Grace LefflerEditor-in-Chief and Writer

Lina CressInterviewer and Writer

Dorothy RajuLayout Designer and Writer

Rachel DingInterviewer

Khristy ZhengAssistant Layout Designer, In-terviewer, Photographer, and

Writer

Mary HabboushInterviewer

The StaffDivya Balaji

Editor of Student’s Corner

Amaya SizerEditor of Opinions

Jane SunWriter

Kelly ZhengWriter

Mrs. ValerioTeacher Sponsor

Abby SeboldInterviewer

Emaan MughalEditor of Student’s Corner

Zainab RahmanWriter

Tiffany NguyenEditor of Columns

Megan RiderWriter

Zachary SimmonsEditor of Richmond Reviews

Editorial Policy

The views or opinions expressed by the writers and/or those intervieweddo not reflect the views of the magazine or its members.

-The Appeal Team

Student’s Corner Special Feature Insider’s Look Cultural Recipes Traditions and Holidays Local Affairs Testing TipsCoulumns The Raw Truth DearRichmond Reviews Restaurant Reviews Richmond EventsOpinions Top Ten (Writer’s Choice) TV Show Review Social Science Thoughts, Theories and Speculation Music Review

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“I have always had a drive for helping people,” she said. “I started participating in this program when I was eight years old.” Through the years, Lillian has taken more responsibility in over-seeing the lunches. Now, she alone budgets, plans, and shops for the food. She and her family pack the lunches before she brings them to the shelter. “The lunch [I make] consists of a hearty sandwich, a fruit, a bag of chips, a cookie, and my special touch, a Hershey’s kiss,” Lillian said. “This kiss represents the love that I put into each and every lunch and the love that I want that person receiving the lunch to feel.”

Her work stems from a belief in fighting the hunger “epidemic.” “I think everyone de-serves the feeling of hot meal during the winter or a cool meal during the summer. We all need to look out for each other and our community,” Lillian said. She recruits the help of her youth group and friends to help her “dec-orate the paper bags and then pack [the lunches]” around the holidays. The reward for her work is simple. “I get to feel proud, and my heart gets to feel whole.” However, Lillian does not always feel this way. “There have been times where making the lunches has seemed more of an obligation than a priv-ilege, but I then think about how many people I am able to touch with just one paper bag,” Lillian

said. She believes that this experience taught her to appreciate her own privileges. “I have learned not to be selfish because I have seen how oth-er people live. I don’t complain about the lit-tle things like being too hot or too cold because I know that there are people out there—even in my community—

Special Feature

Once a month, Lillian DuVal (‘17) delivers paper bag lunches to the homeless through Rich-mond Friends of the Homeless.

Lillian Duval(‘17) Photo credit: David DuVal

Monthly Delivery

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“I get to feel proud, and my heart gets to feel whole.”

that sleep on the side of the road, under bridges, or in corners of buildings,” Lillian said.

She hopes that others devote them-selves to a cause as well. “Whether it be to one person or a group of people, we all have the ability to make our mark on the wall,” she said. “This is our commu-nity, our nation, our world, and we should do everything in our power to make it the best.”

— Dorothy Raju and Grace LefflerInterviewer: Grace Leffler

Some of the packed lunchesPhoto credit: David DuVal

“I enjoy dancing because it’s honestly really fun and addicting. I become a different person when I dance because I’m able to express myself in ways I never would as myself,” Jenny said. “Whenever I dance, I’m in another world where moving, panting, and sweating is the best combination ever.” She began dancing after she dis-covered the Korean-pop boy band SHINee. “I learned the dance to their debut song, and although it took me days to learn the entire thing, I had so much fun memo-rizing and trying to do the moves,” she said. Before learning a dance, she first scrutinizes the dance moves on her phone screen. “I download a video that shows the group or a member dancing… After that, I add all the parts I’ve learned [together] to create a smoother flow and strengthen my memoriza-tion of the moves,” Jenny said. To master the full chore-ography to a three-minute song, Jenny spends approx-imately twenty five to thirty hours watching, practicing, and condensing the moves

together. The product is a near-per-fect recreation of the original dance, consisting of fluid yet force-ful movements. After spending so much time learning others’ choreography, Jenny began creating her own danc-es two years ago. Jenny uses the music’s beats and lyrics to guide her dance. “The lyrics trigger ideas in my head, and those ideas sometimes lead me to simple, daily encounters that can inspire new moves,” Jenny said. However, sometimes, she finds inspiration for her choreography not in the songs themselves but in life. “It sounds odd, but with the huge mirror in front of me [in the bath-

Insider’s Look

Jenny Lam (‘18) has made dance covers to Korean-pop songs for five years.

Dancing with Dedication

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room], I’m able to move my body in new ways and see how it looks,” she said. “I just do whatever my body tells my body to do.” She concedes that dancing is partly instinctual. “When you dance, don’t think. Your body should already know what to do. Thinking about [outside forces] will only mess you up,” she said. Jenny also believes that dance is both about persistent practicing and passion. “Dancing should be fun and enjoyable; it’s a way of expression,” she said.

— Tiffany Nguyen

Jenny Lam(‘18)Photo credit: Jenny Lam

Ingredients: 1. Rice 2. Hilsa 3. Potatoes 4. One dried chili 5. Vegetable or legume of choice (eggplant, yard long beans, etc.) 6. Pickles 7. Mustard oil 8. Vegetable oil 9. Optional: onion rings

Instructions: 1. Clean the hilsa and cut it into pieces. 2. Deep fry the fish strips in vegetable oil. 3. Pour water and rice into a clay bowl. 4. Cook the rice for an hour. 5. Clean and boil the pota-toes. 6. Skin the potatoes. 7. Mash the vegetables. 8. Mix the skinned potatoes with dried chili and mustard oil. 9. In a small plate, combine the mashed vegetables, pickle slices,

Cultural Recipes

Sanjida Tabassum (‘18) makes panta ilish with mashed potatoes, a dish traditionally eaten on April 14th, during Nôbobôrsho or the Bengali New Year.

Panta Ilish

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hilsa, and rice. 10. Enjoy the most delicious tra-ditional Bengali food to be made.

Interviewer: Mary Habboush

“Basically, what we do on New Year’s Day is similar with what you do on Thanksgiving Day,” Miyu said. “To get family together is the most important thing to do.” The Japanese New Year celebra-tion lasts from the third of January to the tenth. This time of the year is especially busy, beginning with o-soji, which in simplest terms means ‘house-cleaning day.’ “We cleaned literally everywhere

in our house, and it is the biggest cleaning day in [the] whole year,” she said. “There is no specific day to clean your house though it should be finished before New Year’s Day because this cleaning is for start-ing a new year in cleaned house or cleaned place.” Miyu thinks that part of house-cleaning can be “really fun” if the house has paper windows. “People… [take special care so that] their kids do not to break the window usually, but [on] this day, people make [their] kids break the paper windows [rather than clean the windows],” she said. After cleaning, the country is decorated in red, white, gold, and silver, the colors of celebration. “We decorate for New Year day as soon as possible after Christmas,”

Traditions and Holidays

This year in the United States, exchange student Miyu Himeno will once again cele-brate the Japanese New Year

Japanese New Year

she said. “All decoration[s] change from Christmas to New Year quick-ly in your house, shopping malls, in town… everywhere.” During the Japanese New Year, many show their thanks through giving. According to Miyu, making New Year’s cards are “one of the hardest preparations” for the cele-brations as the cards “should arrive on New Year’s Day.” “People send New Year’s cards to bunch of people: relatives, friends, co-workers, customers,” she said. “I wrote New Year’s cards to almost two hundred people last year. It is a lot of work and just insane; though, that is what we do.” Along with cards, people ex-change gifts. “Parents and relatives give their kids who do not have jobs… money

Kagami-mochi Photo credit: Miyu Himeno’s aunt

which is called otoshidama on the morning of New Year’s day … [The kids are] excited for how much otoshidama they can get this year,” she said. However, Miyu also warned that there are unspoken rules when dealing with otoshidama. “Otoshidama must be in a small little fancy envelope,” she said. “It is rude to open it in public, in front of [the] people who gave it to you, so kids go somewhere else where people are not there and then open it and count it and tell how much money you got each other covertly.” The Japanese New Year also has its own trademark food. “We eat a traditional food called osechi” Miyu said. “They are very pretty and a traditional food in Ja-pan. In my family, my grandmother always prepared osechi for us, and it is very, very tasty!” Osechi is prepared in beautiful, four-tiered lacquer boxes and filled with food. “Each dish has some auspicious meaning which reflects people’s wishes. For example, lobsters are for longevity because their shapes are bent like an old man’s [back], kazunoko, herring roe, represents fertility,” she said. With all this food, Miyu added, “It is famous [that] people gain their weight after New Year’s break.” In the past, women made osechi because it was seen as a woman’s duty to cook. Osechi is traditionally cooked in advance and preserved for at least three days, allowing the women to enjoy the beginning of the New Year’s celebration without cooking. “Also, we have soba noodles called toshikoshi soba, [which] means ‘crossing-year soba,’ to wish a long ife,” Miyu said. On the eve of the Japanese New Year, there are many celebrations,

the first of which is visiting shrines—the first visit to a shrine during the new year is called hatsumōde. “We go to shrines to wish something you want, your health, new lovers,” she said. “Some people visit shrine at late night on New Year’s Eve [for hatsumōde] and wait. When the time come[s], all shrines start to ring big bells, [which is called] Joya no Kane, and they ring the bell for a hundred eight times to get rid of all evil desires.” Meanwhile, others celebrate the transition from New Year’s Eve, or omisoka, to New Year’s Day, gantan, at home. “Kōhaku is an annual music show which is a singing contest by two teams consist of popular singers and bands; [it] is the most famous show to watch on New Year’s Eve,” Miyu said. Another contemporary tradition is observed on the first three days of the new year, when people across Japan buy fukubukuro or ‘mystery bags.’ “People make long lines in front of each store to buy them. You can’t tell what’s inside until you buy and open it. Lucky bags contain much more worth stuff than its price, so it’s like Black Friday,” she said. Throughout these preparations and celebrations, there are round rice cakes are stacked on altars inside Japanese homes. “Kagami mochi is the most pop-ular decoration for the New Year’s season. Mochi means ‘rice cake,’ and kagami mochi is a ‘decorated

rice cake,’” Miyu said. The mochis serve as decorations from the beginning of preparations for the new year, on December twenty-eighth, to the last day of New Year’s celebrations, on January eleventh. During kagami biraki, or “breaking of the mochi,” on January eleventh, people break these moch-is and eat them. Unfortunately, all holidays and events always come to an end. “Kagami biraki is the last event for the new year season,” Miyu said. However, the New Year’s cele-bration doesn’t simply end. Some follow the ancient tradition of carefully writing their New Year’s resolutions in calligraphy. “Doing calligraphy on New Year’s Day [is] called kakizome, which means ‘the first writing,’ because calligraphy used to be the only way to write in old Japan,” Miyu said. While Miyu will not be partak-ing in kakizome this year, she does have a resolution in mind. “My resolution for 2017 is enjoy-ing my exchange year!”— Kelly ZhengInterviewer: Abby Sebold

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On the morning of November 9th, students openly discussed and argued over the results so much that Dr. Lowerre made an an-nouncement. He told students that, as a diverse school, it is the stu-dents’ responsibility to accept a di-verse range of beliefs and opinions, even those that may not coincide with their own. The week following the election, a group of IB juniors planned to protest the election with a walk out, according to one IB junior. Howev-er, the plans didn’t result in any-thing more than a couple of emails, google hangouts messages, and a google excel spreadsheet. Although not much actually materialized at Tucker, these tense discussions were similar to those all over the country about how and why November 8th turned out as it did. “I wasn’t expecting the vote to go in favor of the candidate and wasn’t expecting it to be this close,” Darsh Patel (‘18) said. “[This election will] make us question past ideals… but I think the people will come around eventually.” There are those like Cat Nguy-en (‘17) who do not expect much change in public opinion.

“Now there is genuine fear in America,” she said. Jacob Dunn (‘19), however, was glad that there was an opportunity to have these discussions. “Honestly, I think it’s good that there is divisiveness… A lot of countries don’t have that chance. For example, North Korea. They can’t go against their person, their leader. They would probably be killed and starved. The divisiveness in our case is a little extreme,” Jacob said. Cat Nguyen thought that the 2016 election was a lesson for the country as a whole. “Based on the popular vote, half of the Americans did not vote on the election night. People should be informed of how important their vote is, even when their candidate loses,” she said. Jacob Dunn seconded this opin-ion. “I think that a lot of people who did not vote changed the outcome. For people who didn’t vote, there was number one people who just decided not to, and they shouldn’t complain and number two the peo-ple who couldn’t vote depending upon where they live,” he said. Shantai Walters (‘20) agreed, say-ing that if all voters had the means and flexibility in their schedule, “it would change everything.” “Everybody should have voted,” she said. Jacob held that the voting system itself was not inherently inclusive. “They should factor [voting ac-cessibility] in a little more because we are a country of the people for the people,” he said. Others agreed that there were flaws in the voting system.

Local Affairs

Following the controversial result of the 2016 presidential election, Tucker students have mixed opinions on its social and political implications.

Election on Campus (Part II)

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“I believe in the electoral college system, but I don’t support it because it doesn’t make much sense in the modern world. It doesn’t favor popu-lar vote; it favors the state population, which can seem unfair,” Darsh Patel said. However, others place faith in the selection process. “This is what the people decided. Al-though there is a controversy with the popular votes and the electoral college system, this system has been used for centuries. No government is perfect and we, the people, should accept the result,” Cat Nguyen said. Meanwhile, Jacob Dunn choose to take the middle ground. “I don’t necessarily agree with the electoral college, but I also don’t agree with just following the popular vote,” Jacob said. “But the system has worked… So I don’t think there’s a reason to entirely obliterate it.” The presidential choice will impact America on many fronts, from ap-pointing Supreme Court Justices to negotiating trade agreements. As Tuck-er students have such different socio-economic backgrounds, the transition between presidential administrations will impact each differently. “The candidates both have strong immigration plans, and I have family members and friends that are undoc-umented, so I may have family issues,” Darsh Patel said, before adding, “I have a wide range of friends econom-ically, so they may have tax benefits or breaks.” “I don’t think it will change much for me. There’s a difference between how I will be impacted because of what I look like versus what would happen to someone who looks Hispanic,” Jacob Dunn said, referring to racial profiling. James, the undocumented stu-dents interviewed in the previous article, did not want to speculate on the effects of the election before the next president assumes office.

— Grace LefflerInterviewers: Jane Sun, Grace Leffler, Kelly Zheng

James simply said, “Let’s see what happens.”

While summer may seem like a time to relax and take a break from the stresses of schoolwork and school-related responsibilities, it is the key moment to be productive and explore different opportunities. Planning well in advance gives an advantage. Think of it as a head start, a way to make things easier in the long run. One major advantage to planning the summer months now is that you can start paying for college. Many students find work to help their family or save money for themselves. This can allow a person to gain more independence and im-portant life skills. Likewise, finding an internship or some volunteer-ing positions are much difficult as you approach the date. Many high school and college students vye for prestigious internships that look good on a resume, making it all the more difficult to find one of these. There are many ways to find intern-ships or job opportunities through asking a friend or creating profiles

on websites like www.internships.com/. Additionally, there are many scholarships and financially-based college programs like Upward Bound or QuestBridge Scholars that require applications during this time. In order to have a strong application to these programs, it is ideal to begin researching and preparing for them now. Tucker graduates such as Veronika Pogreb-na have been supported through the guidance of these programs, which help students of low income or potential first-generation college students in applying to college. Ad-ditionally, many QuestBridge appli-cants are offered reduced tuition or full rides to selective universities. On this note, it is extremely important to begin planning college visits during these months. You can book a college tour or schedule an interview for the summer now while there still is space available. Some (relatively) nearby colleges such as William and Mary, in fact, offer more interview spaces over the summer. For juniors, now is probably the best time to begin re-searching colleges in order to tours and write essays over the summer rather than waiting for senior year. Another great way to spend your time over the summer is to take a college class. There may not be a way to fit this type of class into your schedule during the school year, but you may talk to your guidance

Testing Tips

Whether you are a senior bur-ied in applications or a freshman struggling to find a way through algebra, this is the golden time to plan for the summer for many reasons.

Planning your Summer

counselor about taking a college course and potentially putting it on your transcript as that would expose you to the pacing and rigor of classes that one encounters in college. Some classes are completely free through programs such as the Summer Residential Governor’s School. Planning and enrolling in a college course is a lengthy pro-cess that may take many months of planning and contacting people, so it is better to take charge now. It’s best to keep in mind that there are many routes to take when planning the summer, and there are always more than you think.

— Grace Leffler

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If there were no cheating, what would be your life be like? You would see the world as its ‘authentic’ self. There would be no need for labels like ‘snitches’ or ‘whistleblowers’ or programs like Silence Hurts. Silence does hurt sometimes. It hurts like a fire in the soul that is contained until one day, you grow cold as that fire has turned into a

block of ice. In reality, if you spoke into an abyss of silence, there would be no response. In fact, this occur-rence—being stifled by an eerie silence—happens just as often as people actually respond to cries of injustice. In a world where cheating is gone, people who don’t do normally do well on tests would receive low grades. There also would be fewer “smart people” because grades de-termine how smart you are, right? I have a secret to tell. People who understand its true horror would cry and those who don’t would shrug it all aside. If you are dumb, you will cheat because it is the smartest thing you will ever do.

The Raw Truth

Let’s just say the world is perfect and nobody cheats.

The Secret of Cheating

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If you are smart, you will cheat because it is the easiest way to get your things done. Who gets caught? Sorry, I don’t know. I am only pass-ing along the secret. In actuality, our grades do deter-mine how smart we are—however they may be ‘earned.’ It’s so normal for everybody to cheat. It is as if the whole world knows a secret, but there is no one left to tell the secret to—there’s no use in saying it out loud. It’s like there is a secret keeping everyone quiet. What will you do now that you know the secret?

— Kelly Zheng

Dear Younger Sister, There are so many things to say about you. Like your really weird theory in which you look like the older sister because you’re taller. Or how you refuse to wake up on the left side of the bed. It’s so frustrat-ing as it is funny how all of these things make you who you are. I just want to say that I love all of these things that make you. It fills me with joy that you may be the person that knows me the most. I say this because I don’t have such a close re-lation with anyone other than you. I feel like I can tell you all the things that are happening in my life. I hope you will always be there to give me good advice, complain

about life, and keep secrets from others. No matter what, I will always look forward to pushing all the blame onto you whenever con-venient. Happy Holidays! With modesty, Kelly Zheng(P.S. Please stay understanding because I may turn weird as I grow older. But you already know. No matter the distance, we will always have a bond.)

*****Dear Older Sister, There are so many things to say about you. Like your horrible driving skills (you can never park straight nor aligned), and how your driving skills are driving my class-mates crazy. Or how you refused to tie your hair up so much that your hair is now unable to look smooth when tied up. It’s so funny how I may be the only one to notice these things that make you who you are. I

Dear

Siblings can be so different and so similar.

Dear Sister (Part II)

may be the only one to notice these things that make you who you are. I just want to say I appreciate you. *Rolls eyes.* It fills me with warmth knowing that you may be the person who knows me the most. I say this be-cause you have been part of my life longer than Mom, Dad, and every other significant or insignificant person. Every step of my life you were there.I hope you will always be there to help me finish my homework, drive me around, and share advice with me. No matter what, I will always look forward to taking embarrass-ing photos with and of you. Merry Christmas! Embarrassed, Khristy Zheng(P.S. Please never ever grow too old for me because I want to be close no matter how far away you go!)

— Kelly Zheng and Khristy Zheng

The restaurant opens at eleven o’clock in the morning until three o’clock in the afternoon and then reopens at five o’clock until ten o’clock at night, meaning it serves only lunch and dinner. The price of the meals is average, around eleven dollars or so. The interior of the restaurant is decorated with chunky wooden tables in the middle of the floor, benches along the walls, a small bar off to the side, and two flat-screen TVs with Korean-pop music videos being played in the front and back of the restaurant. In addition, there is an open kitchen in the back for customers to see the cooks. The environment in the restau-rant is mostly casual, making it a nice place to eat with friends and family. It is also traditionally styled and very similar to actual Japanese restaurants. The atmosphere is pleasant with Korean-pop music playing in the background. How-ever, it can feel a bit crowded if all of the wooden tables located in the middle of the restaurant are filled up since the restaurant is small. A unique aspect about the meal is that the waiters greet and say goodbye to the customers in Japanese, which

added to the overall environment.

Buta Kimchi Ramen ($10.50) The Buta Kimchi Ramen is a noodle dish that contains ramen noodles, Chashu pork, Narutomaki, a soft-boiled egg, spinach, kimchi, a piece of seaweed and roasted sprout. The dish comes in a big, tall bowl and is paired with a chunky, bamboo soup spoon. The dish itself wasn’t as appetizing as hoped. The flavor of the broth was quite bland since it didn’t have the spicy zing to it usually accompanied with kimchi. In addition, the broth was served warm, which was disap-pointing. As for the ramen noodles, they were well-cooked and a bit thicker than other ramen noodles. The overall dish was very fulfilling in terms of portion size but at the same time, lacking in taste. Rating: ***

Spicy Miso Ramen ($11.00) The Spicy Miso Ramen comes with chashu pork, narutomaki (fish cake), boiled egg half, spinach, black fungus, bean sprout, ito toga-rashi (shredded red pepper), green onion, corn, and a piece of seaweed on the side of the rather large bowl. The menu calls for there to be menma (fermented bam-boo shoot), but it is not included in the dish. The miso base is very thick and slightly sweet, and the thickness of it lessens some of the heat of the spicy oil. The top-

Restaurant Review

Takara Ramen is a small, Jap-anese ramen noodle restaurant located on West Broad Street near JR Tucker High School. It is very popular according to sources who have reported-ly claimed that the restaurant completely ran out of stock during its grand-opening week in October.

Takara Ramenpings go well with the soup, as the egg was soft and the pork was both fatty and meaty. The wiry, curly noodles definitely do not taste as artificial as instant ramen, but the noodles have not soaked in the soup long enough to have its flavor. However, the noodles are very stretchy (as ramen is supposed to be). The dish itself looks fairly pleasing, and the red color of the spicy soup pops out. Rating: ***

Soy Red Bean Ice Cream ($4.00) The delicious red bean ice cream comes in two scoops with two spoons, perfect for sharing after a hearty meal. It is flavorful but light on the palette, which ended the meal smoothly. The ice cream seems to be homemade, as there were still chunks of fairly fresh, frozen red beans present. Red bean and green tea, the two ice cream flavors available on the menu, are very traditionally east Asian types of food and go very well with both the meal and the atmosphere of the

All pictures for this article were taken by Khristy Zheng

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shop. An option to order the ice cream by itself and enjoy is reason-able, seeing how delicious it is. No meal necessary! Rating: *****

Shrimp Shumai ($4.00) The six-piece shumai appetizer, or steamed shrimp dumplings, is quite delicious and well-cooked. The filling has a mild sweetness to it but is also a bit heavy, which can be overlooked if eaten with soy sauce. The small sampling size may actually be a blessing in dis-guise, as it allows you to enjoy the taste of the shumai without being overwhelmed by the extremely rich filling. Rating: ***

Takara Tonkotsu Ramen ($10.50) The Takara Tonkotsu Ramen comes in a pork-based broth with chashu pork, soft-boiled egg, menma, kikurage (wood ear mush-room), green onion, roasted bean sprout, narutomaki, seaweed, garlic chips, and black garlic oil. It is quite a hefty serving, so you really get your money’s worth. The chashu is nicely cooked, slightly charred, and really brings the whole dish togeth-er. Personally, I did not enjoy the garlic chips and took them out, but they add to the nice savory flavor profile. The soup is a little under-whelming and could have used more flavor, but the chefs might have opted for a milder soup as to not overwhelm the already hearty, savory dish. However, the soup is also lukewarm, which was disap-pointing since I personally expect piping hot ramen. It is understand-able since dinnertime is probably quite hectic, but it was still a let-down. Rating: ****

Curry Don ($8.00) The Curry Don is one of the cheaper lunch and dinner options on the menu and contains diced potato, white rice, black and white sesame seeds, diced carrots, diced chicken, and Beni Shoga (red pickled ginger slices). The chicken is very tender and delicious, served with jasmine rice and seasoned with spices. The curry taste was sa-vory and the dish was aesthetically pleasing. Personally, it wasn’t the most appetizing dish they offered as

it was quite simple, but it’s a good ramen alternative. The portion size was very filling and great for a chilly day. Rating: ***

Vegetable Gyoza ($4.00) The vegetable gyoza is absolutely delicious; this appetizer is not only tasty, but is an inexpensive addition to your meal. It has a smooth, per-

fectly cooked exterior and a warm, soft, and slightly savory interior that will make you crave more. Although it is perfectly cooked with amazing texture, the gyoza isn’t that spectacular by itself. What really brings the whole appetizer together is the dipping sauce that complements the savory taste of the gyoza perfectly: a combination of soy sauce and rice vinegar. For four dollars, you get six dumplings; this is not exactly the largest appetizer, but it’s enough to hold you over un-til your entrée arrives, and this ap-

petizer definitely displays quality over quantity. Rating: *****

Vegetarian Ramen ($10.50)

The vegetarian ramen is filled with corn, tofu, carrots, and a square of seaweed. The portions of the ramen were im-pressive; I was not able to finish the entire thing as there was a lot. What holds the meal back, however, was the lack of flavor in the ramen: the broth and tofu seemed incomplete and a little bland. It reminded me of instances on Chopped when contestants would forget to include an in-

gredient in their plate until the last minute, and then they would make a half-hearted attempt at integrat-ing it into their dish before the clock ran out. It was a good entrée that is reasonably priced, but after having the gyoza, it was somewhat of a let-down. Rating: ***

— Tiffany Nguyen, Khristy Zheng, Lina Cress, Jane Sun and Amaya Sizer

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The Cultural Center had a Christmas wreath exhibition wreaths and Christmas decorations. There was even a display containing decorations for other holidays such as Diwali, which was a nice inclu-sion of other religions. However, while the inside of the Cultural Arts Building was where it was most warm, the excitement was outside.

The event was quite disorganized. It was difficult to find people as there were approximately three hundred people passing in and out of the center. Everything was dimly lit outside, and that made it easier to get lost. The walkway was lined with food and art stands surrounded by customers. The stalls sold most-ly edible items, including jams, jellies, marmalade, cake, cheesecake, and pound cake. The band added to the holiday spirit, playing numerous holiday songs.

Richmond Events

The seventeenth annual Glen Allen Christmas Tree Lighting was hosted at the Glen Allen Cultural Arts Center, featuring Christmas trees and displays, food stalls displaying delicious and appetizing holiday sweets, and the grand finale of a Christ-mas tree lighting.

O Christmas Tree The crowd and the hot cocoa made the cold air bearable. The main event featured Santa count-ing down before yelling, “Merry Christmas Everybody!” Then, the

Christmas tree lit up and everybody cheered.

— Lina Cress, Jane Sun and Khristy Zheng

Photo credit: Khristy Zheng

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1. How to Get Away with Murder A group of law students get in-volved in a perplexing murder with their law professor, who is also an ace criminal defense attorney—and it all goes downhill from there. Full of mysteries and heart-wrenching twists, this show will have you on the edge of your seat. Who doesn’t love deep character development?

2. Jessica Jones Centered on Jessica Jones of the Marvel comics, the heroine at-tempts to build her own detective agency after her superhero career was cut short. Just a trigger warn-ing: she suffers from pretty severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

3. Black Mirror A suspenseful, satirical series that exposes the dark side of life and technology. Essentially a modern Twilight Zone, the show taps into the uneasiness surrounding our modern age. If you get frightened easily or suffer from paranoia, this may not be the show for you.

4. Daredevil Based off of the Marvel comics, the blind Matt Murdock is vigilante at night with heightened senses. During the day, he is just a small-time attorney. He begins the show by unraveling a bewildering crimi-nal conspiracy.

5. 3% A Brazilian futuristic thriller, akin to The Hunger Games, about survival. A group of chosen young people must fight to cross over to the Offshore, where poverty and chaos does not exist—but only three percent may pass. If you’re not fluent in Portuguese—don’t worry, those subtitles have your back.

6. Stranger Things A science-fiction horror se-ries not for the fainthearted. It begins with the disappearance of a young boy, Will Byers, and a telekinetic girl who claims to know his location. While bike-racing with his friends, Will is separated from his friends and senses that a monster is after him. He runs into a shed and arms instead but still with a flicker of a light, he is gone.

7. Once Upon a Time Ever wanted to live a fairy tale? Now you can live vicariously through these characters stuck in various fairy tales stranded together in Storybrooke, Maine. Of course, the Evil Queen Regina was the mas-termind behind this curse.

8. The 100 Ah, another post-apocalyptic science-fiction show! Years after a nuclear apocalypse wipes out Earth, the last few humans are struggling to survive on a massive space station called the Ark. As resourc-es are running out, one hundred young prisoners of the crew are sent down to Earth to to evaluate whether the Earth could be inhabit-able again.

Top Ten (Writer’s Choice)

See a revised list of The Ap-peal’s favorite television shows for this year.

TV Shows9. Criminal Minds

This crime drama revolves around the FBI’s Behavioral Anal-ysis Unit that profiles criminals in order to catch them. So many mysteries! Also, if you are one to be easily queasy, it can get a little graphic. Be warned.

10. Sherlock Another crime drama! Sherlock Holmes is an eccentric consulting detective that gallivants about, solv-ing only the most interesting mys-teries with his friend, John Watson. John Watson was a former army doctor in Afghanistan and is still plagued by his memories of the war. Rather than being haunted by the war, he longs to be back in action again. He then meets Sherlock, who helps him overcome some of these obstacles and John begins a blog about his adventures with Sherlock. This is a well-written show that will leave you wanting more. Thank goodness the episodes are so long!

— Jane Sun

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Young has one last job: to put Goryeo’s new king on a safe and stable throne. The new king is young, inexperienced, and timid, but he has a hidden streak of cun-ning which he employs whenever necessary. While Young escorts the newly wedded king and queen of Goryeo to the palace from the queen’s homeland of Yuan, they are attacked by assassins. The king is saved, but the queen is mortally wounded. To save the queen and prevent a war with Yuan, Young must travel through a portal they have found, which them believe to lead to ‘Heaven,’ in order to find ‘God’s Doctor.’

Once Young enters the portal, he is trans-ported to modern day South Korea. He kidnaps doctor Yoo Eun-Soo and returns to Goryeo. Eun-Soo heals the queen, but before she can make it back through the portal, the portal closes. She is now trapped in Goryeo. Meanwhile, the King of Goryeo deals with various betrayals, using Young to prevent them. Now, Dr. Eun-Soo is trapped in a kingdom filled with treason, betrayal, and death. One of the things that makes this drama so intense are the skilled actors within it. The renowned Lee Min-Ho has starred in some of the most widely known dramas and won many awards. He clearly em-bodies his character, and dedicates himself to his role to become his character. Lee’s counterpart, Kim Hee-Sun, is a very well

TV Show Review

Faith is a historical fiction Korean drama starring Lee Min-Ho and Kim Hee-Sun and centering on the story of Choi Young, a skilled warrior gifted with the ability to manipulate lightning.

Faith

known Korean actress who has re-ceived many awards and starred in many Korean dramas. In the show’s beginning, Kim portrayed Eun-Soo as a petulant, whiny young woman, but her acting grew towards the end of the drama. The king also grew from a weak, quiet man to a strong, confident king. This drama is great for many because it has romance, drama, and action.

— Mary Habboush

Walking into Spanish, French, or Chinese class, you may have noticed the posters that claim that being multi-lingual correlates with better grades or higher pay. And this is true. But it does not make the class any easier. However, no matter how much we may bemoan or enjoy learning a foreign language and all its nuances, language not only changes how we think and how successful we may be in ours careers, but it also contributes to

Social Science

While taking a second lan-guage may seem unnecessary for those who already speak a non-English language at home or irrelevant for those who only use English, the mono-lingual culture that has grown in Amer-ica may shape it.

America’s Language Problem

our economy and society. Just as we may think of ourselves as diverse, we must question how this diversi-ty of culture and beliefs manifests within our society as a whole, not simply on the Tucker campus. Yet, interestingly enough, there has been much debate about this topic of how language should be learned. Some have pointed out that the decline in secondary lan-guages in the US correlates with a lack of national standard for foreign

languages in public schools. In Henrico County, for example, there is only the requirement that stu-dents take at least two years of a foreign language in order to earn their standard diploma. But are these languages taught in school actually retained? According to an article from The Atlantic, “less than 1 percent of American adults today are proficient in a foreign language that they studied in a U.S. classroom.” This low figure is correlates with the data from a 2015 General Social Survey reviewed by the Pew Research Center in which 89% of those surveyed who reported proficiency in two or more lan-guages had learned their secondary languages at home, rather than in the classroom setting. The Pew Research Center implies that this arises from many states having weak or nonexistent requirements for learning a second language, comparing the lax education pol-icies of the largely mono-lingual America to the stringent education policies of the multi-lingual Euro-pean countries. However, the classroom may yet have an effect. A 2014 Forbes article ignored the availability or lower requirements for foreign language classes and focused on how the classroom environment could be used to better teach languages. It argued for a more immersive, inter-disciplinary use of foreign languag-es, citing a governmental language program.

While it is true that having an immersive setting is likely the best way to learn a language—any Immersion student can tell you that—creating this classroom en-vironment isn’t plausible for each school as it requires school districts to have enough wealth to hire facul-ty of different disciplines with these foreign language skills, and that kind of skill set doesn’t come cheap. That’s not to mention how little

emphasis policy makers place on foreign language. The situation is worse in that language is not only a tool for the individual but also a means of achieving industrial and economic growth as well as achieving a soci-ety in which multi-culturalism is appreciated. Perhaps the American public must become more consci-entious of this threat to American society and push for more compre-hensive systems of teaching foreign language to the future generations. However, this weakness will likely reveal itself in later years, creating a society which rewards multilin-gual citizens and forces businesses to turn to foreign translators and outsource more jobs.

— Grace Leffler

“U.S. Customs and Bor-der Protection did away with the grammar-based Spanish course required of its agents-in-training

and replaced it with a curriculum centered on teaching specific, job-re-lated tasks in Spanish. The resulting improve-ments were dramatic. Not only did the agents get the language skills they needed to perform their jobs more effective-ly, but even though the new course did not fol-low a grammar-based syllabus, their gram-mar was better too.”

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What makes people nonsensical? When studying a culture, you can-not just study the aspects you agree with. To truly have a comprehen-sive understanding, you have to

study all the aspects of the culture. If you were studying the Mayans, you simply could not ignore the fact that they practiced human sacrifice, however repugnant it may seem. In fact, that very repug-nance might drive you to think more deeply about it —to wonder how in the world one human being could justify such an act. I have an interest in studying aberrations in human behavior—not because I want to emulate them but because

Thoughts, Theories and Speculation

Are there rules for living suc-cessfully as a human being?

Curiouser and Curiouser

I want to understand why they occurred in the first place. What is the nature behind human behav-ior? What is the driving force that allows people to commit seemingly senseless acts? And do our societ-ies’ standards and norms dictate our actions and morals? Perhaps the most haunting aspect of these inquiries is that they hold no true answers.

— Zainab Rahman

“BEAUTIFUL” “BEAUTIFUL” is light-hearted and playful track featuring mem-bers from all three of Seventeen’s sub-units. This classic debut-era track has contrasting vocals, with deep and powerful rapping from the Hip Hop Unit and gentle singing from the Vocal and Perfor-mance Units.

“BOOM BOOM” The title track “BOOM BOOM” is a fun and energetic track with strong vocals from every member. The unique blend of brass instru-ments and old-school hip hop-in-spired backtrack creates an interest-ing and upbeat instrumental.

“HIGHLIGHT” “HIGHLIGHT” is an EDM and

house-inspired song featuring the Performance Unit. This track pays tribute to the classic K-Pop sound with it’s dance-oriented backtrack and layered vocals.

“Lean on Me” The Hip-Hop Unit’s “Lean on Me” slows the pacing of the album with soft, careful rapping over a laidback beat. The track’s rhythmic piano and Primary-esque, jazzy brass pair well with the unit’s deep vocals.

“Fast Pace” “Fast Pace” is another jazzy track, but unlike previous songs, it has a much faster beat. It continues the album’s use of brass which creates a funky vibe that complements the catchy hook nicely.

“Don’t Listen” The Vocal Unit’s “Don’t Listen” brings the album back down with a ballad-like vibe. The track uses both piano and acoustic guitar to create a slow instrumental to match the feel of the layered, airy vocals.

Music Review

Going Seventeen is K-Pop boy band Seventeen’s third mini-album and was released on December 5, 2016.

Going Seventeen“I Don’t Know”

“I Don’t Know” is the second of the two songs featuring members from each sub-unit. It continues the slow pacing of the previous track, but the Hip Hop Unit’s rap verses differentiate it from a classic ballad.

“Smile Flower” “Smile Flower” is another ballad- like track with a melodic acoustic guitar and mellow singing. This song is the slowest out of the eight, but has become a fan favorite due to its soft and pleasing sound.

Going Seventeen greatly exem-plifies Seventeen’s potential and skill in both ballad and upbeat tracks. The mini album has received overwhelming positive reviews from both fans and critics and is a wonderful addition to their discog-raphy.

— Megan Rider