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