About Us
I’m leaving California. That’s right. I’m replacing my dear old home for my other home: México. I'm leave for Guadalajara, México and I couldn’t be more excited. Most of you are probably wondering where that is.
There it is!
Ahh México. Nothing but good memories. Family, great food, good weather and awesome friends. I LOVE it there. But enough of that, you’ll hear more about México soon enough. For now, I want to focus on the place I’m leaving. It’s always rough leaving home, and it’s even harder to leave when you think of the food you’re leaving behind.
We actually just got back from the US Open of Surfing 2013 at Huntington Beach. It’s one of the largest events of the summer in Southern California and simply put, it’s awesome. It’s a weeklong surfing and skating competition and includes two days of free concerts open to the public. And if there’s anywhere you want to stop and eat in Huntington, it’s Little Saigon. It’s the largest Vietnamese-American enclave in the country and is one of the best places you can go for authentic Vietnamese food.
Little Saigon is known for its Beef Pho. It’s what I most miss from California when I leave, so this is why I’m sharing this with you. It involves more than a few ingredients but it’s definitely worth a try.
Ingredients:
1 large onion
1 knob of peeled ginger
1 stick of lemongrass
1 small red chilli
2 oz. sesame oil
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 beef steaks (150g each)
3 cups of beef stock
1 handful of beansprouts
2 handfuls of rice noodles
1 handful of chopped spring onions
4 sprigs of chopped mint
Chopped basil
Small bunch of chopped coriander
Step 1:
Slice the onions into rings and grate the ginger. Dice the lemongrass and chili. Put them in a pan together with the star anise, cinnamon, onions with a shot of oil and cook for about 2 minutes.
Step 2:
Slice the beef into very very thin strips and add it to the pan to cook. Then add the beef stock and put the heat on medium. Add noodles to cook for about 3 minutes. When that’s done, add the beansprouts on top with the spring onions.
Step 3:
There are a lot of toppings you can add to Pho and it really just depends on personal preference. I like adding sriracha hot sauce and a lemon wedge. But feel free to add Thai basil, cilantro or more bean sprouts!
Pho is fresh, healthy and literally always delicious. After our day at the beach, it was just what we wanted, especially when that ocean breeze picked up.
School, major and year: A&S, Economics, 2015
HometownRancho Cucamonga, California
What makes the Gavel so BANGin’? We keep it fresh. It’s drippin with swagger and is home to some of the coolest cats on campus. The Gavel is always fun and I’ve met nothing short of amazing people and writers here.
You have 24 hours to give prospective students a tour of BC and convince them to enroll. How do you spend the day? I’d start by getting some coffee and a personalized omelet at Mac. Then we’d go lose our voices at a football game and wear our super awesome Superfan shirts. We would then go see one of the amazing Acapella groups perform. We’d get some Mac N Cheese from the Rat for lunch. We would go see My Mother’s Fleabag for an awesome good time. Then we’d take a break and visit the dorms (i.e. sit in my room and watch Mean Girls…because Mean Girls.). We would then go to a hockey game, then to the Mods, and end the night at Late Night.
If you could go back in time and give yourself a pep talk the night before you moved into BC as a freshman, what is the most important piece of advice that you would give to your former self? Eat your vegetables and take a lot of pictures.
What is your favorite study spot on campus? The Rat
What is your go-to meal at Late Night? That delicious Simply Orange juice the dining halls always have stocked. This and a personal pizza topped with ketchup. Judge all you want, but ketchup on pizza is the best thing to happen since Game of Thrones.
What is the #1 most played song on your iTunes? “I Always Knew” by the Vaccines
What is the best Halloween costume that you have ever worn? I was Minnie Mouse as a kid. Not trying to brag, but I rocked the ears off that costume.
If you could only eat at one restaurant for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Del Taco
If you could befriend the main characters from any TV show or movie, who would you choose and why? Easy. Harry Potter. (I’m assuming) I’d get to go to Hogwarts, be a wizard AND be friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It’s a win win, for me anyway. If I can’t be a wizard then i’d be friends with the main characters from This Is The End.
