabbi Yaacov Deyo of the Aish HaTorah was very concerned about the fate of single Jews in large cities including New York where the Jews were a minority. He decided there should be an easy way for them to meet and mingle in the hope of meeting someone who could bond with. Speed dating gathered momentum and became even more famous after being glamorized in the all-time popular show ‘Sex and the City’.

The process of speed dating is even more interesting. Men and women start off on opposite sides of the room. Each of them gets a few minutes to chat with each and every member of the opposite sex. They can talk about whatever they both choose to and find out each other’s likes and dislikes. This can best be described as a kind of simulated date.

The organizer can choose to set the duration of these short dates for as long as eight minutes or as short as three minutes. This is about the right amount of time that people take to feel comfortable with each other. After all, this is a room full of strangers who’ve probably never set eyes on each other before. Before they actually get to know each other the conversation is rather forced till they find some that they both have in common. However, these short dates are not an opportunity to elicit personal information about another person. Apart from name and other information that is not very personal, individuals are discouraged from giving out their phone numbers and other revealing information about themselves.

After the initial introductory rounds, all the participants shortlist the people they would like to know more about and give the list to the organizers. When all the lists are checked and it is found that two people mutually like each other and would like to meet again, it is considered a match. It is only then that their phone numbers are given to each other. It is then up to the two individuals to call each other up and set up dates on their own.