Like most people probably, I saw macarons before on the Internet before I ever ate them—perfect, colorful sandwiches, pyramids and pyramids of them arranged carefully in concentric circles or neat little rows, a spectrum of pastries. Macarons are a small French pastry, made of almond flour, with flavors ranging from lavender to chocolate. They are notoriously difficult to … [Read more...] about What’s Eatin’ You: Macarons (The Pretty Ones)
Archives for 2014
Trust Me, I’m Premed: Vaccines Save Lives
Vaccines are an extremely important aspect of modern medicine. They reduce mortality rates from many diseases and save a significant amount of money. Despite these obvious benefits, some people continue to oppose vaccines and refuse to vaccinate their children. In doing so, these individuals not only endanger their own children, but the lives of many others as well. … [Read more...] about Trust Me, I’m Premed: Vaccines Save Lives
Internal Migration in Modern China: An Investigation of Hukou and State Social Policy
Thomas D. Armstrong is a history and international relations double major at USC with concentrations in East Asia and international politics and security studies. He is currently writing a history honors thesis on Sino-American relations during World War II under Professor Brett Sheehan. Thomas has spent three summers in China studying language and history. First, in 2009, he … [Read more...] about Internal Migration in Modern China: An Investigation of Hukou and State Social Policy
What is Your Call on Catcalling?
By now even if people haven't seen the catcalling video of the woman walking around New York, people have at least heard of it. A woman filmed herself for several hours walking around New York enduring a wide range of comments from men on her appearance. The woman was followed, yelled at, hollered at and it was clear that she was uncomfortable with all of this. The video was … [Read more...] about What is Your Call on Catcalling?
What’s Eatin’ You: Coffee, with a Pat of Butter
Another blog entry about coffee? Why not—apparently coffee is becoming a defining characteristic of American culture. In middle school, I read a book by a young adult author called Cornelia Funke, who wrote a novel about a boy and a dragon who end up in the Himalayas. One of the exotic customs with which the two were confronted was yak butter tea—green tea with butter mixed … [Read more...] about What’s Eatin’ You: Coffee, with a Pat of Butter