Recession Coition

 This economic collapse has been a real boon for food editors everywhere. In lieu of yet another story about how Dan Barber reads to his chickens, or the newest kind of artisan salt from a mine in Nunavut, editors can just assign one "____during a recession" piece after another. (The feeding six under $50 piece was a pretty useful piece of service journalism, as was the TONY cheap booze piece, but generally, these pieces show that commodifying austerity is difficult when you are not putting a single pair of sunglasses in the window of your 5th ave retail flagship.*
In trying economic times like these, the wining and dining that traditionally accompany wooing may be beyond the means of many. That said, the keeneyed cinetrix passes along some news that suggests how our friends in the city with big shoulders might garner some hugs and kisses in these uncertain times. Rodan, in Wicker Park, offers free screenings of Asian cult films and $3 bowls of noodles and $3 beeer specials. By my math, that's dinner and a movie +cocktail with change left over for an appropriate tip,** and a trip to the lavatory which one hopes has a machine vending prophylactics.*** I hear there is a free iPhone for the person who makes the one millionth "stimulus package" joke, but with spring only 8-12 weeks away, its good news for aspiring romantics in the City That Works.
*As a reminder, dining a la carte at Per Se does not count as austerity.
**I would be interested to hear from those in the service industry if the various recession-busting deals mean people are more likely than ever to screw servers by tipping on artificially low check total. Actually, I think I know the answer, but would welcome confirmation.
***Thankfully, it's been a long time since my last first date, but dinner + movie, esp more than once, while not placing either party under any sense of obligation, does suggest at least the possibility of the part of the first part getting naked in the presence of the party of the second part, or vice versa, right? Right?