Single In The Suburbs

Seven Minutes In Heaven, or 8?

What can you accomplish in 8 minutes? In this fast paced day and age of electronics and immediate gratification, be it fast forwarding through commercials on Tivo-taped shows, flipping channels with remote control in hand, the dating world has also caught on to this trend.

With hectic work schedules, multi-tasking, children’s extra-curricular activities, sports and carpooling, how can singles and divorcees have time to meet potential mates? The dating world has evolved from the usual bar and club scene to paid, online dating services such as Match.com, eHarmony.com and jDate.com which provide singles and divorcees an opportunity to peruse through various photos and profiles online to find the perfect mate. The only problem being, how recent are the photos and how realistic are the profiles?

Enter the world of 8MinuteDating.com. This fee paid speed-dating service provides 8 dates for 8 minutes each; an ideal opportunity for the busy professional who is not into, nor has time for the bar or club scene, to meet potential friends, mates or even business contacts. It differs from online dating because you get actual “face-time” so you can see and speak to directly to the person and get a true sense as to whether or not there is compatibility and chemistry, therefore bypassing the online dating steps of emailing, instant messaging and eventually “Starbuck-ing.”

One Wednesday, a Wine Cafe on Main Street in Huntington Village played host to an 8 Minute Dating event in which myself and some friends had the privilege of attending. The Owner served up her reserve of Long Island wines and beers and a spread of assorted cheese & fruit platters, breads and dips. While daters ate, drank and mingled they admired her gallery of art supplied by Long Island artists.

Eight single professional men (ages 38-53) and women (34-49) drank, ate and schmoozed awaiting the dating portion of the evening. Risa, the Long Island Event Coordinator for 8MinuteDating.com, assigned each woman a number, a nametag, a table and dating track card in which to record each date noting their interest level be it friendship, 2nd date or business relationship. She also provided a list of “ice-breaker questions” such as “do you have any tattoos? Do you have any pets?” My personal favorite “do you have a dollar’s worth of change in your pocket?” to which my date replied, “no” so I asked “then you’re just happy to see me?” Now that was definitely an icebreaker and got lots of laughs!

An announcement was made at the end of every 8 minutes and the men, in rotation, moved onto the next table. After the 4th date, there was a 20 minute intermission in which the proprietor served up sandwiches consisting of Nutella, salmon and cheese and mini cheeseburgers, in addition to her famous Long Island wines and beers. Then it was onto round two for 4 more dates. At the end of the second half there was opportunity to stay at Asta and mingle.

If there’s interest in meeting someone again when the event is over, you log onto the website www.8MinuteDating.com and enter the person’s name and number. If they have entered your name and number as well, there’s a match, contact information is provided so you can arrange to meet with them again.

The concept of 8MinuteDating.com is a good one. Eight minutes is ample time to see if you will connect with someone, particularly since I’ve had Starbuck encounters which could have ended by the time I reached the counter to order my latte! One date can be emotionally exhausting can you imagine how overwhelming it is to have eight in one evening?

This particular event would have been more successful if time was taken during the online registration process to ensure compatibility. For instance, I’d like to know if their potential dates are single, separated, divorced, if they have children or would like to have children, if they’re smokers, non-smokers, what their lifestyles are, what their interests are, ethnic, cultural & educational backgrounds as well as income bracket. The men seemed random, from all ethnicities, varying socio-economic backgrounds, some wanting kids (and my baby-making days are over!) and some were way over the age limit. However there were definitely some quality women there.

Bottom line, whether it be multi-tasking or multi-dating when combined with friends, drinks and good food, 8MinuteDating.com makes for a fun, memorable evening, one in which I’ll get a lot of mileage from discussing the experience. Would I consider trying it again? Doubtful, but you never know.