February 14th is not everyone’s cup of tea;

Valentine’s Day isn’t what it’s cracked up to be

When someone bites into their favorite snack food, like a bag of chips, just think: they're eating little pieces of plastic to go with it. When someone drinks a nice swig of water from their fridge, imagine all the chemicals going into their system as well.

“The occurrence of microplastics (MPs) has been widely reported in human foodstuffs, and their potential negative effects on human health have been brought into focus. Processed foods are more susceptible to MPs as contamination can be introduced during processing and packaging,” according to sciencedirect. com. All of these processed foods that are mostly only found in the U.S. contain these plastics, and not to mention other chemicals infused in things like fruit and vegetables.

There is proof that certain foods that are made in the U.S. are banned in other countries such as milk (only from the U.S.), apples (only from the U.S.), U.S. chicken, Mountain Dew, packaged ground beef, and more.

Bringing light to the U.S. milk situation, out of the ten countries with the lowest rates of lactose intolerance, eight of them are European. “In fact, Americans often find that while they were unable to tolerate dairy in their home country, European milk doesn’t bother them.” according to pedramshojai.medium.com.

BST (Bovine somatotropin) is a hormone that is injected into cows in order to produce more milk. European countries banned this practice in 1990; plus, this hormone can also increase instances of illness for cows.

This is the milk that kids are drinking to grow with their bones and be “healthy” in the fu-

We all know that water is something that is needed to live, but there are many chemicals that flow with it through a person’s bloodstream. “European bottled waters generally contained higher mineral levels than North American tap water sources and North American bottled waters,” according to europepmc.org. Pollution in this country is getting into our water, and then that water with the aluminum and fluoride in it transfers itself into our bodies.

Now let's shine the light on our fruits and vegetables. It’s no secret that certain chemicals are injected into our fruits to make them grow faster or ripen quicker (GMO’s) but, one of the chemicals Calcium carbide (which is used for fruit ripening) can harm eyes and lungs, also causing severe irritating and burning sensation of skin. Also, it may lead to irritation in mouth and throat, and if inhaled can cause both coughing and wheezing.

The question is, why all these chemicals? It’s simple, they put these chemicals to make the food look more appealing to us. We are one of the most unhealthy countries because Americans decide to eat more processed foods with less fiber, nutrients, and the healthy parts that help fight us from diseases.

Rather than banning these clearly harmful and dangerous chemicals and other harmful ingredients, the FDA doesn’t remove dangerous products until they're proven to be risky, after harm has already been done to the consumer.

Something to think about is, is this happening on purpose? Is it pollution? What is the problem?

LILY CORCORAN Copy Editor

Let me preface this by saying that I don’t hate Valentine’s Day. I think it’s nice that we have a day dedicated to the people we love, and if you enjoy it, then good for you! Go have fun with your partner; y’all are probably adorable together.

I’m going to ruin the moment here, though; I can’t get behind Valentine’s Day. The whole holiday is just unnecessary, in my opinion.

First of all, why are we only dedicating one day of the whole year to the people we love? If you love someone, you should be appreciating them all the time, not just on Feb. 14. Why wait for a holiday to tell someone that you love them? You can do that whenever you want.

Also, can we talk about how crazy expensive Valentine’s Day is? Last year, it was estimated that over $23.9 billion was spent on Valentine’s Day, according to Forbes Magazine. If you didn’t notice, that’s a whole lot of money–money that could be used for more important things, such as college, rent, or healthcare. Instead, it’s spent on flowers, expensive dinners, and overpriced gifts. I know you might want to give your significant other something special, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! However, buying random, expensive gifts–and the pressure to spend accordingly–can cause massive amounts of debt, which is not worth the risk.

Not only that, but the whole “excessive gifts” thing can cause unnecessary, or even unconscious, competition in relationships. People post these overthe-top reaction videos of their Valentine’s Day experiences online, and guess what? People see, people do; people see those videos and think, “Man, I really need to step up my game.” Romance is something to experience and enjoy, not to strain yourself over by attempting to meet ridiculously high standards.

It’s also important to remember that not everyone is in a relationship. Valentine’s Day has been turned into a couple’s holiday. If they are not yet in a relationship, people may hold a grudge toward anything relationship-related (that is, if they want to be in a relationship at all).

Don’t believe me? Go on any social media platform; you’ll find at least one video of a couple doing something cute (like dancing in the rain or playing video games together), and then a duet of the video with someone yelling, “When will it be me?!” as if they’re dying in agony.

So, here’s the gist: You can enjoy Valentine’s Day all you want; spend a day with your partner, get them unnecessarily expensive gifts, and tell them how much you love them. Just don’t expect to see me joining in on the envy and financial regret.

Students say: Flipping out over Pancakes

Noel Bailey Stella Manns

Defending Waffle House Defending IHOP

Waffle House, an underrated establishment. It's overlooked by places like IHOP, Denny’s, and Bob Evans.

Don’t get me started on IHOP. Nevermind, I take that back, because IHOP is probably the worst place you can go to eat breakfast. I know it's a controversial topic to like Waffle House over IHOP, but someone had to say what we were all thinking.

When I think of IHOP, I think of soggy syrup-covered pancakes that are thin and falling apart. It makes me feel sick thinking about it. It’s a big pile of chunky syrup.

Waffles are just all-around better than pancakes. I know IHOP does have waffles, but they are called International House of Pancakes, so wow - it's not surprising their waffles suck. But if you haven't caught on, their pancakes suck, too. On the other hand, Waffle House has good waffles because that's what they are known for - it's literally in the name.

Have you ever had the option of getting six different kinds of hash browns? No you haven't (Unless you go to Waffle House). Their hash browns are superior to any other restaurant that serves them.

The environment I think of when I think of IHOP is an empty dirty restaurant that is somehow always loud. They attract the families with the loudest screaming kids. The staff I think of is college and high school kids that are over their lives providing bad service. It’s a Chuck E. Cheese for breakfast lovers.

I know fights are known to be happening at Waffle House. But you know what that means: free entertainment. The only entertainment in IHOP is hearing little kids screaming about knocking over their chocolate milk. I would rather see teenagers fist fighting over something like chocolate milk. The entertainment in Waffle House is just the way to go.

But out of all breakfast places you can go eat at, Stella and I agreed Bob Evans is the best place to go.

At the infamous ‘International House of Pancakes’ you can expect to pay a lower price than at your local Waffle House, where you can get access to a crappy waffle. Does this mean Waffle House is better than IHOP?

The simple answer is no. But to believe me, you need better reasoning for that claim.

Starting with the prices, four buttermilk pancakes from IHOP are $12, according to ihop.com. A single dirty waffle from Waffle House is $4, according to wafflehouse.com. Do the math.

It seems like Waffle House would rack up a bill to a greater amount versus IHOP, right? Yes. Paying more money does not always mean better products. Why wouldn't you want to pay cheaper prices for better, fluffy, thick, pancakes?

Now let’s talk about the food itself; at IHOP, you can accidentally pour too much of the four syrup flavors on your pancakes and they will soak it up and still taste just as good, just a little sweeter. Let’s act like we are at Waffle House - you spill the syrup and now you have little pockets of over-saturated sugar.

Have you ever eaten anything but a waffle at Waffle House? (No). Have you ever eaten anything but pancakes at IHOP? (Yes). This isn't just about the battle of pancakes versus waffles anymore.

I really couldn't care less if you like pancakes or waffles more. The only opinion you have that matters is where you eat those foods.

Have you ever seen WWE live?! No? Go to Waffle House. If you are tired of watching WWE over a screen, just drive to your local waffle house and you could get a live performance of a WWE smackdown.

You’re probably thinking, ‘this girl has probably never been to a Waffle House at midnight.’ Trust me, that is not where it’s at.

Final answer, IHOP is better than Waffle House. But, Noel and I can agree that Bob Evans is the place to go.