Some random thoughts for a hot and sticky Friday:
- Everyone has their own reasons for why they like and dislike C-U. Here’s one brief take on the matter. They can’t fight this feeling …
- Had a hankering for Chinese the other day, and I went with a friend to check out Eastern Taste, the newish buffet next to Friar Tuck’s in Savoy. If the only good thing I can say about it is that I liked the green beans, I don’t think I’ll be going back.
- A reader wrote in to highlight that Urbana will be getting its groove on this Saturday at the first-ever Urbana Street Dance. The free festivities start at 5 p.m., a very family-friendly time, with four local groups scheduled to take the stage. (Sound like Urbana didn’t want Champaign to have all the fun, since it has been putting on free music Streetfests for a couple of years now.)
- In case you missed it, one of Champaign’s most infamous residents (even if most people here don’t know who the heck he is) gave an interview to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune recently. Patrick Arnold is the Champaign-based chemist who spent three months in a federal prison for his role in the BALCO steroids scandal that is linked to Barry Bonds. Because he is still serving out the terms of his probation and is confined to his One Main condo, Arnold won’t be on hand to see Bonds break the all-time MLB home run record.
- TGIF everyone!
8 responses so far ↓
anandamide // July 27, 2007 at 10:31 am
thanks for the link.
please enlighten this ignorant Wisconsinite: do residents commonly refer to it as Champaign-Urbana or Urbana-Champaign and, if both, what rules determine which one you use?
Splodinvark // July 27, 2007 at 10:46 am
It’s odd that they’re promoting it as the “first-ever” Urbana street dance, because I performed for one in a series at least seven years ago. Guess it’s because it’s not being funded out-of-pocket by Paul Wirth of the Iron Post this time.
Splodinvark // July 27, 2007 at 10:47 am
(It may not have been seven years ago, so don’t hold me to that. Time and me have never had a great relationship.)
Leeanthro // July 27, 2007 at 10:53 am
Anandamide:
It’s Champaign-Urbana or C-U. But interestingly, Urbana was established before Champaign.
But, the University is “University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.” I think that some of the administrative offices are in Urbana and that’s why it’s listed first.
As a Champaign native, I wouldn’t live in Urbana, but people originally from Urbana say the same about Champaign! (For many, many reasons.) But really, we’re one big happy town.
khanada // July 27, 2007 at 8:14 pm
So how did Patrick Arnold end up in Champaign? Was he going to UIUC for grad school (”Patrick cut his Ph.D. studies short to pursue his own business venture…”)? Or did he think that CU is out-of-the-way enough? Just being nosy.
I hope being confined to his One Main condo isn’t too hard on the poor guy…
khanada // July 27, 2007 at 8:23 pm
Oh and for those who love to read the letters to the editor of the NG:
How long until Michael “bozo is my favorite word” Fuerst writes in to complain about the Urbana street dance and to let us know the capitalists in Champaign could have done it better? I think he just wrote in recently to complain about goose poop in Crystal Lake Park, so it may be a while before they publish him again.
I so love the letters to the editor. I call them “my stories.”
Jennifer B // July 28, 2007 at 10:52 pm
The best food at the actual buffet at Eastern Taste is the one table (closet to the restrooms) that mainly serves Korean/Thai/Japanese dishes; the soups are above average as well. Their Tom Yum soup surprised me as it easily rivaled Siam Terrace’s. The rest of the buffet leaves a lot to be desired, but they will throw in some shockers every once in a while like Tonnkatsu. I’ve become friends with the owner and several of the waitstaff, and they’ve said that their clientèle is mostly Asian on Friday night and Saturday, and American the rest of the week. I’ve found that those times are when the best food is served in the buffet.
Plus, they serve chicken fingers! Which are really chicken feet, either battered and fried or boiled/braised.
For ordering off of the menu, stick to the side that doesn’t have the standard “Americanized-Asian” dishes like General Tso’s Chicken.
gamera // July 29, 2007 at 12:46 pm
khanada: Your “stories” are online now….
http://www.illinipundit.com/mjerryfuerst
I don’t know if you guys read the comments on the anandamide link, but our Don has *represented*….
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