In the spirit of Date-apalooza, the Bowdoin Orient and the Alliance for Sexual Assault Prevent (ASAP) present: “It’s a date!” This two-time feature details the hilarious, awkward and romantic experience of two Bowdoin students who agree to be set up on a blind dinner date. These Bowdoin students might not find true love, but they might just find out that dating isn’t nearly as terrifying as it seems.
This week, Emma Patterson ’16 and Tom Peabody ’14 got to know each over dinner at Frontier.
What would be your date’s spirit animal?
EP: I guess he would be a dog that likes to sail. He’s also growing some facial hair so that’s like a dog.
TP: A gazelle, because they’re graceful and like exercise and she’s graceful and plays a sport.
Which movie best represents your blind date experience?
EP: I guess it would be the beginning of “A Cinderella Story” because it was a surprise to see who we were going to be on the date with.
TP: “101 Dalmatians” because my heart is like the puppies and Emma is like Cruella De Ville, and she stole my heart and won’t give it back. But it ends better than that because she won’t skin my heart and make a coat. So she’s not really Cruella De Ville, but kind of.
If your date could only eat one food for the rest of their life, what would it be?
EP: Some sort of BBQ because he ordered BBQ last night.
TP: Well judging from the small experience I have, probably French fries. But then again, I’ve only ever seen her eat two things—a hamburger and french fries. So probably one of those two.
If your date could only go on one ride at an amusement park, which one would they choose?
EP: He’s a sailor so maybe Splash Mountain.
TP: It would definitely be the merry-go-round because she went to a school where they rode horses. So she’s into horses and these ones are inanimate and harmless.
Who would play your date in the biopic of their life?
EP: It would probably be someone light-hearted and funny, someone like Will Ferrell.
TP: Amy Adams because obviously. Definitely not Meryl Streep.
What would be your date’s favorite time of day?
EP: Dusk or sunset, because sailing is probably best then and you don’t really have to be working.
TP: Dusk or the dead of night, perhaps from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. It just seems like a good time.
What was the most surprising thing you learned about your date?
EP: That he’s allergic to lobster. I didn’t know that was possible.
TP: This goes with [another] answer, but at her high school every freshman had to have a horse and care for it. How weird is that?
If your date was a tribute in the Hunger Games, how well would they do?
EP: He probably wouldn’t last that long because I think he’s generally too nice to kill other people.
TP: She would probably last pretty long. She might not win because she might have a hard time hiding in a tree, but she’d definitely do pretty well. I guess I don’t know her background in hand-to-hand combat, but she seems like she could hold her own from the time I spent with her.
If you had to pick one song as the soundtrack of your date, what would it be?
EP: “Let’s Get it On,” by Marvin Gaye because there is nothing quite like a blind date to set the mood.
TP: “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” by Tony Bennet. She’s from San Francisco.
If your date were in the circus, what role would they play?
EP: The clown. He’s funny.
TP: Definitely not the bearded lady. But probably the seals that bop those balls around because it’s like volleyball.
What was the best part of the date?
EP: The best part was getting to know someone new. And the free food.
TP: I just feel like it’s cool to meet someone that I haven’t before, as a senior. I almost feel like I know most people at this school and it can start to feel small, so meeting someone new was nice.
If you decided to dress up together next Halloween, what would be your couple costume?
EP: Probably Shaggy and Scooby mainly because they like to have fun and like to eat a lot. But who would be who? He’s kind of got the dog thing going on so he could be Scooby, but he could also be Shaggy because he’s really tall. But, I guess I can be Scooby.
TP: We would be the Fox and the Hound. She would be the fox and I would be the hound.
What Harry Potter character would your date be?
EP: Ron, because he’s pretty goofy and seems like a good friend. And he also has a little bit of red—I think. I could be wrong.
TP: She would be Fleur Delacour for obvious reasons.
If you could make any two people go on a date like yours, who would they be?
EP: Gina Stalica ’16 and Andrew Fradin ’16.
TP: Toby Nicholson ’14 and Professor Peter Coviello.
Where would you go if you were to go on a second date?
EP: We’re both pretty adventurous, so maybe it would just have to be somewhere new.
TP: We would go to the Joshua Chamberlain Museum because who doesn’t love Joshua Chamberlain?
Since going on this date, has your outlook on dating at Bowdoin changed?
EP: I think it shows that going out with somebody that you don’t know isn’t a big deal. It also reminded me how rare it is at Bowdoin that you go out on dates, but also was a good example of why they’re so easy and such a nice way to get to know somebody new.
TP: I think it was fun to get to know someone outside of the Bowdoin bubble context and it was really easy, very low stress.