RAM C.: 27 / software engineer
WHAT MAKES HIM A CATCH: He’s a good listener.
NOTABLE QUALITIES: He is a trained Bollywood dancer.
MARISSA Z.: 25 / community organizer
LAST THING SHE READ: No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age
WHEN SHE IS HAPPIEST: Roller-skating
7:15 P.M. OLEANA, CAMBRIDGE
FIRST LOOK
Ram I took a long time to go through my closet to see what I should wear. I went in a simple shirt and trousers, since I just wanted to be myself.
Marissa I am hating dating apps right now, so I thought this would be a fun way to meet someone. I was early — the T wasn’t delayed for once.
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Ram My date was seated by the time I arrived.
Marissa Immediately, I was like, Dang — he’s TALL. I’m not short myself so I don’t often get thrown off by taller people, but he is really tall.
Ram She looked great! She was tall, had nice hair, and presented herself really well. What stood out was her necklace.
Marissa I thought that he looked kind — very nerdy cute! I actually got nervous when he walked over because he is pretty good looking.
SWITCHING IT UP
Ram We talked about how she applied to Cupid. She was at a party and her friends got her to apply.
Marissa I felt so bad because he’s allergic to legumes, and we were at a restaurant that has a lot of legumes in the dishes. The funniest thing was that he picked the restaurant, not really knowing how many dishes would have his allergen.
Ram I explained what I could eat and we ended up deciphering the menu together.
Marissa We talked about how his mom used to try to feed him things to build a resistance to his allergy. It was a really funny story and a great icebreaker.
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Ram We ordered whipped feta, flattened potatoes, and chicken, along with custard as a dessert. The custard was interesting: The initial taste gives you chocolate and the aftertaste gives a cinnamony burst in your mouth.
Marissa The lemon chicken was one of the best pieces of chicken I have ever eaten. The drinks were really good too.
Ram Not knowing the other person at all made things really interesting. We spoke about our first gaming consoles and our shared interest in Nintendo Switch games. We’re both into anime!
Marissa I think we discovered we’re very opposite folks. But what was cool was that we still found things to talk about: family, what we do for work, hobbies, favorite movies.
Ram The conversation was naturally flowing for more than a couple of hours, which was swell. We’re both good conversationalists.
Marissa It was super interesting to hear his stories, especially because they were so vastly different from mine. At the end of the night, I felt more comfortable to joke around, which, again, is a bit shocking since we really don’t have much in common.
ROLLING ALONG
Ram We mutually decided to call it a night.
Marissa We exchanged numbers and hugged.
SECOND DATE?
Ram I’ll go on another date. She’s an amazing person and I’d love to see if we could have that romantic spark.
Marissa I think so! I want to get to know more about him. He’s not someone I would typically date, so I was shocked at how well it went.
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POST-MORTEM
Ram / B+
Marissa / B+/A-