Culture

Photo: Giacomo Ferroni

Misconceptions in gender equality: the truth of feminism

By: Ivona Lu Latinovic

Feminism. What is it and what's the huge misconception about it? Feminism is an ongoing movement, and has been for many years; however only in recent years has it become more widely discussed, across social media, in school, and in the media.

With this in mind, there are some misconceptions and misunderstandings when it comes to the meaning of this movement. Often on social media, we come across influencers on Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, Twitter, or even strangers and friends expressing their hatred for males. We see videos of them saying things like, “I hate all men” or, “men suck” while also calling themselves a feminist. This confuses young adolescents about what feminism truly is and what gender equality means. The problem occurs when people connect feminism to men-hating; they think that feminism is a movement to bring men down. However, this is not the case.

Feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. Feminism is about giving women choice. It’s about equality, and it’s about supporting each other, not about hating men or forcing female superiority over the rights of men. “Fighting for women's rights has too often become synonymous with men-hating”, says Emma Watson. Oftentimes, people believe that bringing down men and fighting for women's rights are the same, which is not true. It creates a stigma where men may feel uncomfortable being a part of this movement, and unsure of where to stand even when they want to support gender equality. In this case, gender equality affects males too, although in different ways and not to the same extent as women.

There are times we see in the media when men are wrongfully imprisoned by gender-based stereotypes. Sometimes the stereotypes around men may result in these types of situations. An ongoing problem is when a male of any age is suffering from a mental illness, and is unable to ask for help in fear that it would make them ‘less of a man’. There’s this influx of subliminal messaging around the fact that most men feel they can't be a feminist partly because it is associated with females, and because too often they receive hate as part of this movement.

Gender equality is about equal rights, where no gender is superior. All genders should have the right to their own feelings and emotions. All genders should feel free to be strong or sensitive, and have characteristics that may not be stereotypically associated with their sex. It should be a right that women are paid the same as their male co-workers for the same job. It should be a right that women are afforded the same respect as men. It should be a right that women are not viewed as weak or powerless based on their gender. These are considered human rights. It’s imperative we start doing something about this because if we continue down the road of doing nothing it will take 75 years before women can expect to be paid the same as men, for the same amount of work.

According to the UN, even in 2022, no country in the world has achieved gender equality, and no country will be able to achieve gender equality by 2030 based on current growth. This is hugely problematic—we've known the extent of this issue for hundreds of years, and clearly not much is changing. We are clearly doing something wrong. Spreading hate toward males will only make this worse whereas encouraging and creating a comfortable space for them to join this movement can help us achieve gender equality. Teaching young kids stereotypes of their gender and saying things like, “girls are meant to wear dresses and sit and look pretty,” or “don’t cry, and man up, you look weak,” are the complete opposite to what we should be doing. Before we do anything else we need to truly understand what feminism is, and be able to spot and fix the misconceptions that come with this movement.

Culture

Michelin Stars:

The Oscars of the culinary world

Photo: Rachel Claire

By: Ashwin Kailayaruban

Have you ever wondered what it takes for a restaurant to earn a Michelin Star? What does a Michelin Star even mean? What restaurants have a Michelin star? To put it simply, a Michelin Star is an extraordinary culinary achievement for any restaurant, earned by passing demanding criteria. It is essentially the Oscar of culinary awards. By the end of this article, you’ll know the ins and outs of what this achievement is and gain a better understanding and appreciation for the restaurants that have obtained this award.

The origin of the Michelin Star stems from the French tire company, Michelin. Back in the early 1900s, brothers Andre and Edouard Michelin wanted to promote their tire product and created a Michelin guide. This guide consisted of lists of restaurants, gas stations, hotels, and mechanics along popular routes throughout France, as well as road maps and information on how to change tires. When World War One started, there was a halt in the production of the guide until around 1920. During this time, the brothers decided to award a star for restaurants that had an exceptional dining experience in their guide. Production of the guide halted once again during the start of the Second World War but continued in late 1939 due to the maps in the guides aiding allied forces. This idea of rating restaurants has evolved into the system we now know today.

So how does a restaurant achieve this rating? The process starts with undercover customers who are secretly passionate food inspectors trained in France. These inspectors may return multiple times to a restaurant before reporting to other inspectors to decide whether a restaurant deserves a star. The criteria consist of taste, quality of ingredients, and cooking techniques. The aesthetic of a restaurant is not taken into account when stars are awarded. It may be an achievement for a restaurant to be awarded a star, but it is another accomplishment for them to maintain that star rating. Many restaurants have had their stars stripped away, one being Gordon Ramsay’s New York restaurant, The London, which had gone from two stars to zero. Critics claimed that the quality of the food went downhill the minute Gordon Ramsay sold ownership of The London, which ultimately led to the closing of the restaurant in 2014.

So are there levels to the achievement? The short answer is yes, there are three levels to Michelin Stars. According to the Michelin Guide, a OneStar rating refers to “a very good restaurant in its category”. In Tokyo, there are only 161 restaurants that have achieved one star. The Two-Star rating refers to a restaurant with “excellent cooking, worth a detour”. In 2021, there were close to 417 two-star restaurants in 26 countries. Some examples are Auberge de Cheval Blanc in France and Coi in California. The Three-Star rating refers to a restaurant that provides an “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”. These restaurants are run by world-renowned chefs, provide an unforgettable culinary experience, and in some cases, are tourist attractions. Examples are Per Se in New York and Benu in San Francisco. So just how many Michelin-starred restaurants are there in the world? As of 2020, there are 2,160 one-star restaurants, 499 two-star restaurants, and 106 three-star restaurants. France and Japan currently claim the most titles to these stars. In fact, as of 2021, France claimed 632 Michelin starred restaurants, while Japan claimed 413. Apart from the Michelin Star, another unique award enacted by Michelin is the Bib Gourmand Award. This award is tailored toward restaurants that have exceptionally good food for great value, an example being Ciccio Mio in Chicago.

In summary, the Michelin Star system is a system that awards some of the finest restaurants in the world, and is something that most restaurateurs strive toward. Achieving a star alone is an extremely difficult task for many restaurants, and maintaining that level is even harder. What started out as a guide used to promote tire products has spawned a prestigious award that signifies a restaurant's perseverance and the hard work that has brought them to where they are today.

Culture

Stay-Cation ideas: What can you do at home instead of traveling? Photo: Mashal Khan

By: Zerina Bakrac

With COVID-19 on the rise once again along with newly-discovered variants, it’s best that we all stay in our homes and reduce travel in these tough circumstances. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to still have fun! Below are three different activities that you can do to have a great time, in the safety of your own home. Let’s call it a stay-cation. The three activities that are on this list include cooking, painting and last but not least, a classic movie night. These activities are bound to keep you busy while we all await for what’s to come with COVID-19 and its variants.

Starting with cooking, one of the many amazing dishes you can make is a Brazilian Potato Salad! The Brazilian Potato Salad comes from Rio Grande do Sul in Southern Brazil and is made with grilled potatoes and charred corn. Its summery and smokey flavour will delight you. The ingredients you will need to make this dish are yellow potatoes, carrots, mayonnaise and fresh parsley. In order to ensure the potatoes and carrots cook evenly, you will need to dice them to roughly the same size, about half-inch-sized cubes. Don’t overcook them either. You’ll want to cook your potatoes and carrots together until they’re quite tender but not mushy. The potatoes will naturally be softer than the carrots, so the best way to check if they’ve been cooked for the correct amount of time is by sticking a fork through the middle of the potato chunk. If it goes all the way through, you’re good to go. Once the potatoes are cooked, use a strainer to drain the veggies and run some cold water over them to ensure the cooking process has stopped. After that, you must let it cool down, because a mayonnaise based salad tastes best cold. Once they have cooled down, you’re ready to add the mayo. This recipe calls for about a ½ cup of mayo but you can add more or less depending on your preference. After you’ve done that, you’ve got your Brazilian Potato Salad all ready to eat!

Moving on to painting, there are many different ways to have fun painting even if you’re not an expert at it. For example, you can put your favourite coffee mugs or fruits to use, or even do silly finger art. This will help you capture art in its purest form by painting what you love, even if it doesn’t turn out the way you expect it to. When it comes to painting, there are many different options to try, such as acrylic, watercolour, and oil paint. All of these are amazing unique options for your artwork, so just choose one based on your preferences. The first thing you’ll want to grab for your painting is a piece of paper or a canvas, then you’ll want to think about what type of painting you want to do. Once you’ve decided what you’d like to paint either grab a brush or if you don’t have one, use your hands! There’s nothing wrong with creating a little silly finger painting. Using references online may also help you with your imagination, but you can enjoy your painting and make the most out of it on your own too.

Finishing off with movie nights! Movie nights are a great way to relax, especially if you’ve been stressed out due to school, work, or anything else. Take a bit of time for yourself and grab some popcorn, a drink, and turn on your favourite movie. Some suggestions include Scream, The Breakfast Club, The Dark Knight, Coraline, Sixteen Candles, Pulp Fiction and American Psycho. Treat yourself to a proper night of relaxation because you deserve it. You’ve worked so hard, and many of the people around you are proud of you, even if you yourself have not realized it.

Dawn FM album review

By: David Lee

Okay – so before I start, I just want to say that I am by no means a huge Weeknd fan. I enjoy his music, but I’ve never really taken the time to listen to his older stuff. From what I’ve heard, I generally like his stuff, but when it comes to the artist and the genre, it’s just not my bread and butter. That being said, I didn’t really have any expectations for this album, other than it just being something well put together; I know the Weeknd is the type of artist to take his time with his work, not just shoveling out mediocre trash every 3 weeks. The first thing that stood out to me was, obviously, Jim Carrey, which was a huge trip, but like a good trip.

I didn’t really like Track 2, “Gasoline” at first, especially because of the accent he was using, but after almost 7 listens, it grew on me heavily and it’s probably one of my favorites in the album now. My biggest gripe with this album, though, is that when you have 16 tracks that all fit within the same kind of genre, it starts to blend together. To me, all the songs are pretty good, but a lot of them do feel very similar, which is probably why I wouldn’t listen to them as much.

After a while, this “Forever 21”-type-retail-storemusic kind of feels drawn out – but then again, I could totally see these songs doing numbers on the radio. I just don’t think I’d listen to this album in its entirety too often. My favorites on this album, other than “Gasoline”, were “Out of Time”, “Best Friends” and “Is There Someone Else,” mainly because they had really good hooks, clean transitions and they felt like they stood out from the rest of the album. Since I enjoy slower music, I appreciated these tracks for their pace and relaxing demeanor.

Photo: Universal Music Group

I also appreciate the lack of features on this album, as with the Weeknd specifically, I prefer it when it’s just him. In my opinion, the Tyler and Wayne feature on tracks 8 and 14 didn’t really fit. To me, I don’t think there are many artists that mesh well with The Weeknd.

Overall, I did really like this album, unlike a crap ton of other Weeknd fans who seem to want all his music to be this writhing cesspool of darkness and toxicity. I personally liked this change, with the Weeknd choosing to use a more 80’s pop/ disco kind of energy. I get that not everyone’s going to like it, but I think it’s a cool change.

Dawn FM was pretty good, and it’s a solid start to 2022 (especially after the dumpster fire that was 20202021), but I’m expecting a ton of great music this year, so whether I keep listening to this album mostly depends on what we get in the future.

Culture

Photo: Bon Appetit

Benefits of home cooking

By: Hannah Wang

Next time you think about going out with your friends at lunch, you might want to rethink that decision with the many benefits you get when enjoying a home-cooked meal. Cooking at home gives you the ability to know precisely what goes inside your food, and ensures that you are eating exactly what and how much you want to eat to fill your appetite. In addition, it ensures that you’re not wasting as much money on food that most likely contains harmful chemicals. Has there ever been a time you wanted to keep eating this one dish you tried at a restaurant, but it’s not affordable to just go back for it? Making that dish at home, and even trying out new foods by home cooking, can kickstart a good habit.

Know a picky eater, or are one yourself? Cooking your own food at home can completely solve that issue, as you’re able to guarantee the ideal meal. You can alter the dish however you want; even those small details that make a big difference! For instance, cooking the exact amount of food you want for you or your family won’t be an issue. Portion sizes are almost always unreasonable when you eat out. Paying $15 for a small combo again? Even if you’re resorting to the great deals at McDonald’s, the ingredients are absolutely cheap and will cost you your health in the long run. Speaking of fast-food restaurants, many of them feature MSG; KFC, several Chinese food restaurants, and almost any place that offers processed meat contains the harmful monosodium glutamate that tricks you into thinking their food is mouthwatering. You never really know if your burger has harmful chemicals like MSG (unless you really are someone who reads every single ingredient on their website), but when cooking the meat yourself, you’re much more aware of what goes inside it.

Knowledge of the ingredients and overall food you’re consuming is a perfect segue to my second point. Since you’re the one flipping the pan, what you put in it is all up to you. Thus, this is especially helpful to those who have allergies, especially to common ingredients found in many restaurants, like milk, eggs, soy, wheat, and the classic, nuts. Additionally, if you’re someone that’s trying to reach/maintain a specific weight, you’re fully informed about calories and other important nutritional information. The extra precaution automatically taken when cooking at home ensures your health to the fullest. Eating the right food for your body is crucial, and that starts with being completely cautious of everything in the food.

When looking at the prices of items on the menu, it may seem like no big deal, but once you take a look at the bill after a full meal, both you and your wallet’s fears become a reality. Hence, what’s better than starting off 2022 by being as wise with money as you can? This resolution doesn’t mean buying tons of groceries every week and not eating out, but instead cooking what you already have stored at home. When you finally run out, you then head to the grocery store, and tada! You’ve saved 2 or 3 times more money than you’d usually spend per week! Even then, eating out once in a while isn’t bad, but research done by Forbes proves that order delivery from a restaurant is 5 times more expensive. Even meal kits are 3 times more expensive despite all the exaggerated prices advertisements show you. If you’re ever worried about wasting money when you cook too much with extra food left, you can preserve it in several ways, like giving it to a neighbour, family friend, or even saving it properly for tomorrow’s dinner as well.

Cooking at home prevents picky eaters from facing struggles from restaurants with the exact taste, promotes being careful with your health, and a great bonus is saving an excellent deal of money that could be spent on something you’ve always wanted. Therefore, before school the next day, remember how much more beneficial it is to pack food you certainly know you’d enjoy. A nice, warm, homecooked lunch will just do it.

Culture

Photo: Vijit Bagh

A man disguises himself as an onion vendor to return home amidst COVID lockdown

By: Sophia Zhang

During early April 2020, Prem Murti Pandey, a 36-year old man working in Mumbai, India, faced a predicament. COVID-19 cases were rising rapidly, and his country was entering a lockdown. Services were being halted, factory work was being suspended, travel by plane and vehicles was being restricted, and the citizens were told to quarantine themselves at home. However, Pandey didn’t want to be stuck in quarantine in the coronavirus hotspot that was Mumbai, alone and socially isolated; he wanted to return home to the city of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, where the rest of his family lived and where he thought he would be safer.

According to Pandey, he had already spent 21 days in Mumbai during the lockdown before he finally devised a plan to reunite with his family. At the time, roads were only open to essential travellers; any sort of road travel that was deemed as non-essential was prohibited. Pandey’s plan revolved around exploiting this technicality. If driving home to Prayagraj was considered non-essential travel and was forbidden, then he would simply become an essential traveller.

Pandey noticed how crop vendors were permitted to bypass coronavirus restrictions to travel across India. He wanted to test this for himself, so he walked from his home in Mumbai to the city of Pimpalgaon in Maharashtra. There, he bought 1,300 kilograms of watermelons, which he arranged to be sent back to Mumbai to a local fruit seller.

The plan went off without a hitch. The vehicle carrying the watermelons was given access to the roads, and because Pandey had made a deal with the fruit seller beforehand, he even made a profit.

With his trial having yielded surprisingly successful results, Pandey decided it was time to set his next plan into motion. Once again in Pimpalgaon, he spent 200,000 Indian Rupees (which is equivalent to roughly 3,371.61 Canadian dollars) to buy 25,520 kilograms of onions. He stored the onions in a truck that he had rented and drove off towards his home in Prayagraj, which was located more than 1000 kilometres away. Pandey passed numerous COVID-19 checkpoints along the way, but fortunately managed to escape detection by posing as a vendor transporting onions, which were considered to be essential goods.

When Pandey finally reached his destination on April 23, his first course of action was to find a market to sell his onions. Unfortunately for him, Prayagraj was facing a surplus of onions after the lockdown had shut down the majority of manufacturing plants and restaurants, who had previously been the biggest buyers of onions. In essence, the onion supply far outstripped the onion demand, and Pandey couldn’t find anybody who was interested in buying his onions.

To make matters even worse for Pandey, his actions were discovered by the police the very next day after he had arrived home. According to an interview with the police conducted by

CNN, “He [Pandey] has not shown any symptoms of coronavirus but he has been kept in a quarantine centre as a precautionary measure for two weeks.”

Though the effort Pandey made to return home was admirable, ultimately, he could not evade the law. He still had to isolate himself in a quarantine centre for two weeks, and now has to find a use for his tragically large and unsellable stock of onions.