The Edge

THE EDGE

IOWA CITY WEST HIGH SCHOOL

2901 MELROSE AVE.

IOWA CITY, IA 52246

INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

MAY 23, 2016

NEW BUILDING, NEW SEASON A LOOK INSIDE THE NEW HANCHER AUDITORIUM PAGE 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Kaling Me Softly

Opinion on trendy food and the discovery of what makes food truly “trendy.”

4 Artichoke Profile

Profiling the artichoke, a highly favored option to the brussel sprout.

5 New Building, New Season

The construction and new season of Hancher Auditorium.

8 Sophia Chen Fashion Profile

The style secrets of Sophia Chen, and how she looks good with 4 hours of sleep.

Publication by Grace Yarrow

KALING ME SOFTLY

Looking in to which foods are trendy and the reasons behind their popularity... as told by a non-trendy person.

“Oh my gosh, you’re so trendy!” I’m told as I pull out a salad from my lunch box.

At first, I’m confused. Trendy?! I found some spinach at my house, and now I’m “trendy?!” What does this mean? How do foods even become trendy? And does this have any impact on our lives?

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, salad is “a mixture of raw green vegetables usually combined with other raw vegetables.” Under this definition, salad sounds like possibly the most MISERABLE food ever. Woohoo! Raw vegetables with other raw vegetables! Hopefully I’m not alone when I say this is terribly concerning to my perception of what a “salad” is. For God’s sake, there’s an entire Wikipedia page entitled “List of Salads.” This extensive list includes “salads of pasta,” “glorified rice,” and “jello salad.” What aspects of these salads makes them “trendy?”

I proceed to google “trendy foods,” curious as to what else I’ve been missing. I am aware of kale’s recent claim to fame, mostly because of those sweatshirts that say “KALE,” rather than “YALE.” That’s the joke, right? Honestly, I still believe that kale should forever remain a garnish. But, to each their own.

According to the Huffington Post article, “Kale 2.0: The Trendy Vegetables You’re About to be Sick of,” the list of the latest veggies includes celery root, sunchokes, 2 OPINION MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

and little gem lettuce. Other results for popular foods remind me of the recent cronut (croissant and donut hybrid) craze, and those WAY-over-the-top milkshakes with piles of candy and ice cream from the restaurant Black Tap, located in NYC. The varieties of these milkshakes range from straight-up “Candy Milkshake” to the (also extremely trendy) Cronut flavor, with an actual cronut ON TOP OF THE GLASS. Seriously, look up what these milkshakes look like, and I guarantee you’ll get a toothache just looking at a picture.

Although healthier foods such as kale and avocados are gaining popularity, these milkshakes and the frozen yogurt hype prove that trendy foods may not be the same as healthy foods. Black Tap milkshakes average at about 1,600 calories, and can rack up hours of wait times for Diabetes-seeking customers with multiple sweet teeth. Cringe.

Taking a closer look at the similarities between these trendy foods, I realize that avocado toast, kale, etc. are fairly healthy. But if trendy is synonymous with healthy, why are cronut milkshakes even in existence? Looking through these pictures, all of the foods that can be recognized as popular have a sort of aesthetic appeal.

Salads, sunchokes, milkshakes, frozen yogurt, and whatever else are all found within your own social media feed. Is our generation more concerned with sharing our food than eating it? Maybe.

Here’s the conclusion I have come to: in order for a food to be trendy, it has to meet the “visual” requirement. We like to have what we put into our body, healthy or not, look good.

Any food with enough visual appeal can be trendy, because if you didn’t post it, did you even eat it?

Truth be told, this is a highly unhealthy lifestyle for human beings to follow. Why are we more concerned with how the chemicals we’re eating look than the fact that we are potentially eating TOXIC

OPINION

CHEMICALS. Hold the phone now. How did we develop from a society that spent nearly all of their time struggling to feed themselves through a hunting and gathering type of lifestyle to a society that spends nearly all of our free time making our food look pretty for our friends on Facebook?

The best way, frankly, to combat this is to stop pressuring people to make their lives perfect. With the overuse of social media by our generation, even our food has been affected. Will you let something as flimsy as social media affect something as beautiful and absolutely amazing as food?! Not in my house. Will what other people think about your Instagrams actually significantly make a difference in your life 20 years from now? For most, the answer to that is probably a very strong “no.” I’m not an expert in anything having to do with psychology or social media, but it’s important to make sure you’re living beyond your “#Foodie” picture.

I still believe that kale should forever remain a garnish.

But, to each their own.

-Grace Yarrow ‘19

GRACE’S PREDICTION OF 2017 TRENDY FOODS 1. Drone-delivered takeout 2. Healthy donuts 3. Gluten-free, vegan-free, calorie-free, substance-free, chemical-free barbeque 4. Vegan water 5. Pure sugar smoothies 6. Air cleanse 7. Parsley 8. Umami pizza 9. Spicy ice cream 10. Artichokes

Note: This is an extremely accurate prediction, watch out for air cleanses hitting markets near you soon. Be careful out there.

INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 OPNION 3

ALL CHOKED UP Recipe: Spinach Artichoke Dip: Ingredients: 1 cup coarsely chopped artichoke hearts 1 cup chopped spinach 3 minced cloves of garlic ½ cup chopped onion ½ cup sour cream 4 oz. softened cream cheese 2 tablespoons milk 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese ½ cup grated parmesan cheese ½ teaspoon garlic salt ¼ teaspoon Italian Seasoning ⅛ teaspoon pepper Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Then combine all the ingredients together in the given order and mix until completely combined. Put this into a greased pie pan or 8x8 pan and let it bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Recipe: Yammie’s Noshery (yammiesnoshery.com)

An insider’s guide to the vegetable that stole America’s heart.

Artichoke: All-around facts The choke is especially prevalent in Southern California, where the vast majority of the U.S.’ artichokes are grown. In fact, there’s even a California Artichoke Advisory Board, which since 1999, “has chosen to focus its resources on a research program,” according to their website (artichokes.org). The board also said, “ The California artichoke growers are pleased that artichokes are receiving their just recognition. 99.99% of all commercially grown artichokes are grown in California and no other commodity can claim such exclusivity to the state. Artichokes are truly California’s vegetable.”

Source: California Artichoke Advisory Board Fun facts: -In 1576, Dr. Bartolomeo Boldo (author of the “Book of Nature”) wrote that the artichoke has the power to make any person “more desirable!” Just in time for wedding season!

-California is the heart of artichoke agriculture processes, producing 100% of artichoke crops in the U.S. -One artichoke plant can produce 20 artichokes a year.

-Artichoke is the primary flavor for an Italian alcoholic drink, Cynar.

-Women were not allowed to eat artichokes until the 16th century, because of the idea that the vegetable woudl increase sexual desire.

-Artichokes were not grown in the United States until the 20th century. Before then, they were just imported from other countries.

-The world’s top artichoke producers are France, Italy, and Spain.

Source: Top Food Facts

DID YOU KNOW?

Origin Story: Artichokes are a species of thistles, eaten generally as an immature flower.

The artichoke is one of the oldest cultivated vegetables, originally from the Mediterranean. This plant is a developed version of a cardoon, a small and prickly vegetable.

Cardoons were cultivated beginning in the 5th century, B.C. They traveled through Italy, England, and France. The French brought them to Louisiana, and Italians brought them to California.

Source: The Kitchen Project: The History of Artichokes

Artichokes petals aren’t only green, they can also be bronzegreen, green-gray or even silver!

Source: Soft Schools 4 MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

FEATURE

NEW BUILDING, NEW SEASON Lights shine over Hancher Auditorium’s brand new stage, which is soon to have many new artists, including a collaboration with the Joffrey Ballet Company.

NEW BUILDING, NEW SEASON

The Edge’s insider look at a new season of artists at Hancher Auditorium, and a highlight of the brand new Joffrey production of “The Nutcracker” in the new building.

“We should all be so proud,” Hancher’s Executive Director, Chuck Swanson, says as he looks out on rows and rows of glistening lights and seats lining the new Hancher Auditorium. This building, designed by the world-famous Cesar Pelli, has been in the works ever since the original Hancher’s flooding in 2008. The auditorium is set to open in September of 2016, and with that comes a new season of artists, including Yo Yo Ma and the Book of Mormon. However, there is one in-the-works production that will be featured on the Hancher stage in a matter of months.

This event, which Swanson is especially excited for, is Hancher’s collaboration with the Joffrey Ballet to present a new production of the timeless ballet “The Nutcracker.” “The Nutcracker was presented in six different Hancher seasons… both the Joffrey Ballet and Hancher Auditorium are committed to honoring our rich histories, but we also believe it is important to look forward,” Swanson said, adding that this is why “Hancher Auditorium and the University of Iowa will be co-commissioning and previewing a new Joffrey Nutcracker.”

The crew of the show includes five-time Tony winner Natasha Katz on lighting design, renowned author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret Brian Selznick, Tony-nominated Julian Crouch on scenery and costuming, projection designer Ben Pearcy, award-winning puppeteer Basil Twist and Tony-winning Christopher Wheeldon choreographing.

The original Hancher and Joffrey collaboration on the Nutcracker featured over 400 Iowa children dancing in various roles. The new production will be no different, as it is auditioning local children to participate in the show. Audition information will be available as planning unfolds.

Ashely Wheater, Joffrey’s Artistic Director, and dancer in the original Joffrey “Nutcracker” production in 1987, said that the production takes into account what the classic Nutcracker show would be like for the next generation of youth dancers. “How do

we dance today as opposed to how we danced 30 years ago? A lot has changed in our art form, and a lot has changed in the world.”

“This is the first ballet that we saw, the first ballet that we danced in,” April Daly, a principal ballerina at Joffrey said. “It shows our progress as dancers. I started out as a little girl in the party scene, to now dancing as the Sugar Plum Fairy.”

The four million dollar production will be previewed for Iowa City audiences at Hancher from December 1-4. It will then go on to its world premiere at the Joffrey in Chicago. Tickets for the general public go on sale June 10. For more information on ticket prices, visit Hancher’s box office, or their website.

The production will be set in Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair. Daly said that the production will be a beautiful new tradition for Iowa City. “When you ask people about their experience with ballet, it’s usually about traditions with their family, and going to see the Nutcracker.”

“To sit here in this phenomenal, world-class performing arts center, beautifully designed by Cesar Pelli, I think that you have a world-class theatre. I think that you’ve always had world-class art,” Wheater said. “We have really loved our partnership with [Iowa City]. We hope to continue for many, many years to come.”

“(It’s) about traditions with their family, and going to see the Nutcracker.”

-April Daly 6 MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

View of Hancher Auditorium from the back entrance.

April Daly, Principal Ballerina at Joffrey

Construction workers work on the edge of the stage in front of rows of covered audience seats.

Chuck Swanson, Executive Director of Hancher

Ashley Wheater, Artistic Director at Joffrey

April Daly, Joffrey ballerina, receives a hug from Chuck Swanson, Executive Director of Hancher, shortly after publicly annoucning the Joffrey and Hancher’s new Nutcracker production.

BY THE NUMBERS

8 4 10

COMPILED BY GRACE YARROW

years spent designing and building the new Hancher

million dollars being spent on the new Joffrey Nutcracker production day of June, when tickets for Hancher shows go on sale for the general public

Hancher’s large cement sign on a sunny day.

INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM MAY 2016 FEATURE 7

FASHION PROFILE: SOPHIA CHEN ‘19 How this West student manages to run on minimal sleep and still look elegant and stylish.

For Sophia Chen ‘19, clothes are not only a tool to look more put-together, but also an everyday means to express her personality and her constant longing to go back to sleep. This makes her style choices more comfort-oriented, choosing simple and classic looks that allow her to look effortlessly focused and prepared for anything.

“I don’t like wearing things that get in my way, because I’m just already tired and I haven’t had enough sleep,” she said, explaining that her style is also very basic and simplistic. “I like to pair a bunch of things together, but usually they’re not actually that fancy on their own. I like to mix and match things so I can pair them with whatever I want so I don’t have to think about it in the morning.” Although she aims to consistently take the easy route when it comes to dressing herself, she still admires Youtube stars like Evelina Barry and Jenn Im, who have classic, chic and layered looks. However, she also looks to various social medias to find style inspiration. “I can just go on Pinterest and spend two hours procrastinating, pinning random things.”

Although she understands the need to feel comfortable, Chen continues to have severe issues understanding the recent birkenstocks and socks trend. “That’s very confusing to me,” she said, adding that the wearers of this style “need to rethink something.”

In addition to fashion, another method of self-expression is her art, which she began to explore as a hobby in seventh grade. Chen says art has taught her a lot about how to effectively pick out outfits. “My art and fashion do really come together because I literally have paint all over every single piece of clothing that I own,” she said. “I incorporate my art into my fashion, when I’m putting together outfits and shopping, I like different textures and colors and ... I definitely have a better understanding of colors from art, like complimentary colors and cools and warms.

According to Chen’s close friend, Anjali Huynh ‘19, Chen’s style reflects her personality perfectly. “Her wardrobe consists of an appealing mix of comfort and class, which in turn, represents opposite sides of her character as a person: somewhat relaxed, yet 8 PROFILES MAY 2016 INTRO.WSSPAPER.COM

sophisticated at the same time.” Even if they are just staying home, Huynh added, Chen looks better than anyone else, with a sense of maturity that is hard to find amongst mentally exhausted high school students.

The perception that Chen is stylish is not uncommon: many others have recognized her choices of more mature and sophisticated garments.

“I’ve heard people tell me that they describe my style as slightly more formal and dressed up than other people,” Chen said, a statement proven by her regular garment choices, such as short-heeled booties, gold jewelry, high-waisted jeans, and “literally anything with stripes, because I literally wear stripes every other day.”

Although lack of sleep and paint stains can put a small damper on her creative endeavors through fashion, Chen does not let anything prevent her from being comfortable, fabulous and classy. “I like being put-together without sacrificing my comfort or being overly laid-back and half asleep.”

“I don’t like wearing things that get in my way, because I’m already tired.

-Sophia Chen ‘19

SOPHIA’S SECRETS Favorite Stores? Loft, Forever 21, American Eagle, and H&M Favorite color to wear? Blue, black and white

Favorite subject or class? Any type of science class Participates in debate, robotics, violin at Preucil School of Music, and art classes Where was she born? Australia, but both of her parents are from China.

Compiled by Grace Yarrow

DESIGN BY GRACE YARROW

HUMANS OF WEST HIGH: LOCKSCREEN EDITION

Chirag Jain ‘18

Dave McNair, Spanish Teacher

“My lockscreen is a bunch of bubbles floating around, and they keep moving. It really reminds me of birds, and birds fly around all the time and float in the air.

It also reminds me of my aspiration to become a bird one day. Maybe when I die, I’ll become an angel and I’ll be able to float, just like the bubbles on this.”

“This is my wife. It means a lot to me, because she’s my wife. I love her to death, so I love to be able to see her through the day. When I look at my phone, the first thing I see is her.”

Elisa Nisly ‘19

Jared Kiebel ‘19

“This was the default background.”

“This is a picture of me with my theatre friends.”

FOR MORE COVERAGE, VISIT LOCKSCREENSWEST.WEEBLY.COM