Student Life Archives

Ryan Jacobson

El Burrito Loco
Rating: 4/5
3611 Bates Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63111
(314) 457-8600
A sudden craving for good, cheap Mexican food had us scouring the Internet and our friends’ brains. We took a friend’s recommendation to check out El Burrito Loco in south St. Louis. Although it was quite a schlep to get there, the titanic burritos we ordered proved to be a cut above any closer options. These burritos hit the spot without hitting our wallets too hard.

The dining area of El Burrito Loco encompasses two rooms, and you can either order at the counter or enjoy table service. As we perused the menu we munched on some free tortilla chips and salsa. The menu was much larger than we had expected; dinner platters and other Mexican specialties provided us with a wealth of choices. Still, we both decided that we would try the restaurant’s specialty – burritos.

The burritos are handy; they come in three sizes, and you can choose from a bunch of different fillings that range from chicken in chipotle sauce to spicy potatoes. We settled on a beef and jalape¤o salsa burrito and the Burrito Loco itself. The former was quite a treat. This beast arrived piping hot on a plate garnished with lettuce and pico de gallo and filled with refried beans, rice and meat. The rice was a big hit. It had a citrus kick that really stood out. The meat was right on, too. It was slow cooked and tender, and the jalape¤o salsa made it pop with flavor. Don’t even try picking these burritos up unless you want half of it on your lap.

But what is the Burrito Loco, you ask? This bad boy comes with beans, rice, guacamole, cheese, sour cream and pico de gallo. This could be a good choice for a vegetarian, but we opted to add chicken for a small fee. Overall, the burrito turned out to be a very tasty choice. By far our favorite part of this burrito was the guacamole. Freshly made, it had large chunks of avocado yet maintained a creamy texture. The chicken was not quite as good. It was slightly bland, but it did go well with the burrito’s m‚lange of flavors. This burrito also came lukewarm and we would have liked it slightly hotter.

For such a no-frills spot, the service was outstanding. Our sodas were refilled early and often and the server checked in on us periodically. The restaurant wasn’t busy, but this could have had something to do with the fact that we were eating dinner at 4 p.m.

Overall, El Burrito Loco was a great alternative to the chain burrito joints springing up all over the place. These dishes were made with real care that you can only find at a family-owned, authentic restaurant. Sure, this place is a twenty minute ride away, but if you find yourself on the south side of St. Louis or hungering for a nine-inch concoction of deliciousness, then El Burrito Loco is well worth the trip. Call us crazy, but we thought this place was pretty darn good.

We were friends from camp and I hadn’t seen him in months. When, this summer, we were both back at home – he near Madison, Wis., and I in Chicago – we decide that it would be a good idea to find a few days when we could hang out and when the time came I took the three-hour trip by bus to go to his 200-acre farm (that’s right, Midwest) in America’s Dairyland.

Our time was spent well that night, playing “Mario” on his old Nintendo, drinking beer and watching old episodes of “Alf,” but when the next afternoon came, I had a problem. I had a tentative dinner date with one of those friends-who-is-a-girl.

This wouldn’t have been an issue, except that I had a distinct desire to get rid of those hyphens and get a girlfriend, that evening if possible, but I couldn’t if I didn’t leave Wisconsin soon. When the bus arrived I was deep in vacillation: stay with the guy or go to the girl?

Five minutes later I was on my way back home, thinking with my little man and well aware that I’d broken the most important rule of Guyhood: Bros before Hos. You never ditch the dude. Ever.

It’s tough, I admit, because the guys you don’t want to bail on are the same ones that you would wingman for as they all but ignore you to hit on some chick at Blue Hill. Any guy wants to see his friends get with their better halves, provided, of course, he gets the details afterwards. So, what do you do? Where do you draw the line?

Some of my friends play it by ear, taking each choice as it comes and setting their respective girlfriends opposite their buddies time and again. This setup has the potential for success, except that there’s always the chance that the conversation can go something like this:

“Dude,” says Guy 1, “I should stay with you and play video poker. I’ll hook up with her later.”

“No, man,” Guy 2 says, “Go with her. We’ll chill later, and you need to get some tail.”

“Dude, seriously, I’m going to stay here. I’m not about to let you down for some girl.”

Guy 2 will undoubtedly respond with more encouragement for his friend to go, and the conversation thus has the potential to continue until: a. The girl calls Guy 1 angrily wondering where he is; or b. Guy 2 loses his game of video poker. Probably both. An hour later, both guys will have gotten nowhere, and they’ll most likely end up sitting on their couch dejectedly eating Chinese takeout while watching the Strongest Man competition on ESPN2. This is not the situation we’re looking for.

So dodge that circumstance and lay down the law. If you’ve got some free time, give it to the girl. But if you’ve made plans with one of your boys, you better stick around, no matter if you’re discussing philosophy or playing video games.

As for me and mine, that night didn’t go the way I planned, and after I got home I called the farmer friend and apologized for my conduct hours earlier. At the time, I believe he was watching cable TV, eating his dinner on the couch.

Odds are it was Chinese takeout.

You’re out at a restaurant with a friend and a couple is seated at the table right next to you. Though you’re not usually an eavesdropper (okay, maybe you are, but hey, it’s fun) you can’t help but listen to these two. Your friend leans over and whispers, “Talk about in love.” You smile and nod, but that’s not what you were thinking. It’s obvious they’re in love. But there’s something else about them that you can’t even really name. They have “that something.”

What is “that something?” Did Rachel and Ross have “it,” do Derek and Meredith have “it?” TV shows and movies spend millions of dollars trying to recreate it for their audiences, but it’s something only in real life. It’s “that something” that allows you to look at couples and know who’s going to last and who isn’t. It’s what keeps you together through the most trying parts of your relationship. And it is what lets you know when you’re ready to spend the rest of your life with someone. But what is “it?”

Is it love? No, you can be in love and not have “it.” For example, you fall in love with a girl who is the one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met. You know that she would never hurt you and that she would make you happy. But after a year together, you know that you don’t have “it.” You could have an amazing relationship, but without “it,” you could not spend everyday of your lives together. There’s too much you’ll experience, and without “it” you won’t be able to get through all the experiences as one.

Is it chemistry? (Sorry pre-meds, to throw that word in during the middle of finals.) Even the couples with great chemistry are many times missing “that something.” You may see a couple that seems to know what the other is thinking and can make each other smile with just a look, but that may not be enough. It’s the couple that, when you’re helping your clueless guy friend pick out a ring in a few years, you can honestly say to him, “I knew from almost the beginning that this is where you guys would end up.” There’s something different about them. Some clue that it will last.

Is it a soulmate? Whew, now we’re getting into some deep stuff (as if picking out engagement rings wasn’t scary enough). Here we get into the whole, does everyone just have that one someone blah blah blah. Really, who knows? The question should not be who is that one you are destined to be with, it should be who could you have “that something” with? Less scary-sounding, right? You may fall in love many times, but who will you have “that something” with?

That person would be one to hang onto. It may not be that there is only one person that you can have “that some thing” with, but it is something special. It’s not something you feel every time you fall head-over-heels for someone. It’s something deeper. And unfortunately, something that seems to be completely indescribable. You’ll just have to find your way into knowing.

And until then, don’t settle. You may find a great guy, but don’t close out the possibilities just because you’re tired of looking and have found someone you could probably love. Wait for “that something.” Maybe that’s the hopeless romantic talking, but don’t you want to be that couple sitting in the restaurant who people see and know you have “it?” Love will get you somewhere, but it’s “that something” that will keep you going.

So what exactly is “it?” Don’t know. But it’s definitely something worth finding.

I love caffeine – it makes me feel speedy and happy in a way that nothing else can. It might therefore shock you to learn that I recently made a vow to remain caffeine-free. Here’s why I did it and why I think you should consider it, too.

I never used to drink a lot of soda or coffee, but a few weeks ago I began to drink a half a cup of coffee most mornings. I would order a small and ask for a blend of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. I did not think that amount of caffeine was affecting my daily life too much, so on days when I felt really tired I started allowing myself to have a full cup of caffeinated coffee.

When I went home for Thanksgiving break I indulged in my new habit a few times. On the morning before I returned to St. Louis, I let myself have two cups of the coffee my mom makes, a delicious but strong brew. That night, even though I felt exhausted, I slept so lightly that when I woke up in the morning I felt as if I had only been asleep for a moment. That’s when I decided I needed to kick my caffeine habit before it really started.

So how does caffeine work? Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it speeds up the processing in the nervous system, heart and respiratory system. It is shaped just like adenosine, a chemical responsible for slowing the brain down. Caffeine fools the body by entering the same neurotransmitters as adenosine so that the adenosine can’t bind. The caffeine then works to replace any feelings of sleepiness with feelings of excitement and stimulation. This explains why people depend on caffeine to feel awake and also why people who are particularly sensitive to caffeine may be unable to fall asleep for several hours after consumption.

If you do drink a lot of caffeinated beverages, you need to realize that even though you feel fine you are still consuming a drug with several side effects. Feelings of anxiety, dizziness and nervousness (including a racing mind, pacing heart and quick, shallow breathing) are all characteristic results of caffeine consumption. In addition, caffeine is a diuretic, which means that it clears your system of liquid. Not only does a diuretic negate the liquid properties of what you just drank, but it also gets rid of what was previously in your system. Thus, caffeinated beverages are likely to leave you feeling thirstier and less hydrated than you felt before consuming the beverage.

If you do choose to drink something caffeinated, make sure you follow it with a tall glass of water to avoid dehydration. This is extremely important for athletes, as dehydration and the resulting loss of calcium and potassium can cause sore muscles and delayed recovery time after exercise.

Just because caffeine is found in food items like tea, soda and chocolate, does not mean that it is perfectly safe, especially when it is consumed in large quantities. I am not suggesting that you quit drinking caffeine cold turkey if you are a regular consumer of caffeinated products. I do, however, recommend that you consider a significant reduction in your caffeine intake. Caffeine is a drug, and being dependent on any drug to get through your daily activities is simply not healthy, regardless of the “quick fix” benefits.

As exam time approaches, everyone needs a little spice in their life. Washington University is known for its dedicated and hard working students who study ruthlessly for hours on end. This winter, in the words of Emeril Lagasse from Emeril Live, let’s “take things up a notch” and show the world that we can study and have fun.all at the same time. Here are the best (and weirdest) quick study break ideas for the exam period 2006.

Sit in a circle with fellow studiers and see who can eat six saltines in 60 seconds and then whistle.

Grab your roommate or anyone else on your floor who needs a break, put your pillows against a wall, and have a handstand contest.

Play “would you rather” with people from your floor or dorm and come up with ridiculous questions. Example: Would you rather have a diet of only eating cockroaches for the rest of your life, or would you rather live in the desert for all eternity?

If there are a lot of people on your floor, you can play this game. Have everyone stand in their doorway and have one person be the leader. The leader calls out costume ideas, such as “luau” or “’80s,” and everyone must go to their closet, find something that fits the costume description and the first person to the common room wearing the right attire wins.

Have everyone on your floor put on their nicest dresses/suits and come into the hall for some sparkling cider and take lots of pictures.

Make Chanukah/ Christmas/ Kwanzaa decorations out of construction paper and glitter.

Toss an apple back and forth with a friend, catching it with a fork.

Face your roommate after just finishing a chapter of reading or a paragraph of an essay and see which one of you can make the weirdest noise.

It is a common perception that Wash. U. students live at the library. Hopefully, these ideas will encourage you to think about studying in your room sometimes, and you can always have quick de-stressing, fun games to play and fun people to play with for a break. Don’t just work out or spend 20 minutes on Facebook as your study break; try these fun ideas and you’ll see that studying will be so much easier.