Awkward dating

“I’ve always loved overhearing people on dates. No longer are we able to surreptitiously listen in, from a nearby table, on prospective lovers negotiating their potential compatibility in real time. This transformation of courting rituals has led, too, to a minor but still resonant loss for those of us who have, until recently, thrilled to eavesdrop on others’ face-to-face dates. What does the socially distant reality of the coronavirus pandemic mean for that chemistry-dependent ritual, the first date? In the past months, as self-quarantine edicts and business closures have limited people’s ability to meet with new romantic prospects in person, we have seen a rise of purely virtual dating, bringing assignations that would have once taken place at a café or a restaurant onto video-conferencing platforms such as Zoom.