opinions // 16 What's on the menu? » ..and other questions a person who can't cook would ask Elliot Chan Opinions Editor @theotherpress.ca hy are we so indeci- sive when it comes to food? Everyday, regardless of my workload, obligations, or responsibilities, I’m required to ask myself a key question: “What the fuck should I shove in my face to shut my stomach up?” Sustenance, pleasure, and an inconvenience: food. I’m not super picky, but I do have my preferences, although sometimes my preferences change due to external influences. These influences include my vegetarian friends, the price of the meal, and of course, what people deem to be healthy. Needless to say, I eat most of my meals in front of the television, at my computer, or even lying in bed. : I’m nota role model, I agree. But the problem is that I choose not to consider what I want to eat until ] am already too hungry to cook or even to drag my lazy ass to a restau- rant. I just pop something into the microwave or oven and forget about it. Done. I'll worry about that problem again in five hours or so. Cooking isa skill that I simply never acquired and now : I feel a bit ashamed, especially when I’m invited to potlucks or any social gatherings where : I’m expected to craft some : edible dish to impress my : peers and friends. “I’ll bring : the cups and napkins,” I’ll jest, : dying a little on the inside. : Ramsay in the kitchen, and : I’m not even Guy Fieri in : someone else’s kitchen. I’m : just a guy who aims to stay : alive and not get a steam burn : when peeling back the cello- : phane of my Hungry Man. found myselfin. In life, every Correct, ’'m not Gordon It’s asad position I have SMILEY BURGER TAT 2 pee Tee te a blithe aarti aa i Teele ts 3] Pra ae eT ad peli k pts oa : person should be able to lick : their fingers after a satisfying : meal they have made for : themselves—and then, of : course, clean up after them- : selves. Nevertheless, I’ll never : be an exquisite cook because : of my bland taste, just like I’ll : never become a tenor ina choir : because of my tone deafness. : It’s a fact that I have accepted. : Sol try to make myself useful : in other ways: by suggesting : meals to those willing to cook : for me and by stocking up on : crap that I can halfheartedly : make at a moment’s notice. | : don’t care if you don’t mind. Ihave scrolled through : Urbanspoon enough times to : know that options and variety : are far from the solution. : Someone at some point needs : tomake an executive decision. : When it comes to food, I have : always been hesitant to speak : up because I feel as though I : have no authority in the say : due to my taste. I was wrong. : If ’m not the driver, I should WELCOME TO SMILEY BURGER! ta Plea Tg Bat | moe ke ty ee ta NEW ORLEANS BURGER eet BL 2 theotherpress.ca : at least be the navigator. : Yes, true, I don’t care what : we eat today, but I should be : able to suggest something. When it comes to picking restaurants or ingredients for : dinner, it’s not about caring or : not. You'll have to eat, that is : the fact! So make suggestions : or pick something for yourself. : At least one meal out of your : day doesn’t have to bean : indecisive mess in your sched- : ule. So when it comes to soup : or salad: I always pick soup. DOUBLE BACON BURGER DOUBLE BACON VOODOO BURGER PeD ea a ees | Ba ee neta TT uae tii Ml DOUBLE CHEESE BURGER JR. tor iu a PSR SHAWARMA BURGER PUA ii Pelt Bt a4 DOUBLE VEGGIE BURGER JR. BUFFALO BURGER TURKEY GURGER CHICKEN BURGER OYSTER BURGER EMU BURGER PRP sia MONKEY BURGER TOFU BURGER TOFURKEY BURGER EGGPLANT BURGER ert ky ae WEST Ei VALETOWN BL at Rr ea a 3 bio DL a4 Pe ad Sc ii re ag AAMITE BURGER Sg Ee ag ee 2 Peete es eels a et ete ad Pre LY Ice fucket! » Why peer pressure is so effective on social media Elliot Chan Opinions Editor j; @theotherpress.ca , like so many people on social media, ama victim of peer pressure. Earlier this summer, the Ice Bucket Challenge to promote awareness for amyo- trophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) seemed to be another Internet fad that would make an insignif- icant mark like the No Make-Up Challenge, Neknomination, and Harlem Shake. But that’s obviously not the case. The campaign has been instru- mental in earning the ALS Association donations it wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Although some criticism has emerged suggesting the diver- : gence of focus from disease to : entertainment, and the ultimate : : water-wasting effect of the cam- : paign is nothing to be proud of, : | want to focus on the successful : qualities: what peer pressure : can do for us in the future. The nomination-aspect of : the Ice Bucket Challenge is most : interesting. For some, being : nominated may seem like an : insulting gesture, a call-out. : For others, it’s an invitation : to participate. Initially, I : watched the campaign from : the perimeter, content. I’m not : the most charitable individual, : and if there was a cause for me : to contribute to, ALS would : not be the first—admit it, it : probably wouldn’t be your first : either. However, after I was : nominated bya hockey team- : mate, it was no longer about the donation—even though it : should’ve been. The point now : was to continue the chain-letter : effect, an idea gone viral. Now I could have ignored : the nomination, and I greatly : considered it, as I’m sure many : participants have. I hated the : idea of someone pressuring me : into an act in order to retain : my “respect” within the : community. Sure, some : people might praise me for : standing up against such : peer pressure. After all, I’m : nota conformist, am I? Then I reconsidered. This : social challenge isn’t a test of : character. An ice bucket is not, : say, bungee jumping. Especially : during the hot summer we : had, the icy water could : actually be refreshing, no? The Ice Bucket Challenge, : like most social network : challenges, is a demonstration : of creativity. Let’s see how you : can make pouring water on : your head original. That was : the real challenge, as lame and : cheesy as they all end up being. : Seeing most of my Facebook : : friends and various celebrities : participate is proof that there’s : something about peer pressure : that makes the Internet kind : of scary. We could say, “No, : the Internet can’t make us do : stuff—it’s just a machine,” : but when I consciously : poured water on my own : head and filmed it to prove : to my friends and followers : that Iam just another brick : in the wall, I knew that in the : very near future I would be : doing other irrational acts : and filming it too. Why? Well, : just so that I can continue : belonging in the community : and network I have worked so : hard to include myself in. This year it was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge—it’s unlikely to repeat itselfnext year; how- : ever, that paves the way for the : next fad. The Burn Your Shoe : Challenge for Legionnaires’ : disease. The Parallel Park Your : Car Challenge for Parkinson’s. : The Mortgage Your House : Challenge for MS. And Big : Brother will see it all happen : on YouTube. Luckily for us I’m : no George Orwell, but I will : try to growa moustache this : November. I mean, if every- : one else is doing it, right?