Day 4: Project My Last Meal

Day 4

Britni Johanson, UO sophomore Business Major

What was your last meal?

“A cinnamon-raisin bagel with cream cheese from Milky Way”

What if your last meal was your last? How did you feel about it?

“Pretty good. The bagel was yummy as far as bagels go. Nothing extraordinary though”

If you could plan your last meal what would it be?

“Mexican food and Chantilly cake from Whole Foods”

What was your favorite childhood snack?

“Fruit roll-ups”

If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?

“My twin sister”

Day 3: Project My Last Meal

Day 3

Xiao Wang, seen in UO Lillis Business Complex, 2nd floor.

What was your last meal?

“Vietnamese food, I had barbeque pork ribs for lunch.”

What is your favorite food?

“Hamburgers and Dumplings”

Day 2: Project My Last Meal

Day 2

Lauren Todd, UO junior PR major

What was your last meal?

“A blueberry bagel with cream cheese”

What is your favorite food?

“Thai food, especially yellow curry”

What if your last meal was your last? How would you feel?

“I would feel jipped.”

If you could plan it, what would it be instead?

“Well now I want curry. I also love cobbler, my favorite is from this place in Portland called Papa Haydn.”

Why do you think food brings people together?

“…It is  one  of the only times all of us(her roommates) are sitting down together and talking. We try to cook dinners together every sunday…Last sunday was Taco night!

Project My Last Meal Day 1

Today I will be starting a new personal project titled “My Last Meal”. Project “My Last Meal” will be connecting humans through food. Food is a tool for building communities and bringing people together. Food is always at the center of every gathering; people go on dates to restaurants, when someone is ill people rush to bring over meals and crockpots, and at musical events or lectures there is always food involved. Why? Because food brings people together.

Eugene Eats: Brails Restaurant, Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals to eat out. There is something about going to a local diner across the street or an upscale breakfast cafe that is truly wonderful. I think a lot of it has to do that breakfast is one of those meals that often gets skipped or overlooked while at home, so eating breakfast at a restaurant is a treat.

Recently I went to Brails Restaurant for the first time to indulge my breakfast fantasy. In Eugene Brails is known to be one of the best, with the University of Oregon daily emerald  dubbing it “The best Hangover food”. Walking in, your senses are assaulted with the smells of crisp bacon and brewing espresso coffee. Along the wall are bright red booths scattered with pastel green plates and stacks of fluffy pancakes saunter out of the kitchen to eager families. Funky ’60s fonts and retro artwork complete the classic diner experience.

Food News

Here is what I have been loving in food lately!

1. Cara Cara Oranges- these are so yummy! I love the sweet citrus-ness to them and have been obsessed with them this month. Wikipedia describes them as “a red-fleshed navel orange is an early-to-midseason navel orange believed to have developed as a cross between the Washington navel and the Brazilian Bahia navel. Discovered in Venezuela“(Wikipedia) Huffington Post loves them too, and even has 12 recipes using them.

2. First We Feast– An online magazine expressing their love for all things Food, Travel, Pop Culture, and Music. Their writing is so clever and funny, and the topics they cover are new and surprising. One of my favorites has been an article on a food-related diss, and “Food and Booze habits of famous authors”. Check them out!

3. Food Network, Cutthroat Kitchen–  Recently I have been loving this TV show. Cutthroat Kitchen is a mix of reality television and innovative food creativity. Food Network describes it as, “Just how far is a chef willing to go to win a cooking competition? Cutthroat Kitchen hands four chefs each $25,000 and the opportunity to spend that money on helping themselves or sabotaging their competitors.” My favorite sabotage thus far has been using flavored jelly beans for spices.

4. Sizzle Pie Pizza– For my birthday dinner we went to Sizzle Pie, a Portland-based pizzeria. I know I rave about Sizzle Pie often, but their 7$ pizza and salad combo can’t be beat. My “thick-crust neediness” vanishes after my first bite of their one-of-a-kind flavors. I think I had my favorite pizza yet-the Hawkwind, named after an English Rock Band. Read my Full Review Here.

5. Herb de Provence Seasoning: Oh my, my new favorite way to bake veggies. This seasoning usually includes: marjoram,rosemary,thyme,oregano, and lavender. The past two nights I cut different veggies in 1′ rounds and drizzle with olive oil, salt, lemon pepper, and Herb de Provence Seasoning. I lay them on a foiled baking sheet and cook at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Yellow Zucchini or Sweet Potatoes are absolute perfection.

What Have you Been loving this Week? -Rachel

2013.

Lets be frank. I wasn’t really aware it was the last day of 2013 until I saw this commercial on TV.  I mean I knew it was Dec. 31, 2013, but I didn’t know that another year was passing. Another year filled with memories, laughter, upsets, and struggles.

I was literally rushing out the door, trying to collect my belongings trying to make it to the DMV at a reasonable hour, when I stopped and watched the entire advertisement. It was beautifully breathtaking. I remembered most of those moments, the good, the bad, and the great.

In the last hours of 2013, my mind is filled with memories, questions, and resolutions.  I get frustrated with the idea that this one day is supposed to represent a clean slate. That we are supposed to make resolutions, and that they shouldn’t have to stick.  If a change is needed make it, not for the holiday but for yourself.

“We love New Year’s Eve because we like the idea of a clean slate. #Truth is, you can pick yourself up and change anytime you want. Keep your NYE excitement the whole year round, and don’t let those petty experiences drag you down.”-Kirbie Johnson

However,  I am contradicting myself by having  some of my own 2014 resolutions. Some of them include: I want to forgive easily, appreciate the “now”, and be less stressed.  Goodbye 2013, May 2014 be the best one yet.

Cheers! -Rachel