Recipes:
Funchoza Salad:
Syncretism is the practice of combining various different cultures, languages, or beliefs; however, despite the clinical-seeming nature of the term, it can also apply to certain types of recipes, including funchoza salad. The exact origins of funchoza salad are almost as varied as the ingredients within the salad itself. The dish, commonly found in Uzbekistan, originated in the Koryo-Saram community, the common term for the Korean diaspora throughout the Soviet Union. As a result, the salad has elements of both Korean and general Central Asian cuisine. It also happens to be fairly simple to make and exists in various iterations. As a result, the ingredients and directions are flexible, with many ingredients or techniques for assembly differing based on whose recipe you attempt to make.
Ingredients:
One tbsp of sesame oil
One tsp of soy sauce
One tsp of rice vinegar
One tsp of red pepper flakes
One pinch of parsley
Twelve oz. of glass noodles
One red bell pepper
One zucchini
One small cucumber
One medium carrot
Directions:
- Boil the glass (or cellophane) noodles for around three to five minutes. The exact time for cooking varies based on the noodles. After this, rinse them in cold water and set them aside.
- Julien, or cut into strips, the zucchini, carrot, cucumber, and bell pepper.
- Briefly stir-fry the carrot and bell pepper in the soy sauce for a minute or two. Add additional spices to your liking.
- Mix the carrot, bell pepper, zucchini, and cucumber together into one bowl. Afterward, add the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and red pepper flakes.
- Add the noodles cooked prior to the bowl and mix the salad well.
- Serve!
Half an Hour Peanut Butter Cookies:
This peanut butter cookie recipe is perfect if you want to eat something rich and fulfilling in a short amount of time. With ingredients that you can easily find in your kitchen, this recipe is perfect for a last minute snack, best enjoyed warm out of the oven with a cold glass of milk.
Ingredients:
1 Cup of Peanut Butter
½ Cup of Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl, mix the ingredients together.
- Form the dough into balls, and with a fork, press down on them.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool down, and enjoy!
Books:
Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987–1993 by Sarah Schulman
Vito Russo, notable queer activist during the AIDs crisis and co-founder of GLAAD, once said “[The AIDS crisis] is more than a horror story, exploited by the tabloids. AIDS is really a test of us, as a people. When future generations ask what we did in this crisis, we’re going to have to tell them that we were out here today. And we have to leave the legacy to those generations of people who will come after us.” Nowhere is this legacy analyzed and explained in-depth better than within Sarah Schulman’s book, Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987–1993.
Within Schulman’s more than seven-hundred page work, she provides an explanation of not only the origins of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power), one of the most prominent AIDS rights organizations founded in the ‘80s, but also the various members who shaped the organization, their coalitions, and the actions that impacted the legacy of the movement itself. Schulman’s work predominantly features interviews from various activists such as Peter Staley and Maxine Wolfe. As seen in her other works, Schulman’s greatest strength comes in portraying history as the sum of human actions, particularly in her description of various demonstrations that ACT UP NY led and was part of; namely, this is seen in her description of their Stop the Church demonstration, a focal point of the book.
In spite of its length, Schulman’s work is immensely readable and can be recommended to anyone interested in learning more about the AIDS crisis and the history of LGBTQ+ activism. ACT UP still exists as an organization today, most notably seen protesting the GLAAD media awards over their failure to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, which they claim “fail both its commitment to end discrimination and oppression globally” and their legacy continues to change. Sarah Schulman’s other works as an AIDS historian can also be found at the website of the ACT UP Oral History Project, an archive co-coordinated by Schulman containing 187 interviews with members of ACT UP, many of which were featured in her book as well.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Convenience Store Women is a novel that makes a lasting impact, even though very little happens. The novel follows the unconventional lifestyle of Keiko, a single 36-year-old woman who works at a convenience store. Although she is content being single, the people in her life put her under constant pressure to find a partner and get a “better” job. Throughout the novel, Keiko attempts to create for herself an “ideal” life, while questioning whether her happiness should be compromised for the sake of saving her image and appeasing others. Keiko’s charismatic and witty character allows the reader to understand her struggle and recognize that a life greeting customers and stocking shelves is maybe worth living.
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
The publishing industry is ripped to shreds in R.F. Kuang’s satire of race and social media. This novel tells the outrageous story of a white woman who steals a manuscript about Chinese laborers and tries to pass it off as her own. Along the way, she falls deeper into her false identity and fends off critics on Twitter and something far more sinister – herself. Kuang examines corporate diversity and cultural appropriation in a uniquely modern voice that’s sure to resonate with readers.
Albums:
Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend
The Vampire Weekend is back with its highly anticipated fifth record. Since the band’s inception, the indie scene has seen many changes, often with the band at the forefront (see tracks like “A-Punk” and “Unbelievers”). But in a world and time that has changed since the band’s last release, Vampire Weekend makes a return to a more vintage sound, influenced by Raga music as much as classic hip-hop, and creating one unique record. Dense in its atmosphere and meditative in its nature, Vampire Weekend proves to have matured far beyond their hyperliterate college years into the musicians they are now.
(Standout track – “Gen-X Cops”)
Clancy by twenty one pilots
The near decade-long story the duo have been telling in their albums, music videos, and assortment of cryptic websites, comes to a close with Clancy, the latest studio album by twenty one pilots. Despite being named after the protagonist and promising to be the most “lore-heavy” project since 2018’s Trench, it stands as the band’s most personal project to date. Don’t be fooled by the bodacious opening track “Overcompensate” with its big beat production and refrains of “Welcome back to Trench,” because the rest of the songs revolve around topics of aging and growing as one struggles with their mental health. Whether reevaluating traumatic experiences in the rousing “Next Semester” or confronting unhealthy habits on “Backslide,” die-hard fans are sure to be pleased.
(Standout Track – “Next Semester”)
You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To by Knocked Loose
Despite the seemingly brief nature of the project, with only 10 tracks in under 30 minutes, this isn’t an easy listen. Almost immediately, you’re thrust into a sinister world created by hardcore drumming and guitar playing fit to tear your ears off. You Wont Go Before You’re Supposed To is fast, loud, energetic, angry, and above all, relentless. Its instrumentation makes it as addictive as it is brutal, and the vocal delivery makes it as rough as it is cathartic. This isn’t just Knocked Loose at their best, but possibly Metalcore as well. No filler, all killer. An album born for the pit.
(Standout Track – “Don’t Reach For Me”)
