VOL 120, ISSUE 16 - March 9th, 2023

06
THURSDAY
MAR 9,
2023
A COLLEGE STUDENT’S GUIDE
TO COMFORT MEALS
07
SAMANTHA MARQUEZ
Staff Writer
SCENE
Diana Silva-Corral - Pasta with Lemon Chicken
Zoe Wang, a second-year psychology major, shared a social media hit recipe of Chinese
peanut sesame noodles. You can whip up this dish for just $8.
To make: Boil noodles according to package instructions. While boiling, mix together
soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, peanut butter, sesame paste, sugar, oyster sauce, chili
oil, garlic, and ginger. Once noodles are cooked, pour noodles and noodle water into the
sauce until desired consistency. Top with green onions, sesame seeds, or personalize it
with your favorite toppings.
Wang learned this recipe from her grandmother, or nai nai in Mandarin. “Because
I grew up mixed, I found a lot of connection to my Chinese heritage through cooking,
and I was able to feel more connected to my grandparents when they taught me their
recipes,” she said.
Wang’s father is a professional chef. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she channeled
all her free time into cooking. She said, “I use cooking as a form of relaxation… the
satisfaction of seeing a dish come together well really provides a sense of fulfillment that
I think anyone could benefit from.”
Joshu a Esk o w - P oke B o wl
If you’re like me, you’re daunted by recipes. Strolling down the aisles of Trader
Joe’s and scanning different ingredients with no idea what to make with them makes
you anxious. Cookbooks seem too intimidating with your limited college kitchen. Especially
with midterms around the corner and essay deadlines piling up, many college
students just want a quick and easy meal. These circumstances pose the question: what
are college-friendly recipes?
Diana Silva-Corral, a second-year politics major, shared her go-to meal: gourmet
tomato pasta with lemon pepper chicken. All ingredients are available at Trader Joe’s,
totaling about $20.
To make: Cook your pasta of choice in boiling water, and prep chicken breasts with
seasonings while pasta is cooking. Put a full tablespoon of salted butter in a heated pan.
Add the well-seasoned chicken breasts into the pan and continue squeezing more lemon
juice so it doesn’t dry and so the lemon flavor stays in the chicken after cooking. Drain
pasta, add butter to the pasta pot and pour the pasta back in. Cut a handful of cherry tomatoes
in half or little squares and sprinkle some Italian seasoning. Add Gournay cheese
into buttered pasta. Add a splash of fat-free milk and the chopped cherry tomatoes into
pasta with the cheese and mix. Add chicken and parmesan.
Silva-Corral has always had a passion for cooking, which originally stemmed from
her parents and grandparents. “I’ve been blessed with a family of great cooks,” she said.
“I grew up watching them do their own recipes and helping every time in the kitchen
however I could.”
Zoe Wang - Sesame Noodles
An easy way to ensure you always have a meal on the go is to meal-prep your
favorite dish. Joshua Eskow, second-year critical diversity studies major, shared with
me his recipe for an ahi tuna pokè bowl. The ingredients cost around $40. However,
the recipe makes more than ten bowls, making each dish about $4 each, and giving
students weeks of a delicious on-the-go meal.
To make: Marinate one ahi tuna cut with some soy sauce, red chili flakes,
minced garlic, fresh ginger, teriyaki sauce, and sesame oil. Let it sit for a bit in the
fridge, or even overnight to make the next day, then sear the ahi tuna on both sides
for two minutes (the inside should be pink while the outside has a nice sear around
it). Finally, put it on top of some cooked rice and add any toppings you’d like, from
avocado to cucumber slices, or even pineapple chunks or kewpie mayo.
Eskow learned this meal from his history of saving money on food before college.
“I have always been a conserver of money as my family did grow up in the struggling
middle class, I started making meals at the age of five with my grandma.” He took over
the kitchen at home after his grandmother’s passing, trying to develop his cooking and
baking skills. Eskow has many passions, but cooking has been a sense of relaxation
for him. “I hope you try to replicate or make your own type of styled poké creation!”
Editor’s note: all recipes can be found on sffoghorn.com.
Color stained Sanjeev Varma, Arni Kulkarni, and Rafiah Shariz couldn’t contain their excitement for Holi. PHOTO COURTESY OF SANJEEV VARMA
HOLI CELEBRATION BRINGS
COLOR TO THE HILLTOP
RAFIAH SHIRAZ
Contributing Writer
As a first-year student at USF, I did not know what to expect from USF’s
celebration of Holi, or, more importantly, what to wear. I knew that soon
enough, I would be covered head to toe in red, orange, green, blue, and yellow
powders.
Last week, the USF Indian Student Organization hit the Hilltop with
Holi — an annual cultural festivity that welcomes the upcoming spring and
casts away bad energy. During Holi celebrations, people toss brightly colored
powder at each other, each color symbolizing a prosperity like love or happiness.
The organizers offered attendees multiple colored powders to play with,
as well as snacks and refreshing lassi drinks. Students ran around playing tag
and chasing each other with buckets of water on the Lone Mountain East
lawn. People threw Holi snowballs — made by combining colorful powder
with water — while screaming “Happy Holi!”
Growing up, I was limited in my knowledge of Holi, but would look
forward to it anyway because it was the only time I could make a mess around
my house without getting in trouble. I grew up in New York, and since Holi
is always celebrated in March, it would be freezing. Instead of celebrating
Holi outdoors, we would have family gatherings indoors with lots of food,
drinks, and baby powder.
Celebrating Holi at USF was refreshing and fun, especially since I’m far
away from home and family in New York. Like the sneak attacks from my
cousins and siblings growing up, my peers crept up on me and covered me in
many different colors. In Hindu culture, there’s a saying that goes: “Bura na
mano, Holi hai!” Which translates to, “Do not mind, it’s Holi!” This makes
pranks, sneak attacks, and other playfulness acceptable.
Holi festivals date back to the 4th century CE. While there are many
stories behind the origins of Holi I’ll tell you one of my favorites: the story
of Krishna and Radha. In Hindu mythology, the god and goddess Krishna
and Radha inspired the celebration of Holi as a result of their love. Krishna
was poisoned as a baby and turned permanently blue and feared that Radha
would not love him because of his skin color. However, Krishna’s mother
suggested that he playfully put some colors on Radha’s face, and Radha fell
in love with him for his pranks and playfulness. Thus, the festival of colors
became tradition.
Students who had never celebrated Holi before, like first-year biology
major Peter Orsmand, said that they learned a lot and had a great time. “I
did not know Holi existed, to be honest,” Orsmand said. “There’s so much
color, I just enjoy it. It’s artistic in some way.”
Others felt excited to continue celebrating a familiar holiday. Arni
Kulkarni, a first-year psychology major said, “Holi means fun for me. It's
such a fun way to celebrate my culture and be around people who are like me,
and be safe in a fun space.” First-year performing arts and social justice major
Sanjeev Varma said having a Holi festival at USF made him feel at home. “It's
one of those holidays that I loved sharing with my friends growing up,” he
said. “It made me feel welcome and seen.”
SCENE