V V V M w w w MW _W -W ,W v v I 4B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Magazine - Thursday, September 27, 2001 The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Magazine - TI Do you know what's on your plate? By Matt Herrman For the Daily Food adulteration, sounds dirty doesn't it? Well if you've never heard this term before, food adul- teration is the use of inferior and cheaper ingredi- ents to cheat consumers and out compete the com- petition. Although food adulteration has its roots in Victorian England, modern science is helping to make sure today's consumers get what they pay for. According to Professor Anthony S. Wohl of Vassar College, the Victorian English were notori- ous for food adulteration and claims that much of the food consumed by the working class family was adulterated by foreign substances, contami- nated by chemicals, or fouled by animal and human excrement. The poisonous chemical addi- tives include: strychnine and cocculus inculus (both are hallucinogens) in rum and beer, copper sulfate in pickles, bottled fruit and wine, iron sul- fate in tea and beer, lead chromate in mustard and snuff, lead sulfate and mercury bisulfate in con- fectionary sugar and chocolate and lead in wine and cider. These chemicals were widely used and accumu- lated over a long period in peoples bodies result- ing in chronic gastritis and often in fatal food poi- soning. Today, however, the adulterants are rarely a health hazard. Ben Canas, a food adulterant chemist in the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition says that one reason the FDA exists is due to the 1938 federal law that was partly enacted due to public concerns about the use of water to adulterate foods such as milk. Currently, the FDA is assist- ing industry and consumers by developing sophis- ticated laboratory tests and compiling computer- ized pictorial databases so they know whether the products they purchase are what they claim to be. The FDA is informed about most food adulter- ation cases by food industry members, often because they become suspicious of products being priced below the normal market value. Companies also commonly test incoming food ingredients in a lab to verify that they are getting what they paid for. In these labs chemists use tests such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to identi- fy unique characteristics that can be used to .dis- tinguish one substance from another. Some supermarkets even adulterate food in order to make extra profit. Dateline NBC conducted an investigation in 1998 to determine if what was being sold as pure ground beef was real- ly that. They submitted 100 samples from differ- ent stores to an USDA recognized lab with 29 of those samples testing positive for meats other than ground beef. Even health food stores like Fresh Fields and Wild Oats sold adulterated ground beef. Dateline reconducted this study in 1999 and again testing 100 stores, including the 29 that were guilty of adulteration previously. The 29 stores passed the test this time and 7 other stores tested positive for adulteration. The ground beef at a Market Basket in Boston contained approxi- mately 24 percent pork and a Butera store in Chicago had approximately 36 percent pork in supposedly 100 percent pure ground beef. Even sophisticated DNA analysis, which is nor- mally used for biological research, is used in test- ing for adulterated food. In New Orleans where turtle meat soup is a delicacy, DNA testing revealed that some of the so-called turtle meat is actually from another reptile, the American alliga- tor. Since alligators have now recovered from near extinction and protective measures have been lift- ed, they are farmed and hunted so that their meat fetches a lower price that that of turtles. It appears that as science develops new ways to detect food adulteration, consumers will ultimate- ly profit since they will know exactly what they are buying. INDOOR SOCCER Fall 2 Season: Oct. 28th - Dec. 23rd Now accepting Registrations for Fall 2 Leagues Registration Deadline: October 22nd f' 0 Individual Registrations are welcome Call (734) 913-4625 for Details WIPEWORLD www.wWsports.com SPORTS CENTER Discount card gives students deals on food By Darren Ringel Daily Arts Writer When the typical student goes out to eat or orders delivery, what are the main factors that determine which restaurant he or she will choose? First, the utmost important factor is quality. Obviously, if a restaurant can- not provide tasty and delicious food, it's not going to bring back returning customers. The second determinant that pulls one to a restaurant is the simple mood of the customer. If Chinese fits the mood, then Kung Pao Chicken it is. If it's Italian night out, then a chicken roll or some ziti pasta might hit the spot. And if you're com- ing off of a long night of drinking and want to alleviate my hangover, cheese steak and fries it is. The third and final factor that draws students to a particular restaurant is the price. Almost every student at the University is on a budget, and finding a cheap meal usually comes before finding a meal that is going to enlighten one's taste buds. If food cost was not the average student's concern, then Chop House would be the student hang out. Now, there is a solution to every student's daily dilemma over what restaurants to eat at. This solution is the Ann Arbor Student Discount Card. This card costs $10 and it pro- vides its customers with a 10% dis- count at every restaurant on the card, including: Bella Napoli, Bell's Pizza, Cottage Inn, Kabob Palace, Leo's, Lucky Kitchen, Mr. Spot's, NYPD, A Taste of Italy and Tubby's. It is valid until September 1, 2002 for an infinite amount of uses, all day, all night, and deliveries as well when applicable (except for Mr. Spot's). Between lunch, dinner, and late night ordering, the typical student probably eats out about 5 times a week. If the average order is about $6, then the card will pay for itself in just a few weeks and then for the rest of the year, the card owner saves more and more every time he or she orders. These ten restaurants that honor the Ann Arbor Student Discount Card are quite diverse in food type, being able to satisfy almost any food craving. It also doesn't hurt that six of the best late restaurants happen to be on the card. Also, on top of the discounts that students receive, $1 from every card that is sold will be donated to the Red Cross tonhelpout the victims in New York. In fact, $100 from the sales of these cards has already been donated thanks to the help of the first 100 customers. In order to receive a card for your- self, call (734) 369-3180 or email alevi@umich.edu. A free delivery of the card to your house, apartment, or dorm can also be arranged. When you can save money and donate to a good cause at the same time, there's no reason why every student who eats out shouldn't own this card. Suzanne, you're all that I wanted of a.. Billboard t( T here's something indelible about the things that harken us back to our youth, something intangible. It's the notion of all these firsts we encounter that embed them- selves into oar very brains. The memo- ries of these firsts are -so real, we vividly recall them, and the smiles they bring to our faces and the tears to our eyes. It is within the confines of high school we encounter these very memories. I come to you all this week, not spouting a rant about why Aaron Lewis' shitfest isn't Luke Smith Less Tha Zero worth your time or mine on the public airwaves, but just to simply reflect and recall a single moment of my youth, a brief time'and hopefully help you remember that special someone as I do. My first love. Suzanne moved to my hometown in 1994. 1 barely knew who she was; we never really spoke. I was so enthralled with Night Crawler, Kitty Pride and my Dungeons Master's Guide that I paid her little mind. When we moved into the 10th grade however something was different about Suzanne. Her braces were off and she looked different, as if over the summer she had grown up. She looked less like a 13-year-old girl and more like a 16-year- old girl. (Note: Three-year time warp in previ- ous paragraph, time flies when you only have so much space to tell a damn story.) We started to date in September 1996, actually our first date was on September 24, 1996. We really didn't go out, my parents drove me over to her house and Suzanne and I sat in her basement listen- ing to songs and talking. I didn't really know what to do with her. I hadn't been on a real date before; it was awkward but for some strange reason it worked. We dated throughout high school, Suzanne may not have been named Kelly, but she was my Kapowski. It was two years of love and affection during our junior and senior. years. I graduated (barely) and she did too (read: she graduated with honors, and I got my GED fishing through the toilet of educa- tion). College was a whole new experience, Suzanne and I were inseparable, I had never thought it would be as good as it was, no parents around, no rules, just each other. I held on to her when times were rough (when I was crying because I missed my mommy,) and she held me (when I would fall on the ice because of my inherent lack of coordination). Something changed though. Something terrible changed. In the sum- mer of 2000, Suzanne started to grow away from me. The once complex, smart, heartfelt now-near woman I loved was changing. She was regressing. Sure, their were still outpourings of occasional emo- tion, but she grew faceless and chilled. I didn't know what to do. I'd had Suzanne on my arm since 1996; we were one; we were as good as married in my mind. As it goes though, married in my mind is no good. We had a horrible falling out last May; tears were shed and doors were slammed, and again I (much like our sex life) was the one with the tissues, and she was doing the slamming. Exit metaphor. Weezer has taken us all on one giant ride. In May 2001, they released Weezer- aka "The Green Album." It's packaged in lime green because it smells and sounds like vomit. I first met Weezer up-close in 1996 when their magnum-opus Pinkerton, was released. I had heard "Buddy Holly," "Undone (The Sweater Song)" and "Say it Ain't So," and I had taped them all off the album, but they paled in comparison to the songs on Weezer's second record. The excruciatingly per- sonal album was musically complicated and lyrically poignant. It was cleverly laced with pop sensibilities and major- chord rifling. Unfortunately, not enough of us (the moron-filled public) bought enough copies. I have two copies, so I have your hot female friend who is definitely not reading this anymore covered, but you: you don't have the record. Instead, the public gobbled up the Green. The absolute worst comeback album of all time (this side of Balance.) The campy songs are ripe with simplicity and lack any sense of feeling. They were written off a chord chart that frontman Rivers Cuomo devised while he was holed up not doing shit for the last five years. "Only in Dreams" from their epony- mous debut was previously the longest song Weezer had recorded, but that title has been stripped from the song, as tracks 5 thru 10 on the green album now are the longest single song Weezer has recorded.- The entire Green Album drips with vile boredom and guitar solos that sim- ply match the vocal line. All the songs sound eerily similar. And not eerie in a "wow this is fucking cool" kind of way; eerie in a "why the hell does Weezer have to suck ass now?" kind of way. But they do, despite my endless pin- ing and pleading. After five years of waiting, Weezer put the proverbial screws to all of us. Despite my heartache, I've managed to move on and begin to heal from Suzanne's betrayal. I've focused my affection on a new little lady, and she's looking promising. She swears like a sailor and can make me laugh. She's a little on the heavy side, but she has a great set of DDs. Tenaciously. -Luke Smith can be reached at lukems@umich.edu s Ccourtesy of 1 Records Boy, do we hate this CD Weekend box office 1. The Blueprint, Jay-Z - Jigga is keeping the top spot warm for The D. 2. Silver Side Up, Nickelback - Hopefully you'll get more than a nick- elback when you take this craptacular album back. Punny. 3. Songs in A Minor, Alicia Keys - This album sucking so hard is real- ly getting to be A Major problem. 4. Fabolous, Ghetto Fabolous - It would be fuckin' fantastic if he could spell "fabulous." And enunciate. 5. Love and Theft, Bob Dylan - Rocking hard with his senior citizen's Figures in Millions of dollars. 1. Hardball ($8.1) C'mon, people, we can do better than this. Just come to my place and watch a DVD. 2. The Others ($5.1) Yeah, British period pieces usually do real well. We're hurting 3. The Glass House ($4.4) Easier to see the feces running down the walls. 4. The Musketeer ($3.51) Where's Oliver Platt when you need him? 5. Rush Hour 2 ($3.5) Wait, you mean East really meets West? Funny! 6. Two Can Play That Game ($3.2) This film is worse than impatago. 7. Rat Race ($2.94) You've got to admire a movie like this for staying in the top ten for so long. And hate audi- ences. 8. Rockstar ($2.93) Get your game on, go home. 9. Jeepers Creepers ($2.8) More fun than hitting your toe with a ham- mer. 10. American Pie 2 ($2.7) Not funny, but at least it's unoriginal. ELITE ENTERTAINMENT ExPOSITIOI WHAT'S NEWS IN ENTERTAI NMENT BLOCKBUSTER FLAGS TERRORIST CONTENT - Video giant Blockbuster Video will be warning customers about terrorist content in their videos, DVDs and movies in light of the terrorist attacks in America. The Internet Movie Database reports that Blockbuster has not yet stated whether they will list the videos on one large sign, or place individual signs on each item that may contain offensive footage. HBO CASTS MAY SKIP EMMY'S - The casts of both "Sex and the City" and "Sopranos" may not attend the prime time Emmy awards show on October 7th. TV Guide reports that the multi-nominated casts are nervous about flying from the east coast (where both shows are filmed) to the ceremony in California. An HBO spokesperson said that fear is not the reason, but that the casts simply want to be with their families in this time of nation- al crisis. NEW SURVIVOR CONTESTANTS UNVEILED - Zap2it.com reports that the cast of this Fall's "Survivor Africa" is the same sort of eclectic mixture of people that worked so well during the shows first two sea- sons. The 16 new contestants range in age from 22 to 46. The varied cast include Florida dentist Carl Bilancione, Pennsylvania freelance marketer Kim Powers, and Michigan high-school basketball coach Clarence 3lack. SEINFELD PLANS BENEFIT - Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is plan- ning a comedy concert with pro- ceeds benefiting the victims of the World Trade Center attack. Seinfeld will be playing Carnegie Hall alongside Bill Cosby, Will Ferrell, Colin Quinn and George Wallace according to TV Guide. Seinfeld says that, in accordance with Jewish customs, after one sits shiva for eight days, it is time to get on with t Courtesy of HBO Tony ain't gettin' on no damn plane.