Culture

Watching War on Social Media

Andrea Marcy | Design Editor

On Feb. 24, Russia began to invade Ukraine. All major news outlets have devoted ample coverage to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has developed into a story that has reached all corners of the world through social media platforms. A Pew Research Center survey in 2020 found that 48 percent of U.S adults ages 18 to 29 often receive their news from social media. Of the students interviewed at Santa Monica College (SMC), most had online platforms where they followed news outlets.

Aaron Kim, a SMC student, has noticed an increase in his daily screen time since the invasion of Ukraine. Kim found that the news of a big country such as Russia carrying out an invasion was impossible to escape online. “If you're playing video games, someone will be talking about it on a voice chat,” he said. “It is everywhere you go.”

Another student from SMC, Evelyn Gomez, found that her screen time has gone down since the invasion of Ukraine. “I prefer not to see all the news that pops up, because it is sad to see how people are harming others,” she said.

Julia Doogan advised other students who felt overwhelmed with news to, "get off of social media." She believes that social media is a powerful tool to inform the public but should be taken in moderation. “Once I have the information that I need I kind of try to take a step back a little bit,” she said.

When asked how war news on social media impacted her mental health, student Asli Finci shared that she’s been feeling overwhelmed. She even had a nightmare that she had to go to war with her family. “I feel so bad for everyone going through this,” she said.

The students interviewed all felt anxiety seeing the news surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine all over social media. Dr. Steph Anderson, a professor of psychology at SMC, commented on the toll of news on social media. “The more we mindlessly scroll, the greater the negative effects on our mental health,” she said. “Taking action is often a very useful way to combat feelings of helplessness that we can experience with such devastating news.”

Most SMC students were not aware

David Belman (left) and Saba Asgari (right) at the Santa Monica College main campus awaiting classes by passing time on their phones. (Andrea Marcy | The Corsair) of any on-campus resources. Only one interviewee, Gabriel Lodato, knew that those enrolled at SMC could seek help from the Center of Wellness and Wellbeing. “When I was in my second year here at SMC, I took advantage of that resource. They have psychologists and counselors you can talk to, and if your professor is friendly then talk to them,’ Lodato said. The Center of Wellness and Wellbeing provides mental health services for students at SMC. If long-term services are needed appropriate referrals can be made. You can email them at cww@ smc.edu or leave a voicemail at 310434-4503. Visit the Center for Wellness and Wellbeing Website online through SMC’s official page.

Frozen Food for Thought

Zipporah Pruitt | Staff Writer

Tattooed Chef is a new line of frozen meals all consisting of plant based foods served as ready made frozen meals available to purchase at various grocery stores. The company aims to help busy people have access to eating healthy and affordable meal options to conveniently incorporate a plant based diet in their lifestyles.

Tattooed Chef is founded by Sarah Galletti, who serves as the Creative Director of the brand. Galletti’s goal is to revolutionize the frozen food industry by offering frozen plant based meals and snacks as healthier alternatives to meat, butter and carbs.

Ms. Galletti was inspired to launch Tattooed Chef after reflecting on her time in Italy while employed as a pizza and pastry chef at several eateries as she discusses on the company’s website. “I connected with my Italian roots and started working at a pasticceria, making pizza. Throughout my travels, I was surrounded by amazing, creative people and experienced such camaraderie. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be in the culinary world,” Galletti said.

She later realized that there was an insufficient amount of high-quality plant based choices available in the U.S. and she dreamt about what came out to become Tattooed Chef. Galletti partnered with Ittela Parent in 2014 to curate Tattooed Chef, in order to successfully achieve her goal of providing consumers with fresh, healthy, and tasty plant based meals alongside other additional food products that focus on being “better for the planet.”

On Nov. 30, 2021, Tattooed Chef announced that Illustration by Naomi Ruiz Gaspare “Gasper” Guarrasi, former Director of Operations, was appointed as the brand’s new Chief Operating Officer. Guarrasi’s role of COO will involve being responsible for the company’s global operations and production. In a press release statement. Sam Galletti, who is the President and CEO of Tattooed Chef, said, “I am very pleased to promote Gasper to Chief Operating Officer. During his time at Tattooed Chef, Gasper has proven to be a seasoned leader with a deep understanding of our business and the inherent complexities of scaling and operating a high growth business.” Mr. Guarrsi joined Tattooed Chef in August 2021 and has extensive experience and knowledge of working in operations, manufacturing and supply chain management.

Tattooed Chef utilizes sustainably sourced ingredients to produce quality and delicious plant based meal selections. “Our approach is hands-on and allows us to be more conscientious of what goes into our food and how it’s being processed,” the company said on their website.

Tattooed Chef’s current lineup meals of instant meals consist of mainly classic meals that usually aren’t cooked as plant based, such as cauliflower burgers, cauliflower crust cheese pizza, enchilada bowl with riced cauliflower, cauliflower mac and cheese bowl, and more. Also including fruit dishes such as bowls and raspberry kombucha.

Many Americans struggle with finding healthy and affordable food options, and search for options that aren’t costly, harder to access, or time consuming to make. Tattooed Chef understands consumers' needs and researches what foods and meals people love to eat, and they plan to add new meals to their roster soon.

Recently Tattooed Chef was featured in Pop Punk artist Machine Gun Kelly's music video for his latest single, ''Emo Girl'' featuring WILLOW. In the video, Machine Gun Kelly is seen holding a box and eating a slice of the brand's Plant Based Pepperoni Pizza.

Tattooed Chef meals are available wherever frozen meals are sold, with specific locations listed on their website, tattooedchef.com