Date Lab She doesn’t like to kiss
and tell, but ... Amber Webb, 28, education professional Eric Rohleder, 27, wine buyer
DATING HISTORY AS A TV SHOW ... Eric: Guy has had a lotta love and losses with girls that are never average. He falls for the exotic, weird ones more often than not. Amber: After fi ve tumultuous years in three different countries, she left her longtime boyfriend on a beach in the Maldives, never to see him again. Passing through a cowboy phase, followed by washed-up rock stars, she fi nally settles with a Russian circus performer, only to have her Peace Corps term end and be sent back to the U.S. hopelessly single.
BRAG A LITTLE ... Eric: I went to Le Cordon Bleu, so I can cook a mean anything. I’m pretty well- read. I’m from Texas, so I’m very laid- back and like to have a lot of fun. Amber: People never expect the homecoming queen to go on to have a stellar résumé.
INTERVIEWS BY KELLY DINARDO 7:30, Annie’s Paramount Steak House, Dupont Circle Amber: I went home after work to grab a pair of heels, so I was a little late getting there. When I fi rst walked in, the host wasn’t anywhere in sight. I looked around, and I saw this guy sitting alone. He was a bigger guy and sweating and consumed by his BlackBerry. I thought, Really, Washington Post? Then the host grabbed me and took me to the correct place. Eric: I was sitting at a booth and attempted to stand up. We had a cordial handshake. I thought she was really, really cute. She had really pretty eyes and a cute smile. She had a darker, exotic complexion, which I fi nd attractive. From a horribly superfi cial standpoint she was defi nitely my type. Amber: He’s got this tall, dark, handsome thing going on. I told my
She’s not afraid of gold lamé leggings. Do you share her
interests in cats, fi ne dining and Ira Glass? Apply now at washingtonpost. com/datelab. Find out what else we’re up to at
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friend I’m a follower of the “no-shave- to-behave” policy [on fi rst dates], and I wish I had brought a razor. I sat down, and there was this slight moment where neither of us knew what to say. I just jumped in and asked if he was a Peace Corps volunteer because I thought for sure [Date Lab] would set me up with one. He wasn’t, but it kicked off the conversation. We’ve both spent time abroad. Eric: We had both bummed around different cities. She’s traveled a lot, and I lived abroad for a little bit. I told her I went to Le Cordon Bleu. She asked me if I cook every night. I said most nights. She said she was a little embarrassed that she only had Lean Cuisine in her freezer. I assured her that it’s okay; I still have frozen pizzas in my freezer. Amber: He was talking about culinary school, and he was talking about steak. He said he was afraid they were going to set him up with a vegan hippie chick. I thought, Oh, crap, I’m an ex- Peace Corps volunteer who used to be vegetarian, but I told him, and it was fi ne. And I enjoyed listening to him talk about food and culinary school. There is something about a guy who
6 THE WASHINGTON POST MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 24, 2010
YOUR TYPE ... Eric: A brunette, thin/athletic, who is well-read, educated and has a dry sense of humor. The more exotic, the better, though not a total necessity. Amber: Taller than me and athletic. Being healthy is important to me. Also, I would like someone with international experience. I don’t think I could relate to someone without, but willing to try.
can cook that is sexy. Eric: She used to be a bartender, so we talked about our experiences working in bars and restaurants. She said that she was a horrible, horrible bartender. She had a funny story about how when she didn’t know how to make something, she would give them a Bud Light, on her. When you have a couple people with that background, there’s a defi nite camaraderie over the partying, the hijinks that go along with that scene. Amber: It was fun to swap horror stories. At fi rst, it was very formal, [but as] we started telling stories, it got more fl irtatious. We were chatting and chatting. The waitress kept coming over. We ordered an appetizer more out
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