Wingspan’s Kanz Bitar writes her weekly blog post, Culinary Crusade. This week’s addition featured Mexican fast food chain Chipotle and her thoughts on the food.
Chipotle surprises with tasty bowl
Chipotle has always been a restaurant that lots of students around here enjoy. However, Mexican food has never been my forte of expertise and I have never even had a burrito. And so it was off to Chipotle for my latest culinary crusade.
The first time I went to Chipotle I chickened out of getting a bowl and got a quesadilla instead. I was severely judged by my friends to say the least. And for my second attempt, I went for it and ordered the bowl.
As I was progressing the line, it came to my attention that both varieties of rice had cilantro. Sadly for me, I despise cilantro. Luckily, the employee who was taking my order brought out plain white rice for me.
Before taking my first bite I hesitated, contemplating whether I should take the bite or not. But I finally did it and to my surprise, I loved it. It was tasteful, delightful and now I finally understand why people enjoy Chipotle.
With every journey, there are always clear expectations, but this time to my shock, I truly enjoyed the Chipotle bowl.
Sarp Sahin
In this week’s edition of Artistic Expressions, Wingspan sits down with Sarp Sahin as he talks about his passion for playing the cello.
Name: Sarp Sahin
Grade: senior
Instrument: cello
Future College: TBD
Future Job: biomedical engineer/surgeon
Years in Orchestra: 7
Favorite Musician: Jacqueline du Pré
Wingspan: What made you choose your instrument?
Sahin: “I chose the cello at my 5th grade Fowler Middle School Fiddle Fair because of its rich tone and wide musical range. I really enjoy playing the cello because of its deep, powerful sounds, classical repertoire solos, and its role in string quartets, ensembles, and full orchestras.”
Wingspan: What made you want to choose to do orchestra?
Sahin: “I’ve always enjoyed music, and the prospect of performing classical music literature in addition to the lasting relationships I would make made orchestra seem like the best fit for me. 7 years on, I can certainly say it was the right choice!”
Wingspan: Are you considering continuing the orchestra beyond? Why?
Sahin: “Yes, definitely. I plan on playing in the non-major Orchestra at my university. Orchestra has really shaped who I am today, and I’m excited to be part of a similar community next year.”
Wingspan: What are your personal goals for this year?
Sahin: “After an exciting 3rd quarter of rigourous classical repertoire for our UIL performance, I want to cap off my senior year with a great spring concert.”
Wingspan: What is your favorite thing about orchestra?
Sahin: “My favorite aspect about orchestra is the community experience of making music together. I like the way music bonds us all together, which became even more important during this pandemic. I feel privileged to be part of a team of such talented, caring and hardworking musicians in my orchestra.”
Wingspan: How do you balance orchestra, school, and any other extracurriculars?
Sahin: “It’s all about advanced planning. Planning ahead to combine curricular work with extracurricular activities helps me achieve a healthy school-life balance.”
Wingspan: What’s your favorite memory of the orchestra?
Sahin: “In my sophomore year, our orchestra performed Beethoven’s Finale for UIL. Our performance was flawless, the atmosphere was electric, and in retrospect, it was quite an