12 Centerspread
www.thesmokesignal.org
The Smoke Signal
Thursday, April 21, 2011
food
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The Smoke Signal
www.thesmokesignal.org
Centerspread 13
M U L T I C U L T U R A L PAD THAI
By Ditha Balaji, Leland Bernstein, Frank Chen & Diya Roy Staff Writers
From April 11 to 14, students packed the horseshoe during lunch, eager to eat their favorite foods. The delicious aromas wafting from the food and drinks proved savory and sweet, drawing in crowds to devour new and familiar treats alike.
CAJUN FRIES
Pad thai from Reach for the Sky was a great bang for your buck during Multicultural Week. A steaming bowlful was only four dollars, and quality came with the quantity. Pad thai hails from Thailand, and was made popular by prime minister Luang Phibunsongkhram in a campaign to reduce rice consumption to boost rice export.
PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SANDWICHES
Cycling Club brought philly cheesesteaks to MSJ this year. The original philly cheesesteak hails from a Philadelphia hot dog stand near the Italian market. What began as a simple variation of steak sandwiches, philly cheesesteaks have become immensely popular, and Bob’s Hoagy Steak’s version is amazing. There is a big difference between normal cheesesteak sandwich steak and the steak used at Bob’s, which resembles Korean barbeque. Regardless, the beef was delicious, and there was a perfect balance of grilled onion and cheese.
COFFEE ICE CREAM FLOATS
While ice cream floats are generally assumed to be classic American food/drink, the Italians beat us to the punch with a dessert called an affagato. Italian for “drowned”, an affagato requires a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream with a shot of hot espresso or coffee poured all over it. The coffee ice cream floats from Food for Thought did not disappoint their Italian counterpart. The ice cream was delicious and the coffee was great. Food for Thought also let you liberally drench your dessert in chocolate or caramel syrup, and plenty of whipped cream.
GYROS
A traditional Greek meat cuisine, gyros were first introduced to North America by American restaurant owner George Apostolou. This year, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) brought this Mediterranean delicacy to MSJ’s student body. To prepare this dish, pieces of meat, such as lamb or chicken, are placed on a tall skewer that rotates around a broiler. The meat is then cut into thin, crispy shavings served with onions, tomatoes, and a special sauce called tzatziki, all wrapped into a round slice of bread called pita.
PASTA & BREADSTICKS
This year, MSJ Yearbook decided to share a common food, pasta, from a not so common restaurant. Pasta Presto is an Italian food chain founded in 1992. What sets them apart is their daily made ingredients, straight from Nonna’s, Maria Parotta DePaola’s, family recipe. The pasta, available in an Alfredo-based sauce and a Marinara sauce, sold out quickly. The pasta’s popularity may have also been due to various Yearbook members walking around with and wearing signs advertising the food. Hopefully, this new favorite food will be sold again in the future!
SANDWICHES
MSJTV, MSJ’s own TV network, joined in on the Multicultural Week festivities by selling the down-south staple: Cajun fries. Purchasing these savory potato snacks from the newly-opened burger joint, Five Guys, MSJTV aimed to raise money to buy supplies to support their network. Cajun fries originate in New Orleans, Louisiana as a part of the diverse culinary culture of that area. Cajun cuisine comes from the French Riviera scene, consisting of a typical three-course meal of a meat-based main course, rice, and cornbread or some other grain. Also closely related to Creole cuisine, Cajun cuisine is heavy on the use of exotic spices such as cayenne pepper, sassafras, and sugarcane.
DONUTS & ICE CREAM
SAMOSAS
A popular snack in India, samosas have now also become a new favorite here at MSJ. Bridging the Gap sold the spicy and savory snack with chutney, a type of dipping sauce. Traditionally, samosas are eaten as a midday snack or an on the go kind of food all across India. With it’s inexpensive price and unique taste, it’s no wonder samosas have been popular with the MSJ population and have sold out consistently!
Project ME vendors put out donuts and ice cream to raise money for their charity-based group and grant program. The club sold the donuts, donut holes, and ice cream all for under $2. The food was chosen due to the members’ love for Vasy’s Donuts (where the donuts where purchased) and simply because the combination seemed appealing. The donuts themselves attracted plenty of attention throughout the week due to the generosity of the servings and thrifty price. The history of the donut is not fully certain, but most say they were created by Dutch settlers in the 19th century. The ring-shaped donut is claimed to be invented by Hansen Gregory in 1847 aboard a lime-trading ship at the age of 16. Since then these deep-fried delicacies have become an American symbol of traditional breakfast foods.
TACOS
During Multicultural Week, American Cancer Society (ACS) sold local favorite SuperTaco’s tacos. The club decided on this Fremont staple by choosing something that would be a crowd-pleaser and easily transportable. The club chose tacos due to a desire for something that would draw in more people than last year’s fried rice. ACS ordered 40 of this traditional Mexican item, which sold quickly within the lunch period. The taco originated in Mexico, where the first type of taco was a kind of fish taco eaten by the indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico region.
A very popular choice of food around the world, sandwiches originated from the Middle Ages, where they were commonly described as a late-night snack. These portable, easily made, and inexpensive sandwiches from Phoenix Art & Literary Magazine were a preferred choice among students, selling out almost every day. Hailing from Amia Bakery, these sandwiches had a variety of fillings, such as mediterranean spinach, chicken pesto, hot pastrami, and BBQ chipotle chicken with bacon.
MUSUBIS
The best-selling mango drink in India, Frooti became popular for its refreshing taste and its simple TetraPak design. Launched in 1985 by Parle Agro India Pvt. Ltd., Frooti is currently exported to more than 20 countries across the world. Model United Nations (MUN) introduced this beverage along with egg rolls that originated from East Asia, offering a combination of two favorites from two distinctive cultures.
MSJ was also graced with a taste of Hawaii this year, courtesy of Interact. Chicken teriyaki musubis from Ohana Grill were sold for an affordable $2.50 each and became a fast hit. This food is traditionally a snack or lunch food in Hawaii and is made in the tradition of Japanese onigiri. They consist of rice and chicken terriyaki wrapped in seaweed. However, these Hawaiian treats were gone within 20 minutes. If you missed out this year, musubis are hopefully something to look out for next year!
FROOTI
PHOTO review
photos by staff writers frank chen, andrew han, edward nguyen, alekya rajanala, courtney tam, jonathon teng, aishwarya thakur, angie wang, alice zalan & kevin zhai