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The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - Thursday, December 8, 1994 - 5


*'So-Called'
worth a watch
By SARAH STEWART
When "The Wonder Years" went
out with a melancholy bang in 1992,
television lost one of its few successful
attempts atcharacterizing kids as some-
thing other than stereotypical nerds,
obs or ignoramuses. Kevin Arnold
red Savage) was good for a lot of
laughs and a lot of tears, but basically
he was your average kid confronting
the trials of growing up the same way

Plentiful portions make good food even better

By PAUL BARGER
It is one of the best kept secrets in
Ann Arbor.
Located at 214 East Washington,
Shehan-Shah is a relatively unknown
commodity to most students, but it
shouldnt be. The restaurant provides
an outstanding selection of lamb,
chicken, and shrimp that are prepared
with both health and taste in mind.
All the food is cooked in veg-
etable oil and is served mild, medium,

hot, Indian hot, and for those daring
soles, more than Indian hot.
All meals have to start with an
onion paratha. It sounds unexciting,
buttered whole wheat bread stuffed
with onion, but patrons are making a
mistake by not ordering it. Add an
order of the Tamarind Chutney sauce
for dipping and an order of the
Papadam chips and you have started
your meal off in fine fashion.
Shehan-Shah is fairly exoensive

for college students, so those that are
stopping in for the first time may want
to do so for lunch. Daily specials,
available from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. Monday through Thursdayrange
from $4.95 to $5.50.
The lunch menu is slightly smaller
than the dinner menu, but it offers
most of the same items.
There is no beef at Shehan-Shah,
only lamb, chicken, and shrimp. All
three are offered in a variety of ways.

Yu
Y-UbG


most kids do: with a fair amount of
difficulty.
There's only one problem - he
was a boy and had boy problems with
girls, boy problems with his brother
and most importantly, boy problems
with his "I love you but don't know
w to show it" father. Girls could
watch and love Kevin and "The Won-
der Years," but they couldn't com-
pletely relate.
Not to worry. ABC introduced a
new era of reality to kid-focused, or in
thiscase teen-focused, television when
it added "My So-Calledlife" to its fall
line-up. But this time, themaincharac-
ter is Angela (Claire Danes), a dyed
red-head alterna-beauty with smarts,
*rcasm and an underlying sensitivity
to everything going on around her.
Some TV critics have accused her of
whininess ("My So-Called Life" is
brought to you by the same folks who
did "Thirtysomething"), but it seems
that anyone who's known a 15 year old
knows there's at least some truth to
Angela and especially the turbulent
relationship between her andhermother
atty (Bess Armstrong).
Much of what makes this show so
good is that this "so-called" turbulence
is not unique to this one mother/daugh-
ter relationship. There's nothing un-
usual, but there is somethingpoignantly
telling, about the emotional conflicts
between Angela and Mom. It's not
surprising that males(or females) who
have never been a mother or daughter
might accuse "My So-Called Life" of
Wing beyond real life, but believe it.
These things happen..
Much of what makes
this show so good is
that this 'so-called'
turbulence is not
pique to this one
other/daughter
relationship.
To the show's credit, "My So-
Called Life" does call our attention to
some common intricacies in father/
daughter relationships: Angela's
struggling to accept the fact that Dad
Tom Irwin) is human too. But as real
e typically dictates, getting along
with Mom, which depends more on
getting along with yourself, is realis-
tically more complicated.
In one episode, Angela is nagged
intoentering the annual mother/daugh-
ter fashion show. It's a tradition that
Patty can't bear to break and Angela,
often clad in a grunge flannel baby
dress and leggings, can't stand. Neither
*ther or daughter seems out of line in
herobjection: Mom argues that it'sjust
one day and Angela that it's not her
thing. But as the show's hour slot
enfolds, it's clear that there's some-
thing more going on.
It seems overblown in print, but as
thedetailssurface.,the realism becomes
Striking and is likely to hit close to
Dome for many viewers. As it turns
Out, Angela is actually self-conscious
*ut her appearance, considering her
looks drastically inferior .to her
mother's, while.her mother is experi-
gncing a mid-lit crisis of sorts, long-
ipg for the yothful beauty that she
recognizes in Angela.
Expressions tpmen watching such
scenes are oftena the picture of doubt,

just like some women watching ex-
amples of "make bonding." But just as
en will never "male bond," these
ren will neveicbe mothers, reminding
hemselves that it's older men, not
women, who are dignified. And they'll
lever be daughters, who really adore
:heir mothers but have been trained to
erceive the prediction that "daughters

The most popularstyle is Tandoor.
The entree is marinated in yogurt, mild
spices, and lemon juice and served
with white rice. The chicken is served
with bones, a big disappointment for
me. There is a Tandoori Fish offered as
well.
Those that are looking for a more
ethnic flavored will be very satisfied
with the selection. Included on the menu
is food prepared Masala style, cooked
with bell peppers and tomatoes in curry
sauce and Vindaloo style, cooked with
potatos in a hot curry sauce.
The chicken and lamb entrees range
from $7.50 to $8.50, while the shrimp
is slightly more expensive. The prices
are reasonable considering the amount
of food that customers get. Nobody
goes home hungry.
Leave room, however, beacause the
best part of a meal at Shehan-Shah is
dessert. I have had the plaesure of sam-
pling every option on the menu and
have always been pleased.
My personal favorites are the Kulfi
($2.50), homemade Indian Ice Cream
with waknuts and pistachios, and the
very sweet Rass-Malie, cheese cooked
in light syrup with sweet cream and
pistachios.
Shehan-Shah has a very small din-
ing area and the waiters and waitresses
are attentive and friendly. The overall
atmosphere is very pleasant and con-
ducive to dining.
This is the type of place that I plan
ongoing back to often because the food
is very good and the service even bet-
ter. Those that don't venture down East
Washington to Shehan-Shah are sim-
ply missing out on one of the best
things Ann Arbor has to offer.

Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30 -2:30,
5-10, Fri-Sat 11:30-2:30, 5-
10:30 Sun 5:30-9:30
Price:Considerably pricey for a
college student budget
Lunch: $4.95- $5.50 (daily
special, Mon-Thurs. only)
Dinner:$8.50- $22.50
Notes:
Vegetarian friendly
Entirely non-smoking
Handicap accessible
Rating:
MMMM

Washington
668-7323

MARK FRIEDMAN/ Daily
Shehan-Shah is considered to be one of Ann Arbor's hidden treasures with great food, portions and atmosphere.
'Better Off' great story
of hard knocks

Know of a great restaurant you'd like to see reviewed? Send us
your suggestions at 420 Maynard, Ann Arbor MI 48109

DEAD
Continued from page 3
in the end that is fairly predictable;
the whole story is really only there for
Holland to get existential. Lane not
only has to deal with his internal de-
mons, he is trapped in ahell more akin
to Sartre's "No Exit" (not really, but
it sounds cool, doesn't it?) There's
the most obsessive paper boy in the
world who randomly shows up de-
manding his two dollar payment.
Lane escapes at one point by ex-
claiming, "Sorry, I can't talk, Bobby.
My grandmother is sick... shedropped
some bad acid and hijacked a school
bus full of penguins." Two race car
drivers who learned to speak English
from watching Howard Cosell con-
tinually haunt him on the highway.
And then there's Ricky, Monique's
obsessive housemate, played brilliantly
by "Head of the Class" star Dan
Schnieder (the fat one).
Cusack is brilliant, much more so
than his recent attempts at art films;
he's even gone so far in recent inter-
views to discredit this early role. But
really, who is going to see "Bullets

Over Broadway"? Go back to your
strengths, John.
Armstrong shines as his drug buddy,
snorting everything from jello to snow
("I think this froze the left side of my
brain! Do you know what the street
value of this would be?") and proved
he was the real Brat Pack star of the
decade.
This movie would never be made
today, if only for its flippant attitude on
teen suicide, unsafe sex, excessive drug
use and a Howard Jones soundtrack.
Where are the Savage Steve
Hollands of tomorrow? Holland him-
self went on to make three poor imita-
tions of his groundbreaking debut, the
tepid "One Crazy Summer" (Demi
Moore sings!), the pitiful "How I Got
Into College," and the short-lived Fox
show"BeansBaxter." But recently he's
returned to his roots, creating the clever
"Eek the Cat!" cartoon, the first Satur-
day morning cartoon to have jokes
about condoms and homicidal postal
workers.
That was what made the 1980s so
great, and the reason "Better Off Dead"
is still loved today by perhaps hun-
dreds of people.
"Better Off Dead" is available at
Liberty Street Video.

Colile

Used & Rare
BOOKS
Bought & Sold
113 W. Liberty
(112 block W of Man St.)
995-1891
It's Worth
.: the Trip!
Bookshop
sitnce 1975

Rock
iON a ts

Might!

...and yes,
we do have £6 pound balls.
Every Thursday Night lop ..-a.m.
Guest DJ "the Buckster!"
1950 South Industrial
Ann Aarbor, MI 48104
665-4475

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I .~~.'Nonound m ng'uiu ~aenu-ni V"''

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