Remember when speed dating used to be a novelty? Well, these days, everyone seems to be doing it: Hillel, RUS, and now, CSA, which hosted aphrodASIA, its own speed-dating event, last night. Is speed dating is getting a little blasé?  Maybe.  But could we really ignore a name like aphrodASIA? FlyBy decided to send a semi-undercover correspondent to check it out.

When RSVPing, FlyBy was informed that all spots for guys had been taken. Hmm…this was interesting. Since when has speed dating been more popular among males than females? We immediately imagined a giant room full of white guys with yellow fever. Great.

Find out how the night went, after the jump.Upon entering Leverett Old Library, FlyBy was impressed by the white tablecloths scattered with rose petals, dim lighting, and mellow jazz. Very classy, CSA!  After picking up a nametag, we made an immediate beeline for the platters of chocolate, nuts and strawberries. (“We were going for aphrodisiacs,” Michael Zhang ’12, who organized the event, told us.)

Plopping down next to a couple who were already engaged in a conversation, FlyBy did what we do best: eavesdrop. The guy was asking the girl what had motivated her to attend the event. “Oh, my friend pressured me into it,” she said. Funny. That’s what they all say.

When it was announced that the girls would be staying in their seats while the guys would be the ones changing places, one male complained, “The guys always have to do all the work!” Sorry, dude. No one said love was easy.

Like at any other speed-dating event, conversations were limited (only 3 minutes long), and participants were supposed to check off the names of individuals they were interested in. A guy and a girl who checked off each other would be notified the next day. And only then a perfectly paired romance would blossom.

Or maybe not. “I checked yes for everyone,” Chi Zhang ’12 told us. “Everyone was interesting!”

Of the exactly 30 people who participated, about 40 percent were CSA members and 60 percent were not. Based on information gathered from the 15 guys FlyBy met, we compiled some additional (completely anecdotal) statistics:

Number of math/science-related concentrators: at least 6

Number of humanities/social science concentrators: maybe 2

Highest number of pre-meds in a row: 3

Number of non-Asians: 5

Number of guys who showed up drunk: 2

Overall, most people told FlyBy that the event was much less awkward than anticipated.  Our conclusion?  CSA does speed dating much better than Hillel.  Can't beat those aphrodisiac foods!

Photo from Gveret Tered/Wikimedia Commons