I have always been skeptical of personal matchmaking services. The speed dating, the long interviews, the OKCupid-style forms on Excel, the men who never seem quite right. But recently an interesting story came across my desk and, having just ended a relationship in London, I figured it was worth a shot. The two cater to a mainly foreign male and local female population pulling from a vast network of databases from around the world. Apart from private matchmaking clients they tutor Czech men in the field of love, relationships, etiquette.
Matchmaker Katarina Nemcova teaches Czech men how to be gentlemen. The majority of her clients are either recommended her service through friends, are far too busy and rarely have time to meet people in real life, or those who feel that other options, like online dating, do not offer high quality profiles.
It includes a hour helpline. Como Restaurant is hook-up headquarters. The minute interview commenced and we discussed past relationships, cringe; future relationships, career, personality type I am most attracted to, my bedroom style am I dominate, submissive, vanilla? I had wondered what makes Ms Nemcova a match-making guru, how is it that she would be better at finding a potential partner than me? I have had many relationships in my past and I have learnt it takes time to get to know the person.
The next morning my first set of matches arrived, mostly men from the UK and one or two from the US. Handsome and well-off, they were the type of men I would go for if I was say, looking for a sugar daddy 15 years my senior. An email was sent, discussions were had, and the following day I received a list of age-appropriate men.
After about a week of profile scouting I was matched with an Italian gentleman living and working in Prague. My best match ended up being the woman sitting next to me as we discussed relationships and being single in Prague.
