Toadlane - April 2015

APRIL 2015

toadlane

No3

WATERLOO CO-OPERATIVE RESIDENCE INCORPORATED

EDITOr

COVER

VICTORIA STACEY

HEIDI FAN

LAYOUT VICTORIA STACEY

ADVISOR HAYLEY PRESS

CONTRIBUTORS LAURA DOWNING, RACHEL LUI, SUMIT BANSAL, CARLOS MEDINA, LU YANG, VICTORIA STACEY, HEIDI FAN

toadlane issue 3, april 2015 3. 15 Must Try Street Foods in Taiwan Yu Lang 6. The Cook Book Heidi Fan & Rachel Lui 7. The Artist’s Corner Carlos Medina & Sumit Bansal 10. Stem Cell Research Review Sumit Bansal 11. The Five Minute Project Victoria Stacey 13. Staying Cool This Summer Rachel Lui 14. 5 Ways to Stay Productive While Studying Laura Downing 15. Do It Yourself: Tea Victoria Stacey

LEtter from the editor + editorial policy Thank you for picking up a copy of the new toadlane magazine.

Members of the Waterloo Co-operative Residence Incorporated (WCRI) have worked to put together this entertaining and informative revival issue for your reading pleasure! Over the course of the last month, members have written poetry, recipes, short stories, and event recaps, have taken photos and created artwork for this issue to be a success.

All members of WCRI are encouraged to submit their work for this monthly publication. We are currently recruiting contributors for our next issue, which we anticipate will be even bigger (and better!) than this one.

For contributing to the magazine, you are given 5 pi bucks per submission, as decided on by the

Editor and Advisory team.

We appreciate all effort and work you submit to us, and every piece is carefully reviewed by our team. We do not accept offensive articles; we aim to be inclusive in all aspects of this magazine. All work must be original and created by the person(s) who submitted it. If your work does not adhere to the above, we will email you with the opportunity make changes or submit a new piece.

Don’t let this deter you from submitting your work however! We accept a variety of contributions. If you are unsure if your piece qualifies, send it to us and we can help set you on the right track!

Email toadlane@wcri.coop submit!

to

15 Must Try

Street Foods in Taiwan

BY YANG LU

If you travel to Taiwan, you may find that typical Taiwanese snacks are found everywhere, especially in the night markets. Dozens of night markets are distributed in all over Taiwan, and each one has its own characteristics. This article will introduce some must-try Taiwanese street foods, which you can find in almost every night market.

Braised Pork Rice

Lu Rou Fan “Lurou Fan� seems like a symbol of Taiwanese food. Finely chopped fatty pork is slowly cooked in aromatic soy sauce, usually served with braised egg on the side. The a little sweet and savory meat is really nice to spooned over hot rice.

Beef Noodles

Niu Rou Mian Another well-known Taiwanese dish is Beef Noodles. It is hard to define the best Beef Noodles, because there are many variations of Beef Noodles in Taiwan. It shows competitiveness and innovation in chefs.

Oyster Omelet

Ke Zai Jian The omelet is filled with small oysters, and then the sweet potato starch is added into the egg batter to give it a chewy and gooey texture.

Oyster Vermicelli

Mian Xian A great bowl of oyster vermicelli should have a flavorful soup base, with rice noodles and oysters inside.

Danzai Noodles Danzai Mian When you go to Tainan, you would like to go to a place called Tu Hsiao Yueh. The Danzai noodles there are really famous and addictive.

Gua Bao

It is the Taiwan-style burger. Braised pork belly, chopped into small pieces, with peanut power, pickled cabbage and cilantro are filled in a steamed bun.

The greasy pork makes it a rich flavor!

Fried chicken

Ji Pai & Yan Su Ji One of the hottest items in night market is Ji Pai, people usually have to wait in line to buy it. The chicken breast cutlet is deep fried, and seasoned with salt, pepper and a choice of hot chili power. It has different types and flavors for people to choose, like the one filling with cheese!

Besides fried chicken cutlet, popcorn chicken is another common and ubiquitous street food. The bite-sized chicken pieces are marinated, dipped in batter and then deep fried, also seasoned with salt and pepper.

Small Sausage Wrapped in Big Sausage

Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang It is like a Taiwanese hotdog, but what’s different is that glutinous rice molded in a sausage bun is actually the big sausage, and the small sausage is the traditional Taiwanese pork sausage. Those giant and a little sweet sausages are very popular, and are usually cut into small pieces to sell separately.

Pepper cakes

Hu Jiao Bing It is a must-try item at Rao He night market. Pepper cakes has a crispy skin and are filled with minced pork and pepper power, they are cooked by sticking them to the wall of an oven. Remember to eat a fresh pepper cake right out of the oven!

Stinky Tofu

Chou Dou Fu Most of the people will be turned off by the awful smell of the tofu at the first time, me too. But once you try it, you’ll have no regrets. The strange smell really disappears and tofu has crispy outside as well as soft inside. It has a nice taste and usually served with sweet and spicy sauce.

Ren Bing

Traditional Ren Bing is savory; the tortilla type wrapper is filling with vegetables and meat.

There is also a dessert one; wrapper is filled with crushed peanuts, ice cream, and cilantro.

Pearly Milk Tea

Zhen Zhu Nai Cha Bubble tea is popular in all over the world. It was born is Taiwan in 1988, so it is really recommended to try an authentic one in Taiwan again.

Papaya milk

Mu Gua Niu Nai Besides bubble tea, papaya milk is another popular drinking in the night market.

Exotic Asian Fruits and fresh juice

You can find many types of Asian fruits in Taiwan, especially some tropical fruits. You would also like to have a glass of fresh fruit juice, without any additives, only made with fruits, water, or ice. More importantly, it has reasonable price!

Shaved ice

Bao Bing Since Taiwan has a long and hot summer, you’ll find everyone is eating shaved ice. There are many varieties of shaved ice in Taiwan. Some of them are topped with several kinds of fresh fruits, beans, puddings, fruit syrup and condensed milk. And some of them come in toppings like tapioca, taro balls, yam balls, peanuts, taro, yam, and so on.

Some Famous Taiwan Night Markets Taipei Shilin Night Market Raohe Night Market Ningxia Night Market Taichung Feng Chia Night Market Kaohsiung Liouhe Tourist Night Market Zhonghua Street Night Market Tainan Flowers Night Market Yilan Luodong Night Market -The foods mentioned above is only the tip of the iceberg, actually you may get surprised about the huge varieties of foods in Taiwan. Besides traditional snacks in the night markets, you can also find plenty of creative ones, and each area has its food specialty; even the same product may have different tastes in the northern Taiwan and the southern Taiwan. Visitors also have many choices about local specialties to take home. The enormous varieties of Taiwanese snacks show the importance of food culture in Taiwan.

Going to the night markets and trying these foods if you are going to Taiwan, this is an experience that is not to be missed!

THE COOK BOOK THE WATER’S SPA GRANOLA

CROISSANT SANDWICH

heidi fan

heidi fan

I've tried the granola mix at The Waters Spa in Uptown Waterloo many times and I told myself that I will recreate that mix one day.

That one day came and I went to bulk barn to purchase the ingredients in mind from what I wrote down from taste testing.

After spending 20 minutes around the barn, I began to be very confused at what was really in it, until I went around and really looked at the ingredients and realized this blend was beside the on sale blend the whole time. And the girl didn't even bother finding the right code for the blend, so I basically got it for $0.51/100g. There's so many ingredients in there that are so healthy like: Whole grain rolled oats, whole grain what flakes, brown sugar, crisp rice, pumpkin seeds kernels, sunflower seed kernels, brown flax seed meal, dried apple pieces, soya fibre, ground salba seeds, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, etc. The only thing different from the The Waters mix is that they added mini chocolate chips. I added that in and Tada! THE SAME MIX AS THE WATERS SPA!! Now I don't have to pay at least $60 for a massage every time I want to eat their granola mix.

AVACADO SHAKE rachel lui

An easy-to-make creamy treat for a hot day!

INGREDIENTS 1 ripe avocado 3 tablespoons of condensed milk (add more/less to taste) ½ cup milk 1 cup ice DIRECTIONS 1. Slice the avocado 2. Throw all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth *This recipe is one that you can play around with, adjust quantities until you get the desired taste/texture!

Make your own very easy croissant sandwich by just combining a refrigerated croissant, easy for cutting the croissant and not squishing it. Then after cutting it in half with a bread knife. I sliced cheese to put with the croissant in the toaster oven. Freely add whatever deli meat of your choice and a vegetable. Here I added rare roast beef, prosciutto, roasted turkey, and jalapeño chicken, along with organic spinach. Makes a great healthy and fast snack! Enjoy!

SIMPLE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES rachel lui

Easy recipe for days you want a sweet treat!

INGREDIENTS 1 cup peanut butter 3/4 cup white sugar 1 egg DIRECTIONS 1. Mix all the ingredients together until blended 2. Preheat oven to 350°F 3. Roll the dough into about 25-30 balls and place them on a baking sheet. (make sure they aren’t too close together!)

4. The fun part: flatten the cookies with a fork!

5. Bake for 18-21 minutes, until lightly browned.

6. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes and then enjoy!

the Artist’s Corner THE TALENTED artists of WCRI

Art by Carlos Medina

Airships of Undecided Colour Repetition Existent Futures

Carlos Medina

Old Worlds Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas and saw that it was another world. He died believing he had landed somewhere near India. Amerigo Vespucci was the one who realised this was not only another world for the Afro-Eurasian knowledge, this was in fact a New World beyond their imagination.

BEAUTY

Sumit Bansal Science has developed the means of making people beautiful Making everyone beautiful leaving no room for ugliness Well, what makes a person beautiful?

How can a person be beautiful if he or she is just like everyone else?

Being like everyone else makes you nobody.

Beauty can only be found, if it is compared to something ugly.

How can there be a smile, If there is no frown.

Ask yourself, Why should you be hideous?

Does being different make you hideous?

Is looking like you unjust?

The fact is that humans need to feel special We know each other through our differences People will try to change you against your will, And you might want to give in.

But remember, you are not ugly.

You might not be pretty, but that doesn’t make you ugly.

Everyone has some beauty in them, Be it physically, or emotionally.

Airships Clusters of civilization took to the sky late last century like airships blown upward by airs of warmed and re-conditioned thoughts. The deterrestration of man came quiet and undecided, seeming slow and confused; an assortment of bitter flowers under the grindstone forming an enlightening potion imbibed not by persons but by the universe, causing new conditions. As accidental new folk facing the new world; in retrospect they understood they were entering the future but until now it wasn't clear this wasn't just another world, this was a New World; a rediscovery of their reality.

Undecided Colour World, All is obsolete in the loneliness of sleep; you are in slumber and there is no wonder left to you, so what keeps me?

Hair threads through my body; it pierces this here skin and becomes knotted on the roots of my nature within.

I am forced on this tree, these threads holding me beautifully.

I feel pitty extrange me and I am finally a saddled beast; my flight chartered.

Breaths of pillowed pink persuade me from the outside in while from the inside out I am re-jointed and made finally effective for this life; hairs ingrown bearing genetic ferment in my mind.

A penetrating season of flight, buried in a glory of light overhead above flora and fauna alike I cohabitate with such various fertile spores; but I am not one. .

- Albatross, what reason have you here? .

- Invisible force, I’ve no knowledge at all; no future nor past do I recall .

Extended and thinned out over the mass the solid fact of life below my earthy self erodes in the winds.

Conscious of this I prevision pieces of me landing after being tossed about rolled like craps dice deciding my destiny.

Landing on that great solid below these particulates of me participate in life as ambassadors from the nothing.

Up here are the limits to emotion.

The air is thin where there is no need for breath.

Thoughts are bleached, depth is irrelevant and I am not alone; we are airships of undecided colour.

From Ten Poems to The Lover and One to Destiny

Carlos Medina

[III] I’d trade you for another How could you be my despair?

Unsure I even like you less want or have need of you I’m just lonely and you’re there.

BLOOD AND WINE

Sumit Bansal I woke up one morning, Wondering what the meaning of life was.

Could it be comprised of death and mourning, Or to gain hope from our loss.

I wonder what I would leave behind, When the reaper would drop from his shrine.

Would my loved ones cry, Or just whisper and sigh.

My corpse would be used as a greeting card, Reminding my friends to try ever so hard.

Served on my deathbed, would be wine, Drowning the sorrow, that feeds the devil’s grime.

NIGHTINGALE

Carlos Medina

Nightingale, I wonder from where you’ve flown.

Were you escaping danger? I sense a blue note in your tone. Were you escaping anger?

I fear it’s followed you to my home. I can act on your behalf if you can’t do it on your own.

You’re interested in me I’m in appreciation yet I cannot be flattered Sure, you can have liked me You socialized yourself to.

I think I’ve been using you I’m sorry, not sorry for sure I haven’t meant to be rude I’m hoping you got your’s, too.

[IV] You are the closest You are the whole list plus the mysteries; no one else compares.

There’s no other who’s so deep beset my cause There is none whose feel I fear and feend more for.

You are the vaulted astros You are the nerve impulse You settle my homesick, blow sail my want to roam.

You’ve delivered me in glances Surveyed my sum You convinced my tongue before the first ‘Hello’.

And after then confusion and after then desires These breaths invariably embark Now I set about to find you.

[V] You are nice and my cheek craves your lap; I’m conquered.

I’ll build a room and in that room I’ll craft a chair and on that chair I’ll ask you sit.

I will let the world Enter one by one To watch me slumber Soundly at your feet.

Short of adoring you But for my selfish wants I want to prove to all I’ve reached life’s end without Life ending.

BY SUMIT BANSAL

Stem cell research review The Talks about Stem cell research and therapeutic cloning sparked in 1996 when Dolly, the sheep, was first cloned. For the past fifteen years, stem cell research has been the most talked about topic that could cause medical growth. Even though it has many people against it, stem cell research has the potential to be extremely beneficial to the human race and the problems we tackle everyday with medicine. Through the research done in the UAE, it has been stated that stem cell research has already developed methods of solving some of the world’s greatest medical issues such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

According to an article published by Research Marketing Limited titled “Delving into Stem Cell research and its full potential” all multi cellular organisms have stem cells present in them. Stem cells are unspecialized cells which can grow into many types of tissues and organs. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division which gives them the ability to differentiate and specialize into obtaining functions of any cell in the body.

“Stem Cell Research” by Jennifer Vegas states that there are two types of stem cells. One kind is found in the developing embryo and core blood of infants.

These can be allocated to any cell function and can be used for any purpose in our body. The other kind is found in the red bone marrow of adults but these are only able to grow into different kinds of blood cells and they can’t be used for a lot more.

The benefits of stem cell research greatly outweigh

the ethical bumps that hold it back. According to the National Institute of Health Resources for Stem Cell Research, the available organs for transplanting are greatly outnumbered by the patients awaiting organ transplants. By cloning stem cells, it would be possible to make new organs in need and countless lives could be saved.

Researching stem cells and how they develop will also help scientist discover how certain birth defect occur and how they can be prevented.

The main reason for all the criticism is that many people believe it is ethically wrong because in some cases, it could destroy a human embryo and in many others- it requires therapeutic cloning.

People who are against it should know that the research is extensively monitored and regulated.

According to an article titled “Anti - Stem Cell research add ignores Facts” unethical research experiments on humans is prevented by the Federal Law. The development and testing of medical supply is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration to make sure it is done ethically, and claims of ethnicity should not stop the progress of this life booming research.

In addition to creating new organs and teaching us more about human development, stem cells are capable of curing diseases and injuries such as heart diseases, diabetes, spinal cord injuries and even severe burns. With the help of stem cell research, soon the average life expectancy would be much higher and you or someone you love could be greatly benefited.

VICTORIA STACEY I love photography, so I am often browsing websites to find tips on how to improve my photography or challenges to take to force myself to take more photos.

I stumbled upon the 5 Minute Project earlier this year (5minuteproject.com). The project inspires people to take five minutes out of their day to simply photograph whatever happens in that time. It is a reminder to step out of your daily routine and just capture the little moments of your day. I loved this project!

The day I found out about this challenge, I was at home with my parents and 3 of my 4 brothers. I figured, what a great time to try it out! A close member of my family had just passed away, and I felt I should document this time with my family in the moment.

My family loves sports, so it was natural that one of our get togethers would be during the superbowl. During this time my mom always cooked a bunch of great appetzers and a delicious meal. Pictured left, you can see the brownie tarts, brocoli quiche and bacon wrapped chestnuts.

We also play a variety of games, including chess, Stratego, What’s Yours Like and a Superbowl betting survey. My brother also called his best friend to join in on the fun!

This was a fun project that I can’t wait to do again! It does not need to be done with a ‘professional’ camera, or even a camera at all. The project is about documenting the special moments and this could be done with five minutes of journalling as well!

Take a look at the 5 Minute Project website to gain even more inspiration and share your projects with Toadlane for the next issue! We’d love to see what you come up with!

Staying cool this summer RACHEL Lui

DIY Air Conditioner!

With the Spring term approaching, it tends to get really warm, especially with no A/C. Here is an easy, cheap way to stay cool during the summer!

Materials needed: - 1 box (foam, plastic, something waterproof) - 1 Fan - A lot of ice (can be frozen in bottles to make things easier) PVC pipe (alternatively, you could use hard plastic water bottles) - Something that can cut through the material of your box

3. Fill the box with ice, put the fan and the PVC pipe into the cut outs that you just made 4. Turn on the fan :D To keep it cold throughout the week, make sure you put ice in regularly!

How to keep cool this summer

1. Wet a washcloth with cold water and put it on your neck 2. Water gun/balloon fight with friends!

1. Take the box, and figure out where on the box you want to place the fan, and the PVC pipe. (many people put both on the top)

3. Dip your feet in cold water

2. Use something to mark the sizes of these items and then cut the shapes out accordingly. (ensure that the fan can still fit comfortably on the top of the box)

5. Stay on lower floors when possible (heat rises!)

4. Always have a spray bottle in your fridge

6. Stick cold cucumber slices on your face and lie down

So, you're

graduating?

VICTORIA STACEY

5 Ways to be more

productive when studying LAURA DOWNING

Go To The Library

Are you really going to be able to concentrate at home? At home there is food, roommates, television and that jigsaw puzzle you haven’t touch since 2009.

Pomorodo Technique

This technique uses timed intervals to split work up into sections. Usually, you work for 25 minutes and then have a 5 minute break, but any interval length can be used.

Use Flash Cards

Unfortunately, flash cards are not suitable for all courses, but when they are useful, I find them extremely useful. I think they help break down the material into manageable sections and allow you to focus on one concept at a time. After you understand each concept, you can then layout the cards, see the big picture and make connections.

Use A Website Blocker

Personally, one of my biggest distractions is social media sites, such as Facebook and YouTube. I found a very useful Google Chrome extension called StayFocused that allows you to block certain sites for a specific period of time. There are tons of similar ones out there that have different options and settings, so you might have to try a few before finding one that works for you.

Reward Yourself!

Set goals and rewards at certain points throughout studying.

For example, after reading a chapter you get to go for a walk, watch a show, have a snack, etc.

do it yourself: TEA

VICTORIA STACEY

I love tea. I believe it is the best way to kick back and relax at any time of day. There will be days where I will drink at least 5 cups. I feel its a great way to ‘spice’ up your water in a healthy way (I love black tea, so there’s no added sugar or dairy!) and get in your water intake.

However, my favourite teas are NOT cheap. So, when a friend suggested I try making my own, I was curious. There were so many great flavours at David’s Tea and Teavana, how could I copy them for cheaper?

In came the Bulk Barn! The Bulk Barn sells both basic teas (chai, orange peakoe, vanilla, etc.) as well as more exciting ones (strawberry coconut or moroccan mint). So I took the basic teas, and begun to experiment; adding coconut, other spices, sprinkles, etc. to make new flavours. They also make GREAT gifts.

Here is a recipe for one of my favourites: “Christmas Sprinkle Vanilla Coconut Tea” This makes approximately 7-8 cups of tea depending on how strong you want it.

- 6 Teaspoons of Roobios Tea (Mine was already vanilla, so you can totally experiment here!)

- 3 Teaspoons of Unsweetened Coconut (Or sweetened if you have a sweet tooth!)

- 2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Sugar - 1 Teaspoon of Christmas Sprinkles (I choose the circular kind, not pictured here.)

- 1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon Another great DIY tea gift idea is the “24 days of tea”. Similar to a advent calendar, you give a friend or family member 24 single servings of tea to try each day. You can do this in many ways, but I found buying my teas from the Bulk Barn was the easiest as I could get whatever amounts I wanted (unlike David’s Tea or Teavana which force you to get a minimum of 100g!) I found corked vials at Dollarama and a wooden box to hold them in. I wrote the numbers 1-24 on the top of each vial and made a guide and attached it to the inside of the box!

Tea is a great gift and treat, no matter what time of year!

AN INITIATIVE BY: