Collin and Jill are both self-professed foodies, so when they went to dinner at Murray Hill’s Indian eatery Bhojan, they were in for a treat. The duo experienced the spicy cuisine the authentic way: with their hands. But was Jill, a 26-year-old lawyer, more impressed with her food than she was with the 24-year-old research assistant? Or will they be sharing meals (with a side of spice) together in the future?

He said:

I was a little nervous walking in, but Jill made a nice first impression: She looked cute and very professional. I tend to date girls on the more artistic and free-spirited side, so I was interested to see how our date would play out.

We started by sharing a couple of small plates, and were encouraged to eat in proper Indian fashion: with our hands.

Our conversation kept up a good pace. We actually have a lot in common: We’re both from the West Coast, live in Brooklyn and have similar tastes in bars and restaurants. From early on it was clear we were both giving off more of a friend vibe than a date vibe.

Overall, I didn’t get any romantic feeling from our interactions. She’s a great girl, and I hope we can remain friends.

She said:

My first impression of Collin was that he’s tall, cute and bespectacled, which is just my type! He told me all about his job, which I found interesting because he works in education policy and I’m a politics junkie. More importantly, he loves food, so we exchanged restaurant recommendations and chatted about places we’re dying to try.

But while there was never an awkward silence during the conversation, I didn’t feel like there were moments when I felt a connection either. There just weren’t fireworks.

The dinner was perfectly pleasant, but I think Collin is someone I’d rather be friends with. By the time the meal was over, we were both in food comas and just wanted to go home. At the very least, I’ll definitely go back to Bhojan.