Club of the Week: Animal Club

By Marly Williams /// Staff Writer

It’s no news that Lewis & Clark students are exceptionally active and service-oriented. Newsweek recently ranked the college fifth in the nation for most service-oriented students, reflecting the community’s passion and commitment to a greater cause. This includes everything from supporting humanitarian issues like solutions to hunger and poverty to participating in the Peace Corps, as well as aiding a cause that is often overshadowed or dismissed: animal rights.

Animal Club provides students with the opportunity to share their love of animals while spreading awareness and giving a voice to those who really can’t speak for themselves.

Club President Chloe Waterman ('12), who wants to pursue a career in animal law and whose favorite animal is a three-toed sloth, co-founded the club when she was a freshman. “The club really has a two-part mission of appreciation and advocacy,” said Waterman. “In my opinion, the injustices that are happening to animals are some of the most severe injustices happening today.”

While the club has about 25 active members, over 300 students have attended various Animal Club-related events since the club’s founding. The club meets sporadically to discuss animal issues and club plans, and their main goal is to host events for the community, allowing everyone to get involved and their message to spread beyond club meetings. These events include lectures, film screenings, field trips and ongoing volunteer opportunities at places like Oregon Humane Center and Fences for Fido.

This semester promises to be an exciting and productive time for Animal Club.

This week, Animal Club sponsored a Pay-Per-View movie event. They paid students $1 to watch a film exposing the cruel practices of factory farms and handed out relevant literature about the issue.

This Sunday the 26th at 6 p.m., there will be a celebratory potluck in the Co-op. Bring your favorite animal-friendly dish and come to share in the delicious food and animal loving.

Other upcoming events include field trips to the Oregon Primate Reserve and Wolf Haven International as well as helping with the highly popular Puppy Day event.

Email Chloe Waterman at animalclub@lclark.edu to get involved.

Sustainability is Sexy: Take back the tap

Illustration by Samantha Savret

By Michelle Moulton /// Staff Writer

Water is an everyday necessity.   However, according to United Nations Human Development report, a shocking 1.1 billion people are struggling to find sufficient, clean water sources.

The privatization and exploitation of water sources by bottled water companies not only perpetuates this inaccessibility, but also makes water increasingly unaffordable.  For instance, the Columbia Water Center reported that springs in Sukabumi, Indonesia have been completely extracted by bottled water companies. The 1999 privatization of water in Bolivia made water bills increase by $20 a month —a significant percent of monthly income for locals.

In Ore., we have the privilege of clean, publically owned tap water, so why not take advantage of that? According to the Oregon City Finance Department, tap water in Ore. costs about a penny for every four gallons.  Compare this with the average price of bottled water, which is around $3. When you purchase bottled water, it’s the production of plastic you’re paying for.

The Take Back the Tap Campaign is a nationwide initiative that has an ultimate goal of ending the sales of bottled water.  Its more immediate goals include ending student funding for bottled water and reducing LC’s purchase of bottled water to a bare minimum for emergencies.  Sophie Ara Se (‘15), an undergraduate working on this campaign, said, “When did we ever need bottled water?  It is unnecessary plastic which corporations advertise as pure.”

This marketing works. The Worldwatch Institute reported that the global consumption of bottled water reached 189 billion bottles last year, a 7.9% increase from 2002.  Nestlé, Coca-cola and Pepsi, hidden under the labels of Aquafina, Dasani, Arrowhead and Deer Park, are the main bottled water suppliers, and spend millions of dollars marketing purity and convenience while portraying tap water as unhealthy.

Other issues include the fact that there’s a limit to the amount of times plastic from water bottles can be recycled, and it is non-biodegradable.  This means that all the plastic that’s produced will eventually make its way to a landfill.

If you want to take action, simply invest in a reusable canteen, and choose tap water over bottled water.  If you want to get involved, email seed@lclark.edu for more information. 

Bar of the week: Clyde Common

By Darya Watnick///Editor-in-Chief

 Tucked in next to the Ace Hotel, one block from Powell’s, Clyde Common is a luxurious restaurant and bar. With its hip atmosphere, it is often hard to distinguish the wait staff from the patrons, as they all have a prevalence of tattoos, piercings and plaid.

We arrived after 5 p.m. on a Friday expecting a large crowd, but we were seated almost immediately in the restaurant’s upper level. For a while we were the only customers upstairs, so we took our time looking over the happy hour menu.

This upscale “European style tavern” has happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Normally, entrees run $20 and appetizers and sides upwards of $6. During happy hour, however, the food runs from $2 for their daily cookie to a delicious $6 burger. The cocktails and featured wine are a college budget-friendly $5 and draft beer is $3.50.

Happy hour is the perfect time to get a taste of this gourmet fare. The French fries are thin and cooked to perfection. Clyde Common pairs them with a mouth-watering harissa sauce, which is a slightly spicy cilantro dip, and aioli.

My favorite happy hour dish was the toasted baguette slices that came with Nutella, jam and hazelnuts. This is only on the happy hour menu at Clyde Common, and it is a real treat. It was a gooey, tasty mess to eat.

The warm bread melted the Nutella and the orange marmalade made with fresh slices of fruit paired surprisingly well with the chocolate spread. Both the marmalade and the chocolate spread tasted homemade.

One Clyde Common specialty is the punch of the day. It is a seemingly random combination of juices, liqueurs and alcohol. The day we went it was very pink and very strong, and our waitress mentioned that it wasn’t her favorite punch the bartenders have made. Our favorite drink from the evening was the non-alcoholic lavender lemonade. It was the perfect balance of sweet and tart with a hint of lavender that lent the drink a light, exotic flavor.

Overall, I highly recommend the happy hour at Clyde Common. The prices are low enough that you’ll have some money left over to grab a book at Powell’s on your way home.

Weekly CAB update

By Stephanie Tsingos /// Guest Writer

Are you looking for a way to spice up your life on campus? Maybe you’re looking for a study break, a way to meet new people, or just a way to channel your general enthusiasm? You’ve come to the right place! Welcome to the new Campus Activities Board column! Every week we’ll be writing a bit about upcoming events on campus. First, we’re showing the movie The Immortals in Council Chamber tonight at 8pm. It’s about sweaty Ancient Greek men, so it’ll definitely be a good time. On Monday Feb. 27, you can stroll on over to Stamm for some casual Laser Tag, co-hosted by Unisex. The event begins at 7 pm. but sign-ups start at 5 outside the Bon. The event goes until 10 p.m. so there’s plenty of fun to be had!

And don’t forget about the Wednesday Night Concert Series, every Wednesday in Maggie’s. This week, Sauvie Island will be strumming their stylish tunes for you at 10 pm. See you there!

All about aioli: Demystifying that weird white sauce

Photo by Robert Amico

By Kevin Ryan /// Staff Writer

The Bon has been serving aioli at almost every meal now, and I keep hearing people ask what it is. An excellent question!

Aioli is an important sauce for everyone to know, as it is possibly the most delicious condiment if done properly. This sauce was born in the Provence region of France and is used as a simple condiment for many grilled vegetables and meats. Usually when the French do anything, it is highly complex and hard to replicate, but since aioli is from a traditionally poorer, rural region of France, it’s quite simple and easy for anyone to make.  

The process is similar to making mayonnaise, just with some garlic paste added for extra flavor. The oil is emulsified (which just means that the oil is suspended in water-soluble compounds) with the help of egg yolk, lemon juice and garlic. Dijon mustard also works as a great emulsifier.

Here is a recipe for a classic aioli:

Finely mince one large clove of garlic. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of coarse salt, then mash and spread the garlic against the cutting board with the flat of your knife until it becomes a paste.

Place the paste in a bowl with a raw egg yolk and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Whisk together. Roll up a towel to make a circle and rest the bowl in it to stop it from slipping. Add 1/2 cup of oil, very slowly at first until it is well combined, then at a slow, steady drizzle until it is all combined, stirring constantly. You can add herbs or Dijon mustard to give it more flavor, but I like mine plain, on a sandwich or with some veggies.