Social Disruption on the Streets

ART S & C U LT U RE

S P O RT S

H UM O UR

Meet Linda Kanyamuna: SFU student and content creator extraordinaire

Celebrating mindfulness in sports with Alison Andrews-Paul

The Toxic Truth behind SFU

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NEWS An interview with SFSS on SUB Closure

OPINIONS However much caffeine you’re drinking is probably too much

FEATURES All you need is a love of music to join the SFU Jazz Band

January 31, 2022

SUB OUT

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE

NEWS

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NEWS

DEMOCRATIC DISOBEDIENCE

DNA DEMANDS

News Editor Nancy La

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News Writers Karissa Ketter and Yelin Gemma Lee

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news@the-peak.ca

January 31, 2022

KICK THE CAFFEINE (HABIT)

KNOWING NATURE

OPINIONS

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OPINIONS

WORK, REST, REPEAT

Opinions Editor Jacob Mattie

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opinions@the-peak.ca

LOGGING OUT

Once my phone was down, I felt empty and frustrated — like I had achieved nothing

OPINIONS

January 31, 2022

BIOME SHAPING

[In the] replacement of native flora and fauna, we can see an uncomfortable parallel to the colonial mindset

HUMOUR? I BARELY KNOW HER!

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S FU JA Z Z

BA N D

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ARTS & CULTURE

Arts & Culture Editor Sara Wong

Poon choi My family comes from an interesting mix of Vietnamese and Cantonese background, and I’m always reminded of my roots whenever we have poon choi on our table during New Year dinner. Poon choi literally translates to “dishes on a platter,” and is supposed to signify wealth and prosperity with its luxurious ingredients. It is served communal style in a wooden platter in Hong Kong and the Canton region, but nowadays metal platters are more commonly seen in Asian diasporas.

Bánh Tét Growing up in Vietnam, there is no Lunar New Year without some bánh tét in my house. My parents usually have them up on the altar as offerings for our ancestors before we consume them. I distinctly remember getting into trouble for being impatient and plucking bánh tét off the offering plate when I was a child. My memories of Vietnam are blurry, but all it takes is one bite of bánh tét to transport me back to my childhood home in Saigon.

Inside these long, grass-coloured cylinders lies what I believe to be the best savoury combination of flavours and textures.

Fragrant glutinous rice, dyed green from the wrapping of banana leaves, envelopes a soft layer of mung bean paste. In the centre is a thick cut of pork belly and, occasionally, salted egg yolks.

The mung bean paste melts perfectly with the fat from the pork belly, and the glutinous rice ensures the fatty flavours don’t get too overwhelming on the tongue. Thick slices of bánh tét are served with a side of củ cải, crunchy pickled radish.

I would recommend taking it up a notch by pan frying the bánh tét slices so the glutinous rice can crisp up and some of the pork belly fat can render out.

— NL

Poon choi consists of various elements such as sea cucumber, abalone, taro root, mushrooms, fish maw, and, controversially, fat choy (that’s right, the same fat choy in the greeting “gung hei fat choy” you commonly hear). All of these elements are cooked separately, then arranged on the platter and simmered slowly in a thick broth. Usually, the more expensive meats, such as pork, abalone, and sea cucumbers are placed on top. Vegetables, such as taro root and radish, are placed on the bottom because they are not seen as “expensive.” But because they are at the bottom, they absorb so much flavour from the pork and various meats that they become little umami bombs. My sisters and I usually fight over the stewed taro because it’s so flavourful and creamy; I attribute this to why my chopsticks skills are on another level.

— NL

Jian dui When it comes to Lunar New Year, my grandma goes all out. Even in these past couple years, she’s prepared extravagant feasts (it was the most elaborate takeout scheme I’ve seen in my life). There are definitely some dishes I could do without, but as long as there’s a tray of jian dui at the end of the meal, I’m content.

Jian dui, often referred to as “sesame balls,” are Chinese pastries made with glutinous rice flour. The filling can vary, but my family always uses red bean paste. The sticky dough balls are rolled in white sesame seeds then deep fried to crispy, golden perfection.

In pre-pandemic times, the women on my mom’s side of the family would gather in my grandma’s kitchen and prepare dozens of these treats, so I always had access to straight-out-of-the-wok jian dui. The nutty aroma of sesame, permeating the house as more and more deep-frying occurred, signified how special the occasion was. There’s nothing better than fresh jian dui, with their slightly crunchy exteriors and warm, chewy centres cushioning sweet, gooey globs of red bean. I’ve shamelessly used the biaojie (older cousin) card to get dibs on the first batch.

For the third year in a row, my family will be celebrating Lunar New Year in separate households. While disappointing, I’m comforted by the fact that my grandma’s cooking can bring us together in spirit.

— SW

LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE

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arts@the-peak.ca

January 31, 2022

LOUDER THAN WORDS

ARTS & CULTURE

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Sports Editor Isabella Urbani | Sports Writer Greg Makarov | sports@the-peak.ca

SPORTS

No

Will Garret Hilton (hockey) score a goal next game?

(12%)

Yes

Polled: 16

Will the men’s basketball team have a winning recording in February?

(88%)

No

(24%)

Yes

(76%)

Polled: 17

Will the softball team win their first game of the season on February 18?

No

(12%)

Yes

(88%)

Polled: 17

Will the swim team win more than four individual races next meet?

No

(11%)

Yes

(89%)

Polled: 18

Will the women’s basketball team score more than 70 points next game?

Polled: 18

No

(28%)

Yes

(72%)

January 31, 2022

PRIORITIZING STUDENT HEALTH

SPORTS

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HUMOUR

COMIC BY SARA BRINKAC

Humour Editor Sara Brinkac

COMIC BY SARA BRINKAC

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humour@the-peak.ca

HUMOUR

January 31, 2022

ARIES — Mar 21–Apr 19

LIBRA — Sept 23–Oct 22

How does it feel to always be first on every single horoscope? Everyone looks at your horoscope and you don’t have to waste any time searching for your sign. Just like the majestic raccoon, you love to get all the attention and will combust if anyone ignores you for a second.

Just like bedbugs, you’ve been hopping between beds every night since the semester started. We’re in a pandemic for god’s sake, keep it in your pants and a minimum distance of six feet away.

TAURUS — Apr 20 –May 20

SCORPIO — Oct 23–Nov 21

Similar to the hardy squirrel, you like to hoard snacks for long periods of time. Instead of collecting nuts though, you just keep stuffing your pockets with as much dried cereal as you can find in the Dining Hall. But as the squirrel’s stowed nut grows into a beautiful tree, so does your stash change with the splendor of time — into mold. It’s mold. You nasty.

Scorpions and snakes go great together, so this week I am assigning you the snake. There are no snakes that live on campus, you say? Well just walk into any business class and you’ll find plenty (I recognize this is a cheap shot Beedie students and I don’t apologize).

GEMINI — May 21–Jun 20

SAGITTARIUS — Nov 22–Dec 21

Fuck off, Gemini you don’t get an animal this week.

Did you ever wonder why there are bird stickers on all the windows on SFU Burnaby? That’s to prevent the chickadees from flying into windows. This week you are that humble chickadee, and just as that chickadee cannot see windows, you cannot (or refuse to) see the red flags in your 3:00 a.m. Tinder match.

CANCER — Jun 21–Jul 22

CAPRICORN — Dec 22–Jan 19

This week you’re feeling a little bit needier than usual, just like the seagull that follows me around on campus.

I dropped a piece of my poké one time — please — leave me alone.

You’re a rat this week, Capricorn. But not just any rat, specifically that one rat that was found in the UBC Dining Hall. All you wanted was some love, attention, and a little snack. But instead, the video of you being flung across the room with a pair of tongs is all over the news. Don’t worry, SFU will welcome you in with all the other rejected rats we have.

LEO — Jul 23–Aug 22

AQUARIUS — Jan 20 –Feb 18

Did you know you’re not allowed to have pets in your dorm? Well Leo, you’re the cat someone thought was a good idea to smuggle in anyway. Online learning has you feeling like a Burmese trapped in a 5x5 room and that‘s why you’ve been literally clawing at the walls lately. Also — your room totally smells like a litterbox. Do your laundry, man.

There’s this one dog that walks around campus holding a stuffed animal in its mouth while it walks. Just like that one dog, you light up the room when you walk in. But don’t let all that attention get to your head, you haven’t got much else working for you up there.

VIRGO — Aug 23–Sept 22

PISCES — Feb 19–Mar 20

You’re a songbird this week because you bring music into people’s lives. Not good music though. Just because there are pianos all across campus does not mean you need to play them.

You may think you’re the goldfish from the AQ pond this week because you’re the fish sign, and you’re partly right. But it’s important to note that you’re not the actual goldfish from the AQ pond, instead, you’re the (now soggy) goldfish cracker I dropped into it running away from that fucking seagull.

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DIVERSIONS

Business Manager Yuri Zhou

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business@the-peak.ca

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

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