Some of my best memories are serendipitous moments, unscripted and unplanned. I really do believe that some of the best dates start out this way too. There’s nothing wrong with dinner and a movie, but for the average college student, well…ramen is like dinner, right? And Netflix is a zillion movies! A zillion times better!…why even go on dates? Seems like too much work. As part of #NotreDating week, the GRC challenges Notre Dame students to rethink “the date”, especially in the context of the South Bend community. Personally, I believe that South Bend is an incredibly underrated city; it would love to take you out if you’d only give it a chance! (Friendzoned? South Bend knows that feel…) Catch a casual concert at The Pool, or a fancy one at the Morris Performing Arts Center. Try Cambodian Thai or Woochi in downtown South Bend, or stop by Girasol a little ways off, where Lucy will make you authentic El Salvadorean pupusas on the spot. So much more, but I digress…
All the above ideas sound wonderful. But as a perpetually broke, busy, and car-less college student, I’ve learned to maximize fun on minimal time & dime. Yeah, I’m talking thrift shopping. Before I dive into the details, I want to preface my review with a Viewpoint by Alice Tollaksen titled
“Thrift store truths”. It’s definitely worth a read, but to cite her main points:
“Notre Dame shares that thrift store with people from all over the South Bend community and from all walks of life. While many of us at the University go to thrift stores to find very specific things, others shop there out of necessity. To openly and loudly mock what thrift stores have to offer is extraordinarily offensive…All I am suggesting is when we do decide to embrace our inner Macklemore, we do it with respect.”
With Tollaksen’s article in mind, my date and I set off to the Salvation Army in South Bend (about a 5 minute bus ride on the transpo #7 from Library Circle, though it’s not a scheduled stop so you will have to pull the cord when you see it). Our date had only one guideline: we each had thirty minutes to shop for each other, no holds barred. After exchanging each other’s sizes, we ran off into our respective sections of the store. My hands, still cold from the whipping wind outside, steered me past the impressive T-Shirt selection. Ah, sweater weather. (See also: gloves, hat, and parka weather). Within minutes I had pulled three promising sweaters from the racks, but I searched on for something quirky and unusual. Finally, I found it–a dark blue sweater emblazoned with a cheery yellow “Kids Are My Business”, complete with cheery embroidering of a school bus and a smiling sun. I could only imagine its original owner–a retired school bus driver? A grandpa? I knew my affectionate, good-humored date would love it. Other finds: jewel green pants perfectly befitting a Highlander, several sassy T-shirts bemoaning the existence of homework, and shorts decorated with an obnoxious orange all-over print of “snooze! waking up is for losers! zzz”.
After half an hour, we met up to try on the outfits we had (seriously or not-so-seriously) picked for each other. My date took to the school bus sweater immediately, as I knew he would, and even approved of the sweaters I had picked out. Alas, the Duncan pants, sassy shirts and shorts did not fit. As for the pile my date had picked out for me, in the midst of normal, well-intentioned selections I spotted what is now my new favorite T-Shirt: “The Notorious E.L.M.O.”, appropriately captioned “Sky’s the limit”. (Hilariously, according to the tag, at least, the shirt was officially sanctioned by Sesame Street). After taking some pictures, we made our purchases and headed out.
Having some time to kill before the bus was due to arrive, my date and I crossed the street to Rein Juicery. Even though we had arrived 10 minutes after their closing time, the friendly staff waved us in and offered to make us a smoothie. We decided to share a San Jamar smoothie, which was made with carrot, apple, orange, pineapple, mango, banana, coconut oil, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and fairy-dust, presumably. Absolutely divine. We were even able to test the smoothie to make sure it was to our taste before the final blend. Although a drink from Rein seems expensive compared to, for example, a smoothie from Reckers, Rein sources almost all of its ingredients locally. They understand food as a landscape for ethics, and it shows in the care they take in creating their drinks and engaging their customers.
Helpful links:
Fun: 5/5
Romance: 2/5
Adventure: 4/5
Formal: 1/5
Distance: less than a mile – you can take the transpo #7 bus to and from
Cost per person: Cheap, depending on how much you want to buy! Most prices at the Salvation Army run from about 25 cents to 5 dollars. Rein Juicery drinks run from $6-8.50.
-Jenn Cha
ND GRC: Dating in South Bend 