Chachi’s Burritos is not your ordinary food cart. That’s because it’s technically not a food cart. According to Lane County code, the tiny hut attached to Taylor’s is actually a restaurant.

Formerly a rarely-visited kebab and coffee joint, the hut on 13th and Kincaid Street is now occupied by Agate Alley Bistro and Agate Alley Laboratory owner, Dug Beaird. The building sat empty for a few months before he decided on his newest venture in the food cart business.

“I would call our food Mexican-Asian fusion,” said Beaird, owner of Chachi’s Burritos. “We try to take the standard, typical burrito and infuse some Asian flares to jazz it up to something new from your tired, old burrito.”

There’s nothing tired about the menu, in fact, I have more questions than answers when I’m asked what I’d like to order. There are a number of curious sounding toppings for burritos and bowls. The menu boasts a number of interesting sauces, toppings and flavors such as Sriracha Sour Cream, Asian slaw and something called “Chachi Sauce.”

“There’s more tanginess than there is heat. There are lots of other secret ingredients that make it so good,” Beaird said. Chachi sauce is made from roasted Anaheim and New Mexico peppers with an Asian-fusion kick. 

The line is long and there’s only one man working the cart (though I don’t think it’d be possible for two to fit in there), so I find myself waiting a while to order food. But by the time the girl in front of me has walked away with her lunch, I’m intrigued by what Chachi’s is all about.

I’m excited to see more than one vegetarian option, even a vegan option. Often vegetarians are limited to two or three items on a menu, but this “restaurant” has close to an equal amount. I ordered the Veggie Burrito, the vegetarian dish that contains rice, black or pinto beans, pico de gallo, Asian slaw, an entire half of an avocado and Sriracha sour cream and the mysterious Chachi sauce.

The burrito has layers on layers of individually seasoned components that altogether make one healthy and delicious lunch. It’s tangy, spicy and smokey, all highlighted by the black beans and rice. A glorious glob of mashed avocado contrasted with the Chachi sauce and Sriracha sour cream make for a delicious trio. The bowl is filling, and for a great price, too — only $5.50.

Chachi’s Burritos is open for lunch and late night, competing directly across the street from the Uly’s campus food cart.

“Uly’s is a giant around here when it comes to late night, but it’s always good to have some variety,” Beaird said.

Living gluten-free is a growing diet and lifestyle trend, but it’s hardly anything new in the medical field.

Recent studies have shown that gluten allergies are not only growing in numbers, but are six times more common than Celiac disease — which affects 1 percent of the U.S. population.

The gluten-free lifestyle trend seems to also be a growing diet trend.

“A lot of people do it for weight loss, since gluten is found in all wheat products and most processed foods,” said Casey Mats, a registered dietitian. “But as far as gluten-free bread options, those don’t contain many nutrients. They’re often low in fiber, protein and vitamins, and high in calories, fat and sugar.”

To better understand the growing number of people who are forced to give up gluten for medical reasons and the sanity of those who choose to, I’ve decided to see for myself how difficult giving up gluten is for a week.

Let me preface this experience with a little information about myself — I’m a baker and a carbohydrate enthusiast. I eat pasta like it’s my job, so this week is a big deal for me. However, I’m curious about the gluten-free craze, especially the mentality of those who do it as a lifestyle change.

Monday

So far, I’m not seeing a lot of nutritional merit to cutting out gluten besides for medical reasons. Then again, it’s only been about 12 hours and maybe that’s last night’s bread talking.

Tuesday

Today, I decided to roam the gluten-free options of Market of Choice and Sundance Natural Foods. When comparing gluten-free products to their regular counterparts, it can get up to almost double the price.

In a survey of 56 gluten-free products, a study found that on average, gluten-free products were 242 percent more expensive. For this tiny, dense loaf of Glutino bread? No thanks. Instead, I skip the gluten-free aisle and look for snacks that are naturally gluten-free.

Wednesday/Thursday

Today, I am struggling — hard. I miss bread and pasta … I miss beer. I miss having every menu option available to me. As it turns out, living without gluten is as much of a lifestyle change as it is a dietary change. I found myself checking out the menu of a restaurant before I left for dinner to make sure there was something I could eat there. I heard myself asking a waitress, “Does it have gluten?” and kind of hating myself for it.

Friday

Has eating out ever been more difficult? Typically, I’m away from home almost the entire day and this means at least one of my meals are from a restaurant. Even four days into this ordeal, I feel like I’m walking around in a haze, not entirely sure where to go for lunch or what I would even eat once I got there.

“Thai food is my biggest go-to since they naturally don’t use gluten — rice noodles, rice dishes and the sauces in Thai food usually don’t have soy sauce, which has gluten in it,” said Elle Hartley, a senior with gluten allergies. By shifting away from gluten-centric cultures like ours, the options might be less familiar but they are manageable.

Now I’m at the end of my gluten-free week, and I can’t say it was much of a pleasure. However, I can see the merits of living without – I probably ate twice as many vegetables and enjoyed healthier meals. But I missed you, dear pasta, and I’m glad to have you back in my life.

For being so seemingly simple, the English classic dish fish ‘n’ chips can be difficult to accomplish. But that’s the thing about simple food, isn’t it? It seems so basic, a foundation of cuisine — and yet, there are years, decades, even centuries behind perfecting it.

Now I’ve never been to an authentic English fish ‘n’ chips shop, but I can only hope that Alder Street Fish Company is as close as you can get in Eugene. The fish and the chips are fresh out of the fryer and mouth-burning hot — which is comforting on such a rainy day as today. The cod is flaky and juicy and just tastes incredibly fresh. Instead of the traditional salt and vinegar (though they keep vinegar on the condiments table next to the ketchup), there’s a choice of several dipping sauces, the most popular being Alder Street aioli and tartar sauce. The aioli is a little zesty and perfectly paired for their fish batter. The tartar sauce is a classic combination with the comparably plain cod —both are delicious.

But Alder Street Fish Company is so much more than an English chipper imitation. Claire Ory, an employee since the restaurant opened, describes the food style as pure “American.” It’s a hand-picked selection around the coasts of the US — from clam chowder made famous in New England, Cali-Mexi fish tacos on the Pacific Coast, to the Southern classic po’ boy sandwich — there’s a little bit of everything from the vastly different American cuisines.

Really it’s about the versatility of fish, specifically buttercod, which is used in their fish ‘n’ chips, tacos and po’ boy sandwich. Adding creative elements and flavorful sauces to each dish highlight different flavors of the fish.

For example, the buttercod tacos are coated in Panko rather than dredged in the fish ‘n’ chips batter, bringing a crunchiness that stands up to the soft corn tortilla. A cilantro sauce and corn and black bean salsa refresh the taco from being just another greasy piece of fish. Finally it is topped with, again, their delicious Alder Street aioli and a bit of shredded cabbage, lending a zesty hand to the entire ensemble.

“Fish and chips is definitely the most popular choice on the menu, but I always recommend the po’ boy sandwich,” employee Amanda Hammons said. But every employee has their personal recommendation that deviates from the most popular item. This is something that Ory attributes to having a “small, simple menu and everything’s delicious.”

“Our menu is branching out. We’re always throwing around ideas to add new items to the menu,” Ory said. “We change the specials all the time.”

But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It’s been a year and a half since they opened their doors, and even without advertising, promotion or having their own website, the campus restaurant has succeeded in ways beyond the bottom line. As a fairly frequent customer, every dish I’ve had there has been delicious and I feel encouraged to branch out to other dishes rather than sticking to what I know — and this is an achievement for a to-go restaurant such as Alder Street Fish Company.

There are moments when the bane of the college student’s existence is making dinner after a particularly long day. The simplest of meals seems oh-so complicated and finding the easiest, fastest solution to putting food in your stomach is the only goal before collapsing into bed.

We all rely on quick-fix meals like boxes of Rice-A-Roni and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, but some of these go-to meals aren’t so difficult to make on your own. All it takes is having a few extra things around the kitchen.

20-Minute Marinara Sauce 

Drain one large can of unseasoned, unsalted canned tomatoes. If they are whole canned tomatoes, dice or crush by hand. Reserve the extra liquid in the can in case the sauce gets too thick.

Finely chop 3-4 cloves of garlic. In a pot, coat the bottom with olive oil and heat the garlic and olive oil until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and turn up the heat until simmering. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

If you’re extravagant like me, add a few (whole) stalks of fresh herbs like Italian parsley and basil and let them stew in the simmering tomato mixture. On a low heat, let the mixture brew for around 8 minutes. During this time, begin to boil water for your pasta and cook according to the package directions.

If the mixture is too thick, add some of the reserved tomato juice from the can until the right consistency. If too thin, let it simmer for a few more minutes. Add some salt and pepper to your liking.

Marinara is amazing because it doesn’t just end at spaghetti. Don’t get me wrong, a nice plate of spaghetti is a beautiful thing, but there are a lot of variations to marinara. Dream big! Here are some varieties:

* Pre-made pizza dough can be found at Sundance for about $4. Roll the dough out, top with marinara, cheese and toppings and bake according to directions.

* Stir in some vegetables and let it cook until veggies are tender for a vegetable ragu.

* Boil lasagna noodles and layer the marinara sauce, cheese and ground beef.

* Coat a chicken breast in flour and breadcrumbs and fry in a pan coated with olive oil, flipping and browning all over. Transfer chicken to a baking dish and pour a cup of the marinara sauce on top of the chicken, top with some Parmesan or mozzarella cheese. Bake in a oven heated to 350 for about 20 minutes.

45-Minute Rice Pilaf 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Saute 1/4 of an onion until lightly browned and remove from heat.

In a 9×13 baking dish, add 1 cup rice and pour the onion mixture over it and stir until rice is coated.

Combine 1 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (and other herbs and spices if you desire, like dried or fresh parsley) in a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the broth mixture over the rice in the baking dish. Wrap the baking dish tightly in aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. In the meantime, steam some vegetables or cook a chicken breast to serve with it. When the rice is finished, fluff with a fork, bask in the glory of your not-pre-made dinner, and call your parents to tell them you are a full-on adult.

Last week, a Huffington Post blogger proposed that the majority of America will be vegan by 2050. Preposterous? A little. Impossible? You know, maybe not.

Cutting out meat, fish, diary and eggs is not easy to begin with, but in the past few years it has become easier and easier to switch to a vegan diet thanks to the tremendous boost in popularity. Six months ago, the Eugene Chipotle released their first new menu item, tofu sofritas, for all of its vegetarian and vegan fans.

“The sofritas is extremely popular,” said Sarah Lar Rieu, a Chipotle employee. “People come in all the time and say they’ve heard something cool about the new item we’re offering.”

In addition to phasing out bacon from their refried beans recipe, the fast-food chain has introduced a spicy crumbled tofu. It’s growing in popularity, but still not available in all fifty states. As of now, sofritas are only available in 21 states and a few select cities. The vegetarian in me—which is coincidentally just the normal me—rejoiced! As soon as I heard the good news, I felt a burrito-sized hole in my stomach. And it must be filled.

The sofritas is a little unappetizing to look at while it’s in front of you at the counter, but as it turns into that amazing, tortilla-wrapped miracle in front of my very eyes, all of my worries disappear. I’m trusting you with this one, Chipotle.

Overall, vegetarians, vegans and omnivores alike seem to enjoy Chipotle’s new addition.

“I want to wrap myself up in that burrito,” UO psychology senior Bianca Marino said. Marino has been 80% vegan for the last nine months. ”But now that I think about it, the Chipotle sofritas isn’t the best vegetarian burrito I’ve had.”

Remarkably, Marino claims the best vegetarian burrito is at Hamilton dining hall’s Big Mouth Burrito.

Jake Haener, a UO human physiology senior and Marino’s omnivore boyfriend, enjoyed the sofritas burrito as well, but agreed that the texture was less than desirable.

Overall, it was delicious, but I see room for improvement. In the spirit of optimism, let’s discuss the pros first.

Pros:

The tofu is everything you want in a tofu option. Not too squishy or too firm; not at all bland. A lot of people criticize tofu for being bland, but I like to think it’s like that friend we all have that’s into whatever you’re into—it takes on the flavors and seasonings of whatever it’s in. Chipotle’s webpage dedicated to sofritas says it’s seasoned with “chipotle chilis, roasted poblanos, and a blend of aromatic spices.”

Chipotle is becoming more and more locally sourced. “Both the meat and the tofu are locally sourced from within the state,” said Lar Rieu.

It’s not a meat imitator. Personally, this is a pro. It would be easy for Chipotle to go the route of imitation meats such as MorningStar or Boca and use a chicken-flavored seitan, but this is more of a matter of opinion. I dislike “chicken-flavored” things because it tends to make me compare it to the real thing, and to be honest, it’s probably not as good.

Cons:

Texturally, to tofu falls short. The crumbled tofu gets lost, indistinguishable between the beans and rice. I personally think that it would be pretty successful as tofu cubes rather than crumbled.

As opposed to the vegetables-only vegetarian burrito, guacamole is not a free addition to the sofritas burrito. A tragic loss.

I’m excited that Chipotle is inclusive to the growing demographic of non-meat eaters. It’s a smart marketing move and a good way to build a customer loyalty in vegetarians. Let’s just see how other fast food chains step up to Chipotle’s game.

I think we all know the feeling — sitting in the library, overcome with writer’s block, exhausted from lack of sleep and looking forward to another nearly sleepless night before a final the next morning. The coffee doesn’t work anymore, the Red Bull is empty and it’s closer to tomorrow than it is to today. So, asking a stranger to watch your laptop, you drag that sack of bones you call a body across the PLC parking lot.

In the distance, a beacon of light calls to you on the corner of 13th Avenue and Alder Street — the holy grail for stressed-out students: 7-Eleven.

The thing is, you don’t really feel hungry, but you want a break from looking at a screen. Plus, you just feel like you need something salty, or sweet, or greasy or all in one.

What you’re probably feeling is stress, not hunger. Emotional eating is a huge part of the finals regimen, and eating the right things can seriously make or break you. But I’m not one to tell you not to eat what you want during finals week. Taking care of yourself is important, and it’s some ridiculous dieting website’s job to tell you otherwise, not me. So practice self-care and accept that free Voodoo doughnut that people are giving out in the library. You do deserve it, you scholar.

But like all things, moderation is key. Balance your junkier foods with healthy ones.

Haylee Metzner, a junior in human physiology, says that crunch foods (both healthy and unhealthy) are her weakness.

“Chips, carrots, pretzels and apples are always my normal snacks while studying,” she said. “But I eat Flaming Hot Cheetos in unhealthy amounts. I do try to keep it in moderation, though.”

Identifying physical hunger versus emotional hunger is key in controlling emotional eating. Did the hunger come gradually or suddenly? Can the snacking wait, or do you need it right this instant? Do you stop eating when you’re satisfied or full, or do you stop when you hate yourself?

The latter of these questions are signs of emotional eating. Here are a few things to keep you from munching too hard while studying.

Oatmeal: As both a carbohydrate and a high-fiber food, oatmeal gives you a boost of serotonin (That’s the carbohydrates) and keeps you full and satisfied longer (That’s the fiber.) Go crazy with the toppings — dried or fresh fruit, chocolate chips or my favorite — peanut butter and jelly.

High-potassium foods: The American Heart Association calls potassium an important nutrient in controlling high blood pressure, a symptom of stress. Sweet potatoes, bananas, low-fat yogurt, leafy greens and oranges are all potassium rich.

(Butter-free) popcorn: Even if you want butter and salt on your popcorn, buy a plain variety and add seasonings (Don’t just stop at the salt and butter — try olive oil, hot sauce, dried herbs or nutritional yeast.)

Tea: Find a brand and variety you like and get crazy with it. Coffee and energy drinks might have the caffeine fix you’re looking for but can make you crash even harder later. Teas, even the caffeinated ones, have a subtler boost of energy and easy comedown. For stress, Townshend’s employees recommend their uplifting mood tonic Stress Less, with chamomile, lemon verbena and lemongrass. Also, Clear Mind is said to support “deep intellectual practices,” with sage, rosemary and peppermint.