Spring blind date: Julian and Angel build a pizza and blend milkshakes—giggling while exploring their culinary creativity
Filling the kitchen with pleasant scents and a bit of heat, sophomore Angel Dalool and senior Julian Madrigal worked together Feb. 28, 2018 to create the ideal pizza in a kitchen oriented blind date for this month’s installment. A blind date is tough enough. Assembling a culinary creation upped the challenge.
The cold winter night brought in Dalool to a Paso Robles home and kitchen dressed in a classy layered outfit. She patiently awaited the arrival of her blind date, becoming nervous and excited to finally get the date underway. A knock came on the door. Julian Madrigal, a familiar face was excited to see that he knew his date for the night. They embraced in a hug as the two laughed about the date and were thrilled that the most nerve wrecking part was over.
Before they started cooking, we interviewed each about their expectations and hopes for the date.
Madrigal admitted, “I’m looking for a sweet girl with a good personality.”
On the other side of the door, Dalool shared she was looking for a guy that, “says nice things and is not super awkward.”
The daters sent in their favorite foods to help us plan. We noted they both liked pepperoni. They both liked ice cream. They shared a love for something sweet such as milkshakes. We could tell they would be a match and had the fixings ready in the kitchen when they arrived.
Looking down nervously at first, Dalool began to raise her eyes and smile as conversation was made.
The two began to grate cheese, roll dough and get out ingredients. Laughing, they explored their culinary creativity in good humor, teasing each other about a lack of cooking skills. Giggling and constructive banter continued for the next several minutes.
Little did they know that their Italian cuisine was headed for destruction.
Unfortunately, both of them innocently forgot to place the dough on the pizza screen, the utmost necessity in successful pizza making.
Their mistake doomed the pizza. It ripped and crumbled—scattering cheese—as they tried to transfer it from prep area to the pizza screen.
The date was not over.
The daters decided to insert the damaged meal into the oven, hoping for a better outcome. Twelve minutes later, as they pulled it out, it looked insufficiently more appetizing than before. But the two appreciated the mess and took a bite. They decided it would be best to just order a pizza and have a more enjoyable dinner.
Dalool and Madrigal had officially broken the pizza. And the ice. Every bit of their cooking looked just like dates and how relationships can go–messy and surprising. Yet many other ingredients were blending together nicely that night.
They were enjoying their time together and were easily carrying on conversation, especially the fond memory of cleaning up a hot mess.
Waiting for the pizza to arrive, the two of them got to know each other a little more.They talked about his wrestling career and her hobbies-–hanging out with her friends and having a good time– the two chatted up a storm. The new pizza arrived and they chewed their much better tasting dinner.
The disastrous dinner ended up being the talk of the night. They both told stories of their own cooking fails.
The easiest part of the night was still to come: milkshakes. Dalool and Madrigal couldn’t decide vanilla or chocolate ice cream, so they chose both. She giggled as he struggled to scoop the frozen hard vanilla out of
the carton. She teased him by waving her empty chocolate carton in his face to prove she was stronger.
Eventually, ice cream was scooped, milk was poured, and chocolate chips were added. A simple click would blend the ingredients into their favorite dessert. But it did not go smoothly. Madrigal forgot to seal the lid and milk went everywhere, on their clothes, face, and even in their hair.
The jokes were spewing and laughter was uncontrollable as the two worked together to blend. They poured milkshakes and sat together, chatting among themselves and continuing to tease.
The night had come to an end. Dalool and Madrigal said their goodbyes, embracing in a hug. In our post date questions, both daters said that they would maybe go on another date depending on what the event was like. Dalool was pleased with her time and would be excited to go on another date if it was to her liking. Madrigal had a blast and said that he would like to do it again.
“I didn’t expect him to be so open, he wasn’t shy at all and he was very fun to be around. It took the pressure off things,” Dalool said after the stress to impress had been lifted from her shoulders.
The two got closer that night and created many new memories. They connected on a different level that might escalate to something more serious.
