Proposed Changes to College Men’s Soccer

Patrick Schaal’s latest post:

According to a new article recently completed by The Washington Post, changes have been proposed to the operations of the men’s Division I college soccer season.  Currently, the program runs on the same schedule it has held for over fifty years.  The season is jammed into just over three months in the fall, with very limited practices and exhibitions allowed in the spring.

However, the proposed changes would allow the number of official team days to increase from one hundred and thirty two to one hundred and forty four.  The season would start in late August with training camps.  Between mid-September and Thanksgiving, the teams would play two friendlies and thirteen matches.  Winter break would fall from Thanksgiving until late February, during which time teams would be allowed to hold eight hour long training sessions.  In late February, spring training camps would begin.  By mid-March, the season would be in full swing once more, including nine more season matches, in addition to conferences and the NCAA tournament games.

The reasoning behind lengthening the season from three months in fall to an academic-year-long activity involves several issues.  The Division I soccer competition structure is outdated; the format doesn’t match the structures set by youth and professional leagues which, in turn, does not prepare players to go forward in the sport.  This becomes a factor, as the sport continues to grow in popularity in the United States with fewer players truly equipped to face off in an international competition due to lacking training practices.  As a result, players of the sport often elect to skip college entirely in light of pursuing professional playing.  To those who have designed the proposed changes, a college education is invaluable and, therefore, these moves must be made to present players with a reason to attend college and play in Division I; it allows players to not only expand their soccer experience, but their life experiences as well.

Fundamentally, the issue is a matter of time.  In the current system, the season has too many matches on too short of a time period, resulting in injuries, substandard performance in the sport, as well as substandard academic performance.  A less strict schedule would allow for less stress on the students and more focus on schooling.

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Toloache

I just wanted to comment on another restaurant in New York City because it’s such a great city. Located in Greenwich Village, one of my favorite neighborhoods in New York, is a restaurant called Toloache. As New York City is expanding off the island and into the Queens and Brooklyn (more and more people will claim they live in New York when they really live in a suburb), Greenwich Village still represents the old New York City that has a certain charm to it.

Anyway- Toloache is owned by the Chef, Julian Medina. He also owns Yerba Buena and Yerba Buena Perry. He’s been creating Latin food for over fifteen years, but refined. Julian was inspired by his father and grandfather’s cooking growing up in Mexico City. He trained professionally at Hacienda de Los Morales and Les Celebrites in Mexico City’s Hotel Nikko. There he learned fine dining and French cuisine. He was elevated quickly and in 1996 met Chef Richard Sandoval. Sandoval was charmed with Julian’s vision and energy and invited him to work in New York City. Under Julian, his restaurant, Maya earned two stars from the New York Times. At that time Maya was one of the two Mexican restaurants written up in The New York Times. Julian wanted to continue to expand his skills and attended the French Culinary Institute during the day and worked at Maya at night. He was awarded “Best Final Project” in his graduating class at the French Culinary Institute. I have yet to try this place but it is on my list for my next visit to New York.

New Date Night Restaurant Hopes to Spruce Up Restaurant Barren Neighborhood

Patrick Schaal’s latest blog post:

Northbrook is a dining-out desert, according to Jennifer Eisen.  However, according to an article recently completed by Chicago Magazine, Eisen hopes to change that with the opening of her new restaurant.  With the restaurant, she plans to create an establishment that introduces a traditional downtown date night setting to the Northbrook neighborhood.

To attempt to fulfill this type of environment, the restaurant, entitled House 406, is complete with dark walls and leather booths; the setting is serene and quiet—perfect for a peaceful date night.  The menu—which has plenty of options in steaks and wines—is simple food done right.

When Eisen sat to design the menu with Eloin Amador, chef and co-owner of the establishment, they settled into her family’s vacation home in the 406 area code in the state of Montana; this is, of course, where the restaurant got its name.  The name wasn’t the only item touched by Montana; the 406 area code had a distinct influence on the menu as well, producing a meat-heavy farm-to-table menu.  However, Eisen is not naïve; she knows her audience very well and, as a result and as a means to please the health conscious Chicago scene, many options of fresh fish, veggie-friendly and gluten free dishes are provided as well.

The drink and dessert menus are very similar in the simplicity.  Craft cocktails are available, with the maraschino cherries and the grenadine being made in-house by the crafters behind the bar.  The wine list is also very diverse.  For the dessert menu, there are a mere two simple options, one of which is chocolate semifreddo with Puppy Chow crust—a form of Chex snack mix coated with chocolate, peanut butter and powdered sugar.

House 406 has only recently opened for business.  It is the first ownership endeavor for Eisen, who worked as the longtime assistant to chef Stephanie Izard.  Eisen left her post at Izard’s service in April directly with the intention of opening her own establishment with chef and co-owner Eloin Amador.

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Dining Out

Chicago and New York Dining from Patrick Schaal

Gotham Bar and Grill: NYC

Patrick Schaal’s latest blog post:

I’m going to take a moment to review another restaurant in New York City, home of over 2,000 restaurants.  I recently visited a restaurant that I believe may be one of the best restaurants in New York: Gotham Bar and Grill.  I wouldn’t describe it as one of the most hip restaurants but the food and service is impeccable.

First of all the servers know every little detail about the food and the wine.  They can answer any question you have on the spot, including inquiries about food allergies like gluten and peanuts or tree nuts.

The menu covers an array of tastes ranging from one of the best filet mingon I’ve ever tried to lamb, duck, cod fish- another popular dish I have yet to try, lobster, and ceviche, and tuna tartare.

If you look on Yelp you’ll find all positive reviews.  Not only is the food some of the tastiest but the staff know how to please. I recommend visiting this amazing experience of a restaurant for a special occasion, not just any ordinary night.  This is a celebration type of restaurant!

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Keys to the Rookie Enjoying the World Cup

Patrick Schaal’s latest post:

In a recent article completed for The New Yorker, the author disclaimed that he has enjoyed soccer his entire life; he started playing as a youth in the mid-1970s, in the heat of the United States boom in soccer.  The sport became popular overnight; despite the joke that no American truly enjoys soccer, the author contends that his generation still very much enjoys the sport.  With the prevalent discussion of the World Cup, the author believes his theory has been proven.

However, intrigue in the event doesn’t automatically lead to an understanding or true appreciation of the sport.  In the article, the author provided several tips on how to get the most enjoyment out of being a spectator.

First, picking a team is important; watching a race is significantly less enjoyable without a dog to hope for.  Place bets, create a bracket; get invested!  The author states that he particularly enjoys rooting for the underdog.  Research is also necessary for this endeavor to be successful.  Five minutes on the Internet can afford a wealth of information—an understanding of the offside rule and how it affects play, finding familiarity with the match-ups and teams that are held as the favorite to win.  Research can also indicate injuries of players, influencing the chance of placing successful bets.

An event such as the World Cup also presents an opportunity to appreciate the sociocultural anthropology of teams and countries all over the world.  Study the rise and fall in confidence, both on an individual level, as well as team-wide.  Observe the delicate balance of commitment struck between offense and defense; it’s a study in risk versus reward.  An event such as this also archives differences in how countries and continents strive to approach the game differently.

To truly appreciate the sport, as argued by the author, the spectator must embrace the physicality of soccer.  The ever-flowing movement must be the focus, not simply setting the eyes to the ball.  Try to appreciate the skill that is required to pass the ball so fluidly that it almost appears to magically land precisely where it was intended; think on the hours, days, months and years of practice that must’ve been required to make the pass look so effortless.  If this appreciation is delved into, no spectator will remain confused on the draw of the sport.

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New Chicken and Biscuits Served From Familiar Food Truck

Patrick Schaal’s latest blog post:

As reviewed for Time Out Chicago by Amy Cavanaugh, The Roost Carolina Kitchen, which is familiar to many citizens of Chicago for its food truck, has been and continues to be a great success since it first launched into operation in 2012.  The Roost has earned particular note for its chicken and biscuits, which are served in one of two ways.  The butter biscuits come served as the breading of a sandwich, a piece of plump freshly fried chicken nestled in the middle.  Alternatively, the chicken and biscuits can sit along side each other, with an order of bone-in fried chicken sitting separate from the biscuits.

No matter the method of delivery, the owner of The Roost never fails to come through on the quality of the chicken; the recipe has been perfected in the years of operation as a food court, to the point where they have now opened a counter-service storefront in Laketown.  The chicken comes with two sauce options—Nashville hot or spicy style.  Both are excellent; Nashville is a fiery taste, whereas spicy style has more of a kick to it.

The biscuits are also available for breakfast, served with a piece of friend chicken wedged in the middle, topped with egg and cheese.  The slice of cheddar is melted with the use of a torch.  For lunch and dinner, the biscuits cost between six and nine dollars and come with two sides.  Chooses of sides include macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, chips and peach cobbler; the reviewer notes that the sides are definitely the weak link in The Roost’s armor, as they are served in the same basket, often causing things to commingle that really shouldn’t have.

However, should biscuits not be in the taste of an individual, the fried chicken that earns The Roost a consumer’s ability to overlook the lacking sides, can also be served on its own.  A quarter of a fried bird can be purchased at just nine dollars; one half of the bird costs thirteen. The success of The Roost, built on its foundation as a food truck, is unsurprising.  The fried chicken market in eating out on the town of Chicago has grown immensely in recent months; Do-Rite Donuts, Lillie’s Q have all discussed adding more chicken to their menus.  Leghorn Chicken has long earned popularity for the product in its name as well.

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Recycling Electronics

An estimated 50 million tons of electronic waste were generated in 2012, globally, according to a United Nations report.  According to past patterns, they predicted that number would increase to 65.4 million tons of e-waste in the year 2017, a year not very far away.  65.4 million tons of waste can be equated to about 200 Empire State Buildings or 11 Great Pyramids of Giza.

Unfortunately there is a large amount of landfills around the globe filled with old televisions, smartphones allowing toxic chemicals to be introduced to the environment.  Guiya, China is now an infamous dumping ground for electronics and unfortunately they have found extremely high levels of lead in the bloodstreams of children in the area.

A woman names Priv Bradoo believes she can change the situation by offering gold and silver.  Bradoo co-founded BlueOak Resources, a California-based startup that wants to help the country mine metals.  Rather than letting our electronic waste be a source of illness to children and others around the world, hopefully we can change it to be a source of revenue.  Apparently one ton of circuit boards has anywhere from 40 to 800 times the amount of gold in it than one ton of mined gold gore. Corporations spend even more purchasing the materials and molding them correctly and then just dump them when they’re finished.

Continue reading here how we can turn this habit around.

Ten-Year-Old Scouted by Nigerian Soccer Coaches

Patrick Schaal’s latest post:

Lateef Omidiji Junior is an exceptional ten-year-old in many ways.  He attends Mabel Hoggard Elementary School in Las Vegas, where he is a straight-A student in fifth grade.  He dreams of becoming the next Didier Drogba, his favorite soccer player; however, should this dream default, he hopes to attend medical school at Harvard and play for their soccer team.  Fortunately for Omidiji Junior, it appears he stands a distinct chance of achieving his first goal, according to an article recently completed by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Last year, with a son at the meager young age of just nine-years-old, several scouts approached Lateef Omidiji Senior from the soccer federation of Nigeria, and issued a request for his son to start playing immediately for one of their teams.  Omidiji Senior, though immensely proud of his son, deterred a bit, telling the scouts that he thought it was best to wait for six or seven years before throwing the child into such a competitive environment.

Over the course of the last year, scouts have only become more persistent, as word has spread about this apparent soccer prodigy.  Danladi Nasidi, infamous coach of Nigeria’s U-13 national side soccer team, traveled over twenty hours just to watch the child play a game recently.  For Omidiji Senior, this placed a certain level of reality on the situation; growing up as a boy in Nigeria, Omidiji Senior always heard stories of the infamous coach and knew just how important he was.  His presence at Omidiji Junior’s game was, therefore, not underappreciated.

Nasidi has commented on his impression of Omidiji Junior based on observation of the boy’s playing.  The coach was impressed with the boy’s soccer knowledge, particularly given his youth; he felt assured Omidiji Junior could very successfully play amongst older athletes.  However, the physical component remains a bit of a concern for Nasidi, as he evaluates Omidiji Junior’s skill in this regard as merely “okay.”  This is to be expected, as the boy most likely hasn’t even hit puberty yet.  Given time, however, it seems Omidiji Junior’s fate is destined to follow his prime path in life, towards becoming the next Drogba of soccer.

 

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Taste Of Chicago Offers Variety of New and Tried and True Restaurants

Patrick Schaal’s latest blog post:

The 34th Annual Taste of Chicago festival will take place in Grant Park from the ninth of July until the thirteenth.  The festival allows vendors to present signature items to exploring guests, as well as popular “Taste Of,” items that will allow for smaller sampling portions.  An article recently completed for Show Me Chicago detailed some of the returning favorite restaurants as well as a few new selections that will be offered.

For the 2013 Taste of Chicago Festival, there will be a total of sixty-six participating restaurant, a statistic that is up from last year’s list of sixty.  The restaurants for this year offer tastes from all around the world—from African to American to Caribbean to French to Vietnamese—no preference is left unaddressed.

Of the sixty-six restaurants, twenty-two of them are new to the roster for the festival this year.  To further detail these twenty-two participating establishments, the article specifies that seven are new restaurants that operate five days a week, eight are new “pop-ups,” and seven are food trucks.  However, an old favorite of the festival will not be returning—Dominick’s, which has closed its doors and is, therefore, off the Taste Table for the first time since 1993.  Serving as Dominick’s replacement will be promising and favored Mariano’s, which will go the extra mile to hold a cooking demonstration for the entirety of the five day festival.

Receiving the most focus is the topic of burgers and fries.  M Burgers, a popular hit of the festival from the past, returns once again this year.  However, there is buzz about Spritz Burgers, a new establishment brought from the “Hearty” team of Dan Smith, Steve McDonagh and Gale Grand.  The restaurant boasts of its grass-fed beef provided by a small New Zealand farmers’ cooperative.  A variety of uniquely flavored bubbly drinks washes down the burger perfectly and draws a particular attention to the establishments.

Poutines, a new kind of French Fry originating from Quebec, has taken the city by storm.  The fries are covered in a light brown gravy-like sauce and cheese curds.  The article suggests, for the best version of this trend, the consumer visit Big Cheese Poutinerie, a Calgary-based restaurant that knows how to do these updated fries the very best.

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