Culture: Page 198

The Boba Bandwagon

It might be a fad, but it's a tasty one

Chow

Once unheard of, boba tea, or bubble tea, features chewy tapioca, or “boba” balls that patrons slurp down with a wide straw, along with a milky iced tea.  “It started in Taiwan in the 1980s,” says D.I.Y. Tea & Beyond owner Richard Zheng. “Now it’s all over the world.”  Zheng says his shop’s boba tea is a standout because of its brewing process, using a tea espresso machine, and the way they prepare the addictive little boba balls themselves:  Continue reading →

Curry and Spice

Crazy Curry is a food cart to look out for

Chow

Padma Prakash worked as a prep cook at the Oregon Electric Station for more than three decades, she says. It was a hard pill to swallow when management changed in 2014 and slashed her pay. Unsure what else to do, Padma Prakash— with help from her youngest son, Jayant Prakash — opened Crazy Curry, the bright yellow Indo-Fijian food cart on the lonely corner of River Road & Thomas Lane. “I’ve eaten a lot of Indian and Fijian food,” Jayant Prakash says. “Nothing compares to my mom’s cooking.” Continue reading →

The World’s Greatest City for the Arts and Outdoors

Cultural inspectors Floomf and Schmorple come to Eugene

Culture

When Floomf and Schmorple descended upon Earth, it was for one specific reason: To investigate a claim made by the city of Eugene in the early aughts. The two were inspectors for the highly regarded Associated Stars Systems for Cross-cultural Outerspace Propagation (ASSCOP) located in the Boopz Galaxy, and their satellite scanner had intercepted the message: Eugene is The World’s Greatest City for the Arts and Outdoors. Continue reading →

Prize in the Bottle

Wine: It's not just sour grapes

Drink

Wine is just fermented grape juice. So what’s all the fuss and chatter? There’s a prize in every bottle of good wine. And the prize can be very special, one that connects to memory, one that draws friends closer, one that opens experience. There’s often synergy with food: Wine makes food taste better, food makes wine taste better.  Now, add time in the bottle. A minor miracle ensues. Horizons expand. Sweet tastes sweeter. Continue reading →