Mount Hood

Salem delivers unique eating spot with The Yard

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor

Ever wonder what happened to the Bobablastic truck which once sat on Main Street? I found out this week when I visited Salem’s new dining spot, The Yard. Named as such because the main food options are located outside of the building in the form of different food trucks. The Yard is a rustic, laid-back location with a wide range of options.

Inside the main building is the main seating area, a cafe and a small 21+ area which includes a bar. On either side of the building are glass walls that showcase the wide range of food available including: funnel cakes, pizza, Greek food and of course, the red bubble tea truck.

Deciding to try some of The Yard’s options, my friends and I got food from three different trucks. From the first, we got a slab of pepperoni pizza, which was big enough to be cut into three slices. Not only was it layered with enough cheese to cover the pepperoni slices, convincing me for a moment that they had actually messed up my order, but the flatbread-style crust is a gluten-free option. The vendor informed me that most people can’t tell this about the pizza, but lovers of thin crust pizza will enjoy this option.

From the creatively named Bite Me Foods, which sells the type of classics one might find at a county fair, such as hot dogs and corndogs, we got a dessert. “The lovers”, as it’s called, is a waffle topped with whipped cream, rich chocolate sauce and strawberries. The waffle itself also tasted very fresh, and it was a tasty follow-up to lunch.

Additionally, as if to showcase the variety at The Yard, my friend ordered from North Fresh Sushi, which I left too soon to try, but from what I heard it was also a hit.

Though the main part of The Yard is the new-looking, tastefully lit inside, the small backyard also has a firepit and a few outdoor games. Though the weather is not always ideal at the moment, I can see this being a great spot for summer evenings.

Though at first I was skeptical that a hodgepodge collection of food trucks would be a place I’d like to go for dinner or brunch, The Yard had me pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere in the actual building is laid back and warm, and it also has just about everything one could ask for. I would recommend The Yard anytime, but especially once we start to get warmer weather.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Meyers

Five simple last minute spring break ideas

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor

With tests, projects and essays consuming most of students’ time, some people find themselves facing Spring Break, a time most people like to use to escape from the stress of finals, with no plans. While some prefer doing absolutely nothing besides relaxing, others see free time as an opportunity to get away, both physically and mentally. Planning something with little time can seem pointless or stressful, but it can be done — even without breaking the bank.

Here are some simple ideas to get you started.

 

  1. Take a train up to Seattle. Cheaper than plane tickets but still time efficient, a round trip ticket to a big city can be less than 100 dollars. The AmTrak station is in downtown Salem at 500 13th Street SE, and tickets can also be purchased on their website.
  2. Do an Oregonian go-to, like spending the week in a rental cabin in Bend. The area has no shortage of things to do, from hiking to river rafting to climbing the Cascade mountain range. Rentals can be pricey, but sites like AirBnB have deals that can bring down the cost.
  3. Another classic Northwest way to have a laid-back vacation is renting a beach house and spending a week on the Oregon coast. There are beautiful attractions all up and down the coast, from lighthouses to aquariums to easily accessible tidepools. Lincoln City, a popular town on the coast, is only an hour away from Western, but for those willing to travel longer, there’s beaches in Newport and Florence to the south.  
  4. Visiting a national park is another great way to enjoy the outdoors in a new setting. There are a number in neighboring states, such as Redwood National Park (a drive that’s just under five hours from campus) and Yosemite(12 hour drive) in California and Olympic National Park (four hour drive) in Washington. And, of course, there’s Oregon’s only national park, Crater Lake (three and a half hours from campus), which has in park campsites.
  5. For those just looking for a new experience, there are a few locations only a short drive away where you can go skydiving. Doing this might hit your wallet a few hundred dollars, but at as facilities are located in Molalla (Skydive Oregon located at 12150 OR-211) and Eugene (Eugene Skydivers at 83505 Melton Rd, Creswell),  there’s minimal added cost of travel.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

What to know before going gluten-free

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor

In recent years, gluten-free lifestyles, whether due to medical reasons or personal choice, have been increasingly more accepted and even popular. People with Celiac Disease, for example, are highly sensitive to gluten consumption, as it causes the body to treat gluten as a foreign threat, according to Healthline.com.

However, cutting gluten from the diet can prove difficult, as it’s found in most grains like wheat and oats. Up until recently, things like gluten-free bread and pasta were nearly impossible to find. While it has become more simple, it can still be challenging as well as more expensive to find the right food — not to mention trying to find recipes that can be made at home.

The first thing to do when ditching gluten, like with any other drastic diet change, is to do a bit of research. Even though in many cases going gluten-free can lead to a healthier lifestyle, there are still things to be aware of. For example, eating less wheat might mean needing another source of fibers.

Another good thing to research is basic food substitutions. Zucchini as noodles, or zoodles, is a popular example of go-to gluten substitutions for homemade recipes. There are also different types of flour, such as coconut flour, that can become a kitchen staple. However, there are rarely ingredients that can be exact substitutions, so it would be worthwhile looking up specific gluten-free recipes — especially when baking.

Another thing to take into account is to budget accordingly, both time and moneywise. Unfortunately, some gluten-free products, such as bread, can be more expensive and are not sold everywhere. It also means having to look up most places before going out to eat to make sure they have gluten free options. There are a few places that serve specialized gluten-free cuisine in the Monmouth area, such as Yeasty Beasty and Mangiare Italian Restaurant, as well as on-campus with Valsetz Dining Hall and Wolf Grill.

Going gluten free can be a difficult commitment sometimes, but for some, the health benefits make it well worth it. For those considering making the switch, it might be worthwhile to consult a dietitian to see what a professional recommends.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Meyers

Campus Voices

“If you really want to go to a place, look up how much it will cost and make a plan. Sometimes if I don’t have money for it at the time, I’ll pay with my credit card and make a real effort to pay more on in next time.” Margot Meehan, junior economics major

“Eat in more – don’t go out every night. If you’re staying in a hotel, try and stay somewhere with a kitchen.” Steve Richmond, sophomore public policy major

“Don’t go anywhere too extravagant, too far away. Look for adventures a little closer to home.” Macaela Gertz, early childhood education major

“Collect cans…there’s also lots of dog walking apps, you can make some good extra money that way.” Eli Foster Griggs, senior ASL/English interpreting major

The Willamette Heritage Center highlights the valley’s passionate history through exhibit

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

The Willamette Heritage Center is located in Salem at 1313 Mill St. A cluster of buildings tucked into a scenic corner of the city, the center features permanent exhibits such the historic houses of some of the first families to settle in the Willamette valley, a Thomas Kay Woolen Mill exhibit and Portland General Electric Waterpower exhibit. “The Willamette Heritage Center connects generations by preserving and interpreting the history of the Mid-Willamette Valley,” states willametteheritage.org.

The center also features special, impermanent exhibits. Opening Jan. 24 and lasting through April 20 is an exhibit titled “Romance: Stories of Love and Passion in the Mid-Willamette valley”. The exhibit consists various different displays curated by several different heritage centers in the region that focus on stories of love in the Willamette Valley.

Displays included vignettes on the history of marriage ceremonies from the 19th and early 20th centuries, which didn’t always include a white dress; many brides wore dresses in a variety of colors, such as blue, grey, yellow and even practical colors like brown. An intricate red wedding dress was also on display in this section of the exhibit.

Also included was a collection of artifacts describing the scandalous social dances of the 1800s. Featured were the card and books in which dancers could keep track of their partners, and editorials published in the Oregon Statesman and the Willamette University Newspaper discussed the inappropriate nature of social dances.

The latter newspaper published an editorial by Minnie Frickey in February of 1891, which touched on the subject.

“Thus on every hand stands some monster evil that would destroy all honest, genuine affection, dancing and intemperance alike in fascination and destructiveness,” wrote Frickey, “luxury who would have people so intensely refined that they are unfit for any of the practical duties of life.”

Also included where artifacts such as love self-help books, wedding rings, photographs of young couples and marriage certificates. On display was a law book which included Oregon’s marriage laws over the years. In 1862, Oregon passed a law that made interracial marriage illegal, which wasn’t overturned until 1951. More recently — 2014, to be exact — Oregon passed their same-sex marriage law.

The exhibit at the Willamette Heritage Center brings history into the present, and reminds visitors that love now isn’t much different than love back then.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Chrys Weedon

Oscars 2019: Big wins and controversy

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Feb. 24, 2019 marked the first time in 30 years that the Academy Awards went on without a host. After Kevin Hart was looked over as a host after several homophobic tweets were rediscovered on his account. These tweets were posted by Hart between the years 2009 and 2011. According to cnn.com, Hart apologized and stepped down as host.

Instead, the 91st Academy Awards were hosted by a revolving door of celebrities including: Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy, John Mulaney, Jason Momoa, Serena Williams and many others.

Each year, the most highly anticipated categories are best picture, best actress, actress in a supporting role, best actor and actor in a supporting role.

The ceremony started with Queen performing two of their most popular songs with Adam Lambert filling in for legendary frontman Freddie Mercury, in honor of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which was nominated for numerous awards, best picture being one of them. Other performances during the awards ceremony featured Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper singing “Shallow” from “A Star is Born”, Jennifer Hudson singing “I’ll Fight” from the documentary “RBG”, Bette Midler performing “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” and Gillian Welch and David Rawlings playing “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”.

The ceremony came to a head when the winner of the best picture award was about to be announced. Finally, “Green Book” was presented as the winner of arguably the most anticipated awards of the show. This award has sparked much controversy — according to the Washington Post in an article posted Feb. 25 of this year, Don Shirley’s (the musician played by Mahershala Ali in the film) family contacted the media claiming that they were not contacted until after the movie was released, and that how the movie portrayed Shirley was inaccurate.

The same Washington Post article also discussed controversy surrounding Viggo Mortensen, who played the driver of Shirley, Tony Vallelonga. Washington Post also wrote Mortensen is reported to have used racial slurs while promoting the film.

“Green Book” winning best picture has proven to be a controversial decision, but does not overshadow the other awards of the show. “Bohemian Rhapsody” won four awards, including Rami Malek taking home the award for best actor, and “Roma” was presented with three awards.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@gmail.com

Marie Kondo’s decluttering controversy: Prescriptivist vs helpful

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

In 2011, Marie Kondo published a book titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”. In 2014, the hardcover English translation was released and quickly became a New York Times bestseller.

In her book, Kondo lays out what she calls the KonMari method, an organization method uniquely created through Kondo’s work as a professional organizing consultant. Severely simplified, the KonMari method asks the reader to sort through all their belongings and see what sparks joy — if an object doesn’t spark joy, it should be disposed of. A very important part of the process is thanking an item for its utility before giving the item away or throwing it out.

Kondo has been named on of the New York Time’s 100 most influential people, and many swear by her organization method.

Several celebrities have informally reviewed Kondo’s book as publicity. “I recommend it for anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society,” commented Jamie Lee Curtis on the Amazon page selling the book. B.J. Novak also swears by Kondo’s book.

Kondo’s publication has been so successful that Netflix aired a show centered around her and the KonMari method. In the original show, “Tidying up with Marie Kondo”, Kondo visits different families and assists them in decluttering their life. Although this method can be compared to minimalism, they are distinct — hence why Kondo has specially labelled her own method.

However, an incident in episode five of Kondo’s Netflix original show sparked a debate on the internet.

Kondo advised a couple on how they should declutter their books. In a summary of Kondo’s philosophy on books, a Jan. 12, 2019 article by Deseret News wrote that Kondo believes that the true value of books lies in the information within them. Kondo suggests that having books that someone will never read adds clutter to that person’s life. Instead of stockpiling books, Kondo suggests that someone only keeps the books that spark joy, maybe only keeping sections of books that are special.

Many Twitter users were outraged. User Cleve Arguelles, @CleveArguelles, posted: “I’m not sure whether I should love or hate Marie Kondo right now. But she did advise that one can rip out pages from their favorite books & throw away the rest so they can… ‘keep only the words they like.’ So, hate it is.”

Author Jennifer Wright even posted “this woman is a monster,” in reference to Kondo. That tweet has since been deleted.

Danielle Durand, a Western alumna of the psychology program, explained her opinion on the subject.

“She’s not trying to rid people of sentimental items or tell people how much junk they’re allowed to have. She just wants us to be able to recognize what brings us happiness and joy…”

In fact, this is also what Kondo describes in her book. Kondo’s informal motto has become “only keep belongings that spark joy.” Kondo stresses the importance of donating usable books to charities, libraries or schools.

Outraged tweets claiming Kondo wants everyone to get rid of their books may be unfounded. Reading the book and watching Kondo’s show seem to explain her position on decluttering very clearly.

Cait Munro from Refinery29 interviewed Kondo on the subject on Jan. 11. Kondo said, “I think if you’re truly comfortable with clutter in your home, then that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I will recommend that you still … understand how much quantity of each category of things you have and need. I think that’s an important awareness to have.”

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of konmari.com

 

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