Section A · Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Tuesday, November 23, 1999
Thanksgiving
Hall closings strand some during break
By Lari O'Toole
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Derrick Bachman, Salina freshman, is one of 220 students who will stay in McCollum Hall during Thanksgiving break.
McColm will be the only residence hall or scholarship hall that will not close at 11 p.m. tomorrow and reopen at 8 a.m. Sunday. Students who live in a hall that is closing must find a place to stay during the week.
Kim Grassmeyer, assistant director of the department of student housing, said there also were about three or four people living in other residence halls who also will stay in McCollam Hall's end rooms, small rooms located at the end of each hall that are not used for regular residency.
She said the rooms did not have a cable connection or a phone outlet. The students were asked to pay $10 per night, or $42, for the entire break.
Bachman said he and other McCollum Hall residents did not have to pay an additional fee.
He said he would be going home to Salina tomorrow to celebrate the holiday with his family and returning to Lawrence Thursday night.
Buchman, who works part-time at The Buckle. 805 Massachusetts St., has to work Friday because it is the biggest shopping day of the year.
"It's nice that it stays open all year to accommodate students like me," he said.
Buchman said he was not aware the hall would stay open until three weeks ago when he saw an informational poster by the elevator.
"They need to do a better job telling students it's open ahead of time," he said. Prior to seeing the poster, he told his manager he could not work Friday since he would not have a place to stay.
However, Grassmeyer said that the department of student housing promotes McCollum as being open year-round in all of its literature.
"That way students can plan ahead if they need a place to stay whether they are international students or they have to work," she said.
Buchman said meals will be inconvenient since both the Ekdahl Dining Commons and E's Express will be closed. He said he planned to eat at Subway or other fast food restaurants.
Lindsay Farris, Evanston, Ill., freshman and Lewis Hall resident, said the hall closing schedule was a little inconvenient.
She said she had to catch a flight home at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon because the evening flights were booked. However, her afternoon flight caused her to miss her drawing class, which runs until 5:30 p.m.
"It did bother me, but I guess I have to deal with it," said Farris, an illustration major. "I like the class a lot, and I have make-up work to do."
She said she would have flown out of Kansas City on Wednesday morning if her hall had remained open.
International students living in one of the halls that will close could participate in the Betty Grimwood Thanksgiving Homestay Program, an International Student Service program that matches first-year international students with families across the state for either the entire break or Thanksgiving Day.
Christian Lutz, Overland Park graduate student and International Student Services assistant, said 31 students were participating in the program.
Other students, including Marilena Neocleous, Cyprus junior, chose to stay in town with friends.
Neocleous said she would be going to Kansas City for the week to stay with her friend's family. She said the hall closing was inconvenient because she had to find a place to stay for only four days.
She said this would be the third Thanksgiving that she found a friend to stay with.
Edited by Jennifer Roush
"Even though it's stressful, the people in charge would have to stay here if they kept the hall open," Neocleous said. "And that would be inconvenient for them, especially if they wanted to spend time with their families."
Turkey isn't tradition for everyone
By Emily Hughey writer@kanson.com Kanson staff writer
When the pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving, they probably didn't have tofu on the menu.
Now, however, Thanksgiving has come to be celebrated by nonmeat eaters, and some vegetarian students return home for Thanksgiving and find a meat-oriented meal they politely must deny.
Nichole Salters, Frankenmuth, Mich. senior, became a vegetarian five years ago, but she said she still faced comments from her carnivorous parents.
"They're supportive, but they think I kind of silly," Salters said. "My mom and dad are still always asking me 'Do you want some turkey?' I just say 'no thank you.'"
Chad Belton, Salina senior, said he met the same gibes when he switched to vegetarianism four years ago but, for the most part, his family was supportive.
"It was weird at first," said Belton, who still eats fish. "My mom got it right away, but my grandparents are from very rural Kansas where there's lots of meat. Grandpa got this really worried look on his face and said 'Will you still eat fish?' I said 'Yeah, Grandpa, we'll still go fishing together."
Despite the American culture's focus on Thanksgiving turkey, both Salters and Belton said they never went hungry on Thanksgiving because there always was plenty to eat.
Nancy O'Connor, vegetarian and nutrition educator at the Community Mercantile Co-Op, 901 Mississippi St., said plenty of foods were available to vegetarians for Thanksgiving.
"A vegetarian can sit down and eat everything else but meat," O'Connor said. "There are also Turkunkeys. They're tofu instead of a bird."
Other popular dishes include tofu pot pies and vegetarian casseroles.
For vegetarians at meat-centered tables, O'Connor said, it is important to be gracious and not offend anyone when refusing turkey.
"Holidays like this can be a contention, especially for someone going home as a new vegetarian," O'Connor said. "It's very important not to be righteous about it because it doesn't facilitate tolerance and understanding."
O'Connor, author of *The Rolling Prairie Cookbook* recommends that vegetarians bring their own dish to the table with the consent
VEGGIE
THANKSGIVING
FOODS
- peas
- sweet potatoes
- mashed potatoes
- green beans
- non-meat dressing
- vegetable gravy
- tofu turkey
- rice
- carrots
- salad
- cranberry sauce
- pumpkin pie
- breads and rolls
- mushrooms
"It is nice to make the effort to bring something special to the table," O'Connor said. "Then everyone can share and learn something new."
of the host or hostess.
Edited by Jamie Knodel
Community Mercantile nutrition educator Nancy O'Canner shows all-avegetarian turkey alternative next to a traditional turkey. The UnTurkey is made up of tofu and a variety of whole grains. (image by Jamie Porter/Kansan)
Walnut and Mushroom Roast (1 serving)
**Walnut and Mushroom Tables**
1 small onion
1 cup mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup walnuts
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon sweet basil
sea salt to taste
Creamy Gravy
1/8 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon (or more to taste)
yeast flakes
Chop onion and mushrooms finely.
Saute over low heat in oil for three minutes.
Chop walnuts coarsely, grind sunflower seeds finely and add all the est of the ingredients to the onions and mushrooms and mix well.
Transfer to greased baking dish and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Serve with creamy gravy.
Put nuts, water and oil in blender and blend thoroughly. Pour mixture into small saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly until it has thickened. Stir in yeast. If mixture is too thick, add more water.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinner
Mashed Potatoes (4 servings)
4 medium baking potatoes, cubed
1/3 cup dairy milk alternative
1 quart water
2 to 5 tablespoons butter
(Rice Dream or soy milk)
1 quart
2 l to 5 tablespoons butter
or margarine
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Black pepper
Source: The Single Vegan and The Rice Dream Cookbook
Boil potatoes in water until soft, and
easily pierced with fork (about 15
minutes). Drain and place in medium
mixing bowl.
Add all ingredients. Using an electric or hand mixer, mash potatoes until thick; smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with creamy gravy.
Ellie Hajek / KANSAN
Fresh cranberries for homemade cranberry sauce. The Merc offers a variety of traditional foods for the Thanksgiving holiday. Photo Jamie Roper/KANSAN
Weight gain adds heavy load during holidays
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
By Amber Stuever
From Thanksgiving gravy to Christmas candies and New Year's champagne, 'tis the season for weight gain for many Americans.
Beginning with this week's Thanksgiving meal, students may see an increase in stuffing, not only on the table, but also under their belts.
Ann Chapman, Watkins Memorial Health Center dietitian, said many people gained weight from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. College students, however, may be even more apt to gain weight because of their longer holiday breaks.
"A lot more food is accessible around that time of year, and you end up splurging around the holiday season," said Erin McCall, Tulsa freshman. "There's all those pies and candies that you don't always get. You kind of ignore that all those calories are in there."
tured fast-paced lifestyle to a slow, relaxed pace. It isn't just that their eating habits change, and they're exposed to more high-fat foods, but their activity level often times decreases a great deal."
The weight gain can come from several sources, whether it's exchanging a fast-paced lifestyle for long days sleeping or indulging in edible holiday traditions.
For many students, however, the weight gain starts before the holiday break. Goodie baskets sent from parents and late-night finals snacking add calories. Some students also deal with finals stress by eating more.
"People tend to either overeat or underate under stress," Chapman said. "A lot of people use food to soothe their stress, so as their stress level increases, they find themselves overeating."
Nicki Bowen, Overland Park sophomore, said her family added wine and dessert to holiday meals.
"Both of those add calories to the meal," she said.
When finals end, the celebration
"Students go from a very structured fast-paced lifestyle to a slow, relaxed pace."
Ann Chapman
Watkins Health Center dietitian
often begins, also contributing to weight gain.
"There's more of that mentality that, I deserve this, or I worked so hard I'm going to eat all I want and not worry twice about it," Chapman said. "A lot of them do follow that practice, and then it catches up on them after the holidays are over, and they get on the scale, and they are five or seven pounds heavier."
Watch your portion sizes. You can give in to Aunt Bertha's
Chapman offered several suggestions on ways to overcome the battle of the holiday bulge.
double chocolate fudge pie as
long as you limit yourself to a small slice, not the whole pie.
Keep exercising or start exercising. It'll not only burn the calories from those gravy-soaked mashed potatoes, but it also will decrease stress that can lead to overeating.
Don't fast before a big meal. You may overeat to the point of a belt buckle adjustment after dinner.
Watch your boozing. A 6 oz. glass of wine contains 110-120 calories. And worse, small doses of alcohol can lead to an increased appetite.
■ Get out of bed or off the couch. Try to keep a normal sleep pattern and a decent level of activity during the holiday breaks whether it's just going shopping or seeing a movie with friends.
- Substitute foods. Use two egg whites for a whole egg. Use low-fat versions of mayonnaise, cheese, sour cream or cream cheese.
De-emphasize food. Focus on the meaning of the holidays, not just the dinner menu.
THANKSGIVING DINNER
Normal:
4 oz. roast hom
1/2 cup stuffing
1/2 cup broccoli with hollandaise sauce
1/2 cup jellied cranberry sauce
1 medium crescent roll
1 slice pecan pie
Total calories=1,300
Total fat=80 grams
Light:
5 oz. roast turkey breast
1/2 cup rice pillaf
1/2 cup broccoli with lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh cranberry relish
1 fresh roll
1 slice pumpkin pie
Total calories=730
Total fat=21 grams
Edited by Jessie Meyer
Holiday travelers should prepare for bad weather
By Todd Halsted
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
The highways may be dangerous this Thanksgiving break if unassuming travelers do not take the necessary precautions.
The Kansas Turnpike Authority said the Wednesday before Thanksgiving experienced the heaviest traffic of the year, with nearly 123,000 vehicles compared to the Wednesday average of 81,000 vehicles.
Lisa Callahan, public relations director for the authority, said the
busiest period of the day was in the late afternoon and early evening.
"Drivers should take breaks every now and then," Callahan said. "And they have the perfect opportunity with free coffee being offered by Hardee's and EZ Go on the Turnpike."
Both businesses are participating in a Kansas program to encourage drivers to take breaks.
She said additional toll plazas, collectors and troopers would be on hand to assist travelers.
John Woynick, meteorologist for the National Weather System in Topeka, said the weather had done
a complete turn around.
"We went from being high and dry to thunderstorms knocking on your door," Woynick said.
He said students should watch the weather forecast before traveling and prepare their cars as was pertinent.
Sherien Rouhani, St. Louis senior, said she and her friends always made sure the car was safe before heading home.
"Every year we change the oil and take other precautions to make sure the car is safe," she said. "We never leave after the sun sets, and call our parents before driving home."
He said that travelers headed
John Woynick
meteorologist
"We went from being high and dry to thunderstorms knocking on your door."
"If they're driving or flying through the upper Midwest they
toward St. Louis could encounter thunderstorms and that although Chicago is clear travelers may experience extreme weather on their way there.
could encounter snow or thunderstorms," Woynick said. "If they are driving through parts of Wisconsin or Minnesota they should prepare for winter driving."
And if students are heading west they should see clear skies with snow in Colorado ending in the early morning hours today.
And the best advice?
"Everybody, from the kids in the backseat to adults in the front, should buckle-up," Callahan said.
For additional travel information go to www.ksturpnike.com.
—Edited by Jessie Meyer