The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Tuesday, April 3, 2018 — 5
If breakfast food were a major
offered at the University, I’d have
a 4.0. I wouldn’t even need to
re-subscribe to my Chegg account
if I were taking classes like “Intro
to How Do You Like Your Eggs”
instead of Polisci 495.
Breakfast is my favorite meal
of the day. I go to bed thinking
of it, and it’s my first thought
every morning. Especially since
moving to Ann Arbor, I’ve had an
infatuation with scrambled eggs,
puffy cheese filled omelettes, the
endless toppings one could put on
a stack of warm buttery pancakes
and the innumerable things one
can do to a plate of potatoes (a
side dish which, if done right, can
steal the spotlight from the main
course). My mornings at home
are always paired with a mug of
black coffee — preferably Keurig
Dunkin Donuts original blend in
my Good Morning, Ann Arbor
mug and a bowl of steaming
hot oatmeal with a swirl of
crunchy almond butter, a dash of
cinnamon and a handful of fresh
raspberries. That’s the best way
to pre-game any Monday through
Friday that begins at 8:00 a.m.
and ends whenever I manage
to check all the boxes on a
neverending to-do list. Especially
after a morning run or late
night studying, breakfast is an
important staple in the 24-hour
routine of a college student.
In the rulebook I live by,
breakfast is an essential — and the
brightest — part of my morning.
This mantra has been instilled
inside me since early childhood,
when my father began a serious
and unique 6:30 a.m. standing
breakfast date which he called
“choices,” where my brothers and
I would gather around our kitchen
table before school and he’d make
a selection of different gourmet
breakfast foods to start out our
day on the right foot. I was lucky
enough to have this tradition
from elementary school to the last
day of senior year of high school,
running down the stairs with
my backpack to a kitchen filled
with the scent of lemon blueberry
ricotta waffles or a pancetta goat
cheese frittata (always served
with a crisp of bread and pool of
olive oil). I learned about how to
fuel my body as I transitioned
from child to adult, to never skip
breakfast and that the best way to
make a frittata fluffy is to whisk
a tablespoon of cream cheese into
your eggs.
It isn’t hard to explain the
appeal of breakfast, but it’s the
most contested meal of the day —
people don’t like to get up early,
“aren’t hungry in the morning,”
“can’t eat till they have coffee”
— the list goes on. The perfect
solution for the breakfast haters
of the world is brunch: An early
afternoon meal — the contraction
between breakfast and lunch and
an excuse to pair french toast
with alcohol. The brunch scene in
Ann Arbor is unlike anything I’ve
ever come across in my 19-year-
long
uninterrupted
breakfast
restaurant tour.
To me, the promise of a good
breakfast can make anybody
a morning person, and I feel
as though the brunch scene
in Ann Arbor makes the city
a breeding ground for brunch
fiends. Sometimes, I feel as
though the brunch trend takes
the foundation of breakfast as the
best meal of the day and pushes
it aside a bit. Therefore, I’m an
adamant believer in not only the
Saturday / Sunday brunch but
the mundane, daily, everyday
breakfast date. For me, a 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday breakfast date can be
nicer than the 11:30 a.m. Sunday
brunch with the gaggle of high
school seniors trying to scheme
their way into a few mimosas.
That’s why it’s good news that
Ann Arbor’s brunch restaurants
serve breakfast every day of the
week. Ann Arbor has too many
breakfast places to count, which
suits a breakfast fiend like me
quite well. I like to think of
these places on a spectrum, from
important staples like Fleetwood
Diner
to
boujee
spots
like
Savas and Avalon Cafe, there’s
something for everyone, even
when you aren’t quite a morning
person.
If I’m in the mood for
something greasy, a hangover
cure or perhaps a late night
breakfast snack, I always head to
Fleetwood Diner. The distance
and the wait are both worth it
for the hippie hash, the signature
dish of Fleetwood. A pile of
buttery hash browns covered
in a blanket of feta cheese (with
a side of fries, eggs and crispy
bacon, in my opinion) is quite
possibly the very best thing I’ve
ever tasted. That paired with the
quaint atmosphere, the dim, dull
lighting, click of the cash register
and walls covered with so many
stickers you can’t even see the
paint
makes
the
Fleetwood
experience one in a million.
However, when my parents are
in town, we’re big Avalon fans —
they serve some sort of blueberry
pancake heaven in a heavy metal
skillet which pairs perfectly
with fresh maple syrup and any
of their signature lattes. Avalon
specializes in a fresh, unique
take on a traditional breakfast,
serving greens on the side of
frittatas and omelettes, which is
exactly the way my dad likes his
breakfast. The vibe in Avalon is
warm and inviting, the seating
comfortable and the coffee bar
to die for. If you’re looking for
the best muffins and pastries
around, Avalon is a go-to — their
baked goods and pastries are
what they’re known for, and they
certainly don’t disappoint.
I consider Savas the birthday
brunch spot or the “student
scene,” as any given Sunday
morning
it
is
filled
with
backpacks and celebration. Their
brunch buffet is a favorite of
mine, as it is almost as unlimited
as my stomach’s capacity for
breakfast foods. The mini quiches
and chocolate desserts always
line my Savas breakfast plate, and
I also really like their selections
of smoothies and juices. Their
Sunday brunch buffet is $20 and
includes a mimosa — a great way
to get stuffed and celebrate a
birthday or a job offer, while also
getting tipsy.
Despite its consistently long
line, Fred’s, an E. Washington
health-minded breakfast cafe, is
also one of my favorite places to
indulge my breakfast fantasies.
Between delicious açaí bowls
and the divine toast selections,
you can’t go wrong with Fred’s.
A common destination for the
girl searching for the perfect
Instagram
(it’s
quite
the
aesthetic) or the healthy vegan
foodie, Fred’s is one of my favorite
places to go with friends for a
ricotta toast or a matcha latte.
Fred’s is on the pricier side for
sure, but when I’m seeking out my
favorite Kombucha or anything
that has the word “tumeric,” I
normally know I’m in the market
to splurge a bit.
I never realized how truly
delicious frozen yogurt is on
top of a warm, grilled blueberry
muffin until I went to Afternoon
Delight one frozen Ann Arbor
morning. The quaint, diner-
style cafe has choices from giant
omelettes to crispy pecan waffles
and cinnamon french toast. The
true quirk of Afternoon Delight is
in their fro-yo topped muffins, an
unconventional, albeit heavenly,
side dish I never knew would
complete all of my breakfast
fantasies. I’m willing to say that
the muffins at Afternoon Delight
are the best muffins in Ann Arbor,
and perhaps the world. And trust
me, I know my muffins.
No matter how far I venture
from Catherine Street, my favorite
Ann Arbor breakfast place is, and
always will be, Angelo’s. Standing
since 1956, the child of two
Greek immigrants, Angelo’s is
at once both home and a foodie’s
journey. Their commitment to
the standard, traditional diner
breakfast with its own perfect
individualities makes Angelo’s
familiar to a Jersey girl who is
very used to a classic diner. I am
a big fan of the chocolate chip
pancakes, perfectly fluffy and
buttery with syrup dripping on
to the white ceramic plate, but
I’m also absolutely married to
the spinach and feta omelette
(side of raisin toast grilled, side
of potatoes — carb loading, you
know?) and sometimes I just
have to get both. Everyone knows
Angelo’s for their crispy yet sweet
raisin toast, and I am willing to
admit that sometimes I dream
that I am asleep on a pile of it,
and then I wake up with my head
on my pillow and just have to go
to Catherine street to satisfy my
cravings.
While there is no “Intro to
How Do You Like Your Eggs?”
or “Chocolate Chips to Pancake
Ratio
301”
courses
at
the
University, one can certainly
become educated in breakfast
foods in their years as a student
here. From the over 10 different
options for breakfast right in
the heart of the city, it’s feasible
and honestly honorable to try
them all enough times to taste
all of the staple menu items (and
maybe a few more). There are
just over 150 Sundays in my four
years as a Wolverine (hard to
believe I’m almost done with 75
of them), and you can bet that I’m
taking breakfast very seriously
somewhere (even if it’s just a
dining hall) on each and every
one.
Sunny Side Up: A tour of
Ann Arbor brunches
DAILY FOOD COLUMN
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
Fresh Check Day raises
mental health awareness
On most cold Friday mornings
in Mar., the Diag is empty. Yet
this year, on a windy, 30-degree
day only weeks away from the
end of the term, the Diag was
full of activity. This was Fresh
Check Day, a gathering of student
organizations
and
University
programs
aimed
at
raising
awareness
of
mental
health
issues on campus. It was lead
by Call for Humanity, a newly
created
student
organization
aimed at promoting dialogue
and awareness of mental health
around campus.
Students had the opportunity
to visit different tables and
learn about the mental health
resources available to students.
The Health Science Scholars
Program, SAPAC, the Depression
Center, Club Sports, Redefine,
Body Peace Corps, Out of the
Dark and CAPS in Action were all
represented.
At the corner of the Diag, the
LSA Student Government had set
up a nine out of 10 booth. “One in
ten college students contemplates
suicide,” they explained in one
of their pamphlets. “That leaves
nine out of 10 to reach out and
help someone.” Students visiting
the booth were asked to sign a
pledge of support as a member of
the nine out of 10. Students were
also provided information about
the warning signs and the steps
that one can take to help those in
need.
“We
started
‘Call
for
Humanity’ last year during the
election period,” said LSA junior
Samir Harake in an interview
with The Daily. “We wanted to
address issues that affect a lot
of the students.” The event, he
explained, was meant to “bring
people together to say ‘we hear
this problem’” and to “create some
change in how it’s addressed.”
“We wanted to focus on
creating collaborative events,”
said Rafik Issa, an LSA junior.
“Our role was contacting the
different groups and getting them
together. They all bring different
perspectives to this and it has
been challenging but also very
informative to work with all of
them.”
“We talked to the LSA Student
Government and the student
organizations that do the work on
the ground about mental health,”
Harake explained. “They affect
a lot of the students on campus
and they can really create some
change.”
In conjunction with these
SAMMY SUSSMAN
Daily Arts Writer
Spielberg finds humanity
behind ‘Ready Player One’
I’m well aware of the position
I’m putting myself in when I
tell you that I didn’t like Ernest
Cline’s “Ready Player One,”
but I hope that my opening
by saying this means you take
me seriously when I also tell
you that Steven Spielberg’s
(“The Post”) adaptation of
that novel is the most fun
you’re liable to have at the
movies this side of “Infinity
War.”
Where
the
original
work drowns out what could
have been a unique adventure
under a flood of soulless ’80s
references and thinly-written
characters, Spielberg uses his
talents at combining spectacle
with humanity to actually
craft a compelling story and
take Cline’s work to places
of
genuine
greatness.
The
combination of their talents
doesn’t always work — the
opening act is so packed with
exposition, jargon and a rushed
romance that it recalls any
number of YA dystopian flicks
— but when it clicks, it exceeds
its source material more than
any of us could have wished.
In no place is this more
clear-cut than in the film’s
message. Where the book paid
mostly empty lip-service to the
idea of life beyond pop culture,
Spielberg
actively
practices
what he preaches here. Film,
television, video games — these
things can provide an escape,
but it’s the relationships that
are built through them that
are
most
important.
The
stronger
characterization
adds further credence to this
idea, as do the scene-stealing
performances
from
Olivia
Cooke
(“Thoroughbreds”)
and a stupendously cast Mark
Rylance (“Dunkirk”)
But the message will almost
be beside the point for those
who, unlike me, enjoyed Cline’s
novel, so let me reassure you
once again that “Ready Player
One” is the very definition of
“fun” from beginning to end.
The action is as marvelously
directed as fans of Spielberg
would expect, with ludicrously
complex tracking shots galore;
a wildly over-the-top racing
scene close to the beginning
works as a showcase for the
film’s gorgeous special effects
as well as an introduction for
the film’s characters and the
limitless nature of their world.
It’s deeply funny, and there’s
an almost childish tone that
works given how much the
story deals with nostalgia.
Even the references, when
they occur, work much better
here
than,
say,
dedicating
an
entire
page
to
every
’80s-inspired
modification
you made to your DeLorean
to prove how cool you are.
That’s part of the benefit
of film; adapted as visuals,
there’s a quickness to them
that allows you to appreciate
the reference without halting
the story. Even when the story
is centered around a particular
homage — an entire sequence
is sculpted around an extended
send-up to Stanley Kubrick’s
“The Shining” — there’s still
a novelty to them. A similar
sequence in the book has the
main character recite line-
for-line the entirety of “Monty
Python and the Holy Grail,”
reducing the lead of the book
to a passive player in a much
better story, so when in the
adaptation, Spielberg actually
allows
his
characters
to
interact with iconic set pieces
of the Overlook Hotel and play
a part, it works much better.
There’s even what seems
to be a kind of self-aware
commentary on the references
themselves,
as
several
of
the
antagonists,
including
Ben Mendelsohn’s (“Darkest
Hour”) Nolan Sorrento, reduce
themselves to regurgitating
meaningless references in an
attempt at pandering to their
enemies. It’s played for laughs
when taken at face value,
but given the criticisms that
Cline’s novel does much of the
same thing, it’s an interesting
dissection of “Ready Player
One”’s lifeblood.
Given the insane talent of
the man behind the camera
and the popularity of the
book, there probably wasn’t
much reason to worry about
“Ready Player One,” and yet
the degree to which it works
is still surprising. The best
parts of Ernest Cline’s book are
preserved; the fun tone and sci-
fi adventure are the foundation
the movie is built upon. But
Spielberg’s flourishes — his
self-aware direction, smarter
references
and
improved
characterization — are what
takes it to the next level.
JEREMIAH VANDERHELM
Daily Arts Writer
WARNER BROS.
“Ready Player
One”
Warner Bros.
Ann Arbor 20 +
IMAX, Goodrich
Quality 16
student
organizations,
the
University’s
mental
health
resources were well represented
at the event. Student Life’s
Counseling and Psychological
Services (CAPS), for example,
had information on the free
workshops, presentations and
therapy that they offer. Michigan
Medicine’s Depression Center
was also represented at the event.
Though known primarily for
their work in addressing mental
health policy, they also offer
support groups for students.
The main focus of the event,
however, was raising awareness
of the institutional and cultural
changes necessary to further
mental
health
improvement
around campus. Though the
University does address mental
health, there is always more to be
done.
“There is so much more that
we can do,” Issa said. “While
there (are) a lot of resources on
Central, for example, there’s not
enough attention to people on
North Campus.”
“We want people to leave
here feeling like they learned
something and that they can
help people,” Harake said. “We
have such a vocal campus when it
comes to social justice issues, but
this is one that many people don’t
want to talk about as much. We
want to take away the black hole
surrounding it.”
“There’s
a
lot
of
stigma
surrounding
mental
health,”
Issa said. “It’s okay if you are
suffering, and it’s good to seek out
these resources.”
The
event
also
featured
performances from Groove, 58
Greene and Michigan Magic.
They helped create a fun and open
atmosphere in which students
could come together and address
this stigmatized topic.
“We want people to come have
fun and get some free stuff,” Issa
said. “One person suffering is one
too many and anything that we
can do to draw attention to this is
helpful.”
ELI RALLO
Daily Food Columnist
Spielberg uses
his talents at
combining
spectacle with
humanity to
actually craft a
compelling story
FILM REVIEW
Though the
University does
address mental
health, there is
always more to be
done