Entertainment • Thursday, November 6, 2008 • Page B3
Reviews Around The World in 10 miles
books. movies. food. music. shopping.
Tired of the same old culture? The HiLite invites you to embark on a multicultural exploration—without ever traveling beyond 86th Street
Try Taiwan Tea House
Michelle Hu / Photos
or…
By Meher Ahmad mahmad@hilite.org
Searching for the perfect afterschool snack is like searching for the holy grail. It has to be sweet, fr uity, filling and somewhat nutritious. Most of all, it has to be inexpensive. Taiwan Tea House, at 86th Street and Dean Road, fulfills all these requirements, and best of all, at a price that students can afford. The restaurant’s primary attraction is its bubble tea, which, according to bubble tea connoisseurs, is the best in town. Bubble tea, which sounds more disgusting than delicious, is actually one of the tastiest undiscovered drinks of our time. It is essentially any tea or drink with boba beads, which are large tapioca pearls. They look a bit frightening if one does not know what they are, since they are black in color. Chewy in consistency, they provide a fun twist to any drink. The flavors Taiwan Tea House offers range from regular green tea to passion fruit tea. Patrons can also add boba to milkshakes and smoothies. For the ultimate boba tea experience, though, red milk boba is the only choice. A flavor unknown to the western palate, red milk tea is a mix between English breakfast tea and Indian chai. It is served cold or hot, but is best cold with none other than boba. But no ser ving of Bubble tea is complete without a plate of dumplings. The pork and chicken
SOMETHING TO CHOW ON: Delicious pork dumplings complement perfectly the b u b b l e t e a t h a t Ta i w a n Teahouse is known for. This genuine Taiwanese treat will satisfy your taste buds and make you come back for more.
dumplings at Taiwan Tea House, as well as the pot stickers, are the perfect mixture of American and authentic Chinese spices. For those more experienced in Chinese cuisine, or those who are more adventurous, sesame rice balls are the perfect choice. They have a crunchy fried outside with red bean paste inside. Red bean paste, a staple of southern Chinese food, has the consistency of a smooth puree and has a sweet taste. For those more familiar with the cuisine at #1 China Buffet, the lo mien at Taiwan Tea House is a much tastier and healthier option. The crab rangoon is average, perfect for patrons who prefer less exciting tastes, but it shies in comparison to the wonton soup. All of these options are made in the perfect proportions and offered at affordable prices. Each of the appetizers costs on average around $4, and the boba tea starts at $2. The boba tea can be taken to go in a handy boba-to-go cup for those who do not have enough time to sit and enjoy the quaint atmosphere of the restaurant. The servers, who do not speak the best English, still manage to serve to their best ability. They are always friendly and add to the authentic feel of the restaurant. Chinese families often come to eat there as well, giving it the credibility of authenticity. Regardless of who eats there, Taiwan Tea House offers the best Asian snack food in town. Paired with a red milk boba tea, your snack food experience cannot get any better.
Taiwan Teahouse Atmosphere: A PRICE: A+ Quality: B+ SERVICE: B Overall: A-
…Try World Market By Rebecca Xu rxu@hilite.org Cost Plus World Market has been a familiar location in Merchants Square for quite a long time, standing alongside the well-known Marsh and Hobby Lobby. Over the years, many students have probably stepped foot in the store, but they should consider going back. World Market actually of fers many inexpensive products that would interest not only interior designers, but also teenagers. World Market carries an amazing variety of products from countries all over the world, ranging from fine wine to jewelry to birthday cards. Some products that a student may be interested in are displayed on a stand of handmade jewelr y, purses, scar ves and other trinkets, right in front of the store entrance. Surprisingly, these items are priced no more than their equivalents at a Kohl’s or a Target; for example, a
pair of sterling silver earrings sells for a wallet-friendly $8.99, while purses and scarves mostly sell fot under $20. Teens should make a stop at World Market during shopping trips for its unique, colorful and wellpriced accessories. Despite the good prices, World Market carries only limited styles of each item. This is one of the few problems, though it’s understandable. The store doesn’t sell many variations on one product, but it makes up for it by selling many different products. Another section that may interest teens, especially ones going to college n e x t y e a r, i s t h e home décor area. World Market has a huge amount of furniture (including bookshelves, chairs and dining tables), pillows, sheets, African and Asian figurines, mirrors, rugs and even Christmas decorations. These would be tasteful, inexpensive
World Market Quality: B+ Variety: A Price: A-
Atmosphere: A Overall: A-
additions for any bedroom or dorm. Customers should also check out the impressive collection of plates and cookware, which may be useful in college life when many students will have to cook for themselves. However, the real forte of World Market is its food and snacks section, which students should visit if they’re looking for some unique and exotic food. There are rows after rows of imported chocolates, candy, fruit drinks, snacks and sauces. Every price label conveniently includes the country of origin, and there are many – chocolate from Germany, hot sauce from Mexico, barbecue sauce from the Caribbean and soda from France. The hungr y student can go into World Market to stock up on tasty snacks to try something different from the usual potato chips or frozen pizzas. The nice part is that the prices aren’t ridiculous, especially for imported products. However, if the item can be found in other stores (one example: Ghiradelli chocolate) it will probably be cheaper there. Cost Plus World Market is a convenient place to find items useful for daily life from places all over the world – food, furniture, decorations and everything in between. With moderate prices, the items in this global store are an easy way to spice up the life of a teen.
Owen Williamson / PHOTO
CHOISEZ-MOI: Genuine ethnic foods from dozens of countries fill the shelves of Cost Plus World Market. The store makes imported snacks that cannot be found elsewhere affordable for the average student.
‘The Counterfeiters’ offers real, heart-wrenching perspective By Lexi Muir lmuir@hilite.org There is a small following for foreign films in America’s society. No matter how intriguing or exciting a film may seem, the language barrier intimidates and draws many people away. Stefan Ruzowitzky’s “The Counterfeiters” proved to be both intriguing and effective despite its German dialogue. “The Counterfeiters” is comparable to Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List.” Both share stories of life in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust, and both portray the best (if it can even be called that) and the worst living conditions for those living in the camps. Both movies tell the story of those whose lives were “saved” because of a profession. In both, those who could work to help support the war effort were offered much better living conditions and in most cases, were spared their lives. But while “Schindler’s List” set the tone for Holocaust films, “Counterfeiters” went beyond it. Sometimes hard to watch, I found myself turning my head, or at least wishing I could, to the details and images of the Holocaust. Because the film is based on
a true story, like most Holocaust films are, it is much more moving and impactful. “The Counterfeiters” tells the story of Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics), who is an experienced counterfeiter. He is arrested for his criminal acts of forging money and taken to the Sachsenhausen camp. At the camp he is teamed up with other men to counterfeit British and American money in exchange for better living conditions. The men are given clothing, showers and comfortable beds with sheets and pillows to sleep on, which is significantly better than what most of the other prisoners experience in the camp. What makes the hero in this film unique, however, is that he is a criminal, and his criminal acts end up saving his life, as well as the lives of many others. Burger, played by August Diehl, is another prisoner involved in the counterfeiting scheme. He was arrested for printing flyers against the Nazi party and works throughout the movie to sabotage the counterfeiting scheme. Burger feels that it is both unfair and unethical to help the Nazi party in any way. His efforts to sabotage the counterfeiting scheme create a conflict between Salomon and him and potentially cost his coworkers their lives. Both insightful and heart wrenching, “The
Counterfeiters” is a movie not to be taken lightly. With gruesome details of the Holocaust that some may view as better to be left unknown, the movie proves to be as close to real life as possible. Those who chose to turn their heads to this dark time period in our world’s history may not want to make a point in seeing this film. The story is so real and the details are so closely portrayed that it almost seems as if you are working alongside Salomon at Sachsenhausen. For those who enjoy learning about history, no matter how dark and horrifying it may be, this movie will give you insight to an aspect of the war that you may not have even known existed. The dialogue of the film, which is German, allowed for a much more authentic view of the experiences at the camps. Sometimes, reading the dialogue on tiny English subtitles at the bottom of the screen can distract viewers and take away from the true meaning of the film, but in the case of “The Counterfeiters,” it only added to the tone of the film and made it much more genuine. Not a usual Friday-night movie, “The Counterfeiters” appeals to a different audience with different intentions going into the movie. Acting as a “wake up call” into the truth of the Holocaust, the film will disturb as well as amaze its viewers.
‘The COUNTERFEITERS’ Starring: Karl Markovic, August Diehl Directed BY: Stefan Ruzowitzky RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2007 Overall: A-