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Facebook vs. The Wedding

Sunday, June 26th, 2011
Fakebook

Facebook versus world nations. (Click image for source).

Facebook. We all know (and some of us love) Facebook. It’s revolutionary. Literally. Ask Egypt. It possesses an amazing ease of use, managing to embed messaging, game-playing, photo-posting, video-uploading, link-sharing and (lest we forget) poking, all into a neat, blue interface. Yes, Facebook is quite a thrill and I’ll admit that, as a Facebook user, I enjoy it. But recently I received an e-mail that knocked my appreciation of Facebook down a peg.

After a long weekend enjoying the marriage of one of my oldest cousins to his lovely bride, I was checking my e-mail Monday afternoon and saw a message from a sender I had not seen in a while: Facebook. You see, I don’t like being bothered with e-mails that I won’t read anyway. So, all of the unnecessary messages I would receive (about group notifications, event notifications, notices about posts I’m tagged in, inbox messages, etc., etc.) I have already opted out of. When something happens on Facebook, I’ll know when I go onto Facebook. Having it happen on Facebook and in my e-mail inbox seems redundant to me.

This being the case, I thought that while I was checking my e-mail, I wouldn’t see any messages from a sender named “Facebook.” But of course, I was dead wrong. I simply wanted to delete the message and leave it at that, but it piqued my curiosity. Why was I receiving this message?

“Hi, Christopher. You haven’t been to Facebook for a few days, and a lot happened while you were away.”

This is how the e-mail began, verbatim. The rest of the message basically looked like Facebook restricted to the confines of my inbox window. I didn’t know what to think at first. Obviously, while I’m not on Facebook, things continue to happen. Statuses are updated, profile pictures are changed and comments are made. But why did Facebook need me to know about it so desperately that they e-mailed me?

Fakebook2

Facebook being used on a Mac OS. (Click image for source).

I understand that at the end of the day, Facebook is a corporation and they’re in the business of making money. Obviously they want me to use their website because it helps them conduct their business and collect advertising fees. I suppose what upsets me isn’t really the e-mail at all, but the circumstances under which I received it. As I said, the e-mail came to me after spending a weekend home enjoying a family wedding. I didn’t use the Internet much at all during this time, let alone go onto Facebook. I was proud to see my cousin get married and for those 72 hours, it was more important to me than anything else. So reading an e-mail that said I was missing out on Facebook’s happenings seemed so insignificant that the e-mail came off as insulting. Because yes, Facebook, I have nothing better to do with my life then check your updates all day long.

I hope I’m not the only one who has an opinion about this. I don’t want to see my generation blindly led onto an Internet roadway that we can’t drive off of. The Internet is important, and I’ll admit Facebook may be important, too. It’s a great tool for communication and organization. But we shouldn’t let its usefulness overshadow what is really important in life. Technology is made by humans and used by humans, so as human beings, we should be able to control it, and not let it control us. Be careful with how (and how often) you use Facebook. There’s a real world out there, and Facebook should only be a means through which we want to interact in real life.

–Christopher Cusack, Hofstra University

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Posted in onValues, Student Issues | 1 Comment »

Why Asian Food is for Everyone

Saturday, June 25th, 2011

Whenever I suggest an Asian restaurant to my friend Michelle, she unconsciously wrinkles her nose a little. Michelle is undoubtedly a pasta kind of girl. I think she’s under the misconception that all Japanese restaurants are terrifying, mysterious places where the only options on the menu are variations of raw fish. Other friends fondly mention Cup Noodles.

But here are two truths regarding these misconceptions: Japanese food varies a lot, and Cup Noodles are tasteless (salty is not  flavor!). I want to start off with the Cup Noodles, because I can almost hear the ramen enthusiasts protesting. Instant ramen in and of itself is not bad, and I certainly appreciate the low price of Cup Noodles. I do think it’s somewhat telling, however, that the first two results when you type “Cup Noodles” into Google are “cup noodles cancer” and “cup noodles bad for you.” While I doubt this brand of instant ramen will give you cancer, it’s certainly the least appetizing instant noodles I’ve ever tasted. Maybe I’ve been spoiled, but Cup Noodles pretty much taste like starch and watery soy sauce to me.

Image credit: suzuya.ca

That’s not to say that all instant ramen is tasteless, though. Head to an Asian market and you’ll see that there are many different brands and flavors of instant ramen, including soy, pork, and miso. Some of the other brands of cup noodles come in bigger containers as well, which is great for when you’re really hungry and that Cup Noodle styrofoam seems a little on the skimpy side. While there are definitely tasty cup brands of instant ramen, my personal favorite types of ramen are the ones that cook in a pot. Although not as instantly ready as the cup brands, they only take about ten minutes to cook and all the ingredients (other than water) are still included. I’ve always found the sauces in these brands to be better, which makes the extra five minutes totally worth it!

As for the raw fish confusion, it’s simply untrue that Japanese cuisine consists solely of uncooked fish, and taking a look at the menu in any Japanese restaurant confirms this. There are plenty of curries and rice dishes to be found in Japanese restaurants—one of my personal favorite rice dishes is called katsudon. It is a bowl of rice with eggs, thin pork cutlets, and seasoning on top. This type of rice bowl can be made with other types of meat, or even with just eggs and seasoning, for any vegetarians out there. Aside from ramen, there are also other types of noodles, such as soba or udon noodles. These noodles can be served both hot and cold, which make them a great choice on a hot summer night.

Tempura is another nice dish to have in the summer. Simply put, tempura is vegetables or seafood, put in batter and fried.  Many people are somewhat wary when they hear the word “fried,” but tempura is not all that unhealthy. For one, it is primarily vegetable or seafood-based.  It is also generally not too heavily fried, with the emphasis in the dish being the vegetable or seafood itself.  All sorts of vegetables and seafoods can be used in tempura, from eggplant to asparagus to shrimp. Tempura is actually pretty easy to make, as well.  My mother makes it fairly often in the summer, and we usually have it with some soba noodles on the side.  She makes sliced eggplant, green bean, and onion-and-carrot tempura. The onion-and-carrot tempura are thinly sliced and battered together almost like little bundles, and they disappear absurdly quickly from our table.

Of course, there’s also sushi. Most people are at least familiar with sushi, most likely having tried tuna rolls or California rolls. These are fine sushi choices, but I would urge any sushi fan to try something a little more adventurous.  I personally love sushi made with eel, although this sometimes gets me odd looks when I mention it to friends.  The fish is very soft, though, and often in sushi it is seasoned with a sauce that is almost sweet—I definitely recommend it!

Image credit: lectronet.com

The other fun aspect of Japanese restaurants that specialize in sushi is that there is sometimes a separate sushi bar. Some sushi bars feature a conveyor belt of sorts, with various sushi dishes on colored plates.  Generally, each plate color or pattern corresponds with the price of the sushi dish, so it is easy to check your spending as you eat. Restaurants like these are a lot of fun to go to with groups of people. I once went with my family, and my younger sister had a blast picking up dishes of sushi for us all; she would sit eagerly awaiting her favorite shrimp sushi to come down the conveyor belt.

Maybe if I had suggested a sushi bar like this, I could’ve convinced my friend Michelle that Japanese restaurants are fun and delicious, rather than strange and foreign.  Although I didn’t go into this much depth with her during my initial attempt to convince her, she did eventually agree to try out a modern Thai restaurant. And despite her initial reluctance, she ended up enjoying it after all.

Anais DiCroce

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Posted in onFood, onValues | 1 Comment »

Heading to Canada

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Quebec City Summer Festival 2011

I was a little disappointed that I could not spend this summer studying abroad in Europe. As a college junior this may have been my last shot at a study abroad semester. But hey, if I can’t go to France then I can at least go to the next best francophone land – Quebec!

Quebec is not just the home of Celine Dion, it has a rich history and the thriving metropolises of Montreal and Quebec City. And, to celebrate itself, it has a number of festivals throughout the year. The next one is the Quebec City Summer Festival 2011, an eleven-day-long event which will take place from July 7 to July 17. The festival attracts more than a million people each year and tickets are sold online and by phone. A single day ticket will cost about $30. For more information, visit www.infofestival.com.

The festival’s main attraction is music, and it’s been thrilling music lovers for the past 44 years. As Canada’s biggest outdoor artistic event, the festival has stages located in Old Quebec, Port of Quebec and the Saint-Roch district. Over a span of 11 days, the festival features over 1,000 artists and nearly 300 shows and the genres represented include rock, hip-hop, electro, jazz, classical, French song and more. This year’s line-up includes Elton John, Metallica and Simple Plan, among many others.

When you are not enjoying the music at the festival, you can explore the rest of Quebec City, where you can go on whale-watching cruises, ride in a hot air balloon, have a night out in Grand Allee, or watch live hockey.  You can also visit the city walls (did you know that Quebec City is the only fortified city in North America?), or visit the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which is like Quebec’s version of the Met. To get your shopping fix you can visit boulevard Laurier where you will find the world’s second largest indoor amusement park placed beside high fashion stores. You can also go over to Petit-Champlain where you will find boutiques, bistros, and restaurants in a charmingly European atmosphere. And, if you are feeling religious or have an appreciation for architecture, you can visit the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, or Notre-Dame-des-Victoires to name just a few of the 130 churches and cathedrals that can be found in Quebec.

However, if you are unable to cross the border and get to Canada this summer, you can always go to a French restaurant like Cosette Café Bistro and experience a different culture right here in New York.

Bushra Tawhid

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Posted in onEntertainment, onMusic, onTravel, onValues, Upcoming Concerts | No Comments »

onValues: Beating the Summer Mean Reds

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

I’ve been tearing up a lot lately.  Usually, I’m not the type to become visibly emotional; it’s a special movie that can make me cry, and The Notebook is not it.  Without turning this blog (and my first post in it) into an uncomfortably personal emotional dump, I’ll just say that these verges of tears and waves of crippling depression had their roots in something almost every college student will encounter: rejection.  Not romantic rejection, but professional rejection.  I had applied for summer thesis funding, a creative thesis, various summer project awards, internships, apartment leases—all the things I’d need for a summer in the city, preparing myself for senior year and beyond.  I was rejected from every one.

Of course, we can’t always get what we want, but in my defense, this felt like a long buildup of confirmations that I was going nowhere with my college education and that the talents I thought would help me post-graduation actually were worthless.  It felt like the start of a movie-perfect midlife crisis: what am I going to do with my future? What can I actually do with my future? How am I going to occupy my summer now? What am I going to do for three months if I go home to North Carolina (I don’t even live in the interesting parts of North Carolina)? Why am I living in a tent outside one of the university buildings, taking a shower on a narrow fire escape, and sitting on facebook stalking my friends’ more interesting, employed lives?  (The partial answer to that last question is that I belong to a club that owns a house property unaffiliated with the university—so technically I can stay for free.  I chose a tent because the house has no air conditioning and gets stuffy at night.  The shower—we’re just remodeling the third floor shower so we hooked a hose between the faucet and nozzle and attached the nozzle to the roof, then rigged up a shower curtain over the stairs.  It’s actually very refreshing, if seemingly precarious.)

Typically, we get out of these funks with some swift TLC; a movie marathon, or a massive party, or an extra long session at the gym.  Once we get that quick boost of endorphins, serotonin, or dopamine, we’re fine again, and we can make new plans.  I typically take a night to bake cupcakes and watch trashy movies with girls who beat up bad guys.  Another one of my friends locks himself in a bathroom and sings opera at the top of his lungs.  These are some ways to battle through.  But for me, this avalanche of rejection started in mid-April, and now, two months later, I’m still biting my lip and getting bleary-eyed at work.  I’m still living in that tent ever since dorm housing kicked me out after commencement, the commute expenses to my new job in the city will build up, and there are only so many nights I can spend with the rest of the displaced housemates in the house watching HBO and getting slowly drunk.  Even though I did find a job and I’ve been through a whirlwind of reunion parties with scattered friends passing through the city, the sadness is still there—this insecurity and student-adult crisis sticks around and it sticks through our usual solutions.  Now the issue isn’t that we have foolish plans and that we’re ill-prepared—we’ve just been trapped in a mood.

These mean reds (not just the blues, as Holly Golightly would specify) might take something a little more drastic or public to break out of the months-long mold of dissatisfaction and hopelessness.  Take an impromptu trip (really, your schedule of job searching and apartment hunting can afford it) to the beach.  Book a train to Philadelphia and go to Wayne—Valley Forge is there.  Or, for more of a more city-based escape, there’s always Karaoke Boho (25% off on weekends, 50% off during the week), where another friend of mine gets brave and belts Adele when she’s feeling the mean reds—the extreme public performing snaps her funk like nothing else.  Or you can go to BLICK art materials, which has a 20% discount on art supplies, and stock up on some inspiration material.  If you can’t get inspired, you can always do what I did for Halloween last year:

KOKO

Jackson Pollocked my entire body, then sat for therapeutic hours peeling strips of paint from my skin.

I might just do that this weekend.  For the rest of you in my same position of life:okay, and mind:rough, I wish you luck in feeling good!

x
Robin

I tweet while I’m at work. I have yet to master hashtags.
My blog catalogs the things that do make me happy.

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Attention Shakespeare Fans!

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

As an English major and book-lover, I have (of course) a secret nerdy obsession with William Shakespeare. I’ve seen all the movies, been to shows, taken classes focusing on ALL of his plays and memorized countless lines from them. And every year I try to make it to a Shakespeare in the Park show, but with work and summer classes, sadly, I’ve never been able to. This summer, however, I vow to make it to a show. The only problem is picking which one to see!

This summer’s featured plays are Measure For Measure and All’s Well That Ends Well. The plays run for about two and a half hours with a fifteen-minute intermission. The cast is the same for both plays, and includes some movie and television stars such as Annie Parisse and Dakin Matthews.  Measure For Measure is one of Shakespeare’s problem plays (meaning it is not easily classified as a comedy or tragedy) about truth, lust and justice.  Also generally considered a problem play, All’s Well That Ends Well focuses on trickery, social class and marriage.

The performances started on June 6th and the last show will be on July 30th.  Tickets are free (!) and are distributed at 1 pm on the day of each performance. They are given out on a first come, first served basis, so getting there early is essential. Every show is at 8 pm in the Delacorte Theater in Central Park (the nearest entrances are 81st Street and Central Park West or 79th Street and Fifth Ave). A friend of mine went and said that even though she had to wait on line for a few hours, it was worth the wait and was even “kind of fun to stand with everyone and anxiously wait for tickets.” Take note, however, that tickets are limited to two per person and there are rules to follow while waiting on line (scalped tickets are not accepted and if you cut the line or cause a ruckus they have the right to remove you from the line—basic stuff, really). But food is allowed in and they also have concession stands with sandwiches, snacks and drinks. The hard part is just getting the tickets. Once you have them, the day can be spent picnicking in Central park, visiting the Met, and seeing the show at night. Even for someone who isn’t a Shakespeare buff like myself, this could be a day to be remembered. It’s a rare opportunity to not only see a Shakespeare play for free but see one put on by such an amazing production company—they have been performing Shakespeare plays in the park for fifty seven years to crowds of 1,500 people a night! Personally I’m leaning more towards All’s Well That Ends Well, so if any of you make it out maybe you’ll see me there. I’ll be the goofy girl intensely watching and most likely cheering and screaming at the end. Listed below are the dates that each show is playing:

All’s Well That Ends Well

June 6, 7, 13, 15, 18, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29

July 11, 12, 18, 19

Measure For Measure

June 11, 12, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25

July 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 20, 25, 26, 27

—Jackie Aqel

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To Plan or not to Plan?

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

As students, we are often told by more than one well-meaning parental figure that planning is a major factor in achieving success or failure. We’re supposed to have a plan for selecting a major; we’re supposed to have a plan to thwart the dreaded freshman fifteen; we’re supposed to have a plan for what we’re doing after school while we’re still in school…With so much planning, sometimes it’s nice to just give into a random impulse or spontaneously do something simply because the idea popped into your head.

I did just that last week, and now, I have a nose ring.

In the words of John Lennon: "Life is what happens when you're busy making plans."

Let me start at the beginning. It was nearing 11:30pm on a weeknight and my friend and I were craving pasta. We were supposed to go to bed early because we both had obligations the next day, but the more we thought about fresh vegetables sautéed in olive oil and served on top of ziti, the more our initial plan to go to sleep seemed absurd. So with aspirations of an impromptu pasta party for two, we began searching for ingredients.

First, we tried a Duane Reade, and were disappointed by the lack of produce. Additionally, there was no ziti to be found, only angel hair and elbow macaroni. By the time we trekked to Gristede’s, our fears that the grocery store had already closed were confirmed as the automatic doors refused to open no matter how much we jumped, waved, and stomped, hoping to trigger some sort of motion or weight sensor.

Close to giving up, I suggested we make the best of the minimal selection at a 24-hour CVS, but that’s when my friend recalled a grocery store on St. Mark’s that she though might be open all night. Hopeful, we power-walked east, soon immersed in the eclectic counter-culture that gathers on St. Mark’s.

Eventually, we reached what looked like a design for a tattoo parlor; an underground shop brandishing a logo of a heart with giant angel wings and a halo suspended above its “head.” But, it wasn’t a tattoo shop; it was our destination, St. Mark’s Market. A gourmet godsend with the promise of “Open Always.”

As I attempted to select the perfect garlic clove to flavor our midnight feast, my friend blurted, “Hey, isn’t that piercing place you always go to close by?”

When I confirmed that her suspicions were true, we somehow came to the conclusion that she should get a new ear piercing. After minimal badgering on her part, I agreed that pending the cost of our snacking spree, I would also get a piercing.

Thankfully, the bounty we selected from St. Mark’s Market was so well priced I was able to afford a stud for my left nostril. Sure, I woke up with a slight soreness from my fashionable puncture wound. And yes, I was a little more tired and full than I planned on being when I woke up for work. But the bonding session I had with my friend thanks to pasta and piercings was worth the minor inconveniences. Sometimes, it’s worth it to scrap the plans, and just go with the flow.

-Alex Agahigian-

Photo Credit: live4ever.uk.com

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Posted in onFun, onValues, Out On The Town | 2 Comments »

Urban Social

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Hail a cab and head towards fun.

It is a common misconception that the only kind of social life in college that is obtainable and attractive is found in student dorms. But this is not at all the case for those who commute or are simply bored with the routine of beer pong and predictable frat parties. I remember a month or two into my first semester of college when I visited one of my best friends for the weekend at the celebrated private university that she attends in Boston. I was expecting to be wowed by her social life since I attend a commuter college in NYC, but I found it to be simply not my type of fun. I was surprised that in a place famed as a “College Town” there wasn’t much to do but roam from dorm party to frat party to dorm party again. The monotony of big school social life was just not exciting. I realize for some it really is but for me it just wasn’t.

I will admit it was rather nice knowing the streets were infested with people my age from all over the United States and the world, which I found to be inspiring in many ways. It seems youth is admired not just by the old, but by the young too. It was just slightly disappointing to realize that for all the different people from all the different parts of the world concentrated on those streets, individuality still fell prey to the uniform social life religiously followed by most college students. Don’t get me wrong––it was an interesting experience, and I continue to visit this particular friend throughout the year to get my fix of dorm life, since a change of scenery is always nice, but my heart and social life lie in the Big Apple.

New York City is a playground for college students because of its many hip neighborhoods as well as the easy access provided by the subway system. There is an abundance of things to do and see in the worlds of music, art, comedy, and of course nightlife. And don’t forget food! New York City is home to some of the world’s best places to eat, and also there are so many different types of cuisines to try, like great Indian street food, which you can find at Bombay Talkie in Chelsea. In simple terms: a city of immigrants makes for a city of delicious, diverse food choices. The city is also well known for its vast reserves of high quality standup comedy. Seeing standup is always fun when you’re with a group of friends because there’s the promise of drinks, food, and laughs. What more could you ask for after a week that most likely consists of sleep deprivation combined with the stresses of work and school? I highly suggest checking out the People’s Improv Theather, which is affectionately known as The Pit. The Pit is located right down the block from Baruch College and is very student friendly. Also New York is chock full of art museums and festivals to visit with friends during the day where you can soak up some culture and then later at night you can find a place to dine or drink on pretty much any New York City block. The club scene is probably the best in the nation, with many of the most popular ones concentrated in the Meatpacking District. There are also tons of live music restaurants (Café Wha? of Greenwich Village) and music venues (Music Hall of Williamsburg, Webster Hall, Bowery Ballroom, Mercury Lounge) where college students flock throughout the week to listen to bands that are the epitome of cool, both old and new.

I would take the variety of my commuter social life any day over the bland one experienced by those that neglect to push beyond the dorm, or attend college out of NYC. I’m not saying that there is no such thing as fun outside of NYC but there are certainly more options when it comes to having a college social life. Sometimes it takes a trip away from home to make you realize how great the city that you call home is in the first place. I learned that fun isn’t necessarily confined to the four walls of a cold dorm room, and instead it infinitely surrounds me once I walk out my door and rush to catch the train.

-Anjelica LaFurno

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Posted in onCollege, onFun, onTravel, onValues, Out On The Town, Uniqueness in NYC | 1 Comment »

How I’ve Been Handling Confinement

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Three weeks ago I underwent surgery on my foot to fix a bone structure issue that interfered with my ability to walk. I had attempted to prepare myself for the weeks that would come, where I knew I would be unable to walk, or for the first week, even move about freely. Yet when the time came when I was actually unable to leave my house, let alone my room, I realized I was in for a rough few weeks.

Despite my attempts to convince my parents that I could easily use my crutches to get around outside, they reminded me of the doctor’s orders to keep my foot stationary and elevated for at least one week. And even after that initial week, transporting was still nearly as difficult because my arms were not built to hold my body weight for extended periods of time, and balancing on one leg put quite a strain on my hip.

Everything that used to be easy was suddenly impossible. I had no hands if I was using my crutches, so even something as menial as carrying my plate from the kitchen to the dining hall was impossible. I dreaded showering for fear of slipping and falling on the hard ceramic, as hopping and jumping one-legged in a shower is not the safest of activities. Even three block walks would wear out my weak arms, and as I fell farther and farther behind my friends, despair would set in and I’d recognize all the things I once took for granted.

The last three weeks have definitely driven me stir crazy, more than I even thought they would. Even I reach a point where I’ve read too many books—the girl who got in trouble through sixth to tenth grade for reading during class! The books were great (check out The Pillars of the Earth, The Diamond Age, and The Help, if you’re looking for a good read), and so was having all the extra movie and television time, but those days were more than I could handle. Everyone me started driving me crazy and I became short sighted, expecting my sister or parents to be able to read my thoughts when I needed their help, or be free every moment that I needed their assistance. I knew I needed to do something, anything, just to stop from going crazy.

So I started doing crafts and other artsy things. I’m not the most artistic person in the world, but I do think most anyone can cut out pictures from a magazine and make a collage. I experimented with melting crayon onto wax paper. I fooled around with different techniques on Photoshop. Next week I plan on making coasters with my sister for the new apartment she just bought out in Boston. I find a lot of crafts ideas online, and others I just make up as I go.

I also try to make sure that I get outside every day, even if just to buy lunch. I’ve scouted out all the inexpensive places within crutching distance, such as Bagel Bob’s, Goodburger, and Nanoosh (which all offer student discounts), and spend some time with friends or my sister.

If you’re ever going stir-crazy, or just want a fun easy activity to do with friends on a slow day, crafts are a great way to spend your time—they keep your hands and brain occupied, and the finished products are often rewarding. Head over to Utrecht for a 10% off student discount with your ID, or 30% of with the printed coupon.

/elizabeth Kaleko

Picture from: www.chumpysclipart.com

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Try Something New

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Now that the summer’s here, it’s time to step away from those complicated school assignments and step back to the fundamentals: reading. Despite being constantly encouraged when we were younger to read, we all know what it’s like to hit high school or college and forget what it means to read for pleasure. It’s easy to ask yourself Why should I read when I get the same value of entertainment faster and easier through a television show? There are many answers, but perhaps the most obvious reason is that it keeps your brain sharp despite the summer sun’s attempt to melt away your intellect. Getting caught up in a good story provides more than televisions twenty-minute quick fix for entertainment, and a good book will leave you thinking for days. Finishing a book also comes with a sense of accomplishment (and bragging rights among your friends!).

Take a minute and think about the last book you read. I think it safe to assume that most of you have read some or all of the Harry Potter series. Did you enjoy it? I’ll take your answer as a Yes. Did you continue on to read more fantasy or science fiction books? No? Why is that? Didn’t think you’d enjoy a fantasy book? Guess what? You already have!

Now, I’d like to propose something to you. Pick up a book this summer in a genre completely different than the one you’re used to; my suggestion, if you haven’t already, is in the science fiction category. They’re not so different from themes you’re already used to. They’ve got some romance, friendship, great characters, as well as thrilling adventures that keep you on the (metaphorical) edge of your seat. Delving into a new genre could introduce you not only to different styles of writing that help you as a writer, but also different people who share that genre with you. And you never know, you might find that you love this new world that you happened upon.

If you’re still hesitant, try something in the middle ground, like ‘Never Let me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro, the story of a girl growing up in a specialized school whose true purpose is kept a secret to the students. This book will leave you questioning the ethics of modern science while telling the touching tale of three best friends and how they reunite.

More than anything, take a break from the tight scheduling of college requirements this summer and try something new and different.

/elizabeth Kaleko

Picture from: www.clipartguide.com/

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The Family Curry Pot

Sunday, June 19th, 2011

A curry pot: It is an all-encompassing, all-powerful tool of sturdy construction and unlimited possibilities. Every home should have one, or certainly something similar to it. A curry pot can send out an aroma, a call that you can’t refuse to answer, triggering the senses with the scents it emits. A curry pot can be an alarm clock, clanging in dissonance with cooking utensils and waking you from an afternoon nap. A curry pot, with its cover, can be a shining beacon of culinary splendor, covering its contents from view until they are ready to be served. Among all of the traits a curry pot can possess, there is a fundamental difference with every curry pot in every household that contains one: a family’s curry pot is their own.

CurryChicken

A curry pot filled with delicious curry

In my family, we have a large, silver curry pot. But for others, the color varies. It can be silver, but it can also be black and maybe white or red. Some are multicolored. There really is no standard, though silver and black are common. My family’s curry pot is very rotund, and though most look like this, some are shaped more like cones: wide at the top and decreasing in circumference as you work your way to the bottom. In my family, the curry pot that is cooked with is the same curry pot that is used to serve. But many people like to serve their food in a more ornate pot or dish. Simply looking at the characteristics, one can already see the variances that come into play from pot to pot.

There is also the matter of how the curry is made. This alone largely separates one curry pot from another. Scratch that; this separates one family from another, because over the course of several years, you will find that a given pot will carry a distinct smell with it from being used with certain ingredients, no matter how well you wash it. The essential elements for a good curry sauce are cumin and coriander powder, vegetable oil and some garlic and onion (though I’m sure even the basic elements of curry are disputable). From there, any number of vegetables, herbs, spices, powders and peppers can be used to make your curry its own. In my opinion, the quintessential idea of longing for a “home-cooked meal” after having spent an extended period of time away applies more to home-cooked curry than any other type of food because of the endlessness of tastes that a given curried dish can embed.

Ask any one person, whose mother or father makes curried dishes time and again, and they will very well tell you that no one’s curry is better than the curry that comes from their own home. I myself certainly feel that way about my mother’s curry. Coveting the curry of the household is as normal as a hug or a kiss: it shows devotion and care for the loved one who’s responsible for their delectable dishes.

Sometimes leeway can be allowed, but this usually only occurs within one’s extended family. For example, I would claim that my mother makes the best chicken curry there is, but my uncle has her beat when it comes to lamb curry. Under no circumstance do I feel that anyone’s lamb or chicken outside of theirs is better when curried. My opinion doesn’t simply stem from stubborn pride either; I have tried many other curried dishes and still stand by my family’s curried creations.

A family’s curry pot is very powerful. Its use creates a bond that is difficult to shake or impede. Growing up, my mother and father both made a note of instilling familial values within me and my brother, but thinking back on it all, I don’t know if that was always necessary. The curry pot and its creations certainly accomplished the same mission in an intangible way. The interesting part is I know this is happening the world over, day after day. Maybe not always with a curry pot, but knowing the unions that families share over their food is a beautiful thing everyone should be able to share.

–Christopher Cusack, Hofstra University

Photo Credit: Erika@IvoryHut.com

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