FRONT COVER

The Special

Cu!ina"y I#ue

Fall 2015

The Special is an online magazine produced by journalism students at Texas A&M University-Com-merce.�  Content�  and�  produc on�  are�  the�  responsibili es�  of�  the�  students.�  The Special is produced dur-

ing�  the�  fall�  and�  spring�  semesters.�  

conTacT:�  The�  Special,�  Texas�  A&M�  University-­‐Commerce,�  Box�  4104,�  Commerce,�  Texas�  75428.

STaff:�  Kerry�  Wilson,�  Tristen�  Harris,�  Mandi�  Carpenter,�  Shomari�  Harris

faculTy adviSer: Fred�  Stewart�  (Fred.Stewart@tamuc.edu)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Tiger ButterBy Kerry Wilson

Freshman 15By Christian Hall

Eating healthyBy Shomari Harris

Wine and foodBy Mandi Carpenter

International Coffee House night at the Baptist Student Ministry brought international students together to fellowship

while sharing desserts from their native countries and allowed one student to enjoy a familiar dessert from America – tiger butter.

Viktoria Tabeleva, native of Kyr-gyzstan, has lived in the United States for four and a half years and during her time here, one of the desserts she has enjoyed has been tiger butter. Tabeleva said her first time trying tiger butter

was with her American family in

Willis Point during Christmas.“The first time I had it was during

Christmastime when everybody was getting presents,” Tabeleva said. “I got it and I was like, ‘Oh

OK, what is this?’ and I opened it

and there were all kinds of cookies and peanut brittle and this butter.”

Tiger butter, a native dessert of the southern part of the U.S., is a mixture of white chocolate, peanut butter, and dark chocolate. The white chocolate and peanut butter are melted in a pot and then poured into a baking pan. Dark chocolate is then melted and swirled with the white chocolate-peanut butter mix-ture, creating the impression of tiger stripes.Tabeleva said one thing that is different about tiger butter from desserts in Kyrgyzstan is that it is made by hand.“See, the cool thing is that they actually made it, because in Kyrgyzstan we buy such things,” she said. “We don’t actually make them because chocolate is expensive, so we can buy a chocolate bar where chocolate is kind of mixed.”Tabeleva mentioned that aside from chocolate des-serts being made by hand in America, the reason tiger but-ter is not made in Kyrgyzstan is because peanut butter is a rare find there.

Tiger Butter dessert

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Continued on page 5

By Kerry Wilson

Tiger ButterThe�  best�  kept�  secret�  of�  the�  South

Viktoria Tabeleva trying a different desert

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“The number one reason why we don’t have tiger butter in Kyrgyzstan is because it is hard to find peanut butter, and it’s not

very famous in Kyrgyzstan,” she said. “I had to look for it

actually, but while I was living in

Kyrgyzstan I didn’t know about

peanut butter’s existence, so I got

introduced to peanut butter for the first time here in the U.S. I fell in

love with peanut butter, so when I

went back home, I had to find it.”

When Tabeleva saw that tiger butter was one of the desserts on the menu at International Coffee

House night, she was excited because the dessert reminds her of Christmastime and her family in America.But despite tiger butter being a trademark dessert of the south, many Texas A&M University-Commerce students (who are from Texas) have never heard of it.A&M-Commerce junior, Evangelio Meek, tried tiger butter for the first time after starting

college.“The time I had tiger butter, it

was actually more of a surprise to me,” Meek said. “Because personally I really don’t like

peanut butter other than peanut butter, so like Reese’s Pieces I don’t really enjoy. But, the

interesting thing about eating tiger butter was that there was like this interexchange between the chocolate and the peanut butter flavors, and it kind of mellows out

at the end. It was actually a really

good experience.”Meek grew up in Sulphur Springs and said that while growing up, his mother never made desserts a lot. He said that college opened the door to trying tiger butter.

“My mother never made desserts so much, so coming to college there is much more of a sharing of food between communities,” he said. “Tiger butter wasn’t a

thing to me because chocolate and peanut butter, those two together, made me think of Reese’s peanut butter, but then the way that they make this, it’s a lot better.”

A&M Commerce International Student Viktoria Tabeleva

Photo Courtesy of Kerry W

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F reshman 15 is traditionally a new college student’s concern, but there are ways to prevent it and beat it with

the right tips and tools. College freshmen have a

reputation of typically making poor choices that include skipping class, not studying, and eating less healthy foods over the more healthy likes of fruits and vegetables. Consequences may include nutritional deficiencies,

obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease along with inefficient

performance on daily tasks and sleeping much longer than is needed to stay healthy.

Because of these poor eating habits, weight gain occurs, thus providing the Freshman 15 – those 15 pounds gained during a student’s freshmen year. But there are ways to beat the issue that are simple to follow.

For the avid snacker, chips and ice cream are typically high on the

list of things to buy while grocery shopping for the dorm, students are encouraged to add apples with peanut butter, Greek yogurt and fruit, and whole grain cereal in the basket next time the snack temptation strikes.

Breakfast is an important meal of the day because it wakes up the metabolism and gives the brain and muscles energy for daily tasks.

Some on-the-go breakfast options include hard boiled eggs and fruit, whole grain toast with peanut butter, and a low-fat granola bar and fruit.

The campus cafeteria is where some students make poor choices when it comes to eating because there may be high-calorie foods and over-sized portions, but there are also more healthy choices.

“After I was informed about

the meaning (of Freshman 15), I

believed it all,” Alfredo Martinez said. “I came to this school

weighing 120 pounds and went up to 135 in a month.”

By Christian Hall

By Shomari Harris

Nutrition is the process of

providing or obtaining the food

necessary for health and growth.

When it comes to nutrition,

consistently maintaining nutrients

in their body is a student’s biggest

challenge.

On the Texas A&M Uni-

versity-Commerce campus healthy

food is being provided by the uni-

versity’s cafeteria.

A campus survey showed

that 55% of students eating in the

cafeteria are choosing salads over

fried and baked foods.

“The cafeteria is a great

place to eat healthy food,” volley-

ball player Shantel Williams said.

“Buying salad or fruit from the gro-

cery store can be very expensive

once you run out, but the cafeteria’s

salad bar has the right amount of

nutrients that I need.”

The cafeteria offers a vari-

ety of healthy choices for students,

such as yogurt and fruit including

peaches, pineapples, fruit cocktail

and fresh orange slices.

“It is very easy to eat unhealthy as

a college student,” a university ca-

Eating healthy is primary concern for many A&M-Commerce studentsSalads, fruits being selected over fried and baked foods more often

terer said, “that’s why I like to try

and give examples of being healthy

without direct communication.”

Unsweetened tea, with 0

grams of trans-fat and two calories,

is often the drink of choice in some

local restaurants.

“Surprisingly, unsweetened

tea gets chosen more than you would

expect,” a host at Luigi’s said. “But

another thing that is not surprising,

is more adults order it rather than

younger teens or kids.”

‘The cafeteria is a great

place to eat healthy...’

Shantel Williams

Eating healthy is primary concern for many A&M-Commerce studentsSalads, fruits being selected over fried and baked foods more often

By Mandi Carpenter

Wine drinking has be-come a popular leisure activity in the last few years as businesses celebrate “Wine Wednesday,” wineries seem to be popping up everywhere, and lists have been released pairing candy and Girl Scout cookies with wines that complement�  their�   lavors. A report published by “Current Biology” found that the way food and wine feel in our mouth is actually what makes the lavors�  more�  appealing,�  not�  the�  taste�  itself.�  

We perceive similarities aromatically because most of what�  we�  think�  of�  as�   lavor�  -­‐�  ac-tually�  comes�  from�  smell.�  The�  tongue only picks up sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, tartness, and�  savoriness. “A stringent wine and fatty meat are like the ying and yang of the food world, sitting on oppo-site ends of a sensory spectrum,” Cell Press, publisher of Current Biology stated in an October 2012�  article.

One key to pairing the right wine with the right food is matching recipes to the wine that is made in the same culture as�  the�  food.�  For�  instance,�  Tuscan�  recipes and Tuscan wines almost always�   it�  together�  naturally.

Cheese and wine is a staple when it comes to food and wine pairing but some varieties are�  better�  than�  others.�  A�  dry�  rosé�  has the acidity of white wine with

the fruit character of red, which is what makes it the perfect wine pairing with almost all cheese varieties.

Rosé�  sparkling�  wines�  have�  such�  depth�  and�   lavor�  that�  they�  pair well with a variety of main course�  meals.

Sauvignon Blanc wine pairs well with tart dressings and sauces, whereas Grüner Veltliner’s citrus and clover scent accents herbs in a dish, while the silkiness of Chardonnay compli-ments seafood, both in and out of rich�  sauces.

Off-dry Riesling wines pair well with sweet and spicy dishes.�  The�  spiciness�  and�  hot�  lavors�  of�  hot�  tamales�  candies�  

are best complimented with the apricot�  and�  white�  peach�   lavors�  of�  Riesling�  Chateau�  Montelena.

Most dry sparkling wines, like champagne, have a faint touch of sweetness which makes them more refreshing when paired�  with�  salty�  food.

“I don’t normally snack while drinking wine, but if I were to snack, I would choose some-thing salty,” Shelby Thomas, wine connoisseur�  said.�  “I�  prefer�  sweet�  wine, like Moscato, so I want something�  salty�  to�  mix�  with�  it.�  Sweet food makes the wine taste bitter.” The sweet sparkling lavors�  in�  Moscato�  wine�  empha-

size the fruit in a desert rather than�  the�  sugar.�  Moscato�  perfectly�  offsets the sugar-dusted lemon lavors�  of�  the�  Savannah�  Smiles�  

Girl�  Scout�  cookie.�  Cabernet Sauvignon’s tan-

nins refresh the palate after each bite of red meat and Syrah wines match great with highly spiced dishes.�  The�  spicy�  notes�  of�  the�  red wine mix well with heavily seasoned meats without being overpowering.

Malbec wines are big and bold enough to drink with foods brushed heavily with spiced bar-beque�  sauces.

The Girl Scout cookie, Do-si-dos, are suggested to be paired�  with�  a�  tawny�  port�  wine.�  Due�  to�  the�  nut�   lavor�  and�  oatmeal�  aromas of the port, the oatmeal and�  peanut�  butter�   lavors�  of�  the�  cookie�  are�  emphasized. Samoa cookies are best paired�  with�  Madeira�  Malvasia.�  The�  cooked�   lavors�  in�  the�  Madei-ra mix excellent with the coconut lavor�  in�  the�  Samoas�  just�  like�  they�  

do with the rich peanut butter and�  chocolate�   lavors�  of�  Tagalong�  cookies. Thin Mints rich dark chocolate�  and�  mint�   lavor�  appeals�  the�  sweetness�  and�  jam�   lavor�  of�  a�  red wine which also compliments Peanut M&M’s and Whoppers candy. All of the food and wine pairings�  are�  subject�  to�  personal�  interpretation but the examples stated serve as good guidelines to getting the most savoriness out of�  food�  and�  wine.�  

Wine and food