How We Met

There’s not much to tell. We both had been online dating (shout-out to OKCupid.com!) for a handful of months, and had only met duds. We both had started to give up a little, thinking we’d never find “the one” (at least not on the internet), so we both took a “what the heck” approach. (You know, just meet new people, make some friends, and maybe you’ll hit it off with someone.)

One Sunday morning on October 24, 2010, Ysolt had been reading OKCupid.com emails — one of them was from Jesse. He introduced himself, said he liked her profile and wanted to know more. Reluctant to start yet another email chain with yet another stranger, Ysolt IM-ed Jesse (you can chat with people in real-time on OKCupid.com… and suddenly, this is starting to sound like an advertorial for the free dating site). She liked what Jesse wrote on his profile. He said he was family-oriented, grew up in a small town and loved music.

We didn’t chat long — maybe 20 minutes or so… Ysolt told Jesse she was hungry, and he offered to take her out to eat. An hour later, we met up in Chelsea — 9th Avenue and 16th Street to be exact. We took a walk and ended up at The Highline, an old railroad that was turned into a park. We must’ve talked for a couple of hours, but it felt like minutes. Time flies when you’re having fun.

Then, we went to a pop-up Halloween store to help Jesse find a costume, but failed.

It had been three hours since the date began and Ysolt still hadn’t eaten lunch. She was having such a nice, relaxing afternoon with Jesse, she had forgotten about food. This seldom happens.

We eventually made our way to Fatty Crab, a Malaysian restaurant in the area. And that’s when we realized we had the same ordering style: no fear. We started with the steamed buns with pork belly and shared a spicy rice dish that neither of us could finish or remember. At date’s end, Jesse gave Ysolt a hug after walking her to her car.

It wasn’t long until they’d see each other again. Jesse asked her out the next day, and they’ve been eating buddies ever since.