EDITOR’S CHOICE Orion editors share their favorite spots to chow down in Chico. Pages 3-4
FOOD FOR THE MOOD The sex columnist provides recipes to spice up your sex life. Page 6
BURRITO TIME Three burrito spots in town are evaluated for price, flavor and style. Page 5
LIFE WITHOUT SUTTER A sophomore student misses the convenience of Sutter Dining. Page 2
CONTENTS Restaurant etiquette
2
Sutter Dining
2
Editor’s choice
3-4
Burrito time
5
Sorority house grocery shopping
5
Food for the mood
6
CONTRIBUTORS Ben is a junior majoring in English and journalism with a passion for teaching and storytelling. He believes in keeping students informed in every way possible — through in-depth print articles, multimedia presentations and rapid-fire tweets.
Quinn joined The Orion as an opinion columnist in fall 2011 and won Best Opinion Columnist before becoming the opinion editor in spring 2012. Quinn now works as the assistant news editor and anchor for The Orion’s daily newscast. She enjoys long walks on the beach and is mostly known for winning the Hunger Games.
Kjerstin Wood
Juniper Rose
Kjerstin is a senior journalism major, and fall 2012 is her third semester working for The Orion. Involved in many other campus organizations, Kjerstin has a passion for the Chico State campus and loves having the opportunity to give students a voice through the ideas discussed in the Opinion section.
Juniper joined The Orion in fall 2011 as a news writer and worked as assistant news editor in spring 2012. The Orion awarded Juniper with the Best News Writer award both semesters, and Juniper wrote for a news series that won third place in the California College Media Association in 2012.
“Garlic is a great way to increase blood circulation and give a guy a hard-on – blood flow is key to keeping an erection.” AUBREY CROSBY, SEX COLUMNIST PAGE 6
Paul Smeltzer
Aubrey Crosby Aubrey is a junior majoring in history and journalism. She joined The Orion in fall 2011 as a staff writer for the news team. She still writes for news and pens the sex column. She aims to inform the community by bringing them up-to-date, well-reported news. Her postcollege goal is to write for the San Jose Mercury News.
The Orion encourages letters to the editor and commentary from students, faculty, staff, administration and community members.
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Quinn Western
Ben Mullin
Paul is a junior majoring in journalism and creative writing with a passion for keeping the public well-informed about daily issues. A sports aficionado, he is in his second semester at The Orion and writes for the sports staff to keep students informed about the wide athletic talent at Chico State.
• Letters and commentaries may be delivered to The Orion, Plumas Hall Room 001. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Letters are also accepted by e-mail and go directly to the opinion editor at opinioneditor@theorion.com
• Commentaries should be limited to 500 to 700 words and are subject to editing for length and clarity. Please include your phone number.
THE ORION • COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANK REBELO
• Letters to the editor should be limited to fewer than 300 words, must include writer’s name and phone number (for verification) and are subject to condensation. Please include your year in school and major, or your business title.
• The Orion does not publish anonymous letters, letters that are addressed to a third party or letters that are in poor taste. The opinions expressed by The Orion’s columnists do not necessarily reflect those of The Orion or its staff.
GOOD EATS
Fancy dinner etiquette spelled out for rookies Ben Mullin NE WS EDITOR
I was more nervous than a long-tailed cat at a rocking chair convention when I stepped into a restaurant filled with soft jazz and fine white tablecloths last semester. When we sat down, there was one fork too many. The heavy napkins were folded into pyramids or paper hats, I wasn’t sure which. And the menu, a multi-page affair, knew more Italian than I did. It was my first time going to dinner with my girlfriend’s parents. I managed to navigate the meal with just a few mistakes thanks to one or two friendly kicks under the table and frantic directions from my girlfriend. But if you want to protect your shins and look like a restaurant connoisseur when you sit down for your first meal at a fancy restaurant, follow these four tips. Otherwise, your significant other will explain them for you. Rule 1: Napkin in your lap Imagine my surprise when everyone at the table — except me — instantly unraveled the cloth sculptures sitting in front of them and stuck them in their laps. When you’re not at a fast food joint, putting your napkin in your lap is common practice, a fact I learned about two seconds too late. You’re also expected to do this even at fast food restaurants, by spreading out several layers of millimeter-thick paper napkins over your lap. This was big news to a guy like me, who comes from the wipe-andwad school of napkin use. Rule 2: Outside fork in I know it looks unfamiliar, but stop before you tell everyone at the table you’ve never seen a “little people fork” before. The fork on the outside is for salad and other appetizers, and should be
used as such. Before you get frustrated with your cutlery, realize that there are at least 36 different kinds of fork, all told, but they hardly ever appear in the same table setting. My advice is to use the outermost fork first, unless you see an older member of your dinner party using something else. Rule 3: Don’t crunch ice I come from a family of icecrunching soda drinkers, so you can imagine my girlfriend’s chagrin when I sipped a mouthful of water from an elegant, shapely glass and became a human woodchuck.
When you’re not at a fast food joint, putting your napkin in your lap is common practice, a fact I learned about two seconds too late.
It’s ironic, because the nicest places always seem to shave their ice to the perfect consistency for crunching. But I learned the hard way that there’s nothing worse than punctuating your conversation with enormous swigs, followed by face-shaking crunches of frozen water. Rule 4: Be polite I can tell you from experience that you’re likely to be forgiven your transgressions if you remember to say please and thank you. No matter how fancy the restaurant, you’re likely to escape dessert in one piece so long as you treat your company with more respect than your food. Ben Mullin can be reached at newseditor@theorion.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 2012
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Sophomore misses Sutter Quinn Western A SST. NE WS EDITOR
The evening trudge down the stairs to the kitchen is painful, because my stomach is making noises and I know what disappointment awaits on my shelf in the cabinet. I tap my finger as I mull over the dinner choices. Ramen? Not filling enough. Sandwich? Too much work. S’mores Goldfish? Hmmm. Perhaps with milk I could make s’mores Goldfish cereal. A date with my concoction of s’mores Goldfish cereal it is. I used to complain about the walk from Esken Hall to Sutter Dining freshman year, but now I’d be willing to walk from University Village. Instead, I live in a house with my friends and just hope I don’t burn the butter and set off the fire alarm. I miss the variety of food every day. I miss the all-you-can-eat setting and not worrying about people calling you fat, because everyone had six plates for dinner. I miss not having to cook. Not only was the luxury of Sutter Dining taken away when my
freshman year ended, but so was Sutter Cafe and my big sister’s cooking. I cheated on my boyfriend with the endless amounts of macaroni salad I would buy. You can only imagine the gleam in my eye when I found out that I could use multiple swipes when I reached the register. My sister graduated in spring, so I can no longer enjoy her home cooking. She was blessed with the cooking gene, while I inherited the sensor reheat button. Nonetheless, I have picked up some cooking tricks from watching the servers at Sutter Dining. I toss my salad with the same elegance and create experimental pizza toppings with whatever I find in my refrigerator. Sutter Dining was also a place to be social. A meme was popular in February for its sad truthfulness. “Asks a girl out for Valentine’s Day. Takes her to Sutter.” Sutter Dining was the place where I could hang out with my friends. Now we have
to actually make plans to see each other and demonstrate whether we are bad at cooking or are Top Chef material. I miss the days when we gathered around our plate-infested table and broke bread together. Then we would draw straws to assign someone to fetch luscious brownies, cookies or other sweets from the dessert cabinet. The memories, smells and tastes of Sutter Dining flash on the imaginary movie screen in my kitchen cabinet before I snap back to reality. Swipes are golden, freshmen. Use them with care. Before you know it, you’ll be staring at a kitchen cabinet full of junk food – tapping your finger. Quinn Western can be reached at qwestern@theorion.com
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GOOD EATS
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 2012
EDITOR’S CHOICE
THE BEST SIX PLACES TO EAT AROUND CHICO 1. Spiteri’s Deli
2. Mamma Celeste’s Stone Baked Pizzeria
971 E A ST AVENUE
1000 WEST SACR AMENTO AVENUE
THE ORION •PHOTOGRAPH BY JUNIPER ROSE
If you’re looking for an old school-style deli, then Spiteri’s is the place. Many of the breads are made fresh on-site, and the focaccia and Dutch crunch are especially noteworthy. Aside from sandwiches, there is a plethora of sides, including hot and cold pastas and a variety of salads. There are a number of drink options too, ranging from basic sodas to Sierra Nevada beer on tap. With plenty of booths for seating, the outdoor patio is a nice option when the weather is right.
Pizza is a staple of the college student’s food groups. Low-priced slices are in high demand, and Mamma Celeste’s offers a slice the size of your face for only $5. The equivalent of a personal mini-pizza, the thin crust and fresh toppings bring me all the way to Nord Avenue from my house downtown. The staff is always friendly and patient when people are choosing their food, and the owner’s attention to his guests is not something you would expect in the student area of town.
DRIZZLE Donut Rising offers cake, filled and raised doughnuts as well as Equator Coffee. The shop, on West Sacramento Avenue, puts original spins on classic doughnuts, with touches like bacon.
—Blake Mehigan, Sports editor
—Kjerstin Wood, Opinion editor
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GOOD EATS 3. Donut Rising
4. Rico’s Tamales
1008 WEST SACR AMENTO AVENUE
900 CHERRY STREE T
I never liked donuts, until I found home. My friends are yet to stop reminding me of the time I checked in at Donut Rising on Facebook and it read, “Juniper Rose has been to Donut Rising and zero other places.� What can I say? With a 16-ounce cup of coffee for $1.75, anything glazed for $1 and getting your protein in with the strip of bacon resting in the maple icing on that O’ Canada Bar — all just 147 steps from my apartment – I don’t have a reason to go anywhere else.
Rico’s Tamales oers chicken, pork, vegetarian and sweet pineapple options that are made fresh every day for just $2 each. Rico’s sells at the Chico Farmers’ Market Saturdays, the Thursday Night Market and the new shop at 900 Cherry Street. The pork is tender and avorful, and with the salsa and guacamole provided, it rivals the homemade tamales I have had in Mexico. I don’t usually like sweet tamales, but the pineapple tamales taste like cake with the consistency of banana bread. They have the perfect balance of taste and texture.
— Juniper Rose, Features editor
—Dan Reidel, chief copy editor
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 2012
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“Some go to Madison Bear Garden for the $5 pitchers, some to dance on the second oor and others for bingo night. I go for the corn dogs.â€? TERCIUS BUFETE Art Director
5. Madison Bear Garden
6. The Banshee
316 WEST SECOND STREE T
132 WEST SECOND STREE T
Some go to Madison Bear Garden for the $5 pitchers, some to dance on the second floor and others for bingo night. I go for the corn dogs. I find that the simplest things are the best things, and the most delicious things are served on a stick. The Bear’s corn dogs are the ultimate crunchy, guilty pleasure. They are also especially helpful when making dramatic, wagging gestures in drunken debates. Corn dogs are best served drenched in barbecue sauce, with a helping of subtly stolen friend’s fries and a nice, cold beer.
I love pho. Being from the Bay Area has its perks, as I can get a hold of any kind of food no matter its country of origin, and without a doubt, it will be delicious. I am sorry to say that Chico diers in the fact that most places would rather churn out sub-par food, because they can sell it for cheap and get more sold, than turn out less food that is higher in quality. However, The Banshee has some of the best pho, ďŹ sh tacos, chili cheese fries, burgers and mac and cheese in town for your dollar. This is my favorite place in Chico to watch baseball while enjoying their wide variety beers and food.
—Tercius Bufete, art director
—Frank Rebelo, photo editor
MAP COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS
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GOOD EATS
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 2012
Burrito joints judged for price, flavor, style Paul Smeltzer STAFF WRITER
When the sun is high and empty stomachs are gurgling, checking the time has no immediate purpose, because everyone already knows what time it is. Burrito time. Burritos are plentiful in Chico, but there are some top burrito joints with delicious, reasonably priced options served in relaxing atmospheres that really stand out as the complete package. Aca Taco Operating two blocks away from campus, Aca Taco sits at 133 Broadway Street and usually has sports games displayed in HD on three different flat-screen plasma TVs. One is toward the back of the restaurant and two are behind the bar, where Bud Light, Pacifico, Negra Modelo and Sierra Nevada’s Old Chico are kept on tap. Black and white photos of Acapulco’s coast staggered into an ocean landscape are offset along one side of the eating room’s walls. On the other, a painting of a hammock draped between two palm trees on a beach hangs to calm the hungry customer. Much like Chipotle or Chronic Tacos, food is served from behind a glass box containing the rice, beans, lettuce, meat and other ingredients that compose Aca Taco’s creations.
THE ORION •PHOTOGRAPH BY JUNIPER ROSE
STUFFED The pollo asado burrito from Aca Taco contains rice, beans, cilantro, onions and salsa wrapped into the fl our tortilla. They can be purchased and enjoyed for $4.75 each. Britany Silva, a senior accounting major, especially enjoys Aca Taco’s taquitos, she said. “I come here about five times a month,” Silva said. However, these burritos come out to $9.12 with a drink, and the beef can be a little bland and hard to taste between the ample amounts of avocado, sour cream, cheese and other filler that drown out the meat flavor. Gordo Burritos On the other side of town, there’s a 30-foot white GMC taco truck called Gordo Burritos in the parking lot of Downtown Liquor and Market at 598 East Eighth Street. It’s a favorite place to get food for biology
graduate student Andrew Rich. “I like the flavor of the meat and usually get the chicken burrito supreme with black beans, spicy, for $5.36,” he said. Customers can eat their food in front of the truck on red picnic tables, shaded under umbrellas. But without the air conditioning that comes with indoor establishments, it’s likely an uncomfortable place to sit during the hotter days in Chico. Teddy Malibu’s One place that strikes a balance between food quality, environment and price is Teddy Malibu’s on the northwest corner of Fifth and Cedar Streets. The menu, on a surfboard
horizontally hung above the cash register, has a wide selection of Mexican dishes that includes the California burrito. Cooked on the spot, the meat is served in chunky slices rather than bird-pecked pieces. Black beans, rice, guacamole, beef, cheese and crunchy fries make up the California burrito. Photos and paintings of surfers on Hawaiian waves are hung throughout the restaurant, creating a tropical setting. Patrons can sit outside on the patio or watch a soccer game inside, but don’t expect anything in HD or for a game to always be playing. There may just be a Spanish soap opera on and no remote control in sight. Paul Schatzman, a senior communications studies major, finds that burritos from other restaurants are of lesser caliber, he said. The $8.25 cost of the California burrito is a reasonable price to spend for a well-prepared, large burrito and fountain drink. “They have pretty good Cali burritos and five for $5 tacos,” Schatzman said. So, while Aca Taco’s atmosphere could be the deciding factor when choosing where to eat for some students, others prefer to sacrifice a little comfort for the less expensive but well wrought Gordo burrito. And for those who walk the middle ground, Teddy Malibu’s hits all notes, balancing price, food quality and atmosphere. Paul Smeltzer can be reached at psmeltzer@theorion.com
Sorority sisters grocery shop for 16, share food Kjerstin Wood OPINION EDITOR
Living with roommates is tough, especially when it comes to sharing food. Many people know the challenges of sharing groceries with only two or three other people, but try to imagine living in a house with 15 roommates. At my sorority house, our president and vice president of finance make weekly Costco trips where they spend about $300 to feed all
of the women who live in-house. This means buying things for 16 different people, who all have varied likes and dislikes. Although $300 may seem like a lot of money, Costco really only covers the basics, and there are a lot of small items that have to be purchased individually. For me, I have to buy my favorite coffee creamer – and label it with my initials – in order to have my perfect cup of coffee in the morning. Kelly Ertola, the vice president of finance, equates her job to being a sort of “mama bear” for all of the women.
She tries her best to make everyone happy, which is not an easy task. With a list of more than 30 items, Ertola and Gina Erle, the president, have the Costco trip down to a science. From the minute they park, they can get through the entire warehouse and into the check-out line in just 20 minutes. They focus on the basics, like frozen chicken, pasta and sandwich fi xings. We may have to fend for ourselves sometimes, but we’re lucky enough to get catering for dinner Monday through Thursday. Yes, we get homemade meals
delivered to our kitchen. Patience is another major aspect to sharing food between 16 roommates, since it’s possible that leftovers may accidentally get thrown away or that confusion arises over what is shared house food and the smaller items that are purchased individually. It may seem difficult and stressful, but having the price of your monthly groceries included in your rent is a pretty sweet deal. Not to mention the fact that we have two “mama bears” who do all of the grocery shopping for us, for which I am incredibly grateful.
After living in a one-bedroom apartment for a year, I was seriously concerned about being able to make the food I wanted in such a big house of roommates. But I now love waking up to a kitchen full of my sisters, making breakfast and talking about our days or coming home to everyone sitting at the dining room table eating the meal our caterers brought us. These things make those lost leftovers or empty bottles of coffee creamer worth it. The Orion can be reached at editorinchief@theorion.com
GOOD EATS
THE ORION •ILLUSTRATION BY LIZ COFFEE
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19, 2012
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On to the main course: chicken with a chocolate mole sauce. The sauce has a high number of aphrodiAubrey Crosby siacs mixed into it – peppers, chocolate, SE X COLUMNIST garlic and cumin – so it is an easy and It’s been said that the way to someone’s delicious way to get the mood right. heart is through their stomach. But if you Now that the first two courses have built up heat in your mouth and use the right ingredients, a your bodies, let’s get seducgood meal can satisfy more tive for dessert. than just their appetite. Garlic is a great way You can keep it simple with There are foods that actually to increase blood chocolate-covered strawput you in the mood by havcirculation and give a berries and Champagne, ing different effects on your body. guy a hard-on – blood or, if you really want to turn them on, get creative with Chocolate, for examflow is key to keeping a chocolate creme brulee. ple, releases the same an erection. Take a vanilla bean or two endorphins that would be and take out the filling. Put released if you were making the bean filling, two cups of out with your sweetheart. Garlic is a great way to increase blood circu- cocoa powder and two cups of sugar into a lation and give a guy a hard-on – blood flow quart of heavy cream and simmer. Crack 11 eggs and separate the yolks into a stainless is key to keeping an erection. Eating spicy chili peppers can increase steel bowl. Once the cream mixture is warm, your heart rate, give you a slight blush and remove the vanilla bean and add the mixture make you sweat a bit – which is exactly slowly to the eggs, whisking quickly. Place it in a baking dish, surwhat happens during any good foreplay. The easiest way to see how any of these foods rounded by hot water, and bake it at can spice up your love life is simply to com- 400 F for about 30 minutes or until firm. bine a few into a three-course meal before It’s easier than it sounds, and keep in mind that you can eat that chocolate and your hot night in the sack. Start off your night with a Cajun stuffed cream off more than just your spoon. pepper. Hollow out a mild pepper, such as a It’s not difficult to eat your way to betbell pepper, and fill it with a filling made of ter sex, and all of your time and effort cream cheese, chili pepper flakes and Cajun will be rewarded when you move things seasoning. Bake it at 350 F for about 20 min- to the bedroom – if you can wait long utes, and let it sit before serving. The spices enough to make it out of the kitchen. are definitely enough to get your heart racing, while the filling provides your tongue Aubrey Crosby can be reached at some comfort. sexcolumnist@theorion.com