Regis Highlander 10/13/23 Regis Highlander 10/13/23

Seoul Street Eats: The Bitesize Guide

By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer

In a city as rich in culture as Seoul, the capital of South Korea, good food might be right outside your door (literally). Seoul’s streets are bustling with a variety of street food vendors, whipping up everything from toasted marshmallow ice cream to spicy chicken feet. While you might need a big gulp of Pepto Bismol the next day, it’s definitely worth the risk. This is a bitesize guide to some of the best street foods that Seoul has to offer.

By Sandra Vo, Editing Manager

1. Sotteok Sotteok (소떡 쏘떡)

Like most modernized foods in Korea, sotteok is a combination between two words: sausage (소시지) and rice cake (떡). Its full name sotteok sotteok doubles as a visual description of the food, which is alternating sausage and rice cake. The entire skewer is covered in a Korean sweet chili sauce, consisting of gochujang (a spicy paste used in Korean cooking, made from red chili, peppers, fermented soybeans, rice, and salt), sugar, and other spices according to the vendor’s fancy. Both the chewy rice cake and the firm sausage makes for a textured meal with the benefit of being tasty.

2. Beef Skewers

Beef is notoriously pricey in South Korea, but the vendors selling these beef skewers are still able to deliver delicious skewers to satisfy any carnivorous cravings. Although pricier than some street food (sitting at 10,000 won which is about 7.50 USD), this is worth the expense. This particular beef skewer was grilled and then roasted using a butane torch, creating a mouth-water caramelization on the surface of the beef. Be careful eating this one while sitting down, the beef is so juicy that it tends to drip down the skewer and onto unsuspecting laps.

3. Egg Bread (계란빵)

Korean egg bread (romanized as gyeran-ppang), is nothing less than as advertised. Quite literally a miniature loaf of bed with an egg embedded in the middle, egg bread is popular among street vendors as a quick, warm bite. The subtly sweet taste of the bread paired with the ever-so-slightly gooey egg in the center makes for a popular, cheap snack.

4. Tanghulu (탕후루)

Although tanghulu, a candied fruit snack, is a traditionally Chinese dessert, it’s taken off in Korea as an extremely trendy and popular snack. Even just around Hongdae, there’s a tanghulu store almost every single block. Street vendors also have their stake in the business, serving up tanghulu in almost every market you can find. Tanghulu is a line of fruit covered in a sugary shell, which makes for a sweet yet tangy mouthful. It’s perfect for those craving dessert that you can eat on the go.

5. Hotteok (호떡)

People with nut allergens, beware! People without nut allergens, prepare! A pancake with a nut and brown sugar filling, hotteok is just the right amount of sweet and chewy. Hotteok is also a classic Korean street food, especially in the winter time since the warm pancake can also serve as a hand warmer. Some vendors also offer nutella or more savory fillings.

6. Cheesy Lobster Tails

While almost exclusively available in the Myeongdong (a neighborhood in the Jung District of Seoul, South Korea) night market, these vendors always have a crowd and for good reason. It’s definitely a show to watch how these lobster tails are roasted on the grill and topped with a golden brown layer of cheese. For 20,000 won or 14.80 USD, you can get an entire lobster tail that’s both moist and flavorful.

Regis Highlander 4/11/23 Regis Highlander 4/11/23

Boba Stores with Parking Lots

By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer

Let’s picture this. The car windows are down and the speakers are turned up as you drive into downtown Denver. You’re elated because you found a five dollar bill in your desk after cleaning up earlier and, combined with the pile of change that’s been piling up in your car’s cup holder, you have seven dollars to spend on a cup of boba. Your friend told you about the cutest new boba place that just opened up, and you’ve decided that you absolutely must go.

But there’s no parking lot.

You circle around the block, eyes peeled for any open spot next to the curb, trying not to think about the impending humiliation of attempting to parallel park. You could try heading into a parking garage, but with only seven dollars in your pocket, you wouldn’t even be able to afford being in there for an hour, much less buy boba on top of that.

To remedy that, here’s a list of the top places around Denver that spare you from that parking pain.

By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer

But there’s no parking lot.

To remedy that, here’s a list of the top places around Denver that spare you from that parking pain.

1. Kuluka Boba

Located in Westminster, Colorado, Kuluka Boba has all the beauty of your downtown Denver boba stores, but with a parking lot that has spots you can pull through. They also serve a variety of different flavored mochi donuts and Little Man ice cream. For anybody looking for a nice place to spend the day, Kuluka offers booth, table, and swing seating.

2. Mango Mango

Although mainly a dessert place, Mango Mango still functions as a great place to find boba. Mango Mango offers a variety of drinks, cute seating, and plenty of mango-themed desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth. Their mango-shaped chair in front of the restaurant is the perfect mango on top.

3. Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt

Find a parking spot at something a little more unconventional than your average boba place. Yomie’s Rice x Yogurt specializes in sweet rice and yogurt that’s creamy enough to easily go through a straw, which you can add different toppings to as well.

4. Kutea

Kutea is the perfect spot to find good drinks inside of a store with a cute atmosphere. They have unique flavors such as the cream cheese smoothie collection, classic Vietnamese juices, and even a place to get a Vietnamese green waffle.

5. Spill the Tea

Although further up north, Spill the Tea has a parking lot big enough to practice for your driver’s license exam and to find boba. Spill the Tea has a fairly extensive menu, and if you’re craving something to eat as well, you can find a bite of one of their bubble waffles or various cake slices.

6. Ding Tea

Don’t be fooled by the location inside of Denver, Ding Tea still has plenty of spots for you to fulfill your parking responsibilities. Ding Tea is also a fairly famous chain that has many different options, including their specialty signature milk tea which is a must-have.

Regis Highlander 3/13/23 Regis Highlander 3/13/23

Pretty in Pink: A Review of the Hello Kitty Grand Cafe

By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer

Photos by Sandra Vo

Located in the middle of California’s Irvine Spectrum Center, past the swarm of joyfully hollering children and carnival music emitting from the Ferris Wheel Speakers, lies a quiet sanctuary for Hello Kitty lovers everywhere. The Hello Kitty Grand Cafe proudly boasts a pink and white canopy, sleek pink windows, and a logo with Hello Kitty herself sitting in front of a coffee cup.

Inside, the cafe is decorated just as sweetly as its exterior. Upon entering, guests are met with clean, white walls and several spots for a photo opportunity, such as the Hello Kitty sprinkle wallpaper or the statue of Hello Kitty in the corner. There are two sections of the cafe, one of which is the regular coffee storefront and another room in the back, which is reserved for the special afternoon tea set.

Since the afternoon tea set was about $60 a person, I decided to stay within the main coffee area. There’s a window that shows the donut making process of the cafe, likely to entice customers with its smell and appearance. The service is friendly and eager, dressed in a pink Hello Kitty apron appropriate with the theme.

On the day of my visit, I was disappointed to hear that they had already run out of one of the cafe’s specials, the strawberry dream smoothie, even though it was less than an hour since they had opened. However, I was able to get a cappuccino and the strawberry cake. The cappuccino had the classic “Hello Kitty” face drawn on the top with cocoa powder.

As for the strawberry cake, it was decorated in a white frosting that was so thick and hard that it resembled a candy coating. Unfortunately, it was nearly unbearably sweet, although the portion was a decent size for ten dollars. There was an artificial taste to the jelly inside of the cake, but perhaps its appearance can excuse the poor flavor.

Overall, the Hello Kitty cafe is a pleasant visual experience if not dining, but should still remain on the bucket list for any Hello Kitty fans or people looking to visit themed cafes.

Regis Highlander 2/15/23 Regis Highlander 2/15/23

SASE West Regional Conference

By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer & Publisher

At 3:30 a.m., the Regis van whirs to life with barely more energy than its occupants. Five members of the Regis’s Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) are about to head out to the airport, where they will be flying to San Diego to attend the SASE West Regional Conference hosted by University of California San Diego. Although exhausted and running on various amounts of sleep, there is a sense of excitement in the air that in just a few hours, they will be in a different state with weather 60 degrees higher than in Denver.

SASE has a reputation as a “career development” club, but there is more than building a resume and learning how to connect to people on LinkedIn. SASE is about connecting with people in real life, getting first hand advice from job recruiters, and also having the time of your life on a trip with the majority of the expenses covered by Regis. At San Diego, the members arrived a full day earlier before the start of the conference, where they power-napped, ate dim sum at the famous San Diego Din Tai Fung, and explored the beach at sunset.

The West Regional Conference itself was a well-organized and impressively designed event. The SASE team at UCSD worked tirelessly to create t-shirts, stickers, advertise on social media, bring in job recruiters from Lockheed Martin, Pfizer, HRL Laboratories, Illumina, and the Keck Graduate Institute. The result was workshops featuring Q&A’s with UCSD professors, working professionals, networking opportunities, dumpling making, and a tour of the gorgeous UCSD campus. Both breakfast and lunch were provided, with conference attendees eating Einstein bagels and banh mi respectively.

Overall, the SASE conference is ideal for people looking to break into the job market as Asian students, people working in STEM/engineering, or even as just a weekend getaway. Requirements to attend the conference only include being an active member of SASE (attending roughly half the meetings) and expressing interest in going to the conference.

For those interested, please contact regis@saseconnect.org to learn more, and SASE looks forward to seeing you at our conference next year!

Regis Highlander 11/23/22 Regis Highlander 11/23/22

Scammed by the Bell

By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer

Year after year, the American Revolution dazzles young elementary schoolers with stories of heroic battles and paintings of the Founding Fathers’ voluptuous wigs. However, no unit is complete without a segment about the famed Liberty Bell, the symbol of resounding freedom and everlasting justice.

Except…it’s not.

What the Liberty Bell really represents is an agglomeration of poor engineering, shoddy attempts at repairs, and a hardworking public relations team that has manipulated the narrative for over two hundred years.

Its functional failures started at the beginning of its inception in 1751. The Pennsylvania Assembly commissioned a bell for the Pennsylvania State House, but the bell cracked upon its first test ring, causing it to be melted down and reformed into a new one. While theoretically more functional than its predecessor, the overwhelming criticism surrounding the sound of the new bell forced it to be recast again.

With the sound fixed, the new leaders of the Liberty Bell Public Relations Team (unknowingly or not), gathered a multitude of fictionalized stories about the important role the Liberty Bell played during the American Revolution. The most famous story is that the bell rang to signal the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, although this was a fictionalized tale written by George Lippard. In 1846, the bell attempted to leave another mark on history by ringing on George Washington’s birthday, only to promptly crack irreparably forever. An attempt to repair the bill using a technique called “stop drilling” ended up creating a new, larger crack that further marred an already damaged surface.

Yet even so, the bell served as a symbol for both the Abolitionists and Women’s Suffrage movement. What better way to imprint something into the American consciousness than making it a mascot? For the Liberty Bell enthusiasts, this was certainly a win. Their poorly-engineered, faulty, non-functional shoddy excuse of a bell had ingrained itself into American history textbooks everywhere.

Now, the bell resides in the National Historical Park of Pennsylvania, smugly basking in the attention it receives from gullible tourists and visitors, who fail to realize what it truly is: a hunk of scrap metal.

Regis Highlander 11/18/22 Regis Highlander 11/18/22

Making of a City: Denver

By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer

From a small mining town to a cultural and economic stronghold of the United States, Denver’s ever-changing landscape reflects the shift in its role as a city throughout history. Below are historical photos of Denver from the late 1800s and early 1900s and photos of the same location in 2022. These photos are separated not by space, but time. This is the making of a city.