C/O Green Venture
Green Venture’s Backyard Garden program is helping to turn Hamilton into a greener, more sustainable community
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, many turned to gardening, as seen by the tomatoes, lettuce and beans which have become a popular find in people’s backyards. Additionally, with discussions of the climate crisis taking greater precedence in the media, climate anxiety has been on the rise. In recognition of this and to support urban and community gardening in Hamilton, Green Venture, a not-for-profit environmental education and outreach organization, launched the Hamilton Seed Library project last summer.
“As the community continued to cope with the COVID-19 crisis, we were really inspired by the local community, how the resilient movement was taking place and the more need for backyard gardens,” explained Sheila Gutierrez, the garden program coordinator at Green Venture.
“As the community continued to cope with the COVID-19 crisis, we were really inspired by the local community, how the resilient movement was taking place and the more need for backyard gardens.”
Sheila Gutierrez, Green Venture Garden Program Coordinator
The Hamilton Seed Library was a joint project created in partnership with the Little Free Library, a not-for-profit book-exchange organization. It was created in keeping with their goal of maintaining biodiversity in Hamilton and helping the local community to become more self-reliant.
The rules and conditions of the Seed Library operate the same as the Little Free Library’s book-sharing boxes. Open 24/7, the seed library offers free fruit and vegetable seeds for anyone to take. There are no membership fees involved, nor set limits on how many seeds one can take, although users of the library should be mindful this is a shared resource for the benefit of the larger community.
Those who borrow the seeds are encouraged to save any remaining or harvested seeds and return them to the library at the end of the season. Just like any community resource, the seed library relies heavily on honest and fair use to maintain its supply. Other ways to support include monetary donations to Green Venture.
Currently, the seed libraries can be found outside of the Green Venture EcoHouse and six Little Free Library’s box locations across Hamilton. These include the libraries on Cannon Street, Wexford Avenue South, Jackson Street West, London Street, Salem Avenue and Kensington Avenue North. More information about each library can be found on their website.
Although the kinds of available seeds change every season, this fall users can expect to find native pollinator plants, such as black-eyed Susan and blazing star, and other veggies such as spinach and radishes.
More than ever, access to fresh food became important as people attempted to reduce outside trips, including grocery shopping trips. So, it came as no surprise that the introduction of the Hamilton Seed Library was met with so much positivity and praise.
“We know that the community is keen because when we put out the seeds, they are gone quickly. The community’s uptake [has been] very responsive,” Gutierrez said.
Additionally, alongside the Seed Library Green Venture started the Grow a Row program to better support the cultivation of a healthier, greener community in Hamilton. It was launched as part of its Backyard Garden Project, the organization’s COVID-19 resilience project. More broadly, the Backyard Garden Project strives to help Hamiltonians “build a greener, more sustainable and climate friendly future”.
“We were inspired at Green Venture to keep connecting our community and connecting them with more nature. [We are] giving them access to those skills and what they need to continue to learning their skills….So we took that, and then we came up with the Backyard Garden Project to support the urban growing and community gardening, to facilitate the sharing and knowledge of local growing and garden maintenance,” said Gutierrez.
“We were inspired at Green Venture to keep connecting our community and connecting them with more nature. [We are] giving them access to those skills and what they need to continue to learning their skills….So we took that, and then we came up with the Backyard Garden Project to support the urban growing and community gardening, to facilitate the sharing and knowledge of local growing and garden maintenance.”
Sheila Gutierrez, Green Venture Garden Program Coordinator
The Grow a Row program is for home gardeners who have excess land in their backyard to commit a row of produce to share and donate. The harvested produce is then transferred to community fridges and Neighbour to Neighbour Hamilton, an organization aimed to address food insecurity in communities. The centre currently supports 3,500 individuals in Hamilton every month.
This year, in just 10 weeks, Green Venture received over 445 pounds of produce donations through the Grow a Row program. The donations will help to ensure more people have access to fresh and healthy food, especially during these challenging times.
Aside from the Hamilton Seed Library and Grow a Row project, Seedy Saturday is another event supporting local gardening. Green Venture’s Seedy Saturday is an annual seed exchange and workshop event. Different gardeners and farmers are invited to host the workshops on seed saving, history of seeds in Hamilton and garden designing each year. In past years, Green Venture has collaborated with Tree and Twig Heirloom Vegetable Farm, McQuesten Urban Farm and Dundurn castle. Although this year’s event has already passed, those who are interested can look forward to the next one coming up in early 2022.
In the meantime, Green Venture still has many more exciting upcoming projects and events. Few examples include Depave Paradise in which volunteers take a piece of land covered in asphalt concrete and replace it with green infrastructure and regular volunteering Tuesday at EcoHouse.
The opportunities to get involved in climate and environment action are endless at Green Venture. From sharing seeds to planting trees, Green Venture offers programs to spread messages of environmental accountability and activism and teach how to live more sustainably.
“Start where you are—there is so much information out there. And it can be overwhelming because climate anxiety is really real, it is our reality. But just take a step back and start where you are and do what you can do. Whether it’s using a reusable mug or volunteering with us at Green Venture, small steps and small action really do end up making a big impact,” said Gutierrez.
By Ember, Contributor
cw: fatphobia, disordered eating
Food is what fuels our bodies. So why is it that there is an ever increasing rise of popularity in dieting and diet culture? A movement that encourages us to deprive ourselves; to aspire to be thin. To put it plainly? A hatred for fat bodies that results in widespread disordered eating.
The way we frame different topics and discussions is very important. This especially applies to the way we talk about food, our bodies and other people’s bodies.
Caloric science is based on outdated Western scientific methods from the nineteenth century by Wilbur Atwater. It is the estimate of how much energy is contained in a portion of food by burning it in a tank submerged in water, and measuring how much burning the food increased the temperature of the surrounding water.
However, it is hard to accurately predict the energy stored in food; our bodies do not work as simply as a furnace burning fuel. There are many factors that influence the calories of the foods we eat, like how the food is prepared, if cellulose is present and how much energy it takes to digest the food.
Not to mention, there are additional factors that affect digestion, such as metabolism, age, gut bacteria and physical activity. Labels on food do not accurately represent what we’re putting into our body nor what we’re getting out of it.
Ever since Canada enforced the Healthy Menu Choices Act back in 2016, which requires food establishments to list the amount of calories in their products, there has also been an increasing number of discussions surrounding the negative impact of the addition of calories to menus.
Another measurement that is often used to determine how healthy we are is body mass index, even though it is an inaccurate measurement of “health” for multiple reasons. It was meant to analyze the weight of populations, not individuals, and doesn’t take into account whether mass is fat or muscle. As a result, BMI is a biased and harmful method to gauge health.
Along with measurements like calories and BMI, language surrounding food can also be dangerous. You may hear things like “carbs are bad”, or you may hear discourse on “healthy” versus “unhealthy” foods, “cheat days” and “clean eating”, to name some examples. This language can contribute to the notion that we should feel bad for eating food, when it simply is a way to nourish ourselves and additionally, something to enjoy.
Diet culture is so pervasive and present in society. It is encouraged by menus listing calorie amounts, peers, elders and healthcare professionals in various ways. Thoughts like “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” stem from conflating “health” and “weight”, which has roots in racism, classism and fatphobia.
Diet culture is so pervasive and present in society. It is encouraged by menus listing calorie amounts, peers, elders and healthcare professionals in various ways. Thoughts like “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” stem from conflating “health” and “weight”, which has roots in racism, classism and fatphobia.
Hannah Meier, a dietitian who contributed to a project tackling women’s health, writes about how society glorifies dieting. In Meier’s article titled A Dietitian’s Truth: Diet Culture Leads to Disordered Eating she writes, “I was half-functioning. I remember filling pages of journals with promises to myself that I wouldn’t eat. I planned out my week of arbitrary calorie restrictions that were shockingly low and wrote them all over my planner, my whiteboard, the foggy mirror in the bathroom.”
For many of us, the mindset of diet culture swallows you whole, consumes your every thought and waking moment, then spits you out like rotten food.
Oftentimes, people aren’t advocating for diets because they want to be “healthy”. Instead, they often feel passionate about dieting because of their hate and disdain for fat people since they associate being “fat” with “unhealthy”, “unhappy” or “unlovable”.
It’s also important to note that views on fatness and fat bodies change depending on the time period and culture; renaissance paintings often depict fat women in angelic and celestial aesthetics. As well, certain cultures, both past and present, value fatness as a symbol of privilege, power, wealth and fertility.
Diet culture, eating disorders, and fatphobia are so tightly knit together that they are like an ill-fitting sweater woven by your grandmother that you didn’t want or ask for. Sometimes you think about wearing it, to make things easier or simpler. But it won’t. You will only become a shell of your former self; a husk that is barely scraping by.
Any joy derived from depriving yourself is temporary. A scale will weigh how much of you is there, but it won’t weigh how much of you has been lost to an eating disorder. It is a mental illness, a distortion of reality and external factors that influence how you think. You can’t just stop having an eating disorder on a whim.
Calorie counting isn’t healthy, demonizing certain foods isn’t healthy and having preconceived notions about someone’s health based on how their body looks isn’t “just caring about their health.” Stop calling food “unhealthy” or “healthy”, start calling it “nourishing” or “not/less nourishing. Eat food that makes you happy and makes you feel good. Bodies are so many things, including wonderful and complex. You only have one — so treat it with kindness.
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By Gregory Lee, Contributor
Whether it be from the crowded lines at the MUSC Tim Hortons or to the pasta place inside Centro, hungry students are everywhere, looking for ways to satisfy their hunger on campus.
McMaster Hospitality Services, which operates most eateries on campus, state that they aim to provide high quality food service, variety and value. Eating on campus a few times will show that in reality, these expectations are not always met.
Food at universities is notorious for being unhealthy. It is usually stereotyped as deep fried, greasy, frozen and/or unhealthy, which are all true statements. A quick look at the menu at many of the campus eateries shows that they’re mainly burgers, wraps and fries that are almost always frozen and low-quality in terms of taste — mediocre at best.
Normally I wouldn’t have a problem with frozen deep-fried food but the fact that campus food is also notoriously expensive as well doesn’t help. For example, a slice of pepperoni pizza at the MUSC Pizza Pizza costs significantly more than a slice at any other Pizza Pizza location. A Mac Burger at Centro costs around $8.95 for the burger itself, plus an extra $2.99 for a combo, which includes a drink and fries. An order of onion rings which normally contains 5-7 rings will set you back around $4.
What really puts the prices of on-campus food into perspective is when it's compared to other locations off campus which offer better value for your money compared to the on-campus eateries. It’s worse for people who live on residence as the meal plans offered by Mac Hospitality are mandatory if you want to live on residence with few exceptions.
Although the meals plans allow students to save tax when buying food on campus, they still cost students at least $3000 upfront for even the lighter meal plans.
It gets worse when Mac Hospitality takes away exactly half of the non-refundable portion of your meal plan in the beginning of the year for overhead costs, giving you a 50 per cent discount on all food. This discount is only for first year and disappears after the school year ends. The truth is, many students will not finish the non-refundable portion of their meal plan before first year ends. They will either have to go on spending sprees to finish their plans or cut their losses and use the money next school year, even if it technically means losing half of your money.
Health wise, the food on campus doesn’t fare well either. University eating is characterized by fears over the “freshman 15” and uncontrollable weight gain. While the freshman 15 is little more than just a myth, the health concerns of campus food are not.
A quick look at the nutrition facts of campus food will be enough to give any health-conscious individual a heart attack. Calories, unhealthy fats, sodium, carbohydrates and bad cholesterol are high for most, if not all dishes. In addition, the foods on campus are often low in key nutrients such as fibre, protein and vitamins. The campus eateries do have their healthier options such as salad bars or select food from Bridges, but healthy options are almost always lacking on the menus around campus.
Let’s not forget the fact that food options for vegetarians and vegans are limited on campus. While we do have Bridges serving vegetarian and vegan options, other eateries on campus are often lacking in vegetarian and vegan options. Halal and kosher options are also limited and just recently, McMaster Hospitality stopped offering halal beef burgers at their eateries.
The food at Mac is definitely not the worst, but it can be greatly improved upon both health-wise and cost-wise. The introduction of the new $5-dollar daily meals is a step in the right direction for food accessibility at Mac and the menu at the campus eateries is always changing. Hopefully, Mac continues to make improvements to the food on campus so that one day, it can be accessible for all.
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Rachel Katz often shares her cooking and baking with other people. After a time, people began to tell her that she should start a food blog. While Katz decided a blog would be too much to handle whilst being a full-time graduate student, she figured Instagram would be a manageable platform. So last summer while she was working one job and had relatively free evenings, she started her food Instagram, Fork in Progress.
On the account, Katz shares photos of the recipes that she’s tried. Unlike many other food accounts, her unfiltered photos project accessibility and make anyone scrolling feel like they could get in their kitchen and make the same meal.
The recipes that Katz tries are not necessarily easy, but she believes basic kitchen confidence can be applied to make more complicated recipes. She looks for recipes with very specific instructions that she can follow along with. She also looks for versatile recipes that she can add her own flavours to. In her captions, she highlights her innovations and provides tips.
One benefit to Instagram for her is the interactivity. It is easy for her followers to ask her questions and provide feedback. The platform also makes it possible for her to share step-by-step videos that break down the recipes into easier steps. This is to prove to people that anyone can learn how to cook delicious dishes.
“I was frustrated with a lot of students… saying ‘oh I have no time to cook’ or ‘I don't like cooking’… [But] food is so important, food is delicious and there's a kind of pride that you get from making your own food that you don't really get from anything else,” Katz said.
Katz understands how difficult balancing food with student life can be. The McMaster grad lived in residence in her first year where the meal plan limited the choice she had over what she ate. In her second year, she shared a six-person student house with a tiny kitchen. In both years, she didn’t feel like she had a fully functional space where she can cook her own meals.
For Katz, this resulted in patterns of disordered eating. In her second year, she committed to recognize these patterns in herself so she can create healthier eating habits. Preparing her own meals has been one tool in repairing Katz’s relationship with food.
In her third year, Katz moved into a two-person apartment with a nice kitchen. In her new kitchen, Katz explored cooking more. Working at the Silhouette also encouraged her as she began to regularly bake for the office. This practice allowed her to receive feedback on her food and grow as a baker.
“I don't use words like clean… or like detox, cleanse… [T]here are all of these other food bloggers out there who use those lines and a lot of recipe bloggers who have these crazy extravagant recipes. But there wasn't really anyone to fulfill the student niche for people who wanted to cook actual meals but didn't really know where to start,” Katz explained.
While developing a healthy relationship with food is important to Katz, food is also a tool that she uses in her relationships with others. Cooking is an activity that she likes to do with family and friends. Her food-related memories stretch all the way back to her childhood.
Katz grew up eating a lot of homemade meals. She is inspired by her mother, who is an accomplished home chef and baker. Not only does she adore the chocolate chip cookies that she grew up eating, but she also admires her mother’s diligence. Her mother can spend months trying to perfect a recipe.
Now an adult, Katz is making her own food memories, many of which include food she’s made for others. For her, cooking for people is a way of shaping their experiences for the better. By making a caramel corn cake for her partner’s birthday, she was able to make the day more memorable. When she makes her mother’s birthday cake this year, she will make that day more special.
However, as the name of her account indicates, Katz is still growing her skills in the kitchen. She wants her followers to continue learning, experimenting and trying new things.
“[H]aving a name that has associations of things that are not quite perfect, that I'm still learning but it doesn't mean that I don't know anything, I think… that embodies the mentality that I'm hoping I can encourage people to take with food and feeding themselves,” said Katz.
For this reason, Katz is not focused on monetizing Fork in Progress, as she and her followers operate within a student budget, she does not want to promote products that are inaccessible. While she would consider a column in a publication, she believes the account can only remain authentic by staying fairly small.
As long as she’s a student, Katz wants to continue spreading positive messages about food and cooking. She wants Fork in Progress to show students that they can make their own cakes and eat them too.
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Many of us don’t need to be reminded that there’s only a few days left before exam season starts, but we might need a reminder to make time for a nice home cooked meal. It’s easy to turn to buying lunch or dinner when you’re tight on time during these next few weeks, but there are ways to make cooking an enjoyable experience while relieving some stress too.
The Sil staff have compiled their favourite recipes that are easy to make, especially when you’re short on time. We encourage you to try them out, change up the ingredients and most importantly, take the time to take care of yourself this season.
Shared by Sasha Dhesi (Managing Editor)
Pasta is a staple batch recipe since it’s fairly easy, delicious and lasts the whole work week. While most people don’t have time to make homemade pasta, students don’t have to rely on jarred sauces and compromise their time.
Making a sauce at home can seem challenging, but simple recipes like this one are great for students low on time and on a budget.
I adapted this recipe from Bon Appetit’s Bucatini with Butter-Roasted Tomato Sauce. I replaced a few of the more expensive ingredients with more accessible, easier kept items that make more sense for students to keep around in the house. The recipe should make about four servings and take about 40 minutes, but only 20 of those minutes are active! This is a great recipe to make while studying at home — just pop the sauce into the oven and you’ll have a great sauce in no time!
Shared by Hannah Walters-Vida (Features Reporter)
In an effort to describe how good this soup is, the most a room full of Sil writers could come up with is “warm, warm soup, it hugs you from the inside”. Pretty much everyone in the office will agree that this is a great recipe for soup. I typically double the recipe and freeze the soup in mason jars for when I need a quick, filling meal.
This recipe is originally by Jennifer Segal and I made a few modifications to make it vegan friendly. This recipe yields 8 servings and takes about 45 minutes to make, but most of the time is spent letting the soup simmer. This soup can stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months, so it’s worth the investment in time. Just make sure to pop it into the fridge the day before wanting to reheat it!
Shared by Razan Samara (Arts & Culture Editor)
This is my go-to recipe for dinner with friends and potlucks. It also makes for a perfect side dish alongside lunch or dinner, I personally think it pairs really well with chicken tawook tacos and panko-breaded fish. This recipe yields about 3-4 servings and was inspired by Cookie and Kate.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve found myself become quite reliant on this recipe. It requires minimal effort, which means I can throw a whole batch together pretty quickly the night before my early morning commutes. This recipe has filling ingredients, can easily travel and can be modified to meet your taste preferences. I encourage you to keep things new and interesting with every rendition of the dish!
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By: Donna Nadeem
In the fall, An’am Sherwani, Asha Smith and Garry Vinayak, three students taking the SUSTAIN 3S03 course, conducted a new study on food insecurity on campus.
The results reveal that 39 per cent of the 204 student respondents have experienced moderate food insecurity and 12 per cent have experienced severe insecurity.
Food insecurity refers to the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable and nutritious food.
Meal Exchange is a nonprofit organization that tackles issues such as student food insecurity in Canadian post-secondary institutions.
In 2016, Meal Exchange worked with university campuses including Brock University, the University of Calgary, Dalhousie University, Lakehead University and Ryerson University to survey students using the “Hungry for Knowledge” survey guide and framework.
The objectives of the study were to determine a ‘prevalence estimate’ of students experiencing food insecurity, identify key factors that contribute to student food insecurity and raise awareness about various services that address and help reduce the issue of student food insecurity.
As part of the course, Sherwani, Smith and Vinayak created an online survey for the McMaster student population to collect information about students who are at most risk of food insecurity.
The survey also asked respondents about the various barriers and factors that influence and contribute to the emergence of student food insecurity.
The goal of the project was to use the survey data collection to gain knowledge and a deeper understanding about the social issue of student food insecurity.
The team advertised the survey through social media, posters around campus and class talks. They obtained 204 partial responses and 185 complete responses.
Their findings indicate that 39 percent, or 71, of respondents have experienced ‘moderate’ food insecurity while 12 per cent, or 22 respondents, experienced ‘severe’ food insecurity.
Respondents indicated that their food insecurity was largely the result of factors including financial barriers, having limited time to cook and the lack of healthy and diverse food options on campus.
They also reported that food insecurity impacted their physical health, mental health, social life and grades.
The most common experiences amongst those dealing with food insecurity included relying on low-cost foods, not eating healthy balanced meals, and prioritizing other financial needs before securing adequate food.
The study also suggests that food insecurity also results in skipping meals and sometimes not eating the entire day.
Of those who identified as food insecure, only 24 per cent utilized programs and services at their disposal, such as the McMaster Students Union Food Collective Centre.
Nonetheless, as there is a stigma associated with these services, it is unclear the extent to which respondents underreported their use of them.
After analyzing the results of the survey, the team shared their findings were shared with MSU student clubs and services.
These groups can use the results of the study, particularly the one about students’ use of food services, as a springboard to explore new ways of outreach to McMaster students experiencing food insecurity.
The increased usage of these services and clubs may aid in the reduction of food insecurity at McMaster.
The SUSTAIN 3S03 team has sent their study to a graduate student, who will continue to pursue and examine the research. Further exploration and follow-ups are currently in progress and the study will be continued into 2019.
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Healthy eating can be the last thing you have time to think about when you have papers due and midterms to study for. is curried chickpeas with spinach and
tomatoes recipe is an opportunity to cook a healthy meal while fulfilling your craving for a warm and comforting
dish.
This recipe was made with students in mind. It’s flavourful, delicious, nutritious and simple to make with accessible ingredients from your local grocery store or the
Hamilton Farmers’ Market. Unlike the other aspects of student life, cooking can be uncomplicated. This recipe is fast and easy to make regardless of skill level.
Have a little more time on your hands? is recipe is made to serve four and is perfect for sharing a homemade meal with your friends or housemates. Complete your curried chickpeas dish with flatbread, naan or steamed white rice.
Curried chickpeas also taste better the next day and freeze well too, so make sure to make the full batch and freeze the rest for those tight days.
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Joanne Rappos is the Hamiltonian home cook behind Olive and Mango, a food blog dedicated to sharing her recipes from a variety of food cultures, including her native Greece and Caribbean in fluences from her husband’s side of the family. From Rappos’ popular sheet pan meals, like Greek shrimp with tomatoes and feta, to her golden lemon ricotta wa ffles, there’s something for everyone try making in their own kitchen.
The Olive and Mango blog and Instagram feed are thoughtfully curated with photographs worth getting hunger pangs over, which may just be the push we need to get inspired by her recipes. Rappos’ was just as careful with creating this curried chickpeas recipe for the Sil, she even relies on it at least once a week because it’s just that good.
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Over on 225 John Street South, these two different concepts are located in the same place with the same chefs with a similar emphasis on fast, healthy food served in bowls. All the ingredients are locally supplied. All the bowls are light on your stomach. The most surprising part is that all promise to be well-priced, high quality options with plenty of quantity without any of these attributes lacking.
Little Big Bowl, open from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., focuses on breakfast options with yogurt and fruit bases. These can include things like pomegranate, toasted coconut, starfruit, coco nib and espresso granola. Simple, well-crafted bowls that are a step above what you would expect first thing in the day. It is described as the little-brother of Eatwell.
Eatwell, open from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., focuses on lunch and dinner time with different vegetarian and meat options. This also includes the ability to tailor your meal the way you want it with selectable options like semolina noodles, char grilled peppers with aged vinegar, steamed shrimp salad with lemon and pink pepper and a classic demi-glace sauce with Madeira wine.
"... it doesn’t have to be your run of the mill food. It can be using fresh, seasonal ingredients, ever evolving and that’s really good for you, really healthy and full of flavour.”
Josh Wortley
Restaurant Chef
Little Big Bowl/Eatwell
With both of these concepts, there is a large deal of confidence when it comes to finding the balance between speed, quantity and quality.
“You end up getting about a litres worth of food for the price. So where we want them to get that fast, casual brand style of food, it doesn’t have to be your run of the mill food. It can be using fresh, seasonal ingredients, ever evolving and that’s really good for you, really healthy and full of flavour,” said Josh Wortley, the Restaurant Chef for the location.
Wortley previously worked as an Executive Chef at the Hair of the Dog Pub and Beerbistro, which are both located in downtown Toronto.
Despite this Toronto background, he is excited about making his mark on the Hamilton food scene.
“The amount of restaurants that have opened up, and the quality as well of the restaurants that have opened up, it’s starting to put Toronto to shame, almost. ... It’s great to be a part of that, and it’s great to starting something that hopefully will be a cornerstone of the food scene to come.”
Josh Wortley will be working with the Executive Chef Mark Andrew Brown, best known for his work in Waterloo winning awards for Best Food at the 2015 Kitchener-Waterloo Food and Wine Show and Top Restaurant at the Waterloo Region Iron Chef Competition, on both of the concepts.
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If bacon is bad for you, then I don’t want to live, and if the WHO is right, that won’t be a choice for me. The other day the aptly named organization (as in WHO do you think you are, destroying my world by telling me that the most delicious meat is carcinogenic?) tweeted: “Experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal #cancer by 18%.”
The first thing to say is, “What part of my body exactly does colorectal cancer affect? Can I live without it?” The second thing: people forget that there’s an 82 percent chance of not getting cancer (I don’t think that’s how statistics works, but whatever), and a 100 percent chance of having foodgasms for the duration of your life if you consume pig fat.
The fun hating “experts” from the International Agency of Research on Cancer examined over 800 “scientific studies” to determine that bacon belongs in the dreaded “group 1” of noxious substances that negatively affect human health. Other fearsome substances in this group include asbestos, alcohol and cigarettes. I fear that one day, my child will need to use a fake ID to buy bacon with a picture of a dying baby’s lung on the package.
So what’s our alternative? Dulse, a strain of red algae that apparently has a strong bacon flavour. These people are probably the same people who claim chickpea cookie dough tastes like the real thing (it doesn’t). Somewhere in an American grocery store, Ron Swanson is tossing all dulse samples into the garbage. When asked about the bad news for bacon lovers, Ron called it, “total f**king bulls**t.” He emphasized that we should not panic, and instead procure as much bacon as humanly possible and hide it in as many locations you can. Wise words.
Taking a step back, I quickly realized that 50g of bacon is approximately equivalent to six medium slices of bacon. If you’re eating that much bacon everyday, we have bigger problems to deal with. Also, cutting down on bacon consumption to a reasonable amount is not difficult. Instead of using two strips to wrap your scallop, use one. Get your Double Down from KFC without bacon. It’s definitely okay to eat it once you replace the carcinogenic bacon with dulse.
Remember, these “scientists” have been wrong before. Margarine isn’t better for you than butter–and it definitely doesn’t taste the same. Egg yolks, once shunned for its cholesterol content, also turn out to not be bad for you.
Bacon, you’ve been under a lot of heat lately, but know that I will always love you. Everything about you is perfect. Your smell gets me out of bed everyday. The sizzle you makes when you hit a hot pan. The crunch you make when you’re bitten. The grease that coats my mouth and the warmth you spread in my body. Bacon, you make everything better. Never change (but I’d prefer it if you didn’t kill me).
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By: Mitali Chaudhary, Sohana Farhin and Allison Mizzi
Healthy snacks
Raw fruits
Nothing can fill you up (and taste as good!) as a bowl of your favourite fruit. With essentially no preparation required, this is the perfect solution for a sweet tooth, while providing you with vitamins and fibres. It just involves a bit of forward planning – if you sense a stressful week ahead, remember to load up on your fruits at the grocery store.
Greek yogurt
Being a healthier alternative to regular yogurt, with a smooth texture and taste, this is one of the most versatile options as a quick snack. You can top it with (almost) anything, like bits of cereal, almonds, bananas, granola, and honey and it is guaranteed to taste delicious. It’s best to stick with plain Greek yogurt, and toppings without additional sugars, to keep this snack healthy.
Almonds and other nuts
These can sustain you for a surprisingly long time, and are filled to the brim with unsaturated fats, protein, fibre, and minerals. They can be eaten alone, roasted as a substitute for potato chips, or sprinkled over some oatmeal or Greek yogurt (see below).
Veggies with hummus
Make mom proud with this one. Vegetables like carrots, celery, broccoli or cucumbers all deliver the crunch you crave while note taking, and taste great with any kind of hummus dip. The hummus adds a savoury flavour to the veggies, which are packed with essential nutrients, and it’s an excellent source of protein.
Study spaces
SWELL
If you like company and tea, check out the Student Wellness Education Lower Lounge in the basement of MUSC. Open to all, the SWELL is a space for students to relax, learn about wellness education, and take a break from busy university life. The lounge features couches and chairs, perfect for students to work. Its basement location, across from the Underground, makes for a quiet and relaxing space, away from the hustle and bustle of MUSC. The SWELL features daily programming, including Mindfulness Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays, which can be great study break opportunities as well as a microwave, free tea, and free fruit on Fridays to keep your energy up as you cram.
Empty tutorial and lecture rooms
There are lots of empty tutorial and lectures rooms all over campus. Take your pick, whether it is ABB, BSB, the Arts Quad, or Hamilton Hall. These rooms are usually used for tutorials. However, they’re often left open and perfect for student use, particularly after the library closes. If you are looking for a quiet and private space for self-studying, empty classrooms are equipped with white boards or chalk boards that are begging for flow charts and diagrams. As such, they also work well for group studying. Bring some snacks and your books, and you’ll be set to study in your own private space.
Hospital cafeteria
If you like cafes, try studying in the hospital cafeteria, found on the main lobby in the second floor of the McMaster Children’s Hospital. There are lots of seats that are usually left empty at night. It is a great place for quiet studying, without the atmosphere of a library. There is also the “Corner Café” near the hospital entrance that is open 24 hours, seven days a week. With healthy meal options, as well as baked goods, coffee, and tea, the hospital cafeteria is the way to go if you need an energizing late night snack for your studying.
MDCL atrium
If you are looking for a calm and relaxing location, the waterfall room in the atrium of the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery is ideal. Its floor-to-ceiling windows let in natural light, a nice change from the fluorescence of most buildings on campus. If you enjoy studying outside, this is the next best thing, allowing you to appreciate natural greenery, rain or shine. With ample benches, the waterfall room is an excellent space for catching up on your reading, or listening to a lecture podcast.
Whatever kind of space you need to succeed, McMaster has it. Sometimes, one just needs to do a bit of searching. The above four places are some of our favourites. What are yours?
