Issuu

Tea Time From

e ar a g the G en to Gard

Iowa City West High School

2901 Melrose Ave. Volume 1 Issue 1

May 25, 2017

Abby Nachtman, Natalie Dunlap, Lila Terry & Natalie Katz

Feature: Foods around the World

Feature: Drip drop

7 12 14 16

Cover STory: From the Garden to the garage Opinion: Landlocked state, worldwide plate Opinion: The truth about water Back Page: Let’s taco ‘bout food puns DESIGN BY NATALIE KATZ

D L F O R O

UN RO D

S D A O

THE W

DESIGN BY ABBY NACHTMAN

04 F E AT U R E

MAY 25, 2017

BY NATALIE KATZ

From Algeria to Italy, colonized to a colonizer, the difference between the food cultures in each country is like a vast ocean. Even coming from a town as diverse as Iowa City, it is nearly impossible to experience the flavors of these two countries, because the options in here are simply not truly authentic.

ITALY

When most people think of Italian food, gelato, pizza and pasta come to mind. However, while the culture is centered around the food, it’s because food ties families together. Especially for the Degrazia’s, Maia ’20 and Mason ’18, who continue to celebrate their Italian background through family. “Italian culture is a lot about having a lot of extended family and always being together,” Mason said. The Degrazia’s don’t always eat Italian food, but when their grandpa, Papa Louis, comes to visit, their Italian heritage kicks into full swing. “When we make food, we make a lot of it,” Maia said. “Hence the 400 meatballs Papa Louis makes.” The meatballs eaten in Italy “ are much bigger and have more flavor, because more ingredients go into the actual meatball. Multiple .” types of meat are used, -Maia Degazia’20 as well as onions and an assortment of spices. The Degrazia’s often eat spaghetti with meatballs, but it isn’t your typical sauce. The tomato sauce eaten in the United States is thicker, compared to the sauce in Italy, which is “more like a delicate sauce, rather than a heavy, goupy, whatever that is,” Maia said, after referring to the sauce served at Olive Garden, a supposedly Italian restaurant. There are a few ‘authentic’ Italian restaurants in Iowa City according to Mason, but Olive Garden is ‘definitely not one of them,’.The food brings family and friends together, and this helps even distant relatives stay closely connected. “Our Thanksgivings consist of 12 pies and 50 people at our house,” Maia said. The gatherings are much less intimate, and the overall atmosphere is much more stress-free. As the Degrazia’s get older, they hope to continue this festive outlook on family gatherings and stay connected to their Italian heritage. “Italians are chill,” Maia and Mason agreed, and they want to continue this lifestyle into the future.

Our Thanksgivings consist of 12 pies and 50 people

ALGERIA

F E AT U R E

MAY 25, 2017

Boiling milk and minute couscous, where soccer games are watched in cafes. Algeria is a country whose food culture runs deep and plays a big role in not only everyday life, but the economy as well. Food trucks and cafes line the streets, creating an aroma of pizza and coffee. The number of cafes isn’t surprising, considering the amount of coffee that a typical person would drink there. Idris Kecira ’20, was born in Algeria, and explained that you almost always boil your milk before drinking it there. “It seems weird here, but if you go there and drink cold milk, they think you’re the weirdest person,” he said. This will typically be drunk with coffee and sugar in it, and is very common throughout all of Algeria. Some people will make it at home and others will go to cafes for it. The cafes in Algeria are a popular place to meet up. “It’s part of the culture. When you go to watch a soccer game, everybody just watches it at the cafe. [It’s like what] everybody does here for Buffalo Wild Wings,” said Kecira. In addition to drinking a lot of coffee, couscous is the base of many meals there. Couscous, a grain similar to rice, can be made with vegetables, meat, or even cinnamon. While couscous is a go-to food, a different food helps blend culture and religion together. Bourek is a food that is only made during Ramadan, an Islamic holiday where they fast. If people ate it outside of this holiday, “It would be like eating candy canes year round,” Kecira said. It can be eaten in a soup or with couscous, and filled with fish, vegetables or cheese. “It’s basically an egg roll; you can make it into any shape you want,” Kecira explained, whose favorite food is this delectable treat. With its flaky crust and “warm and fuzzy inside”, according to Kecira, Bourek may sound difficult to make, but he insists that it isn’t; he’s made it before. Other foods eaten in Algeria are greatly influenced by France and the Islamic religion. “Eating there is a lot better because you know everything is Hilel, you don’t have a fear of eating pork,” Kecira said, explaining that in the United States, it’s difficult to know whether something was cooked with wine or pork. In addition, many of the foods and words in Algeria are similar to those in French. Kecira explained that words like refrigerator are pronounced nearly the same in these two languages because of their dialect. “On a day to day basis, you will see some French food because [Algeria was colonized by France],” he said. Because of this, the food type can be classified as Mediterranean, a type of food that is not common in Iowa City. This makes it all the more important for Idris and many others of Algerian heritage to keep their food culture alive here, in a city that may not be as diverse in it’s food options as it looks. “I think that the lifestyle [in Algeria] is more interesting because everyone lives in the moment and we don’t stress too much about the future,” Kecira said. He hopes to continue visiting, and maybe possibly move back because “the experience you get there can’t be found anywhere else in the world.”

DESIGN BY ABBY NACHTMAN

drip. dr p.

F E AT U R E

MAY 25, 2017

Three days.

The average person can’t survive longer than three days without water; it’s the basis of life for nearly all living things. Society doesn’t only biologically depend on water, it’s an industry. There are endless options and preferences people have when it comes to providing their body with it’s most valuable resource and companies have developed strange ways to market it to you. I tested two water brands, Blk and Boxed Water, to compare unique kinds of water and discover if there is a difference.

BY NATALIE DUNLAP Blk is a company that makes bottled mineral water. What makes it stand out is fulvic minerals from plants and soil, in it that naturally turns it black.

Look: My first initial reaction to this was: that’s intriguing, but extremely sketchy. When I studied it closely, it alarmingly resembled balsamic vinegar, which I would rather not take a swig of.

Taste: After working up the courage to try it, Blk tasted, anticlimactically, like water. The only difference from filtered tap water was the faint taste of minerals that made it more earthy and strong. Blk is really the Danny Zuko of water, a tough exterior but just like everybody else on the inside.

Boxed Water may seem to just be about packaging in an irregular shape, but the company’s main focus is actually to produce water in an environmentally conscientious way.Their website proudly states that boxed water is better. The container is 74% paper, 20% plastic and 6% aluminum, as opposed to most bottles made entirely of plastic. The paper is sustainable gathered, the forest where the paper comes from is continually planting trees. The boxes also collapse to make transportation more efficient so less trucks need to be used.

Look: Packaged in a white rectangular box. Two sides say “BOXED WATER IS BETTER”, one has nutritional information and the other has a friendly“hello” written in cursive. I found more aesthetically pleasing than bottles with plastic label on top of it. I was fearing flashbacks to elementary school milk cartons of flakey paper, but the paper mixed with the plastic and alimun created a good quality container.

Ta s t e : When I poured it I realized it was the clearest water I’d ever seen. It tasted somehow softer and smoother than filtered tap water. It seemed very pure, and lacked the metallic taste of tap water.

After comparing these unique water brands to my house supply,I came to two conclusions: I have a preference and it doesn’t matter. My favorite was boxed water, not just because it tasted lighter and better to me, but I like the steps the company is making to reduce their carbon footprint. After coming to this realization, I don’t expect a profound life change. The differences between the water I tried and almost all unflavored water in general are marginal and undetectable unless one is trying to notice them. And while I do appreciate the efforts Boxed Water has put in to create a sustainable company, the most economically and environmentally stable way for Americans to consume water is utilizing tap water and reusable bottles. Boxed is better, but tap is best. DESIGN BY LILA TERRY

M S A R R E K M R

DESIGN BY ABBY NACHTMAN

Garden Market

From the To the

BY NATALIE KATZ DESIGN BY Abby Nachtman and Natalie Katz

PHOTOS BY NATALIE KATZ

is not your typical market. Many Early morning goers were people come bearing cloth bags and already departing with their new buy freshly harvested corn, apples, green bags filled with fresh provegetables and jams, and rare is it to duce and balancing boxes of new plants, rested precariously on their find a person leaving empty handed. Most depart carrying a bag or shoulders. Streams of sunlight three bustling with their finds for were starting to filter through the the week; a bag of noodles from Zatrees, lighting up the area that Za’s, a pie from IC Pies, coffee from was already filling with families, Cafe du Sol, kale from the Grinnell friends, the old and young alike. farm, or whatever other treasures It was one of the first truly, bright, they found. The Iowa City Farmsunny days since a while, and the COMPILED BY NATALIE KATZ ers Market is trees had just turned a hidden gem green again. People Where & When of Iowa City, were clustered into where people groups, talking and come together munching on their Washington Street to form a combreakfasts, some munity. eating a Jamaican May 6-October 31 As people burrito, and others return to the a donut. Vendors were attracting early morning cus- farmer’s market, some go to ventomers, the regulars; reuniting with dors from previous, and others old ones and greeting the new. The branch off and find new vendors. Long lines form at old favorites: Iowa City Farmer’s Market takes place in downtown Iowa City from Griddle me this and Banditos, filled 7:30-12:00 every Saturday from the with parents, friends, bikers, and children, all waiting for breakfast. beginning of May until the end of Emma and David, a young couple October. enjoying their breakfast, say they As the 2017 Iowa City Farmers Market gets back into the swing of come here every Saturday for the things after a 6 month hibernation, Jamaican Wrap Me Up burrito from it appears that everything has been Banditos. “The atmosphere here is dusted off and kicked into full gear. definitely lively, and it smells good,” they answered together. Spring is turning to summer, and Most customers stay loyal to Washington Street is turning with vendors from last year. Talking it; still teeming with people, creto returning customers is a ating a vibrant atmosphere filled favorite part of many of with laughter and the hustle and the vendors’ experibustle of a typical market; but this

7:30am-12pm

ences. “You meet people and stay connected through the market. It’s kind of a neat little family,” said Carrie Walls, who runs Ineichen Tomatoes, a stall at the farmer’s market. Walls’ stand is usually a favorite, and you can find her rushing to help all of the customers. Her family has been selling tomatoes and other produce at the market for 27 years, and she was a young girl when they started. Walls still has customers today from when she was young. “We have great customers that continue to be loyal and come out and support us. It’s a great farmer’s market,” Walls said. Marilee Feldman, who sells fibers and products from her llamas and alpacas, always has a good time conversing with her customers. This is here second year back at the market, and she returned because of the atmosphere and friendliness about the market. Feldman loves what she does. Everyday after work, she sits down and does her

‘homework’ before treating herself positive morning to the ‘dessert’;spending time energy. I don’t know if I with the llamas and fiber. Ever would call it celebrating prosince Feldman got her first llama, duce and fresh food, but enjoyshe said “I wanted an alpaca and ing and living it,” he said. Sophia then I wanted more, and I wantFinster, a friend at the market with ed more, and I wanted more.” Bhalerad, tries to go there every comes While it’s a lot of work to make week. “We don’t usually get to see every the products and care for the who actually grows our food,” said week, animals, Feldman loves and conbeing selling at the marverses with ket. “Being a vendor is just the vendors and about loving your product friends while she’s and sharing it,” she says. there. “It just feels “I think, for someone who like a happy thing about wants to sell, they need -Paul, customer at Farmer’s Market Iowa City,” Hetherington to find something they’re said. passionate about, and then However, there is definitely it sells itself.” Finster. This level of interaction is a shift in atmosphere between One reason for the interaction rare, and these young college stuthe early morning crowd and is because this is one of the only dents seem to be making the most the later one. “At the beginning places where people can talk diof it. Local farming has become rectly to the farmers who produce especially important lately with the of the market people are looking to grab things and go. Right their food. “This is a community increased use of genetically modiaround 10 o’clock, people are space, where people can ask the fied seeds as well as fertilizers. farmers about how they do their In the midst of this bustling crowd, here just to spend some time to learn and to shop,” Feldman produce,” explained Claire, one you can see people strolling about, said. One of these customers, of the volunteers at the farmer’s and vendors leaning over to hear Tim Barries was munching on market. their customers over the sounds. Akash Bhalerad, a young man Most of all though, people notice a large bag of popcorn outside toting a backpack, is a monthly the energy and atmosphere around on the street. “[It’s nice to see] the community coming togethvisitor to the market. His favorite this place. “It’s kind of like a carnithing about the market is beval,” Paul, a customer said, relaxing er with local ingredients and meeting your neighbors and ing able to enjoy this fresh with his friend on a bench. Feldwhat not,” said Barries as he ate food with the farmers man said, “Every time you come another handful of popcorn. who produced it. out here, it’s like a community Barries comes to the market “[My favorite gathering with everyone.” for the popcorn and enjoys the thing is] the Mills, the vendor who sells welcoming atmosphere. people as mushrooms also enjoys the enAnd then there’s the cusa whole vironment created by the martomers who stay for the whole and ketplace. “It’s an awesome enmarket. Paul and Quinton are the vironment. It’s kind of one big two old friends who meet at the neighborhood. They’re great in market every Saturday. They Iowa City,” added Mills. don’t see each other outside One customer wearing a of this time, so they make an vibrant red hat and scarf, effort to come every week. strolled through the marThese two men can be seen ket at a casual pace. Cheryl Hetherington sitting on a black bench for

“I like to call myself the mayor of the farmer’s market

INFOGRAPHICS COMPILED BY NATALIE DUNLAP

C O V E R S TO R Y MAY 25, 2017

most of the market, talking and eating,or walking around. “I like to call myself the mayor of the farmer’s market,” said Paul. “He likes to think everything is orderly because of his presence,” responded Quinton with a chuckle as he waved to a friend passing by. These two friends are often agreeing and finishing each other’s sentences. After Paul described the farmer’s market as a carnival Quinton added,“It’s a community too.” To which Paul agreed, “Yeah, a community too. That’s a good word for it.” Paul and Quinton notice everything, pointing out that there is an interesting mix of people at the market. “I guess it’s because I sit and watch the people,” says Paul.

The Iowa City Farmers Market is quite the experience, although the vendors are exhausted by the time noon rolls around on Saturdays. Dale Buck, a vendor who sells eggs at the market, gets up at 4:30 on Saturdays to prepare. Others, such as Carrie Wall have to deliver their produce to multiple places before going to the farmer’s market. Wall delivers to four HyVees in the morning before coming. Harriet Wager typically only gets one hour of sleep the night before the market because she wants to make sure her products are as fresh as possible. While all of this sounds exhausting enough to not come, the vendors return year after year because of how special this farmer’s market is. Wager said, “I would say that the Iowa City Farmer’s Market, out of all the ones I’ve done over the years is the best one there is.”

FOR VIDEO COVERAGE, GO TO INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

C O V E R S TO R Y

MAY 25, 2017

OPINION MAY 25, 2017

LANDLOCKED STATE WORLD WIDE PLATE

BY NATALIE DUNLAP

Iowa City, like most college downs, is an area full of culture populated by people of all ethnic backgrounds. Iowa City celebrates its culture with art and music festivals, but those curious about other cultures can experience it any time of the year in the most satisfying way, through food. In Johnston county there’s a wide variety of ethnic restaurants from all over the globe. To asses the quality and authenticity of these restaurants, intro staffers visited three local establishments with food from France, China and India.

Crepes de Luxe

When I walked into Crepes de Luxe Cafe early Friday afternoon on April 26, the small French restaurant was packed. All six booths were full of friends and families enjoying conversation and crepes. The only open places to sit were two tables pushed against the wall, near the door. The walls of the restaurant were orange, and there were bright decorations and cloth throughout the room. String lights lined the windows, and the menu was written in colorful chalk lettering on a blackboard behind the counter. The environment was cozy and casual, but felt authentic. The owner, Hicham Chehouani, is from France and his wife and chef, Fadwa El’Qoudsi, is from Morocco. French music was playing under the conversation in the cafe as two middle aged French women spoke to each other. It was only El’Qoudsi making the crepes, and because it was busy, the first round of crepes took about fifteen minutes to come out. The first crepe I had was the Ratatouille Crepe, a savory crepe with zucchini, eggplant, onions, green peppers, spinach, mozzarella and pesto. The vegetables tasted fresh and it was presented nicely with a swirl of herb sauce on the plate. The savory crepe was well done, but I was most looking forward to the sweet crepe. Crepes are a thin pancake, that I’ve found pair better with sweet ingredients. Soon came the Paris Crepe; it was made with nutella, walnuts, coconut, sprinkled with chocolate chips and dusted with powdered sugar. Besides the fact I couldn’t possibly dislike anything that has touched nutella, it succeeded at being sweet and interesting. The coconut and walnuts added crunch to the smooth chocolate spread that created the perfect texture. The general mood of the restaurant is unique and pleasant. There was wide variety crepes that could appeal to people with different tastes. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to try something that’s new, but not too extravagant.

OPINION

MAY 25, 2017

Upon taking my first step into Bashu I immediately wanted to turn around. The first thing I was a whiteboard with specials written on it. Though this is extremely common, the peculiar thing about this sign was its placement. It was rested on chairs alongside an umbrella and a stack of papers. Behind the chairs, leaning against the wall and barely visible was a sign for Bashu that hadn’t been hung yet. Also in this area are cardboard boxes just sitting on the floor. This entire scene is illuminated by a chandelier with one bulb out. My immediate reaction was that this is a low quality restaurant. The bar was messy with packs of Bounty paper towels and white clothes hangers and poorly lit. The walls were dirty and there is a lingering smell of cigarette smoke. When I started looking at the menu, however, I saw many items that intrigued me: mao assorted veggies with meat, dry braised cauliflower in a pot, tofu with egg yolk, and fresh diced chicken with fresh fruits. The menu was pretty extensive, but there wasn’t any description of the meals other than its level of spiciness, indicated by red peppers next to the name, so I just ordered what sounded good to me at the time. My first order was szechuan-style noodles. This is a dish with noodles, a sweet brown sauce, meat and a bit of cucumber. It’s popular all throughout China, but I wasn’t a fan of it; to me it tasted like sweet spaghetti. Next, I had the pork egg rolls. Egg rolls are something I love when they’re well-made, and can’t stand when they aren’t. These were delicious, with a flakey outside and fresh tasting pork and vegetables with the perfect consistency. I also tried the fish fleet with wild pepper. It came in a huge bowl with broth, clear noodles, vegetables and kelp. The fish tasted fresh and was filled with flavor, but the broth was very oily and salty, which made the flavor extreme. Lastly, I had fried sliced fish with sweet and sour sauce. It was tasty with a crunchy outside covered in nice sweet and sour sauce and a simple soft fish flavor inside. I have no complaints on this dish other than the fact that I found a hair in it that wasn’t mine. I think if the owners put in the time to decorate and spiff up Bashu, it has the potential to be a really good restaurant, but currently the dining experience is not very high quality. I would recommend Bashu for large groups looking for a very casual meal, or for take out.

Exotic Indian

I went to Exotic Indian for lunch on a Saturday. At that time, they served an Indian buffet. I frequently get take out from Exotic Indian, and I don’t think the buffet is an accurate representation of their food quality. When you get the buffet there is only the name of the food, no descriptions so you know what you’re getting, and some of the dishes are cold. However, it was a nice way to taste small amounts of different foods, which may be appealing to people who have never had Indian food before. I had veggie samosas, tandoori chicken, chicken curry, dal soup, and gulab jamun. I enjoyed the samosas, they went well with tamarind, a sweet brown sauce. They had a perfectly cooked flakey outside and hearty inside that made me go back for seconds. The tandoori chicken was, oddly, the most beautiful poultry I’d ever seen. It had a bright red skin covered in herbs. It was tender and flavorful. The chicken in the curry was also tender with a mild spice in the sauce. The dal soup was a yellow semi thick broth. I liked the taste but it left a grainy uncomfortable taste on my tongue. For dessert I had a red grain dish called gulab jamun. I enjoyed it in small amounts but didn’t enjoy the mushy texture. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone opposed to very sweet things.

I think Exotic Indian serves high-quality food. There are some chips in the orange walls, but they clearly take pride in their restaurant by decorating it with art and quilts. I would recommend Exotic India but for people familiar with Indian food I suggest ordering off the menu instead of the buffet

DESIGN BY ABBY NACHTMAN

OPINION MAY 25 2017

The Truth About Water BY ABBY NACHTMAN

100 gallons.

That’s how much water the average American uses each day according to USGS. In the United States, we take water for granted. We waste it. We pollute it. We ruin it for ourselves and the other animals that call it their home. Water means nothing to us. We turn a knob and water comes out; we don’t even stop to think about how lucky we are. I’m not saying I’m innocent because I know I’m not. I leave the water running when I brush my teeth. I take long showers just because I can. I have six people in my family and our water bill is $100 per month. I know it may seem like a lot but, when you take a second to think about the fact that some people have to walk ten miles just to get water you think about the luxury you have. I could walk ten steps to go get a drink or brush my teeth. These people walk ten miles. The sad thing is that wasting water isn’t even the worst of our problems. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Contrary to popular belief it’s not a big pile of trash in the ocean. According to National Geographic, this garbage patch is made mostly of microplastics. While the name sounds harmless, it has a huge impact on the marine life living there. These microplastics can block out the rays of the sun depriving the algae, plankton and other autotrophs from the sunlight they need to survive. This may again seem not so important, I mean who cares about these little creatures? Well the problem is that these little creatures are food to bigger creatures and the food web goes out from there. By now you’re probably wondering why we’re not doing anything about this. How are we going to save our oceans? The answer is we can’t. We can only try to keep it from getting worse. According to National Geographic it would take 67 ships one year to clean up less than one percent of just the north part of the Pacific Ocean (National Ocean and Atmospheric Marine Debris). Plastic pollution is a worldwide problem. We are too dependent on plastic. We throw plastic in the garbage or watch a grocery bag roll down the street and think nothing of it. Out of sight out of mind. We have this habit of thinking other people will do it for us. We believe that if we don’t pick up that piece of trash the next person that walks by it will. We need to leave that mindset behind. Laziness is not just hurting you it’s hurting the world. You picking up that one plastic bag rolling by, saves the sea turtle who mistakes that bag for a jelly fish. No matter how small, it does make a difference. There many other things you can do to save the environment that our not just water related. For example you don’t need to drive to your friends house that only lives a block away. You can start saving the planet by using you car less. Less car usage means less air pollution. You can buy food from places that use less or no harmful fertilizers. Saving the planet doesn’t have to be so time consuming or difficult or even impossible. One little step at a time you can help save the planet so other generations can cherish it.

OPINION

MAY 25, 2017

DESIGN BY LILA TERRY