Kiss, Marry, Kill:
Bamboo, Aria, & Renato’s
Brandon Castano ’27: [At the notion of Kiss, Marry, Kill: “I’m going to marry Erin Picken ’27.”] I’m going to kiss Renato’s, I’m marrying Bamboo Bistro (Auntie Nikki is very sweet!), and I will kill Aria, because I have never been there.
Nic Gonglewski ’28: Kiss Aria. Marry Bamboo Bistro. Kill Renato’s.
Kobi Gyan Jr. ’28: Oh, that’s lowkey tough, right? I would probably kiss Renato’s. I would marry Bamboo. And then I would kill Aria.
Dominic Greaves ’27: Yeah, I’m gonna have to go with Kobe on this one. I’m probably gonna kiss Renato’s. Marry Bamboo Bistro. Kill Aria.
Menah Alkhabaz ’28: I’m gonna marry Bamboo Bistro, because I feel like they’re the most viable. I’ll kiss Renato’s, and I will kill Aria.
Screw Your Roommate, Ninjagrams, & Marriage Pact
Menah Alkhabaz ’28: I love the Marriage Pact so much. I’m marrying the Marriage Pact. I think it is one of the best traditions here in Swarthmore. I think across the board, everyone is so excited to answer those questions. And I feel like it doesn’t put anyone in a stressful position. I haven’t been lucky yet. Kiss Screw; it builds lore. And I like the idea of my roommate setting me up. It kinda makes me nervous but also excited. Kill Ninjagrams, it’s not like you’re giving the person the letters. So it’s kind of passive in that sense. You have to be brave. And it costs money!
Nic Gonglewski ’28: Kiss Screw. Marry Ninjagrams. Kill Marriage Pact. I’m sorry, I’m tired of hearing about it.
Kobi Gyan Jr. ’28: I will probably marry Screw, kiss the Marriage Pact, and then kill the third one … I don’t remember … Ninjagrams?
Dominic Greaves ’27: I would probably marry Screw, kiss Marriage Pact, and kill Ninjagrams.
Brandon Castano ’27: I guess I will kiss Screw. Marriage Pact is funny. I always get matched with good people, and I always feel bad for them, so I will marry Marriage Pact. I don’t much care for Ninjagrams, so we can kill that.
Halloween, Thanksgiving, & Valentine’s
Brandon Castano ’27: Fuck, that’s two kills in one. Valentine’s Day — I would kill the ideas around them. Do we kill the celebration of Thanksgiving, or do we kill the meaning of Thanksgiving? Killing the celebration of Thanksgiving [is bad] because I fuck with food. Okay, Kiss Halloween, marry Thanksgiving, and kill Valentine’s Day.
Nic Gonglewski ’28: Marry Halloween. I guess it’s hard! Kiss Valentine’s Day. Kill Thanksgiving.
Kobi Gyan Jr. ’28: Kill Valentine’s Day. Marry Halloween. Kiss Thanksgiving.
Dominic Greaves ’27: I’m going to have to marry Thanksgiving. Kiss Halloween, then, yeah, kill Valentine’s Day.
Menah Alkhabaz ’28: I love Halloween. I’m kissing Halloween. I don’t think Halloween is very loyal. It’s not consistent. And that’s not a holiday that I would like to marry. On the contrary, I would love to marry Valentine’s Day. I think it’s loyal. I think it’s romantic. I think it’s very cute. Kill Thanksgiving — colonizer holiday. The food is delicious, but I can eat turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, any day of the week. So, I don’t need a holiday that’s built on genocide.
Engineering, Economics, & English
Brandon Castano ’27: Okay, we’re marrying English … I’m trying to think objectively, who do I know that’s engineering versus people that are econ? There’s Danny Ly ’27 [in econ]. And then the Mexicans [in engineering] … Kiss engineering, then we’re killing econ and marrying English.
Nic Gonglewski ’28: Kill economics. Oh no, wait, engineering … English majors can be kind of annoying. They start talking, and my eyes roll to the back of my skull. Kiss engineering, marry English, and kill econ.
Kobi Gyan Jr. ’28: I would probably marry economics. I would kiss … English. I would kill engineering.
Dominic Greaves ’27: I will kill engineering. I would marry economics and kiss English.
Menah Alkhabaz ’28: I’m kissing English; I think having good writing skills is so attractive. To be able to convey your thoughts in a persuasive manner is *mm* chef’s kiss. Marrying an engineer – they are consistent, and they earn good money. And kill econ. It’s kind of a red flag to be so concerned with money.
How are you celebrating Black History Month?
Brandon Castano ’27: Well, first of all, Happy Black History Month. I’m gonna give you a hug … I’m visiting my nephew. He’s Black. We’re celebrating him. This month. His birthday has been extended into February. So that’s how I am celebrating.
Nic Gonglewski ’28: I’m in a Black studies class right now, so those conversations are really helpful. There’s a Paul Robinson house tour that’s being run, so I’m gonna see if I can go on that and see the Philly history.
Kobi Gyan Jr. ’28: I don’t know, to be honest. I wish I was doing something. We have a Black history basketball game today, actually. That is the furthest extent I’m celebrating thus far.
Dominic Greaves ’27: I probably will just call my dad. You know, he’s Black … maybe [I’ll call] my mom. Just make sure everybody knows … Spread awareness. You know, maybe post an Instagram story. Yeah, just a black screen.
Menah Alkhabaz ’28: I’ll be participating at my high school’s inaugural Black read-in. We will be reading W.E.B Dubois’ “The Color Line.”
Who are your favorite three Black people?
Menah Alkhabaz ’28: My favorite Black people are Toni Morrison … Nasrin Ahmed [interviewer] is a lovely friend. I’m blanking … I’ll go for W.E.B DuBois.
Kobi Gyan Jr. ’28: Oh, my favorite three are Black people. Not including myself. Martin Luther King. Wait, who’s that one actor? [Dominic: He can’t be that good if you can’t remember his name.] Oh, Denzel Washington!
Dominic Greaves ’27: Favorite three Black people: I’m going to go LeBron James, who’s a family guy, super successful, and an icon. Probably going to put Obama as two. Let me put MLK at my two, and I’ll put Obama in my three. Of course, my parents, too, of course.
Brandon Castano ’27: My favorite three Black people … It can’t go without saying, Laila Warrick ’28. Period. Laila’s number one. Draymond Green. He’s the nicest basketball player. I’ll show you some TikToks later. And my nephew.
Nic Gonglewski ’28: My favorite three Black people … My girlfriend, Nina Simone, and … Three is crazy… I’ll say Frantz Fanon.
Did you watch the Super Bowl? Do you think it is rigged?
Brandon Castano ’27: Bad Bunny … great show, great show. LOVE the set design. I didn’t realize the plants were people. That was really funny. Lady Gaga being there was a bit confusing. A whole bunch of people tried to explain to me like I was five years old why she was there … I guess she represents queer people in a way because she’s like a queer icon. Wasn’t Bad Bunny bisexual for a little bit? The Super Bowl is definitely rigged. It’s like the WWE. It’s all planned out. It’s all for the spectacle. Because, I’m so sorry, the Patriots were not going to win at all. The script was bad, and the performers didn’t know how to perform.
Nic Gonglewski ’28: I watched Bad Bunny. I really liked it, but I don’t know who won the actual game. I really don’t care. I just watched the halftime show and got really emotional. I still don’t know who won. I do think the Super Bowl is rigged. I mean, the Eagles didn’t make it, so yeah.
Kobi Gyan Jr. ’28: Oh, the Super Bowl was pretty boring. Like, I was doing work while I was watching it. It didn’t fully, like, grasp my attention … it was probably one of the more boring ones.
Dominic Greaves ’27: The Patriots and the Seahawks wouldn’t have been in the Super Bowl if it was rigged. Especially the Seahawks. I really liked the symbolism of the halftime show. I thought there was a lot of deeper meaning in everything. You know, some people were like, Oh, I wish there were subtitles, but I think that is how it was meant to be. I’m really happy for that community.
Menah Alkhabaz ’28: I watched the halftime show. I loved it. I took the time to watch it in my Alchemist session. I was like, I can’t miss this. I don’t think [the Super Bowl] is rigged. I wouldn’t know. I’m not a big Super Bowl fan. I don’t think people take the time out of their day to make the Eagles win, because Philly’s so insane. So I would say no. I don’t think it’s scripted.
Are you single? How’re you feeling about Valentine’s Day?
Kobi Gyan Jr. ’28: We are single. Yeah. [Dominic: Why do you say we? I don’t like how you grouped us together.] I’m pretty indifferent to it. I don’t hate Valentine’s Day or whatever, but it’s like, all right, it’s Valentine’s Day.
Dominic Greaves ’27: I am single. I hate Valentine’s Day. I think it’s a ploy by the government to take money out of hardworking men’s hands, and that’s personally how I feel about that.
Brandon Castano ’27: I am single. I have bigger fish to fry [than Valentine’s Day]. It’s my birthday.
Menah Alkhabaz ’28: I am single. I don’t really care about Valentine’s Day. I kind of am there for the aesthetic; I want to wear pink and red. I think it’s just a cute little holiday.
Nic Gonglewski ’28: No. No, I am not single. I think Valentine’s Day is cute. I feel like it’s hard to think about what to do. Because you have to think about if things are cliche, and then if you think of something, how do you know it’s not going to be crowded and overdone? I also think even when you’re not in a relationship, you can do “Galentine’s.” It is a beautiful thing to happen to the world. I’m all for just making Valentine’s, like, cute and silly for everyone, you know, not necessarily just romance.
Are you getting Screwed? What are your thoughts on this tradition?
Kobi Gyan Jr. ’28: We are not doing it this semester. But we’re big fans of it. We participated last semester. We definitely think it is cool.
Dominic Greaves ’27: Not this semester. I think we have a game during that time, unfortunately. If not for that, we would love to be a part of the process again … It’s a great program to have. We are busy that day. Very busy…
Brandon Castano ’27: I’m not getting Screwed. I like the tradition. There is no commitment really. Go to it with an open mind. Don’t think about it too much, you know? And then just see how the vibe goes.
Nic Gonglewski’28: You know, I don’t think I’ll Screw anyone, I don’t think so. I live alone. I think it’s fun. I’ve only gone on one Screw, and it was nice — just like a conversation, and it was chill, you know, one more person to wave to occasionally, you know? I feel like it’s more fun if you just go with it and don’t have actual expectations. I’ve heard horror stories about people that get Screwed with a person who had a crush on them and then it got really awkward. So I think if it is just like a cute friend thing, then it’s perfect. But anything more than that, I think, is kind of a nightmare.
Menah Alkhabaz ’28: So here’s the thing. My dad’s birthday is actually on Valentine’s Day, so I don’t think I’ll be here for the weekend, but if I’m here, I do want to get screwed. And my roommate has a few people lined up. I like the tradition, I did say before that I’d “kiss” it. This will be my first time, hopefully, being a participant.
