Fresh

food magazine

fresh The Munchie Meister An exclusive interview with Laura Cole

Restaurant Reviews

Everest Kitchen Schlotzsky’s

People Profiles Juan Mesa Claude Benayoun

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The fresh Team Liliana Trejo

Sabrina Bhattarai

Eytan Bos Orent Although originally from Austin, Liliana hails from Mexico after moving back to the United states after eight years. Because of her free and crazy spirit, Liliana would be a yellow pepper if she were any food. You could find her playing soccer, baking, or drawing.

Sabrina is Nepali, although she would rather be considered an Austinite as she has lived there her whole life. Sabrina says she could live off of chocolate milk if she had to. But if she could be any food, she would be a birthday cake so that she would only be eaten once a year.

Born in New Jersey, Lula is the ideal Jersey Shore girl, with black hair and a fake tan. The only non-Jersey thing about her is the fact that she loves the delicacy of fried chicken. Lula enjoys it so much that she admits that if she could be any food, she would be fried chicken.

Born to be wild, Eytan is a man of the wilderness. Straight from Minnesota, he is one to be reckoned with when it comes to food.

Anything and everything will be devoured by this young man, except for cilantro. One can find him studying the arts of culinary expertise in the kitchen.

Lula Villegas

Photos by The Fresh Team

Born in deep redneck country, otherwise known as Montgomery, Alabama, Inga is quite the character. Her reasoning for wanting to be Jell-O is “so I could become jiggly.” Inga’s all-time favorite food is anything to do with chocolate. That’s how much she treasures sweets.

Inga Wei

Letter from the Editors Hi, readers!

We’re glad you’ve decided to pick up our first edition of fresh magazine. Do you like baking? So does Laura Cole, high school business owner. Go to page 12 to read more.

If you want to bake your own pastries instead of giving Laura a call, go to page 22 to find some recipes you can make in your own home. But food isn’t all sugar and spice and everything nice. Animal cruelty plays a huge part in today’s food industry. Learn more of the grisly facts at page 14. The fresh team have had a great time working on the first issue of this magazine, and we’re glad you enjoyed it!

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Table of Contents The Hungry Games...................5 Menu of Food Facts..................9

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Hot Bakes...................................12 Chocolate Facts.........................16 Cleverest Kitchen.....................18 Frecipes.....................................22

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Austin’s Delectable Hotspots..26 Juan Chance.............................28 Fruit Rainbow..........................30

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The Hungry Games

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why breakfast is important

BEEP BEEP BEEP! IT’S A monday morning at 6:30. Your arm heavily lifts up and slams down on the snooze button, nearly unconsciously. You think to yourself, “I’m going to wake up in five minutes, I swear!” Next thing you know, it’s 7:00 and your bus is coming in fifteen minutes. You jump out of your bed and scurry to the bathroom and you brush your teeth, but wait, you haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Oh well, you’re late and you’re not even hungry. It’s not like it will make a difference, but it will.

BREAKING THE FAST Even though it’s a very small meal, breakfast can make a big difference in your day. If you think about it, breakfast is “breaking the fast” because after sleeping for eight hours and being without food during the night, our brain and muscles need energy and fuel to function according to fitsugar. Fit sugar is a website to make a healthier and happier you. This website mainly focuses on fitness, health and well-being.

When you don’t eat breakfast after you wake up then you will have less energy throughout the day until you eat your next meal. You would also be less productive because you would be in class staring at the clock waiting in starvation until you could scarf down your apple and your peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Also, if you are one of those people who want to lose weight by not eating breakfast in order to limit your food intake, it won’t work the way you think it will.” People often tell me that ‘I get hungry more often if I eat breakfast,’ but that’s a good thing, It means your metabolism is up and going, which means your body is burning fuel, or calories.

And because eating gives you energy, you feel better and are more likely to be able to fight the urge to overeat.” says Tallahassee, Florida based dietitian Evette O’Connor, from EverydayHealth. This shows that you don’t have to starve yourself just to lose a few pounds. In fact, it’s the opposite when you don’t eat breakfast

Art by Steviva Bands

Photo By Steviva

Fruitfruit is a healthy Frut a good way wayisto start out to start your your day! day!

“...by recharging your brain and your body, you’ll be more efficient just about everything you do...”

in the morning, you will eat more later in the day. Versus, if you do eat breakfast in the morning, then you won’t eat more later in the day.

THE OPINIONS You might be thinking to yourself that you skip breakfast because you are rushed in the morning and it just takes too much time to eat a bowl of cereal or grab a banana on your way to the bus stop, but in actuality, it is better to be tardy to school once in a while in order to get a good wholesome meal in the morning. The good thing about eating breakfast is that by recharging your brain and your body, you’ll be more efficient in just about everything you do. Interestingly, studies show that kids who skip breakfast are tardy and absent from school more often than children who eat breakfast on a regular basis according to WebMD. In conclusion, it is in the best interest of you and your body to eat breakfast in the morning, every morning. For me personally, I used to not think that breakfast was important and it was just a waste of time in the morning, but once I started to eat breakfast, I wasn’t hungry until lunch time and my grades actually improved. It will help you lose weight, get energy and stay focused during school all day long. It might cost you a few tardies now and then, but it will help you and your body in the long run.

By Sabrina Bhattarai

Healthy Breakfast Ideas!

Fruit as shown in the picture above, cereal, or scones and milk. These ideas are simple, but effective.

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No Basta Pasta claude benayoun’s journey

IN THE LATE 1990S, ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING south of lady Bird Lake was no man’s land, with The San Jose being considered a crackhouse. This is exactly why Claude Benayoun said, “everyone called us crazy,” for opening a restaurant right in a district where crime was running rampant, and prostitution was everywhere. But years later, it was them that were proved wrong when the South Congress area became one of the most popular areas in Austin and Benayoun’s business was doing great.

But to really get to know Claude Benayoun, one must go back to the beginning of his story.

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Benayoun was born in Algeria in the 1950s in the middle of civil unrest in the North African country. “All of the French people were asked to leave,” Benayoun said. “Basically we had no choice.”

After moving to France with his originally French family, Mr. Benayoun grew up there, finding odd jobs for pocket money. At a young age, he was already working in the food industry, bussing and waiting for tables at a small restaurant nearby where he lived.

“I came to the US in the late 70s to go to school,” Benayoun said.

After being accepted to San Francisco State University, Benayoun started taking classes for hospitality and hotel administration. He had originally wanted to just do hotel administration, but the only

Photos By Eytan Bos Orent school that offered classes for that was Cornell University, where he was not accepted. Despite the let down, Mr. Benayoun said, “In the back of my mind, I wanted to stay in the hospitality industry.”

Meanwhile, he continued to do small jobs for restaurants to keep up with rent and school fees, just as any college student would. But during in the beginning of the 80s after finishing school, Benayoun moved back to France and “opened up the first Tex-Mex restaurant in Paris.” Although it was not a big hit at first, its notoriety soon increased and the eatery soon had many more customers.

Benayoun got the idea after visiting Texas while he was still in the

states, and loved the sincerity that people showed while he was there. This struck him very powerfully after visiting an old boot store in Austin where the old lady running it was very kind to him, even when he did not have the money to pay for the cowboy boots that he had wanted.

Years later, that very moment would play a role in his business.

Not long after, Benayoun made a big decision in moving back to the US, specifically Austin, Texas. “I came back to the US in 1990 with the idea of opening a restaurant,” he said. But to open a restaurant, Benayoun first needed a building. When asked why he chose the South Congress area, Benayoun responded, “When we decided to open a restaurant... South Congress was a no man’s land.” This seems very odd, considering a restaurant would not normally do well in an area that was deserted, as well as being notorious for crime and prostitution. But Benayoun felt that he had received a sign to buy that building of all the different choices he had. Remember how Mr. Benayoun had visited that boot store years earlier and was struck by the kindness of the old lady? Well he had found out that this was the building that the boot store used to be in and where that woman had grown up. “It used to be a boot store, opened in 1951... Built in 1901.”

Once finished, the first meal served was to that woman and her entire family to commemorate the rich history behind the building itself.

Named after the Italian word for beehive, Vespaio became an Italian restaurant. When it was being built, a beehive was found and the bees attacked the construction workers remodeling it while Benayoun was standing by. He immediately inquired the Italian word for beehive from his Italian friend, and Vespaio it was. Mr. Benayoun said, “I wanted to do something new that I could bring from Europe.” If he had done French, he would have had to compete with many other restaurants that were up and coming that people would have to choose from. “Americans easily welcomed Italian,” Benayoun said. So he went with the Mediterranean cuisine Now that he had the name, the building, and the employees, all he needed was a menu. He wanted to have a traditional European style restaurant, and made it just that by cooking everything on the spot and fresh. To do this, all of the food must be fresh in order to get the full flavor in a dish. Because of this, Benayoun said, “We change the menu every season,” and according to what is in season will be incorporated in the menu.

On one of his journeys through Europe, Benayoun stumbled across a soup that he found in the Italian Switzerland. As soon as he tasted it, he just knew he had to serve it at his restaurant. And so he went up to the chef, asked for the recipe, and has had it on the menu

“In the back of my mind, I wanted to stay in the hospitality industry.”

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ever since. But every time it is made, there will be slight variations depending on who cooks it at Benayoun’s restaurant, as there are many sous-chefs. Along with the variations, each sous-chef has the freedom to create their own dishes that can either be permanently put on the menu or just the daily special.

It has taken Claude Benayoun years to get to where he is now, running a renowned business known to many people, but he credits it to his love food. “Of course it’s a business... But it cannot only be a business... It’s a passion, it’s a lifestyle,” said Benayoun.

Clearly, he enjoys cooking and it makes him, which is just what he wanted from the beginning.

By Eytan Bos Orent

Photos by Eytan Bos Orent

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MENU fun food facts Dessert

POPSICLE Popsicles were invented by an 11-year-old. By accident.

He had accidentally left a mixure of water and powdered soda with a mixing stick out on the front porch. The next day, it was a popsicle. The public didn’t know about popsicles until 18 years later.

photo by: Adam

POTATO CHIPS. FRENCH FRY’S SON Potato chips were invented by George Crum as an act of frustration. A rich costumer had complained that his french fries were too thick. To make a statement, he cut the fries up ridiculously thin. To his surprise, the costumer loved it, and thus, the potato chip was born.

photo by: Keith Mcduffee

Main

Photo by; Knight2743

Specialties

photo by: Billy Abbott

M&M’s M&M’s were created in 1941, when the Mar’s candy company owner, Forrest Mars, collaborated with Hershey’s president, William Murrie, for their chocolate. M&M’s actually stand for Mars and Murrie. These candies were actually created for the military, the sugar coating was made not for the taste, but to prevent the chocolate from melting.

KIDS MEALS • How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

No longer do you have to wonder, or attempt at finding the answer. It’s 250, • Carrots were actually purple before the 1600s.

• The color orange is actually named after the fruit. Before that, it was called geoluhread.

• In emergencies, coconut water can be used at blood plasma.

• The Frankfurter was actually created in China.

• It takes 12 honeybees to make 1 tablespoon of honey. Appreciate your tea more next time.

By Inga Wei

photo by: Pipistrula FOOD THAT SPARKS Yes, Lifesavers spark when you chew them, along with practically all hard candies.

photo by: TheCulinaryGeek

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The Baking Wagon the hobby for everyone

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How many times has it happened that when you see cookies, cakes, and other baked goods your eyes start sparkling like two stars and your taste buds start tingling?

For me, this happens all the time and the purpose of this piece is to encourage people to bake and see the advantages of being a baker. Though we might not notice, baked goods stimulate all of our human senses.

According to an article, “the history of baking” in pastry education, baking is one of the oldest things ever done by humans. The first evidence of baking occurred when humans took wild grass grains, soaked it in water, mixed everything together, and mashed it into a kind of broth-like paste. Then, the paste was cooked in hot embers creating a bread-like substance.

BENEFITS OF BAKING Baking is one of those few opportunities to create something new that everybody loves.

For many bakers in the world, baking is a type of art because you have to arrange the colors, the shape, and ingredients so it can be appealing to the eye. This hobby is not only a type of art but it is therapeutic for many people as well. For me when I have bad days, baking is an escape from the real world because I focus on the recipe and not on my problems. It is very relaxing when you open the oven and the sweet, steamy smell of your pastry drifts around the house filling every corner with the mouthwatering smell. According to a behavioural psychologist, Dr. David Moxon, “The act of baking with all its smells and tastes is associated with nostalgia and can evoke really joyful memories.” There is also recent study done

by Dr Oetker that shows that the process of

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creating something delicious to share with friends and family can provide a kind of confidence boost in people. Baking is also an opportunity to spend time with family or to spend time with yourself. One of my favorite parts of baking is watching how the people smile and how they complement your baked goods.

If baking is something you love, you can dedicate your life to baking. Bakers have many opportunities in life. An example of

“The act of baking with all its smell and tastes is associated with nostalgia and can evoke really joyful memories.” this is The Great Next Baker series which crowns the winner as a part of the team in Carlo’s bakery, which is famous for it’s amazing cakes. They also have the opportunity to travel the world preparing their delicious baked goods to the people.

HEALTHY BAKING As there are as people that love baking there is the same amount of people that hate baking. Some of the reasons can be that it takes too much time, everything

Art by Liliana Trejo you do burns, you might think it’s messy or you are afraid to give it a try, but it is more satisfactory when you and other people eat what you have created with your own hands. It can not only save you money but you can control the amount of ingredients in your recipe. You can also decide what

The Baking Wagon

Different chef and baker’s hat that represent the idea of baking.

type of ingredients are healthy for your body because lets face it, the majority of the people never read the labels in baked goods we buy. For me, if something comes out burnt, I start laughing and I see my failure as a challenge. The baked goods you make do not have to be for you, instead you can donate it to people that would accept your pastry with a smile. Baking is not only about being perfect but it is about having a good time. If you

have never tried baking I am sure you’ll be surprised and delighted by the results and, more importantly, proud that you gave it a try and made it with your own hands, energy, passion and time. Baking helps you relax, it paints a smile in every ones face when they see the delicious pastries, and can be healthy to bake your own goods, why not give it a try?

By Liliana Trejo

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Hot Bakes LAURA COLE’S STORY

About the Baker “I’m a fifteen year old food enthusiast with a passion for baking and serving sweets. I’ve been baking cookies, breads, and cakes for as long as I can remember. I began this cottage industry as a project to promote and fund my passion until I graduate high school and can go to culinary school. Because I am also a visual arts major at McCallum High School, I pay a lot of attention to the visual aspects of culinary arts. I put effort into not only making delicious food, but going the extra mile to make food into art.“

- Laura Cole

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“MOM!” A GIRL SHOUTS FROM THE KITCHEN. “WILL YOU TEACH me how to bake bread?” The mother sighs, replying vaguely in the hopes that her daughter will give up on the idea. Two hours later, she smells a waft of delectable bread. Turns out, her daughter hadn’t given up on the idea of baking; just on the idea of getting help.

Everyone has something they’re passionate about. Laura Cole, freshman at McCallum high school, took her passion, baking, and turned it into a successful money making business. With her own blog, themunchiemiester, Laura has transformed an everyday hobby into one with a profit.

“I realized recently that when you do something everyday, and you like doing it, it’s probably what you’re going to do for the rest of your life,” Laura said.

That’s why she decided to start a business. Being a fifteen year old girl from a middle-class family with no regular job for herself doesn’t allow for much monetary gain. Add in a baking addiction, and tons of baking supplies to be bought, and you’ve got Laura in a nutshell.

“The business, for me, is just a way to keep doing what I love doing.”

Laura isn’t looking for money for recreational purposes. She uses most of her profits for replenishing her baking necessities.

But in the future, Laura may be provided with her supplies.

“I plan on going to culinary school after high school; the dream would be to go to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and become a pastry chef.”

If one graduates from culinary school, they receive a license that allows them to work at any bakery anywhere in the world.

“I want to eventually own my own restaurants and bakery that specializes in unprocessed and locally grown/ bought ingredients.”

Laura has been aspiring to be a chef since she was small.

“When I was little, I cooked a lot for me and my family.”

She doesn’t enjoy cooking in general as much as she does baking, but she does it anyway.

“I just kinda learned that if you want to have yummy food, you make it.”

And make it she did. Laura bakes at least three cakes a week, most of which are strictly for her business. The others are for her and her family and friends.

Each cake takes about one to one and a half hours to bake, including preparation and decorating time.

Laura often tries out new recipes, or modifies old ones.

“It’s chocolate and cinnamon,” she had said, placing the cake on the table in

front of her. “ I’m experimenting; you’re the first to try it.”

Laura doesn’t always give away new recipes. Sometimes, she keeps pastries to herself.

“Puffed pastries, like croissants from scratch, are my favorite, which is really fun because that’s more of the chemistry of baking, and everything has to be really specific.”

If you go to Laura’s blog, The Munchie Meister, you’ll find a list of pastries and cakes she offers. Prices range from $1.50 to $45, depending on the size and quantity of the order.

“I am a big fan of being in charge of people, so running your own business means that you get to do everything exactly how you want it to be done, which is really awesome.”

Laura, as a skilled baker and young business owner, is able to give good advice to other teens in a similar position to her.

“Just do what you like doing, and everything else works. It’s just a matter of finding a way to keep doing what you like doing,” Laura advises.

Most fifteen year olds would need help running their own business. But when Laura needed money to continue her passion, she didn’t ask for help.

Laura didn’t give up on baking; she simply found a solution.

By Lula Villegas

For Sale!

Decorated Cakes

Perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions

Cupcakes

Cupcakes are so adorable and make any occasion—from a casual get-together to a birthday party— complete

Cake Balls

They turn regular cake into an extremely elegant truffle-esque desert that dresses up a meal

Cheesecake

Theres no better way to indulge yourself than a rich creamy cheesecake

Mini Cakes

Mini cakes are great for personal gifts or small get-togethers

“Just do what you like doing, and everything else works.”

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B

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eyond the urger

the facts on animal cruelty

EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE THE “good guy” in society, the one who makes a statement. However, when it comes to animal cruelty, sometimes it’s difficult to resist. Unless you come from a vegetarian family, meat is regularly presented to you, whether in the form of a juicy steak, or a hamburger; it is hard to turn away.

You think to yourself that it would be such a shame to let it go to waste, and forget about your short-lived resolution of vegetarianism. Maybe your opinion would change if you knew more about how farmers treat the animals.

WHAT HAPPENS BEHIND THE MEAT Let’s start with chickens. Most farms will keep them cooped up in factories, with no turning space, most chickens will go insane and try to kill each other.

This is so called “resolved” by cutting off the chickens beak so they can’t peck at each other. They are fed steroids to make them grow at an abnormally rapid rate, and usually become too fat to support themselves. Chickens raised for their eggs are just as bad. The Humane Society caught undercover surveillance of the hens at Cal-Maine Inc, the largest egg production company in America.

They found “most of these birds can barely move in their cages, some were immobilized in an even more gruesome way; they got trapped or tangled in the wires, left there to languish and perhaps to die from starvation or dehydration.”

Even with products such as milk, animal cruelty still plays a big role. Cows are inseminated after just one year of age in order to produce milk. People for the Ethical Treatments of Animals states that after their young are born, they “are taken away from their mothers when they are

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just 1 day old. They are fed milk replacers (including cattle blood) so that their mothers’ milk can be sold to humans.”

Many of these young calves are so traumatized by their conditions that they are unable to walk, and are sent to the slaughterhouse by the age of four or younger, out of their possible twenty year lifespan.

Cruelty becomes even more disturbing when it comes to pigs, because they are seen as intelligent animals. Dr. Donald Broom, a Cambridge University professor and former scientific advisor to the Council of Europe says that pigs

“have the cognitive ability to be quite sophisticated.

Even more so than dogs and certainly [more so than] threeyear-olds.”

This makes it especially unsettling that farmers will cut off parts of the baby pigs body just to be able to identify which is which, without even the use of painkillers.

Art by Nick Shell

The worst part is that a lot of the cruelty is unnecessary. Cutting off a pigs ear is not the only way to be able to tell it apart from its siblings; just like feeding baby calves cow blood is not the only way to save milk. I think that if the cruelty of farms to the animals becomes more known, then the public will have the heart to react. Eventually it will be more profitable for the farms to just treat these animals with respect.

A COW

Its looks much better than the cows at the factory farms.

You’re welcome.

HOW TO CUT DOWN ON MEAT Although I don’t think that it’s crucial for everybody to go completely vegan, there are things we could do to help reduce animal cruelty, for the sake of the animals and our consciences. There are meat replacements, such as soy, and for those who love meat, there are various companies that treat animals in a humane way to buy from. The Humane Society suggests the products from the worst production

people go by the. “Three R’s—reducing consumption of meat and other animalbased foods; refining the diet by avoiding products from the worst production systems (e.g., switching to cage-free eggs); and replacing meat and other animal-based foods in the diet with plant-based foods.” Eating by the three R’s is also better health-wise. While meat naturally causes a higher risk of heart disease and colon cancer, farms also add growth hormones to animals, such

as testosterone. This could cause higher risks of breast, colon and lung cancer in humans, and early maturity according to the Food Service Warehouse. All in all, I think it is best overall, for the health of humans and animals alike, to cut down on meat consumption.

By Inga Wei

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Chocolate 10 Facts:

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origin

Puerto Escondido, Honduras

first recorded use 1100 to 1400 BC

original use

Both hot and cold beverages

seeds

Chocolate is first made from ground up cacao seeds

types

There are many types of chocolate such as milk, dark, white and other flavors

Chocolate is a treat enjoyed all over the world. With different flavors, brands, and even recipes, you can enjoy chocolate in so many forms. I’ve compiled a list of facts you may not know about chocolate.

By Lula Villegas

dessert

Europeans made chocolate a sweet treat, not a daily snack

the word The word chocolate came into English from Spanish

movie Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

holidays Valentine’s Day’s most popular gift is chocolate

mood lifter

Chocolate can definitely lift your mood!

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Art by Lula Villegas

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Cleverest Kitchen sudan subedi’s story

Photos by Sabrina Bhattarai

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A BIG OPEN SIGN FLASHING behind the glass in the simple Indian restaurant. You walk in and the first thing you see is a big painting of Buddha. A voice greets you saying “Hello, welcome to Everest Kitchen” which distracts you from the enticing painting. A big smile appears on the waiter’s face while he guides you to your table. While sitting at the table looking over the various options of curry to get, a piping hot basket of Naan with a hint a oregano appears on your table.

“Everest Kitchen isn’t just Indian food, you actually can’t say that it is either Nepalese food or Indian food because food doesn’t have a nationality. It is the food from the mountains whether it be from Nepal, China, or India,” said Niran Subedi, one of the co-owners of Everest Kitchen and Sudan Subedi’s brother. But there was this one special man behind the counter

approval of his father.

“My dad always wanted to have his own restaurant, but it was too difficult for him to do it at that time in Nepal. So I wanted to fulfill his dream of running a restaurant,” Subedi said.

Everest Kitchen, a restaurant filled with different food from the Himalayas, is that restaurant. With the checkered tile and the big painting of Buddha in the middle of the restaurant, and an awning above the buffet with a picture of the Himalayas on it, it has a homelike feeling to him, which is exactly what Subedi wanted. With only four people working there, each person works very hard and efficiently with whatever their job is to keep up with the customers.

“It’s only stressful running a restaurant for people who don’t know how to manage their time and make sure the customers

“Every day is challenging but I get through it because I always think that tomorrow there will be a new challenge that I need to fix and it’s only temporary..” who makes all final decisions based on his experiences from his life. This man is the owner, Sudan Subedi Subedi, with very little experience in the food industry,started running this business in early 2012. From working at a Panera Bread to a gas station, Subedi came from not having much say in the work that he did. He had the point of view of the worker and the owner in mind when deciding the roles that people have in Everest Kitchen.

“We don’t rank each other, as in the boss is the most important and the employees are not as important. The work that everybody puts in is extremely important in maintaining a restaurant,” Subedi says.

Subedi learned from early learned the art of cooking the “food from the mountains” from his parents. Being the middle child of three, Subedi had always wanted the

are happy. The customers are always right!” says Subedi with a smile on his face.

“It’s only stressful for people who don’t know how to manage their time...”

In order to run a successful restaurant, it is essential to always be optimistic about your restaurant Subedi has a very good outlook on about his restaurant and the challenges that he overcomes.

“Every day is challenging but I get through it because I always think that tomorrow there will be a new challenge that I need to fix and it’s only temporary, but that comes with being the manager of a restaurant,” Subedi said.

Sudan Subedi’s past experiences have influenced every decision that has been made in Everest Kitchen. His previous jobs helped him run his restaurant from the perspective of the chef, the manager, and the owner which has made his restaurant very successful.

By Sabrina Bhattarai

Momo’s Momo’s are a type of food that originate from Nepal. They are a dumpling like food usually with ground turkey and a lot of hebs and spices in it.

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Fast Food

it’ll slow you down

MOST PEOPLE LOVE FAST FOOD places. With their quick reception and cheap prices, these chain restaurants are desirable food joints.

But what you, the consumer, might not know are the facts behind the counter.

THE FACTS McDonald’s is the largest fast food chain in the world, with 68 million people served daily, according to Yahoo! Finance. Quite obviously, this supports my initial statement; most people love fast food places. With a McDonald’s around every corner, why wouldn’t you stop by for a quick bite to eat?

Well, here are some facts that could convince you otherwise. The documentary Super Size Me (2004), directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, explores the idea that fast food places, McDonald’s especially, are potentially deadly. Spurlock ate at least three McDonald’s meals a day for a whole month, The Raw Story stated, a news website that focuses on underground stories. He stopped exercising, always accepted a Supersize offer, and limited his diet to McDonald’s exclusively.

This documentary is a must-see if you want to know the facts behind the hamburger you’re ordering.

Spurlock learned the hard way how self-depricating these types of fatty foods can be. After only one week, his weight had increased by 25 pounds, and he had evolved a dependency on fast food, which could be compared to that of heroin addicts, according to The Raw Story.

This means that he could not handle going a day without McDonald’s, and he had frequent withdrawal symptoms. However, most people would

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not eat three McDonald’s meals a day, so this extreme weight gain would not be something to worry about in the short term.

This just goes to show that a dependency on fast food can easily be developed. Hopefully, you don’t eat every meal from a fast-food place everyday, but this reliance can be developed more slowly.

Art by Stu Pendousmat

DECIEVING LOOKS McDonald’s in Moncton, New Brunswick

“...dependency on fast food... compared to that of heroin addicts...”

Reported by CHOW, a food and recipes website, Spurlock said that after his film was released, he got many calls from people wanting to share fast food related stories. One recalled, “the story of a fat man whose cremation made a mortuary smell like French fries”, and, “the man that built in his garage a museum of McDonald’s food that never aged.”

McDonald’s consumers know that the food they eat is bad for them. This is true, to some extent.

But to any claim that this, indeed, must be true, there must be an element of consumers not knowing the danger of the food they eat, according to LSU Law Center’s Medical and Public Health Law. This shows that if you are a McDonald’s consumer, you may not be eating what you thought you were.

THE OPINIONS There are opponents to my argument, however. These opponents believe that the detriments of eating fast food regularly are lower than the low prices and enjoyable taste.

I myself have little experience with McDonald’s, or fast food itself. But I believe that it is not a good pathway to go down. I think that there are other, healthier, options to try that can still be inexpensive and tasty.

Overzealous consumption of fatty foods can result in obesity, serious health issues, and unhealthy addiction. Super Size Me just goes to show that fast food may seem like an easy, cheap alternative to home-made or organic food, but, is it worth the consequences you may face?

By Lula Villegas

Serious About Cereal

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why cereal is the best breakfast

EVER SINCE I WAS LITTLE, CEREAL has been the breakfast for me. From flavorful Apple Jacks to simple Cheerios, I have tried almost everything out there for a delicious and, for the most part, healthy breakfast. Now that I am older, I can really appreciate how great it is. The blend of something as simple as milk mixed with a dry crunchy wheat-based snack seems to make something much more than a boring old treat. Will Kellogg must have been really on to something when he created the first cereal company, because he created the most common breakfast in the U.S., eaten by thirty-one percent of people actually eating breakfast, according to a poll conducted in 2005 by ABC news. Who wouldn’t enjoy such a delicious treat that can be eaten any time of the day, especially for an energy boost in the morning?

Others believe that pancakes, bagels, or porridge are better than cereal, but I believe that what these people think is utterly incorrect. As far as pancakes go, it takes about ten to twenty minutes first prepare and cook it, and then another five to ten minutes to eat. This also happens when making porridge or oatmeal, you must heat up the water first before you even think about eating the final product.

However, cereal is a completely different story. It takes under a minute to prepare, perfect for in the morning when you are too tired to do anything more than pouring milk and cereal into a bowl.

In terms of how healthy cereal is for you, it could easily top most of the other common breakfast foods. With pancakes, it is pretty much all carbs with eleven grams total per thirty eight gram pancake according to nutritiondata.self.com, and

ing to nutritiondata.self.com, and syrup is a must whenever you eat a pancake, and that only adds to how unhealthy they already are. If you were to eat bacon and eggs in the morning for breakfast, the fatty bacon could potentially add too much cholesterol to your body that may not need it. But with cereal, there is a great variety of cereals with many

healthy things in them. You can buy kinds boosted in protein, vitamins, or whatever else you may need for a healthy diet to start your day off.

One more great thing about cereal is its mobility. If you are already late to school or work, you can always make a small bag of dry cereal and eat it on the way there.

It is also great for camping trips, either for a small snack or for a whole meal. Either way, you will be satisfied by the end of your chow-down.

It may all come down to preference, but I know that I will always prefer cereal to anything else out there. It also has sentimental value attached to it for me, just because I have been eating it for as long as I can remember. But if you don’t like cereal now, don’t give up on; it may yet surprise you in your lifetime.

By Eytan Bos Orent

Variety In Cereal Each Kind Does Something Different For You Art by Freefoto.com

“Now that I am older, I can really appreciate how great it is.”

Types of Cereal • Frosted Flakes • Froot Loops • Apple Jacks • Cheerios • Rice Crispies • Cookie Crisps • Cocoa Puffs • Trix • Corn Flakes • Special K • Mini Wheats • Raisin Bran • Cap’n Crunch • Cinnamon Toast Crunch • Lucky Charms • Honey Bunches of Oats • Golden Grahams • Fiber One fresh 21

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recipes

By Liliana Trejo

Brownies Ingredients: -1/2 cup butter -1 cup white sugar -2 eggs -1 teaspoon vanilla extract -1/3 cup unsweetened

cocoa powder -1/2 cup all-purpose flour -1/4 teaspoon salt -1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preparation:

Strawberry Empanadas Ingredients: -1/2 cup butter, softened -Pinch of salt -3 ounce cream cheese -1 cup sifted all-purpose flour -1 1/2 cup white sugar -1 teaspoon cinnamon

-2 cups chopped strawberries -Confectioners’ sugar, for rolling; or 3 tsp. of cinnamon mixed with 3 tbsp. granulated sugar, for rolling

Preparation: 1. Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

Slowly mix in the flour.

2. Shape your dough into a smooth ball and wrap in plastic and place it in the refrigerator.

3. In a medium-sized pot place the fruit and 1 cup sugar over medium low heat. Dissolve the sugar and let the mixture reduce slowly to create your own version of jam. This mixture should reduce by approximately half when it is ready.

4. When you are ready to bake remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature 30 minutes before trying to roll it out.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

6. Roll chilled dough out on a floured surface until it is thin. Cut circles with a 3 or 4 inch round cookie cutter. Place a small spoonful of fruit jam in center of each round. Moisten the edges with water.

7. Fold the round over and press edges together. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and roll in traditional sugar and cinnamon mixture or confectioners’ sugar.

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1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

2. In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

Apple Pie Ingredients: -1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie -1/2 cup unsalted butter -3 tablespoons all-purpose flour -1/4 cup water -1/2 cup white sugar -1/2 cup packed brown sugar -8 apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Blueberry Cake

Chocolate Lava Cake Ingredients:

Ingredients: Center: -2 ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet -Chocolate baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces -1/4 cup heavy cream Cake: -4 ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate

baking bar, broken or chopped into 1-inch pieces -1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces -2 large whole eggs -2 large egg yolks -1/3 cup granulated white sugar -1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract -1/4 cup cake flour

Preparation: 1. To make the centers, in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the 2 ounces of chocolate with the cream. Whisk gently to blend.

Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until firm. With your hands, form into six balls; refrigerate until needed.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray.

3. To make the cakes, in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water, melt the 4 ounces of chocolate and the butter, stirring occasionally until smooth.

4. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until thick and light. Fold the melted chocolate mixture and flour into the egg mixture just until combined.

5. Spoon the cake batter into the ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin.

6. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cake is firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin, place an upside-down plate on top, invert, and remove the ramekin.

-1/2 cup butter -1/2 cup white sugar -1/4 teaspoon salt -1 teaspoon vanilla extract -2 egg yolks -1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour -1 teaspoon baking powder -1/3 cup milk

-2 egg whites -1/4 cup white sugar -1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries -1 tablespoon all-purpose flour -1 tablespoon white sugar

Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.

2. Cream butter or margarine and 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy. Add salt and vanilla. Separate eggs and reserve the whites. Add egg yolks to the sugar mixture; beat until creamy.

3. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and baking powder; add alternately with milk to egg yolk mixture. Coat berries with 1 tablespoon flour and add to batter.

4. In another bowl, beat whites until soft peaks form.

5. Add 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter.

6. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle top with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

7. Bake for 50 minutes, or until cake tests done.

Photos by Liliana T.

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Lo tz ofofWork Lotz Work

how the employee became the manager

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I

IT SITS IN A DUSTY PARKING LOT, surrounded by towering buildings. Clay brown, the only thing that seems to pop is the bright words “Schlotzsky’s” plastered to the bricks. It’s Easter Day, and the inside seems dark and deserted. Suddenly a figure appears through the glass and opens the door. “So sorry, we’re running a little late today,” she smiles apologetically, “what can I get you?”

Fresh faced and young, it is hard to imagine that she is the general manager of this restaurant.

Yet, Liliana Campos doesn’t find this surprising at all. “Right out of high school I came to work here,” she says, folding her hands on the table. A friend had suggested the restaurant, mentioning its high salary rate and kind treatment. After getting a job as an employee there, Campos persevered to her limits to get ahead. “With very hard work, a lot of tears…a lot of late nights,” she managed to become general manager within the time span of 11 months.

recipe, he sends it to one of the restaurants, where free samples are given out, and customers give opinions. Depending on the feedback, the recipe is either destroyed, modified, or approved. Once approved it is sent out to surrounding stores to be sold.

However, many factor besides taste can come into play, for example, how easy it is to make, if the ingredients are too expensive, or are only fresh certain times of the year. “Sometimes there are bad ones, [and] we’re like ‘this isn’t going to work out,’ because we are in the field [of] making it…but [if] it’s difficult making it every day…[then] we’re like ‘that’s not going to work.’” The managers also contribute to the recipes, by further giving suggestions on not just taste but ways to have the sandwich easier to make on a daily basis, while still being delicious.

Hiring new employees is also the job for the general manager, and is much more detail oriented than simply reading an application and handing the job out to

“I kept it fun... I set a goal and I achieved it, going up the ladder, of course, with the help of my team members and my managers above me.”

Liliana gave a grateful nod.

With this new responsibility, Campos had to find a way to juggle the complicated network of jobs, foods and decisions that keeps the restaurant running.

However, she was rewarded with in-depth knowledge of how a restaurant functions, and what goes on behind the food.

Creating new items for the menu, for example, is a long, tedious process for the general managers, and everyone else under the employment of Schlotzsky’s. While it may seem like just a few added words to the menu, the system behind it is much more complex.

For this particular Schlotzsky’s, the system starts with Matt Diana, the marketing department. After creating a

people who fit the requirements. There are 2 interviews involved, the first is an application of basic information to be filled out by the candidate. If the basic information fits the requirements of the job, the applicant is then interviewed by the general manager, in this case, Liliana.

“We ask questions…[such as your] history, what your hobbies are, and we check references to see where you’ve worked at before...you also go by your conversation with the manager, your address, your movements, everything that you’re doing, we look at very closely, to make sure you’re the right person.” Liliana squinted her eyes, as if investigating a possible employee at the moment.

Despite the stress of juggling decisions

and making customers happy, Campos believes neither of these are the biggest obstacle in being the general manager.

“The biggest obstacle is training and leading your team,” she admits, “because it’s really easy to run the score, but leading a team towards success if kind of difficult, because everybody has their own opinions, and their own characteristics…it’s hard to lead them in the correct way.” To her, although all the opinions are valid, very rarely are they unanimous, and finding a way to compromise and persuade so that everybody is content, is frustratingly challenging.

Being in charge of so much can be extremely wearisome, but Liliana was never one to give up when things got tough. “I just try to calm down, I drink a lot of tea at home...as soon as I leave here, I have a family of four, I have three kids and a husband...I usually try to just forget about work, go home, relax, spend time with my kids and then get ready for another day”. It’s all worth it, she believes,

“I just like the people that come and eat...a lot of people don’t know that Schlotzsky’s is here... ...they always just go to Subway or Quiznos [instead], and they’re like ‘Schlotzsky’s? What is that about?’...it’s... impressive how to...let them know about our brand and our uniqueness.”

By Inga Wei

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Austin’s Delectable Hotspots

By Eytan Bos Orent

Madam Mam’s

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Locations: 4514 West Gate Boulevard, 2700 West Anderson Lane, 2514 Guadalupe Street If you are looking for something out of the ordinary to eat that can expand your palette, then Madam Mam’s is the place for you. The three conveniant locations all serve the same menu of fine Thai food, but none of the options ever get old. From spicy to tangy, there is something for everyone. My recommendation is to try the pad thai; either with chicken, pork, beef, or tofu.

Although some items may appear, strange, the flavor is anything but.

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Chedd’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese Location: 4601 North Lamar Boulevard The title gives it away, Chedd’s is grilled cheese eatery.

The complexity of the sandwiches range from plain old cheese and bread to sandwiches loaded with all types of meats, cheeses, and vegetables. The option to make a custom grilled cheese is also available, for those who cannot pick from the abundant list of choices on the menu. For the ambitious customer, if a Wisconsin license plate is brought in, a free sandwich will be served. The Yoga Teacher sandwich is highly recommended.

Boomerang’s Handheld Aussie Pies Location: 3110 Guadalupe Street #150 Looking for a quick, filling nosh? Boomerang’s fits the description perfectly! Each pie is filled to the brim with all kinds of meats, cheeses, and veggies. They fit perfectly in one’s hands, great for on the go if you are dashing around in your car, or just walking. It may seem small at first, but its looks are very deceiving. The food takes tradtional Shepherd’s Pie and gives it all sorts of twists, giving it spice but never bland. In my opinion, Southwestern Chicken is the best.

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livia P.

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The Clay Pit

Location: 1601 Guadalupe Street

Ken’s Tacos

Location: 9408 Dessau Road Located right near LBJ High School, this is a perfect place to dine if you are a senior and are allowed off campus during lunch, or even before school for anyone that missed breakfast. Although, the Primarything to eat there is tacos, Ken’s also sells other kinds of food; hamburgers, subs, you name it. Even though all tacos may seem the same, the ones sold here are different. There is nothing modern about the way the tacos are, just a simple food.

Tortilla and all, every bite packs a punch, especially with the complimentary hot sauce that comes with every taco. The service is so quick, your taco will be brought to you within the next minute, perfect for anybody in a rush and needs food. The classic bean and cheese taco is one of my favorites.

For those feeling adventurous and wanting to try something new, The Clay Pit can do just that. The Indian cuisine restaurant serves all sorts of food items that originate from the far east. It is not for the faint of heart though, because many of the menu items may be too much for some to handle. Even the air gives you the feeling of being in an Indian market, with all sorts of smells that permeate the air.

The entire restaurant is very commodious, and includes a special room for extra-large parties that need more accomodations. Even while waiting to be seatede, the owners provide comfort by laying out big leather sofas for people to rest on until they can begin dining. There is a bar as well, for those old enough to enjoy the finer things in life.

7 Photos By Eytan Bos Orent

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Picture by Liliana Trejo

y

Juan Chance One chance to create a legacy

You are driving through East Austin and suddenly see a line of people outside a small Mexican restaurant, Juan in a Million. You see the small pink building with the Mexican culture clearly embedded in the restaurant. With the bright colors and the designs representing the past of their ancestors, you ask yourself what type of food they are given away that makes people wait outside to get a table. But it is not only the food that makes people wait in line but the atmosphere of family and the warm welcome of the owner of Juan in a Million, Juan Meza.

Juan in a Million is one of the most visited restaurants in

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East Austin. This restaurant is a stop to many college students and tourists who looking for a good breakfast and lunch. This small Mexican restaurant has been successful in attracting people all over Austin, but it has taken Meza a lot of work to make his restaurant recognizable among the people. At first Meza had to do everything to keep his business going; he cooked, waited tables and washed the dishes. This was a challenge for Meza because it was hard to work at a restaurant, with no business experience. “It’s hard as you go along, you make mistakes and then you correct them and then you change things around and you make it

“First of all you need three ingredients to make any business work; you need a good product something good the people would like, a good price that people can afford to come and buy and good service,” Meza said.

Another factor that made his restaurant surface in East Austin is the connection Meza builds with each customers that visit. Meza knows that there is a lot of competition so he makes sure that the customers know that he is thankful they chose his restaurant. Meza’s son is the person in charge of the restaurant now, but everytime Meza goes to his restaurant, he shakes everyone’s hand and chats with them as if they were old friends.

“I do appreciate the customers when they walk in through my door because they could have gone anywhere else and they choose to come to my place,” Meza said.

“A good product, a good price and good service and that would make any business successful”

Juan in a Milion restaurant Located in 2300 Cesar Chavez Street.

work,” Meza said.

Meza bought his little establishment 32 years ago, and now it has proven successful according to Meza because of the diversity of small businesses that exist in East Austin. Of course this is also a challenge for Meza because his restaurant not the only one located in East Austin. For Meza, the option of leaving his restaurant did not exist because he had already made the decision to leave his job as a teacher. Before buying his restaurant establishment, Meza and his wife were recruited by Austin ISD to work as bilingual teachers. Since the pay was low he had a second job as a dishwasher in a Mexican restaurant. Here is where Meza became interested in restaurant business and decided to open his own restaurant. Here he realized he liked the hustle and the bustle of the people coming in and enjoying the food. The charisma and the his hard work is what has made his restaurant successful according to Meza.

Juan Meza has not only made a business but has had a great impact in the East Austin community. Right now Meza employees 32 people around the area, but his restaurant has brought people together from south, north and west Austin.

“We have served as a bridge to bring people together all over town and of course all over the nation,” Meza said Juan in a Million is also known nationally thanks to the TV show; Man vs. Food. To him this was a great opportunity and honor because the show only chose three restaurants to broadcast in the enormous variety of Austin.

This helped Meza show the nation his restaurant and the qualities that he believes makes his restaurant unique.

“It was a fun experience and people watched it throughout the nation so it produced a lot of business and [it brought] a lot of new faces,” Meza said.

Juan Meza has been struggling to make his restaurant memorable to the customers since the day he bought the little establishment 32 years ago. Now, Meza’s accomplishments has led him to the start of a new business project.

His goal is to open ten restaurants in the upcoming five years.

By Liliana Trejo

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Fruit Rainbow Sabrina Bhattarai

strawberries Strawberries are a good source of vitamin D. Strawberries are number one in the total U.S. fruit consumption.

oranges

Oranges are a good source of citrus and vitamin C. After Chocolate and Vanilla orange is the worlds favorite flavor.

bananas

Bananas are a good source of potassium.

Bananas are naturally radioactive because of their high amounts of potassium.

kiwi

Kiwi is a good source of vitamin c. It’s full name is actually kiwi fruit. Kiwi fruit is actually a berry even thoug it’s large size.

blueberries Blueberries are a good source of antioxidants. they are also number two in the U.S. fruit consumption.

grapes

Grapes are a good source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and C. They also have a lot of flavonoids which prevents many diseases.

All art by Sabrina Bhattarai