Issue 7, Fall 2015 - The Quadrangle

THE Volume 92, Issue 7

Q

UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924

Oct. 20, 2015

www.mcquad.org

The Food Issue Taylor Brethauer/The Quadrangle

Logistics of Locke’s MC’s Rooftop Garden Daniel Molina

Distribution Manager Most of Manhattan College’s students swipe into Locke’s Loft, fill up a plate and sit down to eat without thinking twice that the trays will be full the next time they return.

Feeding 2,043 people a day is not an easy task. Assuming every person eats three times a day (sometimes more with unlimited meal swipes for most residents) that would be roughly 6,000 meals every 24 hours. So how does it all happen? Behind the scenes, it is in many ways an organized chaos.

The first step is deciding what food to prepare. The chefs and dietitian gather once a month to create the menu and try not to repeat in one day the food that is cooked for dinner and lunch.

“Locke’s has a four week menu cycle that never repeats anything for those four weeks unless there is a request. The cycle can be found online,” Brian Conway, assistant general manager of Gourmet Dining at Manhattan College, said.

Once the menu is set, the raw ingredients and supplies have to make their way to the kitchens.

Feeding 2,043 people translates into just a bit more than your typical Sunday shopping list.

The carving station alone can cook and serve 12 whole turkeys and up to 140 pounds of flank steak.

Regular crowd favorites like French fries and chicken fingers have three deliveries a week consisting of 60 pounds of fries, 60 pounds of onion rings and 60 pounds or more of chicken fingers.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are delivered daily, including five types of lettuce alone.

“It’s in our contract that we are required to only use fresh fruit and vegetables, nothing is frozen,” Conway said.

“There’s not a lot of fridge and freezer space so everything is always fresh.”

Before Gourmet Dining utilizes a new produce supplier, they run background checks to see if the company is socially conscious and investigate where their supplies come from.

Most of the fruits and vegetables come from Plainfield Produce, a locally sourced supplier based out of New Jersey.

Once this daily delivery of produce joins the other many pounds of food that have been delivered and stored on campus, it is time to sharpen the knives and fire up the ovens.

By contract, all food offered on campus must be made in the kitchens located in either Thomas Hall or the Kelly Commons.

However, there are a few exceptions, such as the sushi available most days in Locke’s. More than a hundred rolls are ordered and delivered the day.

But just who is behind the scenes turning those raw ingredients into the food that ends up on your plate?

Continued on page 3

Abi Kloosterman Staff Writer

Pockets of The Bronx and Yonkers are considered food deserts, which is a basic term to describe a community that lacks constant and accessible sources of fresh produce for healthier meal options. As one walks down Broadway, it is easy to see that discount supermarkets do not always carry a sufficient amount of fresh and affordable produce.

However, at Manhattan College, students and faculty have created a sustainable garden atop the school’s parking garage to slowly reverse the food desert affect locally.

The rooftop garden at MC was started in June 2012 by Nathan Hunter, who is now an alumnus of the college.

“We started it really as a cool project and as a pilot project for what could be done with the space above the rooftop. At the time I was beginning to read and learn about the cool methods of growing food in an urban setting and wanted to be a part of that movement,” Hunter said.

He now works for Groundwork Hudson Valley, a company that deals with community development. Groundwork partners with the college’s rooftop garden and the Yonkers farmers’ market to bring local communities freshly grown produce.

Nathan said that he “wanted this credible organization to help guide the summer interns and in return receive produce from

the rooftop farm to help fuel their healthy community initiative.”

The fifteen beds of greenery atop the parking garage have created a relationship with the community that provides even more than the basic knowledge of the importance of fresh food. It all starts with planting different types of food and periodically harvesting throughout the summer and autumn.

During the summer, students take internships with the garden. The interns do everything from planting food and harvesting to building brand new plots to grow more food.

“Weekly, we usually did watering in the garden, keeping up in the garden and planting,” Lilliana Calix, a summer intern at the garden, said.

“Usually Thursday or Friday we would harvest vegetables from the garden and go to Yonkers and sell the food at a local farmers’ market for a low income area,” Calix said.

Not only does the garden provide food to the local farmers’ market, but those who work at the garden teach kids in the community the science of how their food is produced.

“We went to Marble Hill Community Center three times a week and taught the kids about gardening…and healthy eating,” Angela Benevia, a summer intern at the garden, said.

“One thing about working in food des-

Continued on page 3

2

The

Notes from

opinions & editorials

Quadrangle www.mcquad.org

Vol. 92 Issue 7 Oct. 20, 2015

Sean Sonnemann Editor-in-Chief Michelle DePinho Managing Editor/News Editor Anthony Capote Asst. News Editor Kieran Rock Managing Editor/Features Editor Ally Hutzler Asst. Features Editor Lauren Carr Arts & Entertainment Editor Lindsey Burns Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Jon Reyes Sports Editor Jaclyn Marr Asst. Sports Editor Daniel Ynfante Asst. Sports Editor Victoria Hernández Kristie Killen Social Media Editors Kevin Fuhrmann Photography Editor Vanessa Sanchez Asst. Photography Editor

Oct. 20, 2015

The Editor

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average American spends just one lone hour out of every day eating and drinking. Yet in reality, the time we spend on activities related to the act of eating extends far beyond only one out of every 24 hours.

Whether it is shopping, cooking or planning meals, food is a central part of our lives.

At its core, eating is one of the most basic human needs. At the same time, however, food carries so much more significance than simply serving as fuel for our bodies.

The acts of eating and cooking structure our everyday routines. They are as much of an art as they are a science. Meals have the capacity to both dictate and reflect cultural practices and traditions. When visiting a new area, trying the local cuisine is an integral part of experiencing the land.

Still, it is sometimes easy to take for granted the important role food plays in society.

Especially on a college campus where everyone is busy rushing to the next item on to-do list, eating can sometimes feel like an afterthought or something to be squeezed in one’s schedule.

Yet when you stop and take a second to think about just how that chicken parmigiana from Locke’s or the omelette you cooked in OV got on your plate, a lot of questions come to mind.

Where exactly does my food come from? Who are the people that brought it here?

What are the impacts that growing, cooking and eating this specific item have had on the environment and the economy? Will the way we eat and drink look the same 20, 50 or even 100 years from now?

By putting together this special issue, we tried to begin scratching the surface of some of those questions, in addition to looking at the state of food specifically on Manhattan College’s campus—such as trying to explain how Locke’s Loft has the capability to feed 2,000 plus people each day.

Like last year’s diversity issue, we had a lot of fun putting together this special issue and taking a break from normal news coverage. We hope to make it a tradition for The Quadrangle to focus on special topic each semester. As always, one of our goals is starting conversations on campus and like all good journalism, helping to put things in a new perspective.

Happy Reading (And Eating), Sean Sonnemann Editor-in-Chief

Kelly Burns Luke Hartman Natalie Heinitz Production Editors Daniel Molina Distribution Manager Tom Callahan Faculty Adviser

A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan College. We strive to cover news around campus and the greater community, publishing weekly in print and daily online. Our goal is always accuracy, relevancy and professionalism.

The staff of The Quadrangle meets every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. in room 412 of the Student Commons.

Contact The Quadrangle at thequad@manhattan.edu The opinions expressed in The Quadrangle are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the College or the student body.

John Abbatangelo/The Quadrangle Correction: In the Oct. 6 edition of The Quadrangle, the article “Murder Mystery Show a Hit for Family Weekend” was wrongly attributed to Staff Writer Jess Quinn instead of Contributing Writer Adanna Carter. We regret the error.

news

3

From Parking Garage to Your Plate: MC’s Rooftop Garden

Continued from page 1 erts is that the kids do not know where their food comes from,” Calix said. “So learning where the food comes from, that it comes from a seed, is a big part of it too, learning that your food process doesn’t start in the grocery store.”

This learning process is not exclusive to the younger kids in the community.

Teaching and learning also comes into play

in an economics class at Manhattan College, taught by Provost William Clyde.

As a professor, he said he sees the value in learning through immersion.

He explains that with CURES (Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability), one project included an urban farming piece.

“There are areas that do not have sufficient fresh food around here. The solution a lot of cities have adopted, as an alterna-

tive to getting farmers to bring food here, is to grow food in pockets, like in a vacant lot,” Clyde said.

With the Arches program, Clyde is teaching economics this semester and has utilized the garden as a teaching mechanism.

“Food distribution, food growth and what causes these food deserts, that is all economics driving it,” he said.

The students in his class work in the

go missing.

“About 6,000 spoons had to be reordered already and it is only a couple weeks into the first semester,” Conway said.

Besides the main entrees, students can choose from the Tex Mex and the exhibition station, and both are intended to offer students different dining options.

“The goal of our exhibition station is to help students try different things that they may not have had tried otherwise. Instead of paying $30 for crab cakes in a restaurant just to find out you don’t like them, you can test them out here first,” Conway said.

While their primary mission is supplying food on campus, Gourmet Dining understands there are important responsibili-

ties that come with this task.

An important issue in the food industry today is the idea of sustainability and avoiding food waste.

“Around 8 o’clock the preparing of food starts to wind down,” Conway said.

“My chefs do what we call batch cook. Instead of cooking a bunch of food at once, we cook only what is needed for that tray.

We have post-production sheets so we look at how much did we have left over and how much did we cook. We keep all of that information so we know what to order the next time.”

Other kinds of efforts have been made throughout the years to curb students’ food waste. By eliminating the use of trays in

Abi Kloosterman/The Quadrangle garden, harvest the food then bring it to the farmers’ market in Yonkers.

They work for a few hours then reflect upon their experience using terms from their class, linking what they did to economics principles.

“What was really special about the farmers’ market is that it brought food to this ‘food desert,’” Benevia said.

The Logistics of Running Locke’s Continued from page 1 There are 140 Locke’s employees, and 86 of them work around the clock, with three shifts of 13 people who do the dishes alone. There are a total of 25 chefs, two chefs per meal period with other specialized chefs.

Maintaining the equipment in proper conditions after this level of use is hard and it has to be cleaned or replaced periodically. Gourmet Dining recently invested $60,000 into a new dish washing machine that is more energy efficient and conserves water.

They often must replenish supplies of cutlery such as spoons, which frequently

the cafeteria, for example, students took only what they were going to eat, instead of filling up a tray.

Just from a sheer numbers side of the business, feeding that many people is no simple task. Historically, college dining services have been maligned for low quality and poor taste. Conway understands that there will always be some students that complain.

“All the things we do are intended to increase the customer satisfaction,” he said.

“Yes, is hard to please everyone, but we do our best to think about how we will improve ourselves to offer the students better meal options.”

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news

Oct. 20, 2015

Unique Special Education Program Provides Life Skills for Locke’s Workers

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

Jack Melanson Staff Writer

Locke’s Loft is viewed by most Manhattan College students as a place to go to and relax, eat and catch up with friends after or in-between classes. This is not the case for the 12 special education students who use the dining hall as their classroom.

The Department of Education has paired up with Manhattan College as well as Gourmet Dining to give special needs students a form of post secondary education revolving around acquiring essential skills to be a part of the workforce. This program has existed on campus for 16 years.

Students with special needs from the ages of 16 to 21 learn vocational and job development skills through a five day schedule, where from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. they work at Locke’s Loft along with having a 45 minute instruction period in a classroom setting. Such classes are usually held at Cafe 1853.

LaTanya Wilson, six-year teacher of the program, elaborated on the effectiveness of the schooling.

“It shows how much they’re capable of, instead of pushing them aside and showing them what they’re not capable of.”

Wilson is accompanied by Reynalda Peralata, the only other teacher in the program.

She went on to add that this non-tra-

ditional classroom setting teaches “workplace communication and social skills,” a barrier that often stands in the way for students of the program.

“They can get a job anywhere with all these skills,” Wilson said.

Brian Conway, assistant general manager for Gourmet Dining Services, is also very much so on board with allowing the students to come, work and learn on a regular basis.

“I can’t ask for a better employee, I mean these guys take pride in their work, they like what they do, and they really follow rules without discussion. They are essentially the great employee I always look for,” Conway said.

“I have gone ahead and hired 100 percent of people who want a job.”

“Because of the great teachers that they have, and the rotation schedule that they use, you eventually find a great niche for the student to be in,” Conway said.

“Whether it’s stocking the shelves, or all that there is to do in Locke’s--there is so much to do in Locke’s.”

Students are able to establish routines, find comfort, get confidence and work productively.

These 12 students are not just employees.

“These guys are characters,” Conway said. “We fall in love with these kids, these are members of our family, we see them everyday, you hear the struggles they go

through, you see the great strides that they make.”

Conway noted that at the annual Christmas party, “our staff will refrain from taking presents, and give the kids the presents.

One of our employees went out and got shoes for all of them for Christmas…with his bonus money. And that was an hourly employee, not a salary employee.”

One specific student, Melody Rosado, works mostly with baking at Locke’s Loft.

“I like to do cookies,” Rosado said, “I like to bake them and put them out.

“I know lunch starts at 10:30, so the cookies need to be ready.”

After graduation Rosado wants to become a police officer, but she is learning basic life skills within the program. “[I’ve learned to] protect myself and not be rude.”

Wilson also said the program focuses on getting the students familiar with public transportation and independence.

“Here they do work for themselves, rather than their parents doing it for them,” Wilson said, adding that watching them grow is what makes her job worthwhile.

“We can watch them excel, physically excel rather than take a test. You can also see they’re eager to come. You get the pleasure of them wanting to be here,” Wilson said.

“We’re at about 90 percent attendance.”

Another student, Mauricio Diaz, is in

his second year at the school and working with Gourmet Dining. “[I] put food out, I clean, I do cups, cereal, yogurt,” Diaz said. He has been increasingly getting more responsibility at Locke’s.

Although his favorite food to eat is french fries, Diaz made sure to add that fruit is his favorite food to provide to Manhattan College students.

“Strawberries are fun to do,” he said.

Another aspect Diaz touched upon was how helpful the staff at Locke’s is along with his teachers.

“They help me understand how to hold [a] spoon, I was holding it the wrong way,” Diaz said. “They teach us to clock in and out, it’s our responsibility.”

From the fruit, to the cookies, to Tex Mex, to the friendly smiles, these students all change the culture of the eating experience at Manhattan College.

Success is the typical outcome from this program, as it continues to benefit special education students, Jaspers and Gourmet Dining.

News

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Twenty-First Century Poses Global Food Supply Challenges Steven Zubrycky Staff Writer

Nine of the top ten warmest years in NASA’s 134 year record of average global temperature have occurred in the past fifteen years. The EPA says global sea levels have risen by about six inches in the past 100 years, and the United Nations estimates that the global population will top 9 billion by 2050.

The product of these factors poses an unprecedented and unique challenge in the future – ensuring that the world’s booming population has enough food to sustain itself.

“As the carbon dioxide goes up, the temperature goes up,” said Yelda HangunBalkir, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the chemistry department, and director of the environmental science program.

“By 2100, it will go up by two to four degrees.”

“The carbon dioxide concentrations are going up because of fossil fuels,” HangunBalkir said.

Hangun-Balkir has no doubt that the changes in Earth’s climate are human-activity related. According to her, the temperature change and carbon dioxide increase are “totally, directly proportional.”

The changes in climate are going to have a massive effect on human ability to produce food, especially for a booming population.

Kevin Farley, Ph.D. and a professor of civil and environmental engineering, warns of the increasing concentration of toxins in the environment. “We are releasing volatile organic chemicals into the environment,” Farley said. These chemicals can

act as, “precursors for ozone foundation, which then, may only yield a five percent dropoff in crop yield. But if we’re trying to increase [food production] by 50 percent, a five percent dropoff ends up being a really big deal.”

They also pose a threat to the water supply. Many well-intentioned chemicals end up doing more harm than good– especially pesticides and fertilizers. “What happens [is] the nutrients wash off the fields and the pesticides wash off the fields and get into our surface waters,” Farley said.

To complicate matters, “the cleaning process takes a long time.”

The change in the climate causes new worries that extend beyond water quality. According to Farley, “water supply becomes an issue, even without worrying about whether it’s clean or not.”

According to the United States Drought Monitor, much of the west coast, including California – the nation’s largest state for agriculture – is under “exceptional drought.”

Regardless, Farley holds out hope, and puts his faith in technology and human adaptability. “What you’re seeing now is they’ve been able to cut down on their water consumption, and that’s both the agricultural side and the domestic side,” Farley said. “When there is a need for a technological advancement, some technological advancement will be made.”

Where climate change will have the biggest impact, ultimately, is in developing countries, argues Natalia Boliari, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics.

These countries, whose populations are growing quickly, are seeing a marked rise in the demand for food. Despite this, the economic ambitions of many governments

in this category are contrary to the needs of the people. “When you have population increase at home, there is demand for food.

But at the same time, your policies are arranged in a way that you export whatever you produce,” Boliari said of these countries. Boliari also attributes some of the price increases to speculation and general uncertainty.

That uncertainty has been mounting in recent years, according to Boliari. However, Boliari does not notice a general trend toward more expensive food. “If anything, in the overall, there is a decrease in prices, compared to fifty or sixty years ago,” Boliari stated. “It is about fluctuations and volatility. That is the problem. And climate change is playing a role there. It’s increasing volatility and bringing shocks.”

Those shocks to which she referred can be anything ranging from severe drought and storms, to new varieties of pests, according to Hangun-Balkir.

Despite the trend of volatility, food prices to Manhattan College suppliers are going up, Brian Conway of Gourmet Dining said via email. “Proteins have increased the most. All poultry, meat, and fish.”

These emerging challenges have raised awareness about food waste. Depending on the source, anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of food in the United States goes uneaten.

Conway stated that Gourmet Dining attempts to have zero waste in production, and the largest sources of waste are students – especially in Locke’s Loft.

Food security has been an aim of Campus Ministry & Social Action director Lois Harr said. CMSA hosts several events annually, including a hunger banquet and several retreats and collaborates with local foodbanks. In prior years, Gourmet Din-

ing, in collaboration with CMSA, agreed to place all the food waste produced by students in clear garbage bags displayed outside Thomas Hall.

Though CMSA operates on a small scale, it’s impact is relevant.

Finding a solution to the problem starts at the local level, Hangun-Balkir argues.

Measures such as shutting off lights and carpooling can have an impact. “It’s very simple things, but if everybody does it and everybody’s aware of it, it’s going to build up.”

“The big push for sustainability now ends up being really important in how we move forward,” Farley said. However, he also fears structural problems in the agriculture system. “Whether our current agricultural system is sustainable…is another issue that has to be addressed.”

As of now, it does not appear so. According to Boliari, agriculture accounts for 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. “I believe we have to move into that sustainable agricultural system if we want to have a better allocation of resources,” Boliari said.

No matter which facet of the challenge is tackled first, awareness and technology remain key in finding a solution.

According to Farley, New York City consumed upwards of 1.7 billion gallons of water daily in the 1960s. Today, the city consumes just 1.1 billion. Most of the declines came in periods of drought, he said.

Farley attributed the successes through these crises to “technology, and in particular people being more aware of those issues.” And if the world is to recover from this one, awareness and technology will likely be at the heart of the recovery once again.

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features

Oct. 20, 2015

The Gluten-Free-Girl Shares a Meal In NYC Madeleine Schwartz

features

Voices On Campus

7

What are you making at the home cooking station in Locke’s Loft?

Senior Writer

Try and recall the last time you sat down at the table and enjoyed your meal.

No rushing or constant phone checking, just you, some friends and some great food. Shauna Ahern, more well known as the Gluten-Free-Girl, sat down with a group of her devoted gluten-free followers this week to simply enjoy a meal together.

Anyone who eats gluten-free knows who Shauna Ahern is; even Twitter has put a blue validation check on her account.

Starting in 2005, Ahern began writing on her blog glutenfreegirl.com about her own gluten-free journey. Although she was diagnosed with celiac disease, Ahern didn’t want to be held back by her body and more importantly, she wanted to enjoy food.

Her blog, Gluten-Free-Girl and the Chef, is widely read for recipes, insider gluten-free baking tips, and touching yet hilarious stories about the gluten-free girl and her very own chef.

After eating gluten-free for five years, I am very much aware of Shauna’s blog and her amazing story. When I saw on Twitter that she was going to be in the city for a friend’s wedding, I jumped at her open invitation to join her for a meal.

We chose to dine at Senza Gluten in the West Village after hearing some amazing reviews. Ahern wanted to visit all the gluten-free hotspots while she was in the city and this was at the top of her list.

Senza Gluten prides itself on being the first completely gluten-free Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village. Anyone who knows anything about gluten understands how hard it is to achieve this feat. Everything that Italy is known for has gluten in it. You name it: pasta, pizza, bread, all are off limits. This restaurant is a gluten-free eaters safe haven.

Our 6:30 p.m. dinner reservation was for five people and we all showed up at different times. Two guests were friends of Ahern and the other guest and myself are simply fans of her blog. We made friendly conversation about work and crazy New York schedules until the Gluten Free Girl joined us and the real fun began.

Shauna Ahern was full of energy and had a big smile plastered across her face.

After greeting her two friends, she turned to me and introduced herself as if we’re already friends. No awkward handshake or smile needed.

Once the group settled, we started to look at the menu. There was risotto with asparagus, classic lasagna and more seasonal vegetables than you could count. However, we ran into a problem: no one knows what to order. We, the gluten-free eaters at the table, haven’t ever had so many options to choose from off a restaurant menu. There were too many choices and everyone recognized the beauty in that.

While we waited for our food, we started a conversation. Ahern is an open book. She reminisced about her time living in the Big Apple, shared funny anecdotes and photos of her two children and her laughter was contagious.

Our food arrived as the table was in mid-discussion about our favorite TV shows; Chef’s Table on Netflix was the unanimous favorite. Bowls of penne, spaghetti and gnocchi were placed in front of us and we dig in. My pasta had an amazing texture and the tomato sauce was so good that I could have eaten a bowl of it on its

Taylor Brethauer/The Quadrangle

Madeleine Schwartz/The Quadrangle own.

As we ate our meal, Ahern answered some of our more personal questions. This past June, Ahern had a minor stroke called a TIA. One minute she was in a business meeting and the next she was being rushed to the hospital and couldn’t feel the left side of her body. She recalled her fear and how she just couldn’t believe what was happening.

Although a multitude of tests came back clean, Ahern now follows doctor’s orders and takes her health more seriously than

ever before. She makes time in her busy schedule to take a walk everyday and eats a handful of vegetables at meal times.

“It has changed the way I live my life,” Ahern said, “because nothing is theoretical after having a stroke.”

Over dessert, where I fell in love with a star shaped shortbread cookie covered in melted chocolate, Ahern talked about her Gluten-Free-Girl brand.

Last September, Ahern launched a Kickstarter Campaign to fund the mass production of her gluten-free flour blends.

Now a little more than a year later, her

flour is about to be sold on Amazon and she is talking to other companies who want to use it in their own baked goods.

This September, the Gluten-Free-Girl and the Chef also published their fourth book, American Classics Reinvented. Their readers are going crazy over recipes for sourdough bread and red velvet cake, and who can blame them?

From the Kitchen of:

Freshman Nafisa Ibrahin

Freshman Troy Golding

Sophomore Jimmy Cerasoli

Simple Stir fry

Easy Scrambled Eggs

“The best ingredients are:

Turkey and Cheese Sandwich

“I’m just making super simple scrambled eggs.

“I’m just making a sandwich by

-A little cheese -Some ham

-heating up the turkey -grilling the cheese sandwich -seasoning the turkey a bit

-Onions -Broccoli -Spinach -Pepper And you absolutely cannot forget the best part -Adobo seasoning”

From the Kitchen of:

It’s quick and easy and delicious”

From the Kitchen of:

it’s not too difficult.”

8

features

Oct. 20, 2015

What’s In Your Fridge?

Ally Hutzler Assistant Editor

Forget the artsy posters and pictures; the new must-have dorm room accessory is food.

And not just the typical ramen noodles and potato chips, although those are still an effective way for students to curb both hunger and avoid campus dining, but also more sophisticated snacks and even meals.

“For me, keeping snacks in the room is vital for keeping up energy in between classes,” freshman Daina Curran said.

“Also, not everyone has schedules that work out in a way that would allow you to sit at Locke’s and have a full meal prior to your next class.”

So what are students here at MC keeping in their dorm rooms? For many Jaspers, the tried and true favorites such as macaroni and cheese and breakfast bars do the trick.

Sophomore Amanda Critelli, a resident in Lee Hall, opens the door of her stainless steel miniature refrigerator, and thus her life, to reveal coffee creamer, granola, yogurt, peanut butter and Kit Kats.

“Between juggling classes and having a job in the city most of my snacks are easily able to be eaten on-the-go. Although they are simple, they will get the job done,” Critelli said.

It would be difficult to find a student who would disagree with Critelli’s logic.

With hectic, ever-changing schedules most students opt for foods that are easy, quick and tasty.

“Protein bars are the number one thing that are always in my fridge,” sophomore Patrick Estanbouli said. “They can be taken to class or the library.”

However, for some students these simple snacks simply won’t do.

Daina Curran keeps frozen fruit, tortilla rounds, salsa, cheese, spinach and pasta in her dorm room. Also within reach are baking essentials, such as flour and vanilla extract.

While these may seem like ordinary food items, what is not ordinary is the company they keep: a frying pan, a saucepan and a blender.

“Cooking equipment is probably one of the last things a person things about bringing with them so college but I think it’s so important to have at least one or two good items,” Curran said.

Feeling comfortable and at home in the kitchen from having cooked alongside her mother for years, Curran makes anything from smoothies to quesadillas to triplelayer cakes.

Often found in her common area on the third floor of Horan or in the Jasper Hall kitchen, Curran utilizes the residence hall kitchens to cook for her and friends. She is well known by her neighbors and suitemates, who she says are appreciative of the home away from home-cooked meals.

For other students, the many delis and restaurants surrounding campus provide food that can be taken back to the dorms as snacks.

“I love Best Deli for sandwiches and wraps,” Dorian Persaud said. “I go there more often because it is so much more convenient than cooking.”

So whatever your snacking style may be, whether stocking up on granola bars, cooking in the lounges or going to the local eateries there is always a way to a Jasper’s heart through their stomachs.

Daina Curran takes advantage of her cooking equipment and makes use of the stove on the third floor of Horan Hall by cooking in the common area.

Ally Hutzler/The Quadrangle

Features

9

Soul Food: How Muslim Students at MC Balance Food and Faith Michelle DePinho Editor

Pizza, egg and cheese sandwiches and nearly anything deep-fried are, for better or worse, among the staple foods relied on by college students. Cheap, tasty and available both on and off-campus, it’s hard to stay at Manhattan College for long without indulging in these time-tested collegiate treats.

But for students with dietary restrictions due to their religious beliefs, dining at Manhattan College is a markedly different experience. It’s a lifestyle that involves conscious food choices, restraint and planning – but also strengthens and reinforces their faith.

Muslim students at Manhattan College who eat Halal have certain requirements for what kind of food and meat they can consume, how it needs to be prepared and where it comes from. Haris Ali, Shahed Ahmed, Shimul Miah and Mahamoud Diop are all Muslim MC students (and leaders in the Muslim Student Association) who eat Halal and try to balance what’s available to them on campus with what they need to eat as part of their beliefs.

Ali explained the distinction in how Halal is different than typical food, other than the widely-known restriction that Muslims do not eat pork.

“Halal itself is just the animals that we’re allowed to eat. So automatically that separates pig from chicken,” Ali said. “But more specifically, there’s a way the meat should really be prepared.

“That’s when they cut the animal and recite the prayer, and then they let it bleed it out. That’s like the main thing, you let the animal bleed out.”

Finding this specific preparation of chicken, beef and other meats is hard to come by in the school’s surrounding area.

So Haris, Ahmed and Miah, all commuter students, rely on what’s available at home.

“Even budget wise, it’s preferable to bring it from home. We can get more for less from our mom or our dad,” Ali said.

“We don’t have much access around here, because we don’t have many Halal stores around here,” Miah said. “I’ve realized that it’s not as difficult as it is to eat Halal. I feel like if you really try it, or bring food from home, it really helps.”

For students living on campus, without that access to home-cooked Halal meals, eating Halal presents an additional challenge.

For Diop, an international student from Mali, home is far away.

“As I’m a Muslim, one thing I’ve noticed is that in America they love pork.

Bacon for breakfast, pepperoni pizza…,” Diop said. “It’s the culture here. And you obviously see that a lot in Locke’s. Sometimes I can’t eat a lot of the stuff that’s there.”

Diop relies on working with Rayna Herskowitz, the campus nutritionist, to plan his meals and Best Deli, a local joint that serves up fresh Halal, to meet his dietary needs.

Herkowitz is available to work one-onone with students on their dietary restrictions or goals.

“I want people to know that this resource is available. Any sort of dietary restriction is important, no matter if it’s solely just preference, if it’s religion or an allergy, or a sensitivity, it’s all important to me” she said.

For Muslim students who follow Halal dietary guidelines, egg and cheese sandwiches from Locke’s are not an option.

Taylor Brethauer/The Quadrangle She can also assist with meal planning Miah took classes during Ramadan and ing an additional challenge. Diop said that or even ordering specially cooked meals found the month to be a challenge. at home, his family doesn’t break fast until to meet the student’s needs, whatever they “I had about three, four classes every- at least 10 or 11 p.m., and Locke’s closes may be. day,” Miah said. ‘It was sort of hard.…I’d at 10 p.m.

“With any type of dietary restriction, get tired. It would be hard to maybe conRamadan, however, is about more than I like to let the student tell me what that centrate a little, or get work done. Fasting just the food. means to them,” Herskowitz said. “I have and trying to be active is generally tough.”

“You have to be careful of what you a resource that I begin with for each reliDiop interned during Ramadan this past say, what you look at,” Ali said. “So if gion, just to begin, but a lot of people can summer and found balancing both working you’re not eating, but you’re doing those identify it and kind of make it their own, and fasting to be difficult. other things, it’s like null and void.” so I always want them to tell me what that “Ramadan is harder in America than it In fact, the bigger picture is that eating means to them. And then we would take it is back in Mali. Even though it’s hotter in Halal or practicing Ramadan is never just from there and see what we could do to ac- Mali….just everybody is doing Ramadan about the food. It’s about living out your commodate.” so you have that moral support, and they beliefs and ultimately representing the And Herskowitz is right -- eating Halal don’t make you work as much because faith well. isn’t a cut and dry science. While there are they understand you’re in Ramadan,” he “If you’re identifying as a Muslim, certain foods to be avoided, how much at- said. “Here, most of the people ….they’ll there’s this factor of Muslim pride or your tention is paid to the possibility of a certain ask you to do some of the same tasks, so own self-respect. Anyone who is not a food being cross contaminated with a re- that makes it a little challenging.”

Muslim, they might not know anything stricted food is really up to the individual.

But the fasting is isn’t for naught. It’s about Islam but they know two things that “I don’t really look further into [it],” a religious experience with real spiritual Muslims do: they don’t eat pork and they Ahmed said. “I’m basically a vegan here benefits for Muslims. don’t drink beer. If someone catches you, expect for fish. That’s the best way to de“It’s tough, but it’s a spiritual detox,” a non-Muslim, eating pork or drinking scribe my eating patterns here.”

Shahed said. beer…there’s that level of shame…,” Ali Eating vegan, Ali explained, is a way to “You are putting yourself in the posi- said. “You’re presenting an image of a ceravoid the chances that your food has been tion of someone who does not have access tain group of people. If you’re identifying, in contact with a meat product not properly to food,” Miah said. “But at the same time, you have to be careful of the things you eat prepared. you are making a connection with God.” and drink or how you portray yourself in But they see benefits of eating Halal Ali also explained that Ramadan, which front of everybody else.” past simply following the rules of Islam. involves habitual fasting, is actually easier While the college is a Catholic institu“This is actually better for the animal,” than the occasional fasting that comes with tion, these students have found a welcomShahed said. “They suffer less,” in the specific holy days. ing and respectful environment to express preparation process.

“When you fast out of habit, you might these beliefs here. They do occasionally Halal, which applies to the everyday drink something accidentally or eat some- get questions about their faith from curious life of Muslims and their diets, is only a thing. I was really good the whole day, and non-Muslim students, especially in regards piece of the pie for how Islam intertwines then my math teacher gave me chocolate to fasting. food and religious life. to help me on my exam…and I just ate and “If somebody does ask, it’s in a very Another important component to Islam and then like 10 minutes later I realized,” respectful manner,” Shahed said. is fasting, which is an expression of faith Ali said.

“In other countries, you might be perassociated with some holy days and the The college setting--and food-centric secuted for wearing the Hijab. Here you month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth student lifestyle--makes it even harder to can walk out in a black trash bag and peoand holiest month of the Islamic calendar, stay on track. ple will be like, hey if that’s your thing and when Muslims fast from sun up to sun “You have to be really attentive. At that’s what you believe in and you have down, abstain from bad habits and destruc- home, your mom will stop you,” Ali said. valid reason, then you’re good,” Ali said. tive behaviors and especially emphasize “Sometimes it’s really hard, and everyone “No one should be ashamed of following prayer. is eating around here.” their beliefs if that’s actually what they This abstinence from food during school As Diop also pointed out, Locke’s clos- believe in. You shouldn’t conform to what or work makes college life as a Muslim es- es relatively early in comparison to when other people are doing. pecially challenging, but rewarding.

Muslims typically break their fast, present-

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Oct. 20, 2015

For Visiting Assistant Professor Suzanne Cope, Food is More than Just Meals Kieran Rock Editor

For Suzanne Cope, Ph.D. and visiting assistant professor in the college’s English department, food means a lot more than just breakfast, lunch and dinner. For Cope, food is at the center of her academic study and her life. She recently published her book “Small Batch: The Fall and Rise of Artisanal Pickles, Cheese, Chocolate, and Alcoholic Spirits.”

“I guess I was just interested in food,” she said. “I just happened to be writing personal essays that had to do with food and my own experience with food. Particularly how food was relating to my past and my life.”

Cope, who has an MFA in creative nonfiction from Lesley College, teaches various English classes at Manhattan College, including a class on the short story. Heidi Spetz, a junior, took Cope’s short story class. “It was one of my favorite classes,” Spetz said. “She made me appreciate how to analyze short stories. Then I could take those skills and techniques and write my own, which was really cool.”

Bridging the gap between her personal reflection on food and food studies started with getting her Ph.D. “I went for my Ph.D in writing studies and when I got done with that I wanted to take a break from looking at writing studies,” Cope said. “I discovered—kind of by accident—this world of food studies.”

By adding a research component to the writing she was already doing on food, Cope was able to broaden experiences with food to everyone and not just herself.

Of course, it was her personal experiences with food that set her down the path of food studies in the first place. “My grandmother died while I was in high school and I didn’t really learn to cook Italian from her. I didn’t really learn to cook in high school,” Cope said. It was in college that she began to think more about how she related to food.

“Looking back at my own college life, that was the first time I was away from

home and had to cook for myself. It also connected me to people in different ways,” Cope said. “I remember seeing some differences in what I thought was important about food. It kind of highlighted some things that were different between me and my roommate, where she would buy frozen pot pie and laugh at me for making things from scratch.”

In college, Cope noticed that her decisions surrounding food went further than just what to eat.

“I was developing my own value systems not only around what I wanted to eat, but about how I wanted to source food,” she said.

For Manhattan College students, Cope thinks this time is when college students begin to think about food more. “It’s one of the few things where we make decisions three or more times a day about what we want to eat. Where it comes from, who prepares it, how much these people get paid, how it treats the earth. It brings us togeth-

Suzanne Cope/Courtesy er,” Cope said.

Of course, with so much going on in a college student’s life, these concerns can often be pushed to the background by the convenience of campus dining.

“I’ve heard so many complaints from students, and I think students want choices,” Cope said. In her business writing class, she asks students to investigate and argue for change in some aspect of the campus in a writing assignment. Cope said these papers often have to do with the dining options on campus.

“A lot of students say they want more dining hall options. They want things that are healthier. So students are aware of what’s healthy, they just don’t have the option of eating things that are healthier. I think it’s a very easy jump to say: ‘what’s healthy for me, then what’s healthy for the environment, and what’s healthy for workers’.”

This concern for the environment and workers is part of understanding every as-

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pect of food culture. “It really effects all aspects of our culture. People more and more, especially college students are starting to realize that,” Cope said. “It has a lot to do with social justice and environmental issues.”

One MC’s Catholic Relief Services student ambassadors’ focus groups is Fair Trade, a social movement focused on achieving better conditions for marginalized workers.

“Manhattan College is the first Fair Trade college in New York City,” Kayli McTague, a junior and president of CRS student ambassadors, said.

“We sell fair trade coffee, chocolate and olive oil in Cornerstone. We brew fair trade coffee at Starbucks, and we have different fair trade foods in Locke’s.

October is international Fair Trade month. “All of the bananas this month are fair trade,” McTague said. “Being a conscious consumer may not mean a whole lot to [someone], but for someone else it can make a world of difference.”

Cope noted the college’s status as the first fair trade campus when she first interviewed at MC. “I love that,” she said. “I think that’s so great.”

“It provides such an easy jump and is a justification for providing more options,” Cope said of the Fair Trade presence on campus. “You can’t give three fourths of it. You can’t say here are all the big issues we need to think about or here is why industrial farming can be bad, but you’re not allowed to think about it when it comes to the dining hall.”

Cope thinks students need more choice and more information. Food studies and environmental studies courses on campus ask students to think about their food critically.

“If students come out of [these classes] asking the tough questions that the courses ask them to ask, then they should get an answer for that. We are asking them to inquire, to think critically. We should also provide answers.”

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A Small Taste of MC’s Spoon University Rikkilynn Shields Staff Writer

Similar to Buzzfeed, Spoon University is an official online food publication, “for the students written by the students.”

With over 200 schools and universities all around the United States involved, writers are required to submit articles and videos regarding food and publish them.

Although everyone writing shares a common love for food, the editor-in-chief for Manhattan’s chapter of SpoonU is passionate about what she does and has a sweet tooth like on other. Catherine Kinney, a senior and public relations major runs SpoonU here at Manhattan College.

Kinney discovered her love for food when she started baking in middle school.

“I’m definitely more of a sweet gal than savory,” she says. “I have so many memories sitting around a Locke’s table eating food with my friends. Or ordering late night pizza. Or my personal favorite, Sunday boozy brunch. Food connects us all in a lot of ways.”

The food philosophy Kinney lives by is, “eat healthy, but have fun indulging yourself. Never say no to a seasonal donut.” Although she has a love for any warm dessert topped with ice cream, Kinney said if she had to eat one thing for the rest of her life, it would be potatoes.

Along with her love for food and baking, Kinney has always had a love for writing. Being a public relations major, she joined SpoonU with the intentions of being published online to amplify her resume.

However, once she started to get involved, she fell in love.

“I currently am applying to non-profit businesses to work in their public relations department. But the experience I get from Spoon is priceless. I write and edit articles.

I recruit members to be a part of the team.

I run events and campaigns. And on top of it, I make new friends and have fun. There is so much valuable experience I get from Spoon,” Kinney said.

The Spoon University chapter at Man-

Rikkilynn Shields/The Quadrangle hattan has weekly meetings to discuss different article ideas. All of the members have their own unique niche that they contribute to the publication.

“Some like baking, some like cooking, some like restaurants, some like seasonal stuff. We have someone from Hawaii who lets us in on all the food treats Hawaii gets that the rest of the world doesn’t. Personally, I like writing helpful tips or funny, satirical articles.”

At the meetings, the members discuss event ideas along with article ideas. They discuss new drink recipes, possible food tours that could be held in New York City, good restaurant deals and so much more.

Kinney said her favorite part about writing for SpoonU is the feeling she gets when the number of views her article re-

ceived is in the thousands.

“Being in a network where I can reach so many people is a pretty cool feeling,” Kinney said. She finds her inspiration from websites like Thrillest, Greatest or Elite Daily. Other than writing for SpoonU, Kinney used to play for the Manhattan College Women’s Soccer Team, until she unfortunately got injured. Although she still has a love for sports and competition, she spends most of her time volunteering.

“I volunteer tutor a group of children, and I volunteer at a lot of non-profit companies and help with their PR and social media,” Kinney said.

Being a part of SpoonU, you don’t have to be a writer to get involved.

“Mainly, you have to love food. And who doesn’t love food? It’s mostly about

having fun. It’s not supposed to be stressful.”

Spoon University is still looking to add new members to the club, and would love to get as many people with a love for food as possible So, if you have a love for food, this is the club for you. Don’t be afraid to reach out Kinney at ckinney.student@manhattan.edu if you’re interested in joining, or have any questions regarding the club.

“If anyone saw me handing out spoonfuls of Nutella last week, I think it’s obvious I’m pretty approachable.”

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DIY Food in Locke’s Taylor Brethauer Staff Writer

Are you bored of the same old food day in and day out in Locke’s?

If you are looking to switch up your daily routine of the same food check out some of these new and creative ways to step up your meals.

Breakfast: If you’re looking for a good source of protein and something refreshing to start your day, a great option is a peanut butter with a bagel and fruit. The combination of the warm bagel with peanut butter is delicious and the fruit available in Locke’s is the perfect way to eat something healthy. It’s a quick meal to put together in case you’re in a rush to your next class.

Lunch: When you want to get creative for lunch, wraps should be your goto. But don’t just stick with the cold cuts section, the salad bar also offers a lot more than just the average slices of turkey and cheese. In the salad bar, there are vegetables and nuts and dried fruit that will allow you to make a new wrap each day. Try this delicious combo: chicken salad, spinach, onions, carrots, almonds and raisins.

Dinner: Pair the grilled chicken from the grill station with some vegetables or try something new from a station you haven’t tried before (vegan/ vegetarian usually has tasty roasted vegetables).

Dessert: This meal could be the best part of the day, depending on how you look at it. It could be the time to finally give in to your sweet tooth.

The best way to do this is also getting creative. Here we have the classic ice cream sandwich between the fresh, warm cookies Locke’s always puts out for dinner. With both hot and cold, it makes for a fantastic treat that has the best of both desserts.

Drink: With the cold weather coming in, it’s time to start clutching our hot chocolates to keep our fingers warm. Why not playing around with the best winter-time drink too? Pile high the whipped cream and maybe even try out some of the sauces such as caramel, a student favorite. Embrace your inner Starbucks barista and have some fun.

Taylor Brethauer/The Quadrangle