Ally Week 2013 organizers hosted a panel question and answer Thursday night to discuss the topic of religion and the LGBTQ community. About 75 UCLA students convened at Sproul Lecture Hall for the panel, which coordinators Cyrus Sinai and Youmu Alhlou said aimed to get the community thinking about the issues surrounding faith and sexuality.

One of the main points of discussion throughout the night was how to address an institutional versus an individual capacity for acceptance and tolerance. Responding with humor to the question of whether or not his religion had a negative image, Naveed, a gay Muslim man, responded, “We’re feminist, we’re non-violent and we love gay people.” He went on to say how he believed Taliban extremism had done a serious disservice to a generally loving and tolerant religion.

The panelists, who included representatives of a wide variety of religious backgrounds, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Catholic and Mormonism, all said they believed their God to be loving, accepting and to have made no mistakes in creating LGBTQ individuals. Roger Butler, a devout Hindu, quoted a phrase from Krishna: “Failing in being who you are is more important than excelling in being someone else you’re not,” to explain why he believes God wants all people, including religious LGBTQ people, to be open about their sexualities. Most portrayed their religions in a loving light, and said they had hope for a more egalitarian and loving community of tomorrow.

Ally Week ends today with a celebration of the National Day of Silence, followed by Pride Prom.

—Morgan Dobbins

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All week the WorldFest at UCLA committee has been attempting to bring a zesty new flavor to our overly-Americanized, though still totally delicious, dining hall food. On Monday students could enjoy a taste of Bolivia with Aji de Pollo and Quinoa Chocolate Cake. Tuesday featured a Romanian Beef Goulash and Cozonac (a walnut bread dessert). Wednesday honored Afghanistan with a Sabzi e Goshte (braised lamb and spinach over rice) and Halwaua-e-Aurd-e-Sujee (a mash with pistachios and cardamom). Thursday paid tribute to Zimbabwe with African Durban Chicken Curry and melkert (a sweet milk tart with cinnamon whipped cream) for dessert. Tonight’s the last night of WorldFest, and the featured country is Laos. Larb Gai (Spicy Chicken Salad) and jackfruit tapioca will take center stage for entree and dessert, so it’s not too late to try something new and exotic before the weekend.

—Morgan Dobbins

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By spring quarter, your tastebuds may have grown a little tired of dining hall food. Despite the high quality of food here at UCLA, eating the same meals day in and day out can get a bit old (although this week WorldFest at UCLA treated us to some new tastes). There’s only so many bowls of cereal with milk that a hungry student can handle. Keeping this in mind, we’re compiled a list of delicious recipes to help get you out of your meal rut, starting with breakfast.

Crunchy Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter

If you’re tired of boring, plain ‘ol peanut butter, spice things up a bit (literally) with this crunchy, chewy, and nutty spread that you won’t be able to stop eating.

• Two tablespoons (a big spoonful) of creamy peanut butter

• A tablespoon of sliced almonds

• craisins or raisins

• A scoop of granola – my personal favorite is vanilla almond!

• A hefty shake of cinnamon

You can find the almonds, craisins, and granola by the yogurt bar, and the raisins and cinnamon near the oatmeal.  Just grab a bowl, stir everything up, and enjoy! My favorite way to eat this delicious spread is in a whole wheat sandwich with banana slices and a drizzle of honey. It’s also excellent on its own, stirred into oatmeal or spread on a banana. -JF

Nutella Mocha

Nutella coffee in a cup… need I say more? To make this creamy drink, fill about 1/3 of a mug with hot chocolate, and then fill up the rest of the mug with regular coffee and add a splash of hazelnut creamer. If you’re not a fan of coffee or want more chocolate flavor, try fiddling with the amounts of coffee and hot chocolate until you get the perfect combination. For a more indulgent treat, try adding some whipped cream or mini marshmallows on top! -JF

Pretty Pancakes

Had enough plain old syrup on your pancakes? Miss the 100% pure maple syrup you had back home? Get creative with the yogurt bar and all the fruit at your disposal in the dining halls, or try this delicious combo.

• 1 plate of pancakes
• ½ banana
• 1 large spoonful of cottage cheese or plain yogurt
• 1 small handful of almond slivers
• 1 small handful of craisins

Slice up half a banana and arrange the slices on the top pancake. Add as much cottage cheese (or plain yogurt) as you like (I used roughly two tablespoons) and top with almond slivers and dried cranberries. You can also use this mix to liven up your oatmeal. Pair with plain coffee or a large glass of soy milk et voilà! -IG

Power Breakfast

If your energy levels tend to dip during the morning or you seldom have time for lunch, try this high-energy breakfast.

• Your choice of bagel
• 1 banana
• Cream cheese
• Peanut butter
• Honey (optional)

Pick your favorite type of bagel, although avoid the onion and bear in mind that whole wheat will keep you full for longer. Cut the bagel in half and toast it. On one side, spread your choice of peanut butter (I use crunchy) and on the other, spread some cream cheese. Top both halves with banana slices. Adding honey on the cream cheese half is also great for your sweet tooth. Sit back and enjoy! I can’t get enough of this. -IG

Have you created anything interesting in the dining halls lately? Tweet us @dbmojo or leave a comment below!

-Iris Goldsztajn and Julianna Foster

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—Julianna Foster

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What better way to celebrate the arrival of asparagus season than with a giant bowl of green soup?

Not your ideal form of a meal? I didn’t think it would be mine either until I tried this awesome recipe for asparagus, arugula and avocado soup. Loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and all things good for you, asparagus packs a punch. And now that the vegetable is in season until the end of April, you can buy a whole bunch for only $2 at Trader Joe’s. You’ll be feeling healthy within a few sips (especially beneficial if you’re still finishing up the last of that Easter candy, like myself!) An additional bonus with this meal is that it serves many and stays good for up to a week. No cooking for days in return for a one-hour investment? I know I’m in.

I skipped straining the soup (to save the time and save the nutrients in the soup; I personally liked how the asparagus gave it a chunky consistency). However, don’t skip the food processing/blending instructions. Serve alongside a slice of toasted bread and a dollop of Greek yogurt, topped with a sprig of arugula and you have an aesthetically appealing “triple A” soup. What an appetizing alliteration!

If you have extra asparagus left over or feel like going the extra mile, I love cooking them with the method I use for making kale chips: Lightly coat with olive oil, toss with salt, pepper, garlic powder, fresh lemon zest and a dash of lemon juice, and bake at 400 degrees for 10 or so minutes, until crispy. Note: If you’re a fan of cheese, skip the lemon and sprinkle shaved parmesan or asiago cheese on the asparagus for a perfect melty complement. Grilled asparagus makes a great side dish or afternoon study snack.

—Amy Giroux

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As a full-time student who may have a job, internship, research project, and/or family responsibilities, it may be tough to find time to be creative.

As I’ve written about before, I’m a writer, and with all the other activities I have to do in my life, I sometimes have difficulty finding the time to write. If you’re a fellow writer, then maybe you can relate. Or maybe you have a different passion that you have trouble finding the time to pursue, such as playing music or painting. With the hectic schedule that entails being a college student, I thought it might be helpful to offer some tips on finding the time to write creatively while at school.

1. Write Just a Little Bit Each Day

This is some advice that could help you with essays as well as creative writing, so bonus! Writing essays can sometimes be a daunting task. How do professors expect you to write a 10-page essay in two weeks? It’s not as hard as it seems. You have 14 days to write 10 pages. So if you just write one page a day, you’ll be finished on time with a few days to spare. Or you could give yourself a couple of cheat days to slack off. The same concept can be applied to your creative writing. I’m a member LCC Theatre Company, and I have to submit scripts the first week of classes. So if I have two weeks to write a play, and I’ve outlined that the play is going to be about 25 pages, then I know that I have to write at least two pages a day in order to finish it on time. I finished it, and it will be performed this May, but more on that later. “But what if I don’t have a strict deadline?” you might be asking. Well …

2. Build a Community of Writers

If you’re just writing for fun, chances are you don’t have deadlines that absolutely need to be met, which can make finishing projects harder. But if you have a group of friends with knowledge about writing, just talking about your projects with each other can spur you to finish them. For example, I had this idea for the play I mentioned earlier. The play, which I called “Apoca-Friends,” is basically about a group of friends living in a post-apocalyptic world and going on adventures. So I had a basic idea with some thoughts on a beginning and a few jokes here and there. But initially, I just couldn’t get excited enough to sit down and write the thing. I talked about the basic idea with some friends who were writers, and they made some suggestions, and soon I was expanding on this initial idea. The story grew to include a mutant civilization and a character who’s half-raccoon. And it continued to grow and grow until it was something I became really excited about, and I wanted to see the final product.

3. Find Time, Don’t Make Time

Is there a difference? Yes, yes there is. Making time is when you take time out of something else important, like sleeping or doing homework, and devote it to writing. But you don’t want your grades to suffer. So instead of making the time to write, find the time. No matter how busy your schedule might seem, I’m sure you have at least a little bit of downtime. Re-evaluate how you spend that downtime. Instead of wasting it on Facebook or watching “House of Cards,” devote it to writing. You’d be surprised how much time you have when you cut out unnecessary activities.

4. Write Ideas Down.

There will inevitably come a time in your college career when you just won’t have time for anything else (e.g., midterms week, finals week, the week you spend preparing for Fat Sal’s Big Fat Fatty Challenge). But that doesn’t mean great ideas won’t stop coming to you. Write those ideas down, so you can work on them when you do have time. If you don’t, then you risk forgetting that idea. ”Apoca-Friends” came to me when I was busy with midterms last quarter (I come up with my strangest ideas when I’m stressed). I’m thankful I wrote it down so other people can enjoy it when it’s presented in May.

If you’re passionate about your art, then I’m sure you’ll find ways to pursue it. How do you find time to write? Comment below or tweet @dbmojo.

—Mike Bedard

Tags: Creative Writing, The Write Stuff

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