The Don Mills Echo
DMCI and Food
Who can't use a little help picking out food?
A Food Critic's Guide to Lunch
Teenagers enjoy two things: sleeping and eating. Food is an essential part of our lives, and it is especially important to us because we are at the stage of growth. Having the adequate amount of daily nutrients can not only make a difference in that few extra inches, but also can keep us in a healthy lifestyle. In order to make full use of DMCI students' 75-minutes lunch, there are MANY options to keep us fed and happy:
* Bring your own!
This may not sound appealing and probably "lame" to many students, but homemade food is actually the most healthy option out there. Homemade lunches can save money and pounds. Some students feel that the food made by parents aren't as tasty as those bought, but they often don't know that the typical store-bought lunch can contain up to 1000 calories! Here's a comparison between a homemade turkey bacon sandwich and Tim Horton's turkey bacon club:
- Homemade
- Two slices of bread > 10 x 2 = 20 calories
- Turkey > 60 calories
- Cheese > 20 calories
- Bacon > 82 calories
- Total > 182 calories
- Tim Horton's
- Turkey, Bacon, mayo, lettuce, tomato, bread
- Other unknown ingredients
- Total > 360 calories
THAT'S ABOUT DOUBLE THE CALORIES!
*Buy from the school cafeteria!
Although the choices can be limited and the price can be more costly, the school caf still offers healthier options than most restaurants outside. All the sodas and drinks are caffeine-free or low in fat and sugar, and food are made with less oil and salt. For 5 dollars, a lunch combo can be purchased, which includes a drink and a dish. Some examples of food offered are: Various burgers and pattys, pizza, cookies, rice, mashed potatoes, chicken, sushi, etc. It's just in the school, so it saves you time and energy.
*South Street Burger!
This is actually one of my favourite places to eat lunch. It is probably not as healthy as the other two options above, but it is certainly delicious. It is typically more pricey than a regular fast-food restaurant, since everything is made fresh. The menu ranges from fries as low as $3 to combos as high as $10. As of nutrition, the fries are under 100 calories but burgers can range up to 500 calories! I'd recommend students to try it out occasionally but not on a frequent-basis.
*Pizza Pizza!
Nobody can go wrong with pizza! Pizza is even considered a vegetable in America, so it's obviously healthy...? Not so much. From a mere glance of its nutritional info table, one can see that nothing is under 200 calories for a slice of pizza. Its dipping sauces are even over 100 calories. For $5, students can get medium pizza + dipping sauce, compared to that of South Street, which is only a small burger. The price is fairly good for pizza, but eat with careful consideration and never go too often.
*Tim Hortons!
Being one of Canada's most popular fast casual restaurant, its price is the lowest of all options. Donuts and breads only cost 99 cents and large sandwiches can be purchased around 3 bucks. If you're looking for something fast and fresh, try Tim Hortons. It is also one of the closest places to eat out of school since it is located at shorter distance than Shops at Don Mills. As seen in previous example, its nutrition values may not be the best. But it is certainly worthwhile to try sometimes.
*P.F. Chang!
Although I've never actually had P.F.Chang's at Don Mills, I had an experience dining with them at Utah. It's a very popular restaurant... for white customers. Even the waiters and chefs are white, which I find super ironic. Of course, the interior design is extremely beautiful, but its food? Not so much. It takes forever to get an order to your table, and the serving size is small. A small economical lunch combo costs $18 with tax. The tax and tips part isn't the worst part. The food are. So, take my advice and never go there, even if you aren't Asian. I know many more authentic Chinese food places. Congee Queen is a cheaper and better choice.
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Popularity is a problem that is prevalent within the majority of today’s societies. It is particularly prevalent within the adolescent community of developed countries. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, popularity is described as, “the quality or state of being popular,” and popular being “commonly liked or approved”. However in the adolescent community, so-called “popular kids” are not always commonly liked or approved. An analogy can be made between the large peasant class and the much smaller nobility that was generally accepted in the Middle Ages. In most cases, the peasants resented the upper class nobility but retained a sort of respect out of fear. In the many pockets of adolescent populations, there is often a relatively distinct upper class, followed by a group of semi-popular persons that fluctuate between associations with the “popular kids” and the not-so-popular kids. Of course, this fluctuation is often overlooked by the majority of the students who are on either side. The semi-popular adolescents would be the equivalent to merchants and artisans that often worked both worlds.
In human culture, there is always need for this sort of imbalance in power, however subtle it is. There is generally a hierarchy present within the social fabric of a population simply because there always has been and there is a need for this social order. So if it is not approval or preference that makes a “popular kid”, then what? In my opinion, the majority of it is luck and the rest is knowing how to play the popularity game. Luck generates the resources necessary in obtaining popularity. These resources are generally the funds given to the teenager by his/her parent(s). This money is then spent in an elaborate plan which encompasses the necessary clothing that is trending as well as the different accessories which enable popular kids to complete the current stereotype. Of course, a surplus of clothing is required so that they can always pick and choose what to wear and not appear to lack the resources that accompany a lower level of popularity.
You may be wondering: how can I, an unpopular/semi-popular student, be like them? Easy. First remember that the popular kid is the closest you can get to a human Barbie doll. Popular kids are generally similar in the way they talk, act, and interact. They are so similar that it is often possible to mimic the entire social nobility. Popular kids may look slightly different from each other, but keep in mind that different Barbies wear different clothes.
Based on this first point comes the second. Before making your move and embarrassing yourself in front of them, make sure that you do thorough research. You must first thoroughly learn the different mannerisms and interests of the social upper class. Keep in mind that you must do so discreetly or you will most certainly blow your cover.
Third. After learning the way they like and wear, immerse yourself in these things. Do not to be too enthusiastic and learn everything there is to learn about these things, as this will make you appear as if you are trying too hard. But know enough so that you are in the loop. Things to know include the current fashion trends in the adolescent world and the latest romantic comedy if you are a girl and the latest action film if you are a guy.
Fourth point. Be real. In order to create a solid profile as a socialite, you must be a relatively well-rounded person. Along with knowing the latest trends for the teenage socialite, you must develop interests and hobbies that are deemed acceptable, as well as gain possession of the necessary gadgets of the present day.
As an adolescent social butterfly, you must only use technology from within the last three years, and only in moderation. If you lack these gadgets, you will appear inadequate to them, and if you have too many, you will appear like a techie which they also consider inadequate. Such pieces of technology include iPods, phones, DSLRs if you want to come off as artsy, and G-Shocks if you are male. Remember - money is not an issue.
Some popular hobbies/interests include sports and hanging out. You must be proficient in your social skills in order to pass off as one of them. Apart from school, your only forms of communication are the Internet and your phone (texting for the most part). You will be required to hang out with them from time to time to fulfill your responsibilities as part of the group. You should be athletic to some degree. The most important sport in the popularity game these days is volleyball. Volleyball is quite selective and allows you to form a small team which can become a clique. Along with volleyball, you may choose to participate in other sport sucha s basketball and track and field (only sprints and jumping for track and field).
The fifth step. This is probably the most difficult step. You must abandon your life as you know it if you wish to truly be popular. If you have any questions on why this is essential to becoming part of the social nobility, watch Mean Girls. If and when you are accepted into the circle, you will only be able to interact with popular and semi-popular kids from then on. Unpopular kids are nobodies, semi-popular kids are acquaintances and half-friends that can be used, and the popular kids are now your inner circle.
Enjoy and never look back.
Having Fun Generalizing the “Popular Kids”