41 Thursday, June 26, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com pJb Mi4dian &iyj Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu Thursday, June 26, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 19 RACHEL JOHNde The Tinder experiment 'Chef' a delectable treat IAN DILLINGHAM EDITOR IN CHIEF AARICA MARSH EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR STEPHANIE SHENOUDA MANAGING EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the viewssof their authors. Raising aid limitingelp The University must further asssit low SES students after increases Last Saturday, the University's Board of Regents passed the school's operating budget and a multitude of proposals including tuition increases, a hike in housing costs, an initiative to decrease class sizes and an increase in need-based financial aid allocations. While increasing the amount of faculty members and keeping tuition hikes under the rate of inflation for in-state students is commendable, the Regents should provide more assistance to help students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who reside both in and out of the state afford a Mom, Dad, don't read this. Two months ago, I embarked on a journey to delve into the world of Tinder. A bunch of strange interactions and 341 matches later, I have more than a review to share of Tinder - the app that many of us have but rarely talk about. Like almost every college student, I knew what Tinder was. It was the "dating" app notoriously known for hookups. Yet, actually using Tinder changed my perspective on the app. To my surprise, it wasn't all about hooking up. After analyzing my matches, I realized that only 5 percent of my matches were people solely interested in hookups. The majority, 75 percent, were people who either never responded or didn't have the conversational capacity to get past a "hello" or "how are you." If this app was 75 percent boring, why was I continually swiping and comforted by the glow of Tinder flame notifications at 3 am? How and why was the app getting millions of daily active users? Since Tinder is a relatively new app, there isn't much published research on it so I had to settle for my personal hypothesis. We humans are social creatures and studies have shown that our interaction with others is important to "human development and behavior." Tinder offers a chance to converse and even physically interact, unlike Facebook and Twitter, without the fear of rejection. In other words, we crave interaction even if it means sitting through a few awkward pickup lines. At the same time, Tinder is innovative because it reflects our generation's need for speed. As its description says, "it's like real life, but better." How different is the act of swiping than the usual yet silent discrimination of people that occurs at any college function? Knowing that both parties are mutually attracted, the key advantage of Tinder, makes interaction a bit faster and easier. On the other hand, Tinder still adheres to cultural and evolutionary norms. I noticed the parallels between Tinder and the traditional dating scene and animal mating scene. In nature, females tend to be choosier in selection than their male counterparts (you can take Bio 171 or Psych 230 to learn more about this fascinating phenomenon). Tinder is no different - my female friends left swipe or reject many more people than my male friends do. Similarly, the profiles on Tinder are reflections of hegemonic gender archetypes. Men can often be found showing off their shirtless gym body or donning a giant fish whereas women flaunt their feminine curves in usually some bikini-clad way. I've come to the conclusion that perhaps the dating game hasn't changed, but only the means have. Now that I've developed a basic understanding of Tinder, you probably arewonderinghowmystoryconcludes. Well thetruth is, itdoesn't. Though I'm deleting Tinder and the experiment is over (since I've exhausted the potential matches in my area), the experience was much more serious than expected. As observational as I tried to make this, I couldn't help but get caught up in the assortment of emotions that went along with using Tinder. As an upcoming single college sophomore searching for my place in the world, I knew I needed to go beyond my horizons, my radius. I, once an introverted high school girl, quickly became enveloped in the thrill of Tinder. I was encompassed in the conversation, the people and the stories behind them. Tinder can be an instrument, albeit an unfortunately stigmatized one, to spark relationships and reignite the flame of curiosity about what makes us human. Rachel John is an LSA sophomore. University education. The Regents prevented a higher increase for Michigan residents by once again raising out-of-state tuition. Students who reside in Michigan will face a 1.6 percent tuition increase, paying $206 more a year while out-of-state students will experience a 3.2 percent tuition increase bringing the their undergraduate tuition to $41,578 for the fall and winter semesters. A 5.8 percent increase in the state appropriations to the University helped lessen the burden of rising tuition costs and boosted financial aid amounts though the appropriations were minute compared to previous decades. Given the University's a public institution supported by Michigan taxpayers, Michigan residents should be given the opportunity to pay lower tuition than out- of-state students. However, non-Michigan students paying more than three times as much as Michigan residents causes problems for lower SES students residing out of the state. With out-of-state tuition costing more than $50,000 a year including housing, middle and lower class families struggle to afford tuition. This expense oftentimes makes the University only plausible for out-of-state students from high SES backgrounds. While the University has increased student aid . by $19.5 million this year, these funds will predominantly go to resident students. Increasing aid by 17.2 percent is admirable on the Board's part, however, more work should go to help all studentsoflowersocioeconomic statuses and diversify the SES backgrounds at the University. To further aid students, the Board of Regents allocated $6 million in the operating budget towards a program aimed at hiring at least 60 new faculty members within a two years. With more faculty members, University students will experience smaller class sizes which has been shown to increase learning among students and lower the achievement gap between ethnic and racial groups. Similarly, students are able to form more personal relationships with their professors and receive more feedback during the course in smaller classes. With tuition increases under the inflation rate, financial aid increases and a decrease in classroom size will benefit thousands of University students. Jon Favreaus new foodie film is a savory and soulful adventure By GIANCARLO BUONOMO ManagingArts Editor There's a moment about 15 min- utes into Jon Favreau's "Chef," where Favreau's character, Chef Carl Casper, makes a plate of r spaghetti aglio e olio for his res- Chef taurant's hostess Aldamisa Molly (Scarlett Enteain Johansson). Entertainment They've decided State Theater that they can't keep sleeping together, but eating together is an acceptable substitute. The cam- era alternates between birds-eye views of gently sauteeing garlic and hot pepper, and close-ups of Carl's tattooed, scarred hands chopping parsley. It was the first time I'd ever seen this plebeian dish, one I was raised on, showcased in a film. When Carl pulled the pasta out of the water and finished it in the sauce, I couldn't contain myself. I grabbed my male companion's knee, squeezed it like a semi-ripe tomato, and blabbered to him "He finished it in the sauce! He finished it in the fucking sauce! I've made that a million times and he made it exactly right!" He gently but force- fully removed by hand and told me to turn it down a few notches, but agreed that we were witnessing somethingveryspecial. Maybe I'm just a weirdo, but I have a creeping suspicionthatif you go see "Chef," andyoureallyshould, you'll have at least one comparable moment. In fact, I'm almost certain, because of what "Chef" is --a gori- ously overflowing plate of a movie, harsh reviews going "viral" on stacked high with wit and emotion, Twitter, the idea itself of a food and without even a teaspoon of truck ... these are all recognizable cynicism. talking points of foodie culture, Here's the basic premise. Chef endlessly discussed on blogs and in Carl Casper, critically lauded in his the pages of Lucky Peach magazine. early career, is in what he euphe- But even beyond these technical mistically terms "a creative rut." minutiae, "Chef" does a wonderful He's the executive chef at a popular job of portraying the pure, near- LA restaurant, run by the stodgy, pornographic pleasures of good business-oriented Riva (Dustin food. There are too many money- Hoffman). Carl wants to cook a shots to enumerate, from cubanos (literally) gutsier menu, filled with frosted with butter and placed on a beef cheeks and sweetbreads, but sandwich press, to humble carrots Riva insists that they stick with bor- and radishes. They nail the special- ing customer favorites like choco- ties of each locale as well: A fruit late lava cake. Furthermore, Carl's stand on Little Havana's Calle Ocho, long hours prevent him from spend- Cafe du Monde's famous beignets in ing enough time with his son Percy New Orleans, beef brisket inTexas. (EmJay Anthony, "It's Compli- "Chef" is unabashedly, even cated), who lives with his mother, aggressively, feel-good. That's a big Carl's ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara, risk to take when making a food "Modern Family"). movie, because you risk glorifying of course, this situation is as the hedonism, while glossing over unsustainable as ExxonMobil. the gritty reality of cooking for a Renowned food critic Ramsey living. Favreau deftly avoids this Michel (Oliver Platt, "X-Men: First problembyglorifyingthe grittiness. Class") writes a scathing review His character isn't a sensitive artist of the restaurant that quickly goes in a clean white chef's jacket. He's viral, and Carl has meltdowns over a Dionysian craftsman, a chain- it on both Twitter and the floor of smoking food lover with a tattoo his own restaurant. Fed up with of a chef's knife on his forearm and just about everything, and claim- a total commitment to his profes- ing that he needs "a job, not money," sion. Through him, we learn to love he does something crazy - he buys the speed, danger and all-around a dilapidated food truck in Miami, madness of the kitchen, and beam and morphs it into "El Jefe," a free- alongside him when his son burns wheeling culinary lab that special- his hand while working on the line, izes in soulful Cuban food. With but keeps on pushing orders out. his old line cook Martin (John "Chef" is a lot of things. It's a Leguizamo, "The Counselor,") and goofy road-trip movie, a hopelessly Percy working alongside him, Carl romantic drama, a deep explora- finally has a suitable, and portable, tion of the world of gastronomy outlet for his passions. and a triumphant affirmation of Like the great chef he depicts, pleasure in all forms. It's big in Favreau makes this film delectable every way, but also full of wonder- by intensely focusing on the little ful little moments. Before you go details. I've never seen a film that see it, just make sure your house depicts food and the food world as has a full fridge and clean sheets. well as this one. The cliche nature You're going to come back with an of ahi tuna on menus, the habit of appetite. DO YOU LOVE DIRTY FRIDGES? COMPUTERS THAT DON'T WORK PROPERLY? STAYING UP TIL THE WEE MORNING TO MEET PAGE DEADLINES? Join the Michigan Daily today for oodles of fun! Email tothedaily@ umich.edu for more information. Or, if you're super bored, stop into the Daily on Monday evenings around 6-6:30 for our editorial board meetings. All opinions are welcome! Love wasting time on twitter? Follow @michigandaily. BY ALLANA AKHTAR