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Rebecca Rants on
Facebook
Rebecca Brodney, Staff Writer
Things not to post on face-
book:
(i) How much you love/
miss your significant other.
It’s fine to love someone
and to miss them. However,
if I log onto Facebook one
more time and see.“Oh I
love and miss my ZackyPoo
so much! I get to see him
in 28 days!” or “28 dayz to
ZCKYPOO” I will personally
reach through the screen
and choke the author. Tell
your boyfriend/girlfriend
you love them, not every
classmate, acquaintance,
or co-worker that you have
ever crossed paths with.
(2) Politics. Regardless of
what political party some
one supports, people should
at least have some sense of
decorum for other people
and their views. Show a
little respect.
(3) Coupons/grocery store
excursions. People love to
save money. Each time a
person gets a good deal on
something, they feel that in
some way, they have beaten
“the system.” However,
when every other Face-
book post chronicles a trip
to the grocery store, what
they bought, and how much
money they think they have
saved, it could be construed
as a little TMI. Congratula
tions, you bought cucum
bers, potatoes, bananas,
popsicles, ice cream, yo
gurt, cashews, tampons,
tofu, shampoo, nail polish
remover, and condoms all
for $19.99. Now tell us
something that matters.
(4) Statuses that include:
“PLEASE put this as your
status if... ” Example: “If
you needed someone to talk
to, how many would actu
ally be there for you? I can
guarantee not even ONE
of your Facebook friends
will copy this status. If you
would be there for me, first
like this post, then set it
as your status and see how
image via techlifeweb.com
many of us would be there
for you! Let’s try it out and
see. Prove me wrong.” You
know your best friend? The
one who held your hair back
because you were drunk
and puking? The ten years
of friendship? The “best”
and “friends” necklaces?
Forget it. Your friendship
isn’t real unless you go
through this entire bureau
cratic process of “liking,”
re-posting, and hoping that
your friend reciprocates.
I’m glad these statuses are
here to let us know who our
REAL friends are.
(5) Pictures of food. Un
less it is a cupcake, a pic
ture of your food items will
make me vomit. I don’t
want to see the dead animal
on your plate. It looks nice
to you because the neurons
in your brain are hungry
and are telling you to start
gorging on it. Stop letting
your food seduce you. It’s
gross.
(6) Whining that you
haven’t heard from your
love interest. If someone
doesn’t care about you- for
get about him or her. They
aren’t worth your time,
tears, or anguish. Get a
pet. In a favorite movie of
mine. He’s Just Not That
Into You, there is a quote
that goes like this: “I know,
it’s nice to have compan
ionship and wake up with
somebody you really like,
but that’s what pets are for.
Pets are God’s way of saying
‘don’t lower the bar because
you’re lonely.’”
Local Restauranteur
Settles in Downtown
Raleigh
Julia Dent, Staff Writer
Ashley Christensen has claimed Raleigh’s attention once more with
the opening of three new restaurants on Wilmington Street. Beas
ley’s Chicken + Honey, Chuck’s, and Fox Liquor Bar were all recently
opened, each with a unique ambiance all with critically acclaimed food
and prices between eight and twelve dollars.
Christensen’s love for cooking developed during her sophomore year
of college, despite not having taken a culinary class. She hosted a num
ber of dinner parties with her friends and grew to love the art of cook
ing, as well as sharing it with others. She got her first job fresh out of
college as a professional cook at the prime age of twenty-one.
Since her young start, Christensen has been keeping quite busy with
restaurants in Raleigh and even being a contestant on Iron Chef. Her
first solo endeavor was in 2007 when she re-opened Poole’s Diner on
McDowell’s Street. It quickly'spiked to high rankings, being named
Raleigh’s “Best New Restaurant” in 2008 and even claiming national
attention, as it won features in magazines Bon Appetit, The New York
Times, and Southern Living.
Christensen grew up in North Carolina with her parents teaching
her the importance of locally grown food, which they demonstrated
by growing their own organic garden. She uses her parents influence,
buying only locally grown food for all of her restaurants. “When she
was growing up, we had the organic garden and all...She more or less
grew up in that scene, and when she started doing it, she had to kick it
up a notch,” Christensen’s father says of her restaurants (Snyder, Jane
Hobson, “Chef Ashley Christensen Bets It All on Downtown Raleigh,”
IndyWeek.com).
Fox Liquor Bar, which has twelve flowing taps, is actually named for
her father Robert Christensen, whose friends call him Fox. Beasley’s
Chicken + Honey’s name also has a family meaning behind it as well
as the unique signature food combination. “When I would throw a
fit,” Christensen said, “my mom would say, ‘You look just like a little
old lady! We’re going to call you Mrs. Beasley,”’ (a doll from the 1970s
television show Family Affair). The fried chicken and honey is a huge
thing for me because my mother was from Memphis and my father was
a beekeeper. That thing that it does to the palate is something special to
me” (Snyder, 10 Aug 2011). Beasley’s was described by customer Antho
ny Dent as “a casual, easy-going atmosphere, which matches its simple
yet delicious fare.”
Located next to Beasley’s is Chuck’s, a burger and shake restaurant.
The name has no connection to the Christensen family. The meat used
in the’ burgers is “all from the chuck muscle,” says Chistensen. “We’re
doing eight signature burgers, one really simple that I think we’ll call
Suburbia” (Snyder, 10 Aug 2011).
Christensen took your typical burger and added unconventional in
gredients, such as seared peppers, truffle cheese, kale, cream cheese to
create burgers with names like High and Low, Bradleytime, Lone Wolf,
The Dirty South, and Spirit Animal. “Chuck’s is a nice addition to DTR
for burger lovers,” customer Jon Bailey commented. “Like it’s neigh
bor/sister restaurant Beasley’s, the menu is pretty straightforward with
an interesting selection of burgers, side of fries with a number of sauces
to compliment, and a beer/soda/milkshake to wash it all down” (Sny
der, 10 Aug 2011).
So with all of her new restaurants now opened and busy schedule in
place, what is Christensen planning on doing next? “[Raleigh needs] a
really good coffee shop,” Christensen says of ideas for her next project.
“As much us Raleigh would like to believe it has a really good cof
fee shop, it needs a killer one. I also like the idea of Neapolitan pizza.
Hmm. Five simple pizzas, maybe ...” (Snyder, 10 Aug 2011).