Art to heart

From Bob Marley look-alikes to the distinct aroma of pot, this
week’s blind date offered a peek into a different world
““ the mysterious world of reggae music showcased at the UCLA
reggae festival this weekend.

The rasta-rockin’ blind daters this week were Melanie
Larzul, a second-year political science and French student whose
friends describe her as “French-fantastic,” and Tom
Yurysta, a third-year mechanical engineering student whose friends
would describe him as quiet and laid back.

“My first impression of Tom was that he was cute but
really shy and reserved,” said Larzul. “After the day
wore on, though, he opened up and seemed like a much more outgoing
guy.”

Starting their date at Drake Stadium on the reggae day of the
UCLA JazzReggae Festival, the two were taken aback by both the
buzzing atmosphere of the music festival and the swarming vendors
shoving flyers into their hands.

“The festival was definitely a change from other concerts
and events I’ve been to,” said Larzul. “I was
most surprised at the fact that it was a huge community event and
not just an event for UCLA students.”

Yurysta, a native of Toledo, Ohio, was also impressed by the
diversity of Los Angeles reflected in the crowd.

“The event had a great atmosphere and feel to it,”
said Yurysta. “I saw everyone from mothers with their babies
to the men with dread locks to college kids hanging out ““ it
was nice to see that the community was so involved.”

Relaxing on the bleachers and hearing the tunes of Elephant Man,
one of the performing artists, while observing the crowd, the two
began talking about their own lives and things they had in
common.

“We were both first-time reggae concert-goers, so it was
an eye-opening experience for both of us,” said Larzul.
“The performers were also really laid-back and interacting
with the crowd a lot ““ Elephant Man was encouraging us to
smoke out, party, but to stay in school.”

And what reggae event would be complete without the perfect bowl
to go along with the beat of the drums and guitars? While our
daters were egged on by Elephant Man and immersed in a
smokin,’ tokin’ crowd, they didn’t participate in
such events.

“We didn’t exactly see people smoking out, but we
definitely smelled it,” said Yurysta.

While the concert opened their eyes to the music of reggae, it
also created a friendly atmosphere where the two could easily learn
about each other in a relaxed setting.

“The atmosphere for the date was perfect ““ it was a
great place to either relax and listen to the music or just
talk,” said Larzul. “There was a great crowd and that
enhanced the enjoyment of the event and the music.”

Keeping with the “earthy” theme of the date, the two
then had lunch at Native Foods on Gayley ““ an entirely vegan
restaurant (no meat, no dairy, no eggs).

“It was an all right restaurant,” said Yurysta
“I’m more of a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, so
I’m not planning on going back to it.”

Larzul, on the other hand, commented that it wasn’t a
restaurant she would have gone to out of her own volition, so she
was excited to try something new and was quite satisfied with her
veggie burger.

Chatting over lunch about Westwood and the surrounding area, the
proximity of the Playboy Mansion came up. Being the adventurous
sorts, the two ventured to find the notorious Shangri-La, which
they found off Sunset Boulevard just east of Hilgard Avenue.

“We found the mansion, but we really couldn’t see
anything because the driveway curved ““ they were basically
teasing us,” said Larzul.

From shattered Playboy dreams to realized reggae visions, the
date was filled with just enough dread locks and soy protein to
give these two a chance to meet someone new.

Go on a free Daily Bruin-sponsored date and all your wildest
fantasies just may come true ““ or you’ll get some free
stuff out of it. E-mail [email protected].