TABLE FOR TWO

JAMIE AND JOEL DINED AT M VICTORIA STREET

What were you hoping to get out of the date?

Joel: I’m new to London so someone to join me in exploring the city.

Jamie: Someone I could hold a conversation with over three courses. What were your first impressions? Jo: He was so handsome, had a really cute smile and was well presented. His accent was intriguing, too: Scottish with a bit of South African.

Ja: So blond and tall – I almost felt I needed to stand on tiptoes. How different was he to your usual type?

Jo: I go for shorter guys with fair hair and he was tall with dark brown hair, but otherwise he was totally my type.

Ja: I usually date people a bit older than myself and, again, he’s so blond. I liked his hair, although he said he’d been brunette until recently. Would you have swiped left or right? Jo: Probably right.

Ja: Honestly, I would have swiped left but that would have been a mistake. What did you talk about? Jo: Why we had agreed to go on the date, our degrees, gender theory, his job as a bouncer. I even used our cutlery to explain korfball, the sport I play.

Ja: In the first five minutes of meeting, we traded pictures of our dogs. What was the most interesting thing about him?

Jo: That he is a poet and regularly performs around London. I joked that he could write a tragic poem about our date if it went badly.

Ja: He plays korfball, which I had never heard of and still don’t understand. What was his best quality? Jo: His off- the- wall sense of humour, or his smile.

Ja: He was fun and didn’t take the situation too seriously. What did you make of his dress sense? Jo: He revealed that his friends helped him pick out his clothes. Great taste.

Ja: He was a bit casual for the venue, but I loved his necklace. What do you think he thought of you?

Jo: He said he had a great time and that he’d like to see me again. Hopefully that wasn’t the good wine talking.

Ja: We were the last people to leave so he clearly wasn’t desperate to get away. What were you most worried he would notice about you?

Jo: My shaver ran out of charge as I was tidying up my stubble so I definitely had some rough patches of facial hair.

Ja: How cocky I can be when nervous.

How was the food? Jo: Possibly the best meal I’ve ever had.

Ja: The food was amazing. I moaned aloud when I tasted my starter.

Were there any deal- breakers? Jo: He works as a bouncer on a Friday and Saturday, which is when I like to be social. I could work around it, though.

Ja: He lives a 45- minute Tube ride away.

Any awkward moments?

Jo: I joked about getting up and leaving, and in committing to the gag I nearly fell out of the booth!

Ja: I felt comfortable all night. We weren’t afraid to laugh about the weirdness of a blind date. How did the night end? Jo: We danced through the streets, singing the Vengaboys’ Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!

Ja: We went for a drink, had a little snog and exchanged numbers. What would you have changed about the night?

Jo: The fact that it ended. Too cheesy?

Ja: Nothing.

Snog, marry, avoid?

Jo: Snog – marriage is a bit far off.

Ja: Already snogged him.

Will you meet again?

Jo: We discussed date # 2 and # 3 on the night. I’m up for it if he is!

Ja: We’ve made plans to meet soon, without a photographer this time.