THE INIMITABLE STYLE OF GLORIA MIZZI - MaltaRightNow.com

| DATING |
staff who offer us a drink and get us settled. Thankfully
they’re not the pitying bunch I’d envisaged, laughing
down their noses at the lowly singletons desperate to try
anything. They joke away, one of them explaining that
she met her boyfriend this way. We’re handed our kit of
paper and pens, and led into another room where the
format is explained to us and we’re left rearing to go.
Let the games begin!
I wave goodbye to my chums, who each choose a
different part of the room, and make myself comfortable
in the chair where I shall remain while the boys weave
their way around us. Music starts to play, and in they
come like locusts to a corn field as the relay begins.
Feeling a bit like a dog-show judge, I sit tight awaiting
that perfect pedigree of a person. The choice is up and
down: with one person, James, I seem to make some
sort of positive connection and can see myself following
the night up with a date in the near future, whereas
with another, Louis, I’m literally desperate to hear the
sound of the time-up bell.
Despite having to make three-minutes worth of
conversation with the dull-as-a-plank Louis, it’s still
more excitement than I could shake a big stick at, and,
to be honest it’s a bit like being a child in a sweetshop.
It feels like the power is all yours as you tick away to
your hearts content, but only if you want to and with
no pressure whatsoever to do so in the first place. Talk
about a win-win situation.
My mates and I meet up for another giggle at the
end as we hand in our sheets and hope to goodness
the outcome of all this is positive – we won’t know the
match results for a couple of days. Comparing notes on
clothes, smiles, eyes and just about everything else, the
evening draws to a close and we’re immensely glad we
made the effort in the first place. And as I make eyes at
James from across the room, we walk out into the cold
and go our separate ways wondering what those white
slips of paper will reveal.
As it turns out, despite there being the odd spark or
two, we head back to Malta without a perfect man in
tow (we were only there for a week after all). It’s fine
though, because we had a fantastic time and wouldn’t
hesitate to say yes to a repeat performance in the near
future. But would it suit the local market
It seems there has been some movement in the
ranks, and certain local establishments have even given
it a bash. But in a country as small as Malta, where you
don’t just know your family and friends, but their family
and friends too, would it have much scope for success
“Oooh, I dunno,” muses one late-twenties male
friend of mine (men are generally so much more
level-headed about these things). “The idea is a great
one, especially when you get to a certain age where
you just want to cut the rubbish of going through all
the courtship rituals and simply wish to get to the
point. You’re not getting any younger, and you’re after
a date/lover/soul-mate/spouse-to-be, so if you can add
some speed to the whole process, then I don’t see
anything wrong with that.
“It’s a pragmatic approach for pragmatic people,
no matter how ‘clinical’ it may sound to the good old
traditionalists. This is a fast-changing world, and the
way we build intimate relationships with other people
must inevitably change, at least for some people.
“But all that said, locally it might feel a bit inbred.
Close-knit communities with relatively small social
circles aren’t typically conducive to the whole speeddating
scene, and I dare say the practice would be
frowned upon by the vocal moralists among us. People
like me might give less than two hoots, but other people
would be more cautious.
“The problem is that there’s only so much discretion
under which you can veil the speed-dating scene. If it’s
too cloak-and-dagger then eyebrows will undoubtedly
be raised. But still, I’d give it a try if I had the
opportunity.”
So there you have it. Dating in the fast lane may well
have its benefits, and if the rest of the world’s anything
to go by, egg-timers and check boxes are set to become
run-of-the-mill in the near dating future.
Go for it, a walk on the fast-paced, wild side could be
just what you’re looking for! .
“It feels like the
power is all yours
as you tick away
to your hearts
content, but only
if you want to and
with no pressure
whatsoever to
do so in the
first place. Talk
about a win-win
situation.”
L&S | SEPTEMBER ’06 11