Blind date: ‘I was like, “Damn, this girl’s way cooler than me!’” – The Boston Globe

FIRST THING PEOPLE NOTICE IN HER HOME: A wall print of Girl with the Pearl Earring as a Furby

WHO PLAYS HER IN THE MOVIE: Lelush, the Chinese boy band reality competition contestant who begged to be voted off every week

WINN C.: 33 / architect

WHEN HE IS HAPPIEST: Exploring in foreign cities, discovering novel experiences

WHAT MAKES HIM A CATCH: He will always put forth the effort.

7 P.M. MA MAISON, BOSTON

OPEN LINE

Carrie My roommate suggested I try this thing called Dinner With Cupid.

Winn A friend brought this to my attention; I’ll do most things for a good story.

Carrie I felt relaxed, maybe a little hungry.

Winn I was admittedly excited to see how this would go.

Carrie The server led me to the table. Seeing Winn made me acutely aware of the fact that I hadn’t stepped foot in a gym in three years. Definitely a super-fit guy, nice smile, and really welcoming.

Winn Cute! She had this black-on-black outfit that I thought was pretty sleek; I got an impression of confidence and edginess. I was like, Damn, this girl’s way cooler than me!

ADDING UP

Carrie I felt like I could be myself from the get-go. I can be introverted, but he really knew how to draw me out of my shell. He’d be an excellent host at parties.

Winn We got pretty high level with the stuff we chatted about, and I really dig a good intellectual connection.

Carrie Winn’s an architect, so we could talk about a shared interest in art. He also asks great questions. I was hazy after the first cocktail, but I think we talked about having different personalities in different languages and double consciousness.

Winn Carrie’s a real smart cookie — she’s getting her PhD in literature, with a focus on the Asian-American perspective . . . which, for obvious reasons, was a resonant topic.

Carrie I ordered the most stereotypical French food: snails and frog legs (spoiler alert: tasted blander than chicken). Winn was down to share everything, which is exactly what I’m looking for.

Winn We decided we’d lean into the Frenchness: frog legs, escargot, and a dessert called a Napoleon.

Carrie We both moved to the United States when we were 3 and could bond over the immigrant experience. When you have similar experiences, there’s a lot you don’t have to explain, such as why our moms like to order seafood at restaurants.

Winn We’ve also both lived abroad as adults.

Carrie This is probably the most fun I’ve had on a first date. Winn was a great conversationalist who can really read the mood.

Winn Given the fact we probably had more drinks than we should have, we called it an evening once we closed our checks.

DIGITAL ASSISTANCE

Carrie Winn was kind enough to walk me to the T, where I accidentally hopped on a train going the wrong direction.

Winn We exchanged numbers and a hug good night.

SECOND DATE?

Carrie He said he’d text me but then he never did. I thought the date went well? Maybe he didn’t think so.

Winn It seemed likely at the end of the evening . . . but the thing is, she hasn’t responded to my texts! Perhaps my read was completely off?

POST-MORTEM

Carrie / A

Winn / A

P.S. Cupid intervened and determined that the exchanged phone number was off by a digit. We corrected the mix-up and will let the daters take it from here!

Go on an in-person or virtual blind date. We’ll pick up the tab. Fill out an application at bostonglobe.com/cupid. Follow us on Twitter or Instagram @dinnerwithcupid.