the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Is Our Uniform Dress Code Only Making Things Harder? 

by Leave a Comment

Sophomores Zachary Kazmouz and Enzo Lomsky demonstrate PVS dress code.

By Middle-School Blogger Louisa Richardson

Our school’s current student dress code is something that many students have been debating about. People had such strong opinions about it that a few kids even made slideshows that included additional suggested clothing–with images–and  evidence of over-the-top current pricing of our uniforms. They did a lot of research. I tried my best to help with that slideshow. I think that the uniform is ridiculous. It is great to try and make our school more professional. Professional-looking students make a great impression, but the teachers don’t enforce the dress code consistently. Kids are walking around wearing open-toed shoes, inappropriate jewelry, and shirts that are two sizes too big. That is not professional; it is messy. I think that if we want to change the dress code, then let’s really commit to it. Not only that, but only reprimanding a few kids out of dozens who aren’t wearing school uniforms is going to get more and more pushback! I figured it may be a good idea to go around and ask a few kids what they think, and the results were actually quite surprising.

Junior Indiana Behr stated:

 “I love the dress code. It is perfect as is. I do not think there are any issues with it.”

So that would be the first vote that is for the school dress code as it is.

Junior Jess Billimore said:

 “I personally don’t mind the dress code/uniform here at Palm Valley. Compared to uniforms I’ve had in the past, it isn’t bad at all. Plus, it saves me from choosing an outfit everyday. The only thing that does bug me is that we should be allowed to wear a plain crew neck or hoodie of school color! Teachers pick and choose when they care and want to enforce it.” 

Jess, I couldn’t agree more; I am going to put this opinion as mixed.

Junior Levi Kassinove has a fun story:

 “Last year, every free dress day, I would come to school in my pajamas. They banned that. So much for ‘free’ dress day.”

 I am going to count this as having a problem with the dress code.

Fellow Eighth Grader Pip Watson responded with: 

“With the current level of enforcement, I don’t see an issue. More flexibility towards outerwear during extreme weather conditions would be helpful. The dress code as a whole is a lot more flexible than when I was in sixth grade and especially more flexible than it was when I was in elementary school. I know others have had worse experiences than I have with the current dress code, but I haven’t had any issues.”

Thank you, Pip!  I am counting you as “for” the dress code.

Junior Christina Lam states that:

 “I think wearing a plain black jacket that’s not a school jacket should be ok because when it’s really cold the school jacket does not suffice.”

I enjoy the fact that you were specific. I am counting your vote as against the dress code.

A classmate shared their opinion about the dress code with us; they prefer to remain anonymous.

“Honestly I kinda do think it’s stupid; frankly I understand most of it, but I only have an issue with the pants. The school pants for girls that are provided are the worst; they never live up to their named size and are frankly very uncomfortable. It’s always too tight or too big in the wrong places; it’s never just right. As soon as the new dress code came out I tried on dozens of the school pants, but they never worked. It honestly looks like they took the boy’s pants and tightened it at the hips and just shrugged.”

I know quite a few other students that had the same problem.  I’m counting this vote as against the dress code.

If we count up all the votes it is a narrower margin than I estimated. I was surprised by this because the people who were against the dress code were a pretty wide variety of ages, the same goes for the people who were against it. A lot of folks who were against the dress code have the same issues with it. That makes me think it’s a pretty simple issue to fix. All we need to do is supply warmer jackets and clothes that actually fit the girls as well as the boys. Alas, I don’t think we have a fix for Levi Kassinove’s pajama issue, but maybe he can find a loophole. Once these changes are made, I don’t think that it will be that difficult to enforce the dress code, as not so many kids will have issues with it.

Would YOU eat ethical fish eggs???

by Leave a Comment

By Junior Levi Kassinove

Hello. Today I’m going to tell you a little tale about…caviar–otherwise known as the cured eggs of the sturgeon fish. 

Caviar in the 19th Century 

Man devouring 70K worth of caviar in seconds (grubstreet.com) 

Let us travel back to the 1800s, when caviar was eaten by the bowlful by even the poorest of peasants. It was cheap and abundant, like lobster once was, which was fed to prisoners and slaves. During this time, the Russian Empire was the largest exporter of caviar in the world. They were pretty much the only producer (solexcatsmo.com). Then, the rest of Europe and the US started producing caviar. Soon, every American diner was giving caviar away as free appetizers. People were obsessed with it. There was demand, but it was still cheap. Even in the 1970s, caviar was only $60-70  per pound (nytimes.com). Comparatively, the lowest quality caviar is now upwards of $1000 per pound today (bestercaviarstore.com). What REALLY caused the upsurge in price was the immense overfishing of sturgeon. Multiple species of sturgeon declined in population, with the popular beluga sturgeon suffering the worst. It is now listed as a “critically endangered” species by the IUCN. As a result, the illegality of fishing for the beluga sturgeon caused caviar industries to turn to farming, making wild-caught sturgeon extremely valuable. But, we don’t have to kill the sturgeon to enjoy the eggs any more…

How We Can Harvest Caviar Today

Female sturgeon getting an ultrasound (caviarstar.com) 

Whereas the traditional method for extracting caviar involved cutting the fish’s stomach open and ripping its guts out, the stripping method is much more ethical. One method involves simply injecting the sturgeon with a hormone that separates the eggs from their connective tissue, and then massaging the eggs out of the sturgeon a few days later. This method does not kill the fish, and even allows the sturgeon to produce more eggs in the future. An ultrasound is used to determine the optimal time to perform the procedure. By harvesting the caviar without killing the fish, we can slowly repair the damage done to the sturgeon population due to overfishing. (ift.org) 

But How Does It Taste?

Stylish caviar tasting (nailsbyshurik.wordpress.com) 

There is a MASSIVE difference between fake caviar (bowfin fish eggs) and real caviar (sturgeon eggs). Bowfin is a bony fish that yields small, dark, red-tinted roe (caviarstar.com). Bowfin is a cheaper and easier-to-produce alternative to caviar. Even according to the Food and Drug Administration, “real” caviar comes only from sturgeon (ift.org). I’m not gonna talk about the red eggs because that’s not caviar either, although salmon roe is pretty good. A good way to spot the difference between real caviar and bowfin eggs is simply to look at the price. If you see a jar of black “caviar” being sold for $10-15, it’s fake. Bowfin also has much smaller eggs than sturgeon. The bowfin eggs will taste overly salty and fishy, giving you a terribly inaccurate impression of caviar. Real caviar is absolutely delicious. It’s subtle. Sturgeon eggs are creamy, nutty, and only slightly salty. If it tastes fishy, there’s something wrong with it. 

I highly recommend that you all try caviar at least once. And, if you can, make sure that the caviar was ethically produced. As they say in Russia, do svidaniya!

I love you, but that one thing you do . . .

by Leave a Comment

Taking inspiration from a Poets&Writers prompt, I asked our writers at The Bird on Fire to compose a poem about a specific detail or unexpected obsession of a loved one. Alyna and Penny had delightful, dark(?), and illuminating responses.

Blog Advisor Zachik

An “I-Love-You, But . . .” Poem by Upper-Schooler Alyna Rei

I love you but

I find it weird when you let a disgusting cockroach go out rather than “erasing it”

I love you but

I find it annoying when you cut me off when I’m talking

I love you but 

I find it offensive when you don’t “save room for dessert”

I love you but

I find it rude when you make fun of me for being “shy”

I love you but

I find it upsetting when you make me uncomfortable

I love you but you are not it

Sister, a Poem by Middle-Schooler Penny Andreas

I Love you, but when you don’t shut my door after opening it i feel like slamming the door on you. I love you, but when you talk non-stop, I really want to put duct tape on your mouth. 

I love you, but when you steal my clothes I feel the need to burn yours. I really love you, but when you make rambunctious noises at 5:30 AM, I am tempted to lock you outside 🙂

The Largest Health Crisis in the History of the World

by 1 Comment

Luke is serious. While the rest of us explored food from around the world–British biscuits, New York’s French restaurants, sushi, Luke considered the health of our relationship with the food we eat.

By Upper-School Blogger Luke Sonderman

“Obesity is the leading cause of death in the United States,” declares The Big Think (bigthink.com). Obesity contributes to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and gallbladder disease (cdc.gov). In a day and age where acknowledging the dangers of obesity creates labels such as “fatphobic” and “fat shaming,” the rate of obesity exponentially and tragically increases (bluezones.com). 

What is obesity?

According to the World Health Organization, obesity is defined as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health” (who.int). Obesity is measured through the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is measured by taking a person’s body weight in kilograms, and dividing it by their height squared (cdc.gov). According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), people with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese (cdc.gov ).

Weight gain is “caused [by] extra calories . . . being stored in the body as fat” (nhs.uk). This being said, the most effective way to lose weight for people with a fast or slow metabolism is eating less food and exercising more, says Harvard Medical School  (harvard.edu). With a caloric deficit and more calories burned, weight can be lost and a normal BMI can be maintained (nhlbi.nih.gov). However, sources like England’s National Health Service says the causes and solutions can be complicated by the particulars of diet, exercise, genetics, and underlying medical conditions (nhs.uk). 

Dangers of Obesity

As of 2020, 41.9% of Americans are obese (cdc.gov). There is a difference between being overweight and obese. On the BMI scale, one must be between 25-30 BMI to be overweight, and 30+ to be obese (who.int). Being overweight simply means that someone weighs more than what is medically recommended for their weight and to get back to their recommended weight it is recommended that they reduce their food intake (as advised by their physician) and exercise more (diffen.com). Obesity is actually a disease which comes with the major health risks mentioned above. Recently, we saw 50.2 percent of hospitalized Covid patients suffered from obesity (beckershospitalreview.com). 

2.8 million people die every year because of obesity (who.int 2021). That is more deaths than four and a half US Civil Wars (nps.gov). According to the World Health Organization, 46% of abdominal obesity in the world could be caused by fast food (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). In the United States on any given day, ⅓ of adults eat fast food (cdc.gov). According to Harvard University, some common causes of obesity are “the ready availability of food at all hours of the day and in places that once did not sell food, such as gas stations, pharmacies, and office supply stores; a dramatic decrease in physical activity during work, domestic activities, and leisure time, especially among children; increased time spent watching television, using computers, and performing other sedentary activities; the influx of highly processed foods, fast food, and sugar-sweetened beverages, along with the ubiquitous marketing campaigns that promote them” (harvard.edu). 

How does culture in the United States influence the growth of obesity?

According to Dr. Nancy Trout, “[O]ur American culture promotes obesity. Environmental influences steer us to choose unhealthy foods and eat portion sizes that are far too large” (advancingkids.org). Recent “Robert Wood Johnson State of Childhood Obesity data shows that 19.3% of children between the ages of 2-19 in the United States have obesity” (advancingkids.org). Dr. Trout goes on to say that staples of many of her child patients include “hot ranch Cheetos or Doritos, Oreos, sugary cereals such as Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops, Lunchables, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, . . . pizza, . . . sweetened iced teas, juices, sports drinks, sodas and chocolate milk” and even says that since the Covid-19 pandemic, many child patients reported that they are “not engaging in any physical activity” (advancingkids.org). Unlike other countries, in the United States, high fructose corn syrup is used in many products such as Heinz Ketchup, Quaker Oatmeal, and soda (ronproject.com). Obesity is affecting children, adults, and senior citizens.

Conclusion

It has become apparent that the Obesity Crisis in the United States is being fueled by American Culture. Physical well being needs to be taught in schools, and parents need to be held accountable for what they feed their children. If people don’t know how to combat the problem, then how are we as a nation supposed to fight the epidemic? We, as a nation, need to educate ourselves on the dangers of being obese and how to maintain a healthy body weight. 

Fireworks: Boom or Bust?

by Leave a Comment

While we’re well past New Year’s and still months away from the 4th of July, Louisa says it’s never too early or too late to consider the wisdom of igniting the skies with fireworks.

An Op-Ed by 8th-Grader Louisa Richardson

I have a question, one that seems to be quite controversial: Are fireworks a good thing? Is a moment of “Ah!” worth the trauma they cause?

Personally, I think that fireworks should be illegal. They are bad for war veterans (MIlitary Vets), PTSD victims (Coping With PTSD), and animals (Humane Society). Here are several reasons why fireworks are bad in general.

My first reason as to why fireworks are bad is because of how difficult it is to find an article on why fireworks are a good thing. The first things that come up when you type in “fireworks” in your search bar include . . .

fireworks are bad

fireworks are stupid

fireworks are illegal

fireworks are bad for the environment 

When you hit “Enter,” a bunch of injuries come up. Headlines read: “Don’t Blow It This Fourth Of July because Fireworks Are Illegal In City Limits!”  If you click on an article such as “Don’t Blow It . . . ,” you often see accident stories and statistics involving fireworks, which brings me to my point, safety (cityofredlands.org). The city of Redlands cites “More than 16,000 fires and almost 9,000 emergency room visits are associated with fireworks nationally each year” (cityofredlands.org).

Fireworks are very dangerous; this may seem obvious as they are literal exploding sticks of fire, but apparently not obvious to everyone. One of the most obvious things that gets ignored when discussing fireworks is the danger to personal property. It would be wise, of course, to light fireworks away from one’s house. However, even one of my very intelligent blog colleagues, Levi Kassinove, has lit them in front of his house. Levi’s stories of fireworks include how his cousin almost killed his family with a held-upside-down firework that somehow lit nothing on fire, and how his neighbors once lit a tree on fire with a firework. People often don’t respect firework safety because it gives them a better view, or a better time!  I understand the desire to have fun with fireworks, but that doesn’t mean abusing safety rules, and risking the safety of yourself and those around you, which usually leads to injuries or death.

Injuries and death due to fireworks are far more common than they should be. In the year 2021, in the weeks surrounding the Fourth of July, it was estimated by the United States CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION that there were 1,500 injuries due to fireworks and 1,100 due to sparklers (CPSC.gov). The simple answer to this problem would be to follow safety regulations, but people are very silly and sometimes unintelligent–not only that but accidents can still happen. Deaths due to fireworks can happen pretty much anywhere: nightclubs, Fourth of July celebrations, just at home, and even churches.

Another issue with fireworks is that they can be very frightening to certain groups. Fireworks often sound like gunshots to veterans, victims of shootings, and just people who have a phobia of guns. Many folks have been through horrible things, and is it really worth it to have them go through it all over again for something like one minute of happiness? The sound frightens some, but so does the smell. Fireworks smell like the aftermath of a bomb to some veterans (US Department of Veterans Affairs). We don’t want to remind people of awful episodes just because kids like the pretty light show.  

I’m sure that we have all seen or experienced a dog flipping out because of fireworks nearby. One thing you may not know is that all animals fear fireworks. Animals aren’t used to having giant booming noises above their habitat, and this can make them really terrified. Dogs hide under couches of course, but not every animal has the luxury of a couch to filter the noise. There is a very simple fix to this problem.

Drone firework shows are becoming more and more frequent as a substitute for real fireworks. They aren’t bad for the environment; they aren’t bad for veterans, and they aren’t bad for animals.

In conclusion, just because I hate fireworks, doesn’t mean I want to rob others the happiness of a light show. I encourage all of these firework fanatics to sit back and enjoy a drone fireworks show some time. They can be even better than fireworks!

This is an example of a drone firework show in Shanghai (Drone Fireworks).

“What To Wear?”

by Leave a Comment

By Upper-School Blogger Alyna Rei

Fashion has had many trends through the years. Some people prefer accessories. Some care about shoes. And some just don’t care what they put on their body. Many in school have different viewpoints about the apparel they wear. You can see through this survey that people have different ideas of style. I reached out to people who I felt cared about fashion and some who did not care as much. This way we can see people’s opinions.

I asked members of our Palm Valley community:

“What piece of apparel do you prefer to wear and why?

Is there a least favorite thing to wear?”

Personally, I like to put more effort in my shoes than regular clothing. The same goes for my family. I prefer to wear cool shoes (in my opinion) more than a cool outfit. I can wear a simple outfit and have nice shoes. My favorite shoes would be the brand “Converse”–which to many people is basic. The reason why I love “Converse” is because the shoes fit my feet and they go with every outfit I wear. My go-to outfit would be a pair of black flare leggings with a comfy sweater on top. On my feet, I wear “Converse” (obviously). I am aware that this outfit is for colder days, but this one is a favorite of mine.

The flare leggings aren’t obvious but I swear I am wearing them.

Ms. Maguire (teacher): “ Favorite apparel: I have many favorites! My favorite shoes are a pair of super-high platform clogs with a wood wedge (not clunky! It’s kind of narrow) that’s stained black. The tops are black, fur-lined suede. The fur shows along the edge, and it’s nice and soft. The suede is attached to the wood platform with brass tacks. They are snazzy and casual at the same time. These shoes elevate me quite a bit, and since I am height-challenged, I enjoy that. They are also surprisingly comfortable. The drawback is that I could possibly break my neck if I fall off them, so you will never see me wear them at school.

“I have a white hoodie that I really like even though it is not actually that white anymore. It’s very soft and warm, so I feel cozy in it. In the cold weather I change into it when I get home from school. The ends of the sleeves are not so tight that I cannot push them up my arm to wash my hands, and they are not so loose that wind blows up them when I walk the dog. The sweatshirt is big enough that it can accommodate layers underneath, but not so big that I’m swimming in it. It’s a Goldilocks sweatshirt.

“My least favorite apparel is this blouse that is attractive (to me), but soooo annoying. It’s dark gray with taupe polka dots on it. The problem is that the sleeves are bell sleeves. This means that I cannot push up the sleeves when I want to wash my hands, so the sleeves always end up getting wet. It drives me nuts because I wash my hands frequently. I go for months without wearing this blouse, and then I forget how much it bothers me. I see it and think, ‘That’s a cute blouse. I’ll wear it today.’ And then the annoyance begins and I remember why it was sitting in my closet unworn for so long. But it is attractive, so I can’t bring myself to donate it.

“Under no circumstances will I buy apparel that must be ironed. I have no time for that ridiculousness.”

Mr. Griffin (teacher): “My favorite piece of apparel are my t-shirts. I buy them specifically from one company – because they fit me well and the material is soft, feels especially good and cool and loose against my skin.”

Ms. Castellano (teacher): 

Like to wear “Dresses.”

Doesn’t much like “Shorts.”

And, “Earrings should always be worn (:”

Ms. Zachik (teacher): “Favorite? Shoes, shirts, pants–all of them WHEN they are good fitting, comfortable, when they make me look good and feel good.

“Least Favorite? I don’t love glasses (sunglasses, reading, corrective). I don’t love nose slippage, headache-inducing pinches behind the ears, the reflective glare. I also dislike dressing alike. As one of three sisters, I’m still getting over all the times my mother dressed us as a matching trio.”

Jocelynn Montoya (12th grade): “My favorite piece of apparel is probably shoes or shirts because there are so many types of designs and colors to choose from. I wouldn’t say I have a least favorite apparel but something I would never wear are crocs. I hate them. I think they are really ugly, gross, stinky, etc. Especially if you don’t wear them with socks.”

Cole Robinson (11th grade): “I love a good amount of layers, usually a good sweater with something underneath. I really hate weird sunglasses (yk what im talking about) some are cool but a lot are ick. I don’t like wearing anything too revealing because it makes me uncomfortable :(“

Christina Lam (11th grade): “My favorite piece of apparel is a hoodie because they are very comfortable. My least favorite is shorts because I usually am cold so it’s not a good thing to wear.”

Indy Behr (11th grade): Says he likes his “glasses.”

You can see how some bring effort into dressing and some don’t. I personally don’t care what I wear on top, but I do put a little effort into what’s on my feet.

Feel free, in the comments, to share your go-to outfits along with those you wouldn’t be caught dead in.

The Dream-Man, A Sonnet 

by Leave a Comment

By Middle-School Blogger Poet Penny Andreas

As the clock hand reaches for twelve,

And the chimes gong in the silent night, 

When all you hear is the echoes of bells, 

He awakens, by my side. 

He has no body, only hands with string;

He controls your brain when you have no thoughts, 

But he’s the one that awakens them, 

And makes sure they don’t rot. 

The deepest sleep, when he plays with your mind

He makes these scenarios, places them in our head,

Makes people chase you, with nowhere to hide, 

 Then comes that next night, to play them again. 

He creates the nightmares, the dreams too. 

And it’s not only me; He’s also beside you.

My Three-Michelin-Star Dining Experience 

by 1 Comment

The Blog Staff wanted to explore FOOD FROM AROUND THE WORLD. We’ve examined the best fast-food chicken-sandwich, the best street food, wagyu, fish, and the mercury found in fish (thank you, Levi). Indy takes us inside a Michelin-Star restaurant–the world famous Le Bernardin.

By Junior Epicurist Indy Behr

Photo Source: afar.com

The Background

Le Bernardin is a seafood restaurant that was founded in 1972 in Paris, France, by Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze, and they received their first Michelin star four years later, and then two more stars four years after this. In 1994, Le Bernardin relocated to New York. Eight years after the move, Gilbert Le Coze died, and his widow continued operating the restaurant. After this, Gilbert Le Coze’s former student Eric Ripert became a co-owner of Le Bernardin. Maguy Le Coze and Eric Ripert continue to co-own the restaurant today.

My Visit

I am very much a foodie, but until February 20, 2023, I had never been to a restaurant with a Michelin star. On that day, I visited Le Bernardin in New York City, which has three stars, the most a restaurant can get. Normally, getting reservations for this restaurant is very difficult, as it is relatively small despite its popularity. As a result, because we only decided to go a week before our visit, the only reservations my family could get were for a Wednesday night at 8:45 p.m. Though it was almost midnight before we returned to our hotel, it was all worth it. My whole family got the eight-course tasting menu, and I am going to go course by course and review each one. In the end, I will give each course a rating out of 10.

The Courses

The first course is called Tuna-Urchin, and it entails a tuna tartare, essentially minced raw tuna, on a small wafer. The tuna is topped with a small amount of sea urchin flesh. I have had many tuna tartares, and this was unquestionably the best take on it I have ever had. It was minced to the perfect size and seasoned very well. I had never had sea urchin before, and it was actually pretty good. It has a pretty strong flavor, but there was not too much of it, so it did not overpower it at all. This course was an 8/10.

The second course was the Scallop-Caviar. This had a slightly warm tartare made with scallops. The dice was much larger than with the tuna. It had a very rich texture and was sweet, and our waiter explained scallops are the only seafood that caramelize due to its sugar content. It had a scoop of Osetra caviar on top, which is one of the best forms of caviar money can buy. I have had caviar before, but never such a fancy type. These two parts of the course worked very well together, and the caviar was definitely what sealed the deal for me. I rate it an 8.5/10.

After this, we had the Lobster course. It was small pieces of lobster with a salad made of grapes and fennel. Fennel is a vegetable with a similar texture to a carrot but with a flavor kind of like licorice. The lobster was very good, but, honestly, I think the grapes were a little too ambitious. The big bold berry overpowered the lobster. The fennel, however, worked really well with the lobster. I am giving this course a 7/10.

The fourth course, the Langoustine course, was absolutely my favorite course. The langoustine was like lobster but so much more tender. It just melted in your mouth. It had an egg-white-based wild mushroom sauce and aged balsamic vinegar, and both of these sauces were great and complemented the langoustine. This was a 10/10… at least.

The fifth course was the Dover Sole, which had a very traditional buttery almond topping, and it has a sherry wine emulsion. Dover sole is really tender, and it’s one of my favorite fish dishes. The sauce went with it really well, and I enjoyed the crunch from the almonds. I rate this course 8/10.

The sixth and last entree course was the Halibut. It had really nice baby root vegetables. The tiny carrots were definitely my favorite of the vegetables. However, the best part of this course was the bourguignon sauce. If you have ever had beef bourguignon, it is the same as this. The beefy red wine flavor actually goes shockingly well with the very meaty and flaky halibut. Thanks to this sauce, this was a solid 9/10.

The first dessert course was Pistachio. It was a pistachio praline, and, to be honest, I was not a fan. I do not really like pistachio flavor that much, so I am biased, to be fair. However, the sauce was also not my favorite. I liked every other course, but I would have been fine with only one dessert course. This was a 3/10. 

Lastly, we got a pear sorbet. The sorbet had a very nice presentation with a perfectly round scoop. It had delicious chunks of pear sprinkled throughout that really added a nice textural component. This was an incredible way to close out the meal. I only wish this was our only dessert course. 10/10

Overall, I really enjoyed Le Bernardin. It’s a big investment, but if you have the chance, next time you’re in New York, I recommend you visit.

Treats From The Philippines

by Leave a Comment

By Upper-School Blogger Alyna Rei

I have never been to the Philippines before let alone out of the United States. But traveling there has always been on my bucket list. Along with traveling comes food and bakery goods. Note: I eat Filipino food on a daily basis. And, sometimes, it is cooked by my grandma–who is from the Philippines. But, Filipino baked goods overall are totally different from the day-to-day food served here in the U.S. I am writing this with an American perspective.

Puto

Before you yell at me for saying a bad word, Puto is a treat. It tastes like plain pancakes. Puto is basically a steamed rice cake. For me, I have always eaten Puto shaped in a muffin form, which is the most common shape for Puto.

The Puto I eat are more airy, but you often see this type of Puto in a store. Photo source: foxyfolksy.com

Kutsinta (koo-chin-ta)

When I go to any Filipino store, I always search for their Kutsinta. Kutsinta is another steamed rice cake, but it’s a lot sweeter and gummier than Puto. Kutsinta tastes like brown sugar with a tapioca consistency.

Along with Puto, Kutsinta has the familiar “muffin” shape. Photo source: pinoycookingrecipes.com

Pandesal (pan-de-sal)

Pandesal is another one of my favorite Filipino treats. To other people, Pandesal looks just like regular bread rolls. But, I prefer Pandesal over any type of bread. Pandesal is more doughy and floury than other types of bread. If I do have Pandesal, then I typically have it with breakfast before school. You can even have Pandesal with other things: such as butter, peanut butter (I like the crunchy peanut butter with Pandesal), beef, and even on the side with your meal. There are also a lot of flavors to get. My favorite is the pandan. Pandan tastes like coconut with a hint of vanilla, which confuses me since the color is green.

The outside of Pandesal is crispy while the inside is soft and fluffy. Photo source: seriouseats.com
This is pandan-flavored Pandesal. I pair this up with butter to get a sweet and salty taste. Photo source: sugarampsprinkle.com

Mamon (ma-moan)

Mamon is Filipino sponge cake. Like Pandesal, there are many flavors: such as butter, ube, mocha, cheese, etc. My favorite is butter mamon since it’s common and easier to get. When I’m in a rush for school, I usually take mamon with me since it’s easy to eat. Mamon tastes sweet but airy. 

Red Ribbon is my favorite brand of mamon. Photo source: TripAdvisor in Las Vegas

If you do wish to try these bakery goods, I would recommend actually going to a Filipino store as that is the closest you can get to the taste from the Philippines. The only stores I am familiar with are “Seafood City” and “ Island Pacific Market.” Mind you these stores are not in the Coachella Valley. The nearest Seafood City would be in Rancho Cucamonga, and the nearest Island Pacific Market is San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles. Out of all of these sweet treat options, I would recommend you try Pandesal. It may appear just like bread, but it tastes so much different.

MERCURY SEASPIRACY

by 2 Comments

By Junior Levi Kassinove

Photo Source: Financial Times

Hey, you. Yeah, you! Put that tuna sandwich down, or tuna sushi, or…whatever you’re eating that includes fish and listen up. There’s an astounding amount of mercury in your seafood. The amount of mercury in bluefin tuna, the fish commonly used in tuna sushi, is around 1 part per million (mercuryfactsandfish.org). To give you an idea of how high that concentration is, the FDA recommends that adults do not eat more than 6-8 ounces of albacore per week. A can of tuna typically holds 3-5 ounces. Albacore, which already contains a relatively high amount of mercury, has 1⁄3 of the mercury concentration of bluefin tuna (edf.org). So, you essentially cannot eat more than ⅓ of a can of bluefin tuna per week. Maybe that isn’t that difficult for you. Maybe you don’t like fish. But, if you often indulge in tuna, you’re probably getting more and more frightened with every line you read. And, I don’t have good news for you. 

Effects of Mercury Poisoning

Let’s say you’re reading this article after you’ve had a nice dinner at a sushi restaurant. You’re not adventurous, so you stayed away from the monkfish liver, the live jumbo shrimp, and the squid balls. You played it safe and went to town on the tuna nigiri. Well, here are the effects of the neurotoxin you just ingested, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. 

-Numb or “pins and needles” sensations
-Cognitive impairment 
-Impairment of speech

-Loss of peripheral vision

-Loss of muscle coordination

-Seizures (my.clevelandclinic.org) 

-Multiple organ failure (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) 

-Death

How did tuna become infested with so much mercury in the first place? Why is your tuna nigiri laced with thermometer juice? The answer lies in the food chain. There is a low level of mercury present in our waters, so many microorganisms contain a small amount of it. The bluefin tuna, being a large fish, is far up on the food chain. A small fish eats tons of microorganisms, gaining their mercury. A larger fish eats many of those small fish, and the level of mercury grows exponentially as you go farther up the food chain. This is why sharks contain the highest concentration of mercury out of all seafood (sharkconservation.org.au). 

The Takeaway

The pescatarians are obviously trying to kill us all! Eat more steak. Eat more plants. But, as we say in Wagyuland, fish is best eaten in moderation.