In America, we love stuffing our faces and filling up as much as possible during each meal. Many people have busy schedules, causing them to need meals that are quick and easy while still completely satisfying their hunger. The fast food industry has taken advantage of this aspect of the American life by making quick meals that are super cheap but also super fattening.

Companies are always coming out with new combinations of food to keep bringing their loyal customers back. As more and more foods are getting thought up, the creators of these foods (maybe restaurant board members) have had to get more innovative, causing these creations to get progressively nastier.

Many fast food items are pumped full of sugar and sodium, which is why they taste so delicious, and also why they are so addictive. Obesity is a major health issue in the United States that causes many other complications in people’s lives. With the way things are looking, American children might as well be born with type two diabetes. Here are five fast food restaurants that show how bad things have gotten in the fast food industry:

1. Little Caesars

Little Caesar’s is known for their $5 cheese and pepperoni pizzas that are always “hot-n-ready,” but recently they unveiled their newest creation. The Bacon Wrapped Crust DEEP! DEEP! Dish Pizza is a large pepperoni and bacon pizza that features a crispy crust wrapped in three and a half feet of bacon. I see how some people could think this sounds delicious, but after learning that each slice contains around 450 calories and 830 milligrams of sodium they may change their mind.

2. Taco Bell

When going to Taco Bell, people often like to order two, three or even four items in one sitting. The fast food chain has many tasty choices, but I advise that you stay away from the XXL Grilled Stuft Burritos. The “XXL” in the name should be enough to scare people away, but if that didn’t faze them then knowing each one averages about 37 grams of fat should. Instead of one of these monstrosities, you could eat two regular bean burritos and still consume fewer calories.

3. Subway

Many sandwich chains have made their way into the fast food industry using sneaky techniques and good marketing. Claiming to be a nutritious alternative to other fast foods, places like Subway have many people believing they are making healthy food choices. While some options are wholesome, others can be just as bad as a greasy cheeseburger depending on the choice of bread, meat and cheese. A footlong turkey melt or spicy Italian sandwich can contain over 100 milligrams of cholesterol and 17 grams of sugar.

4. Burger King

Burger King is always trying new promotions to keep customers hooked. For a limited time, the restaurant is currently offering 10 chicken nuggets for just $1.49. BK has been classically known for the Whopper sandwich, and because of its popularity it is now offered with the option of getting two or three patties. The Triple Whopper, weighing in at 1,160 calories, starts clogging arteries as soon as it is consumed.

5. KFC

Whenever KFC is talked about, there seems two opposite sets of opinions: the loyal customers that love it and those who would never even step foot in the establishment. I like to think that I am one of those loyal customers, but in 2010 when I first heard about the Double Down I had trouble wrapping my head, or mouth, around it. The sandwich consists of bacon, cheese and KFC’s Colonel’s sauce crammed between two pieces of chicken that act as buns. Try it if you dare, but be aware that it has 32 grams of fat and 1,380 milligrams of sodium.

Even though just hearing about some of these food items can make someone lose their appetite, let’s be glad many of the fast food items that get pitched don’t ever make it out of the test phase. Right now, Taco Bell is teaming up with Cap’n Crunch and testing out Cap’n Crunch covered donut holes that are filled with some kind of creamy milk icing. And I wouldn’t put anything past McDonald’s after they have tried to get items such as the McHotdog, McSpaghetti and McLobster to exist in the mainstream. I fear for the future of our food industry.

Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21

The post Owens: I love fast food, but it does not love me appeared first on Emerald Media.

There are many things in life that once seen, can never be unseen. Even though there are cautions and warnings advising people to stop, some still choose to watch videos that they will never be able to get out of their heads.

ISIS, a radical Muslim organization in the Middle East, has been brutally murdering people from all over the world for no justifiable reason. Not only do these Islamic militants commit mass killings, but they also film the tragedies and plaster them all over the Internet for anyone to see. Theses videos show journalists, pilots and laborers alike being treated as less than human. Recently, I have heard some people talk a little bit too nonchalantly about watching these gruesome videos.

The latest videos have captured the burning of a Jordanian man in a cage and the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians on a beach. These videos are profoundly disturbing, which is why I find it astonishing that people can actually sit through and watch the videos in its entirety. Not only would the visual images be stuck in my head for years to come, but also I fear that I would hear the sounds of suffering ringing in my ears constantly. I can’t even fathom the amount of sleep that I would lose.

Many U.S. media outlets have shown images from the video of Muadh al-Kasasbeh, a Jordanian hostage, being burned alive, but Fox News was the only mainstream outlet to show the graphic 22-minute video. Although, many of the horrific videos that ISIS has released can be found by anyone of any age with a quick Google search.

These videos are not quickly recorded in dark caves; there is production that goes into it. The videos are filmed in high definition and are designed to make us afraid. The Islamic militants are making these murders into a sickening cinematic experience.

Watching the videos is what they want, so why give them the pleasure? By watching and spreading this group’s videos we are going to lead their followers to believe that they are making progress, thus increasing their power. These videos are simply propaganda.

There have been times, and there will always be times, when showing death is necessary to help people fully understand what is really going on. In the cases of these videos, just hearing and reading about what they have shown is enough to make me outraged about the kind of horrors ISIS is causing overseas.

These videos are real life and have real people being murdered. The videos are not clips from action movies full of special effects; it is the last minutes of someone’s life. Watching videos such as these can have a deeper effect than reading about them. Seeing exactly what is going on can desensitize people to violence only making it easier to watch more horrific footage.

Watching the videos of these people should not be the only way we know and remember them. All of the hostages that have been killed had families of their own and lived normal lives until being kidnapped by ISIS. I want to be focusing on their stories and giving them the commemoration they deserve, not watching the last brutal seconds of their lives. I want to read more about the lives they lived, not the way they died. How do you think their families feel about everyone in the world watching these videos of their fathers, brothers and sons being murdered?

You can make up your own mind, just as I have, about what you will do with the access to these videos. You may think I am turning a blind eye to reality, but whatever you do next is your decision and it could end up sticking with you for a long time to come.

Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21

Everyday we walk through our beautiful campus, but we don’t often stop to look around and smell the flowers. The University of Oregon has had many additions and renovations since 1876 when Deady Hall was the only building on campus.

Over the years our campus has expanded again and again, always keeping up with the architectural style of the era. Along with the different types of buildings, we have also grown many different types of trees around campus. The University of Oregon Atlas of Trees from 2006 claims that there are over 500 species of trees.

Throughout our history of almost 150 years, our campus has also become the home of many different sculptures, here are some that can be seen without entering a building:

You may have seen the Pioneer sculpture standing tall across the street from Johnson Hall, but have you seen Alexander Proctor’s other sculpture on campus? The Pioneer Mother was installed in 1932 near the original women’s building, Gerlinger Hall, and because the Pioneer was located directly north he became commonly known as Pioneer Father.

Artist Wayne Chabre has art featured all over campus including gargoyles of Albert Einstein’s head outside Willamette Hall, a Drosphilia (fruit fly) on Streisinger Hall and a raven outside the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. His sculpture Aboretum Illuminatum, commonly called the Tree of Knowledge, is located outside of the Knight Library and features a bronze tree that blossoms into a book at its peak.

If you are a business major who spends most of your time in Lillis then you have probably seen the large, shiny sculpture full of panels, which is suspended in the air outside the back doors. Artist Ned Kahn crafted the artwork with the intent to reveal the invisible passage of wind through the fence. Kahn has many sculptures featured around the world that incorporate aspects of the environment such as water, fire and sand.

Two bronze sculptures by artist Don Eckland have been located in the courtyard of the Education building since 1981. One of his sculptures, titled Emergence, features a young woman who is ready to emerge from her rest and the other sculpture, New Horizons, is a multi-faceted work that hints at a relationship between an adult and young children.

You may have seen the 17-foot steel sculpture in the quad across from the Student Recreation Center, but did you know it was designed to look like a garden of a 16^th century Indian ruler? Artist Lee Kelley created the sculpture, titled Akbar’s Garden, in 1984, but it was not until 2002 that Jordan Schnitzer and his parents donated it to the University. The donation was made to commemorate the accomplishment of The Oregon Campaign that raised over $225 million from 1992 to 1998.

In the courtyard of the newly renovated Psychology building, Straub Hall, sits the House for Phineas Gage. Artist James Harrison designed the sculpture, which is made up of uniformly cut wooden boards that stack up to create a curved shape. The subject for the work, Phineas Gage, is a legend when it comes to the history of brain injury due to surviving after being pierced through the head by a 3-foot rod.

Next time you head to class give yourself a few extra minutes, put your phone away and look around at what you may have been missing. If you take the time to check out your surroundings you can become more aware and alert of specific details, which may even help in the classroom.

There is no need to check out fancy museums when our campus is home to so many works of art that cannot be found anywhere else. We should all stop and enjoy the beauty that the University of Oregon offers while we are here.

Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21

On most weekends I have a burning desire for some type of fast food, usually involving french fries. Wanting to stay in the campus area, I typically hit one of three places: McDonald’s, Dairy Queen or Wendy’s.

Switching off between the three restaurants has made it easy not to get sick of one, but recent events have forced me to come up with a new strategy.

With little warning the Wendy’s chain has decided to close down all four of its locations in Eugene, leaving almost 200 employees out of work and around 24,000 University of Oregon students out of a place to grab a junior bacon cheeseburger. Eight total Oregon locations have closed down recently.

“We have ended our relationship with our local franchisee,” Wendy’s spokesperson Bob Bertini said. “We cannot provide specifics, but the franchisee failed to meet certain obligations of his Wendy’s franchise agreement.”

Ending a contract with someone who can’t fulfill his or her agreements is understandable, but doing it with almost no warning to employees is wrong. Wendy’s is now the world’s third largest quick-service hamburger company with over 6,500 restaurants, according to its website.

Many students have made Wendy’s their fast food hotspot and for students living on campus, the Franklin Blvd. location was their closest source for fast food. Although it left unexpectedly, Wendy’s wants us to know that our service was valued.

“We appreciate the support of our loyal customers from the University of Oregon, and hope to return to Eugene and the other communities in the future,” Bertini said. “Any discussion regarding the potential timing or future plans would be premature at this point.”

At this time there are no future plans for most of the locations in Eugene, but one restaurant has already been revitalized.

“All Wendy’s in Eugene have been closed, but the Green Acre Road location is now a family-run restaurant called The Burger House,” district manager Brian Vogel said.

The Burger House is a one-of-a-kind creation by owners Jeff and Kathy Vogel. As of now they will serve burgers, chicken, fries and shakes, but plan to expand the menu over time.

Hopefully, in the near future, the other locations will either reopen as Wendy’s or transform into other restaurants. Maybe this will be the perfect opportunity for someone to bring a Burgerville to Eugene.

I still haven’t fully grasped the fact that I can’t go down the street for a pretzel bacon cheeseburger and a classic frosty anymore. What other fast food restaurants will serve me a baked potato or a salad that is actually fresh?

Continuing to see Wendy’s commercials on television and advertisements on my Facebook timeline feels like salt in the wound. Getting over my Wendy’s addiction could take a while, as I am still recovering from when they discontinued the pretzel bun for a few months last year.

If you really cannot handle life without a double stack or a spicy chicken sandwich then you are going to have to make a trip down to Roseburg to satisfy your cravings. The drive is about an hour south down the I-5, so bring a friend and make a little day trip out of it.

Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21

Cable and satellite companies have run the television industry for many years now. But with the emergence of video streaming websites and devices, it may be time for everyone to kick their cable box out the door.

Every month I open up my Comcast bill and there are some new random charges. Often, I try to call and talk to someone about my issue, but I usually either give up after 20 minutes of elevator music or end up angrily hanging up on some employee who doesn’t offer any solutions.

We no longer have to watch tedious commercials over and over again. We no longer have to pay for hundreds of channels that we will never use. We no longer have to record our shows or follow the constraints of the enslaving TV Guide. The Internet has opened up countless possibilities for the way we consume television programs. Many of the major networks have their own websites where full episodes of everyone’s favorite shows are available at any time.

Online media streaming websites such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon have also changed the way people are watching television programs. Families and friends used to sit down together week after week at a specific time to make sure they didn’t miss their favorite weekly show. Nowadays people like to wait for a season to be finished so they can binge watch the entire thing in just one weekend.

These streaming sites not only let you watch network television programs, but they also release their own original content. Between House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black and The Square, Netflix has won 10 Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes in the past two years. Amazon recently won its first awards at the 2015 Golden Globes, thanks to Transparent.

Many companies realize the potential in online media streaming and decided to take that to a new level with media streaming boxes. Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV connect to your television and have apps built in that let you access Internet services like HBO GO and Flixster. Apple TV also lets you play any iTunes content through your television set. Each of these devices is under $100, but if you are looking for something even cheaper to replace your monthly cable bill then the HDMI streaming sticks are perfect for you.

Google Chromecast, Roku Streaming Stick and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick are all priced between $30 and $50. These small sticks plug right into your TV and can do almost everything that the other devices can, but they require a television with an HDMI plug. Because of their small size they are easy to travel with so you can watch your shows at a friend’s house or while on vacation. The Roku Streaming Stick and Fire TV Stick come with their own remote, while Google Chromecast turns the user’s computer or smartphone into the remote, requiring the user to be a bit more tech savvy.

Many people in today’s day and age are sticking with their cable boxes or satellite dishes because they don’t want to miss important sports games and other live specials, but even those can be streamed online. Several national sports leagues already have online streaming such as MLB TV and NBA Gametime where fans can watch games in real time, without having to deal with cable companies. It is only a matter of time before every big league sport is being streamed online.

Concerning other live programs, it seems that ABC started a new trend last year when The Oscars pre-show and full awards telecast was being streamed live for the very first time. Since then, the 2014 American Music Awards and the 2015 Golden Globe awards have also been available to stream live.

Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21

Construction is finally done and the newly remodeled Student Rec Center is full of students night and day. Although the main entrance looks the same from the outside, immediately upon walking through the doors you will notice just how big the new Rec is.

What used to be an insignificant front lobby has been transformed into an elegant lounge space featuring a Duck Store equipped with a full espresso bar. Senior accounting major Conor Logan much prefers the new entrance to the old. “I really like the walk-in,” Logan said. “The way they set up the entrance is more open and spread out. It’s a lot nicer.”

One side of the entrance features the prominent new addition to the rock wall and the other, a massive 32-panel television screen. And that is all before you even scan your student ID to get through the high tech entry gates.

Throughout the $50 million renovation, student representatives served on 10 different subject area committees where they designed certain areas with architects, including the aquatics facility and multipurpose rooms. There was also an SRC Student Advisory Board and a Steering Committee appointed by the ASUO who would meet directly with the design team and provide feedback.

No matter how you like to get your weekly exercise in, the SRC has what you need. Now with double the space for weights and cardio there are many new machines ready to be used. A new 3-court gym has been added as well as more studios for group exercise classes, such as yoga and kickboxing.

With 110,000 square feet of new space, students and faculty alike are relieved that there will be no more issues with overcrowding. The old SRC was built to accommodate around 2,500 people every day and more than double that currently use it today. Senior human physiology major Leily Cantu uses the Rec Center five times a week and is excited about all the new space. “I feel like I have more room to move now,” Cantu said. “And I like that there are more machines so that I don’t have to sign up and wait for my turn like I used to.”

If you felt intimidated by the Rec Center pool before, now is your chance to get your swimming in. Not only is there a 12-lane lap pool for water polo, water aerobics and other water fitness, there is also a three-lane recreational pool. The recreational pool will be filled with warm water and can be used to just leisurely swim around or to play a game of water volleyball or basketball. Then, before drying off, you can relax in the new whirlpool spa with bubble and jet massage action.

Staff members at the SRC have been giving tours all week and will continue to give tours to anyone who wants to learn more about the exercise equipment. Senior SRC employee Kelsey Abel loves how the new cardio machines can track your fitness digitally. “There is a new program that tracks all of your workouts and gives you weekly goals,” Abel said. “You can sign in on all the cardio equipment, you don’t have to just stay on one machine.”

The exercise class schedule will work exactly the same as it has in the past. All you have to do is go to the SRC website and look up Group X where you can find a term schedule of group workout sessions and information about each individual workout.

Not only has this project made the Rec Center bigger and better, it has also made it more sustainable. The old pool has been converted into a reservoir to collect roof water that will be used for flushing toilets and the exercise machines will help generate electricity for the building. Much of the old Rec Center was requiring more and more money to maintain, while architects believe the new design will substantially reduce the facility’s carbon footprint.

Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21

The holiday season is a joyful time filled with days off from school and work, religious ceremonies and, best of all, sugary food. If you are finding it hard to get into the holiday spirit this year, then I suggest you take some time with family or friends to make your own gingerbread house. Building a ginger bread house brings many different aspects of the holiday season into one activity.

While I advise you to bake your own one-of-a-kind, delicious gingerbread house that may be too much work for some people. Buying a kit from the store is all right, but you need to make sure to get extra candy because they never end up having enough.

Creating your own homemade gingerbread house gives you the opportunity to bake. Some people make it a tradition to bake around the holidays, while others just enjoy eating the prepared breads and cookies. Chocolate chip and sugar cookies are fun and easy to bake, but putting in just a little extra effort (and a few more spices) to make gingerbread cookies could add something new to the holidays this year.

Making them can be tough for a new baker; Betty Crocker’s 1-2-3 Gingerbread Houses lays out all the steps in a relatively simple way, including how to properly cut the pieces for the walls and roof. When constructing these cookies, remember they are not just going to be eaten; they are going to be built into a masterpiece.

The smell of gingerbread cookie dough baking in the oven can make anyone get into the holiday spirit alone, but why not listen to a little festive music or turn on a classic holiday blockbuster to brighten your mood even more?

While everyone at the table is busy constructing their houses and jamming to the holiday hits, it is a perfect time to reminisce about comical holiday memories. Thinking about past holidays can help you remember what it felt like as a kid to get so excited when December finally rolled around and school was out.

Getting home for winter break and seeing that you missed the decorating of your house this year can be upsetting, but now you have your own little house to decorate in whatever way you want. Mom and dad have no say this time; you get to decide exactly how everything is going to look and taste.

Decorations for the gingerbread house do not have to be confined to just candy, but they can include marshmallows, pretzels, graham crackers and whatever other snacks you desire. Many people like to be strategic with the decorating by making specific patterns, only using chocolate candies or picking a certain color scheme to follow while others like to pile on the icing and throw on as many delicious treats as possible.

Once your house, or mansion, is finished, you can snap some pictures and make sure your friends know that you really do have some artistic ability. Then when you get sick of looking at it you get to eat it…all of it. What is better than a holiday decoration that is fun to make and ends up in your stomach? You tell me.

Plan an evening to make gingerbread houses with some family or friends this break and you won’t regret it. Put on your favorite sweater, crank the Christmas tunes and be ready for a holiday sugar high. Maybe even make a little competition out of it, but be aware that people can get pretty heated when their house doesn’t get chosen as the winner.

Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21

Winter break is a very different experience for everyone and not only because of the different holidays being celebrated. After just getting done with the first set of finals for the school year, some people want to sit and relax while others want to go out and adventure.

During this time of year, many of the places we call home are experiencing very cold weather and some students want to try and escape to much warmer regions. Anneka Johnston, junior biology major, can’t wait to travel back to the Hawaiian Islands and soak up some much needed Vitamin D. “I am going to Maui during break. I can’t wait to lay in the warm sand on the beach; it is one of my favorite things to do,” Johnston said. “I also love hiking to my favorite waterfalls and cliff jumping into the ocean in the middle of winter. Something I definitely can’t do here.”

Hannah Anderson, junior public relations major, is going on an escapade unlike anything she has done before. “I get to go explore New Zealand for two weeks and I can’t wait to see the other side of the world,” Anderson said. “My boyfriend and I are taking a helicopter ride into a canyon in Queenstown where we get to go river rafting for an afternoon and we are really excited.”

Some students are lucky enough to go over seas, but for those of us who can’t, we must make the best out of what we have near us. Sophie Jackman, senior interior architecture major, is travelling to California this break to enjoy some live music. “I’m pretty stoked to be seeing Keys and Krates at The Regency in San Francisco over break,” Jackman said. “I’m going with some good friends from high school and it should be a great time.”

Miles Nerenberg, senior computer and  information science major, decided this was the year he wanted to experience going into a new year a little differently. “I am excited to be spending New Year’s Eve with my girlfriend in Las Vegas,” Nerenberg said. New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas is unlike anything else, as they close down the strip to all vehicles and let the streets fill with thousands of out-of-towners as they watch a beautiful firework show.

Emily Buswold, junior business administration major, plans to keep some family traditions going this year during winter break. “I am from the Bay Area, and every year my family and I drive down to Disneyland because we love how it is decorated during Christmas,” Buswold said. “My brothers are older so they come with their families and it is like a big family reunion.”

Nick Getz, junior human physiology major, is going home for the break, although he won’t exactly get much time to relax. “I will be heading home to San Diego and working for two weeks, then right after Christmas, which will be my last day in San Diego, I am helping my family move to Park City, Utah.”

While many of us are excited to go home for the break, several students want to spend some of their free time here in Eugene with their closest friends. Julie Sanders, senior business administration major, loves partaking in some holiday festivities with the people she cares about here in Eugene. “My eight roommates and I are excited be taking our annual Christmas picture,” Sanders said. “Usually the event goes pretty smoothly, a lot of ridiculous photos get taken, but there are some good ones too.”

Katrina Cantwell, sophomore pre-journalism major, plans to travel back home for most of winter break, but not until after she parties in Eugene a little. “During break I am throwing my friend, and roommate, Dalton a 20th birthday. The theme is winter wonderland, and we want everyone to wear fur or winter themed attire.”

Caitlin Draper, junior family and human services major, is spending her break in Eugene helping look after others who are less fortunate than herself. “I am staying here with my roommates over the break while we both work. I am a caseworker at shelter care, which is a homeless agency here in Eugene. I got an internship there through my major and they just recently gave me a part time job.”

Whatever it is you plan to do this break, just make sure that you spend the three and a half weeks exactly the way you want. Take this time to forget about finals and try your best to keep homework and registration out of your head as long as possible. Show your family and friends at home some love during the holidays and, most importantly, please be safe.

As fall term comes to a close and everyone gets ready to go back home we must prepare ourselves for what is to come … family time. Many people love going home during whatever breaks they can to enjoy some quality time with their family, while others may only be excited to see their pets.

Although we grew up with these people, as many of us moved away from various places around the country and living in Oregon may have changed our mindsets about various issues. Every time we go back home, no matter where to, so many things seem to have changed.

Freshman Jenni Hooper loves listening to stories from different family members when she goes home for breaks. “My cousins just moved here from Egypt this last year and so having them here is a lot different,” Hooper said. “We are always just goofy with each other, like on Thanksgiving we decided to make our own little kids table.”

In just the span of one term each of us has grown immensely and so have our friends and family. Aunts and uncles have started smoking pot, cousins are having babies and somehow our siblings are always doing something better than we are.

No matter what happens when you visit family it somehow almost always turns into a big fiasco. Little conversations often turn into big debates, which can lead to stern arguments and then awkward silence. Maybe somebody says a curse word too loud in front of grandma or has too much to drink. Just last week on Thanksgiving, my family watched as one of my aunts started to go off the deep end slurring her words and stumbling around. It was truly a sight to see.

Some families consist of loud, rambunctious extroverts and never experience a dull (or quiet) moment during the holidays and other family gatherings. Parents have planned out so many events and activities that it is often hard to squeeze in some alone time. Other families have the complete opposite problem where everyone is on the quieter side and have to make an effort to all get together for some quality time.

Biology major Andy Siemens is one of the louder members of his family and enjoys bringing laughter to family gatherings. “I love to joke around with my family, I guess I am like the jokester of the house,” Siemens said, “They are all way soft spoken, even during the Duck game last week I almost felt shameful to even clap.”

Sometimes the drama can even come from a family member who is not even in attendance simply because they made the choice not to show up. As our siblings and cousins get older many of them decide to join with another family and often have to split the holidays between different households.

Hectic days with family may seem like a burden at times, but in the end these are some of the moments that we are going to look back on and appreciate. As we grow older and begin to start our own families we will be able to share memories of our past experiences.

Junior Emily Lauder always gets excited to go home for family gatherings because she doesn’t get to connect with her extended family too often. “Most of my family is very loud and very crazy, but my uncle is really weird,” Lauder said, “He’ll just say super offensive comments and you kind of just brush them off.”

There are always going to be those difficult relatives that no one really wants to deal with, but maybe this winter break you will be the one to step up. No matter how negative or judgmental your great uncle might be, show him a little love and understanding. If he doesn’t appreciate it then at least you tried and you can walk away knowing that next holiday season it is someone else’s turn to try and schmooze him.

Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21

When preparing for Thanksgiving, there is really no such thing as getting too much food. Everybody tries their best to stuff their faces with as much food as possible trying to clear everything from the table, but this is often a hard task to complete. There are so many different dishes that can be made for Thanksgiving dinner and while many will be completely gobbled down, it is inevitable that there will be some leftovers. But what college student doesn’t love leftovers?

Reheating the same old plate of turkey, potatoes, and stuffing can get boring after a few meals, but there are many meals you can create using different Thanksgiving dishes.

Let’s start the leftover extravaganza by transforming the remaining turkey. Turkey is a pretty versatile food when it comes to leftovers and it also freezes extremely well. Turkey can easily be used in soup with vegetables such as green beans and corn, as well as in sandwiches with some lettuce and mustard. Turkey can also be substituted with chicken in pretty much any dish; turkey quesadillas and turkey potpies are two of my favorites.

Personal Chef Becky McConnell has been cooking Thanksgiving meals for families in Eugene for the last 13 years. “I like that the focus of Thanksgiving is about family and cooking,” McConnell said. “There is no need for gifts, but it is just about family time and being together.”

Having a daughter of her own, McConnell knows all about fixing up Thanksgiving leftovers to make them seem like completely different meals. “One idea I like is to chop up the left over turkey breast and make nachos,” she said. “Mix the turkey with a little taco seasoning, add a can of drained black beans and a can of olives, then serve over chips.”

Although Turkey is the main staple food of Thanksgiving, there are many other great dishes that can be used over and over again in different ways. Babble.com has 10 ideas for using left over mashed potatoes including mashed potato pie and crispy-ridged rosemary mashed potato mounds.

Cranberry sauce is a simple dish that can be used in many different recipes, both for main courses and desserts. Cranberry sauce can also be added to many basic foods with little preparation. It can be spread on toast like jam, added to barbeque sauce for a little extra kick or heated up and poured on top of almost any dessert.

Junior Conor Hinds loves having Thanksgiving leftovers to share with his roommates. With just a quick trip to his family in Tualitan, Oregon, it is easy for Hinds to bring back as much left over food as he wants.

“My friends and I always try to bring back some Thanksgiving food from home so we can have something to eat in the house before winter break,” Hinds said. “Usually I just reheat the same old Thanksgiving dinner, but I also love making breakfast burritos in the morning. First I scramble up a couple of eggs and then add some leftover turkey, potatoes, stuffing and gravy.”

These are just a few ways you can transform your Thanksgiving food, but there are countless recipes easy enough for any college student. What is really important about Thanksgiving is that all the food gets eaten. It is easy to buy too much food, and if you’re watching your weight around the holidays, you may not want multiple days worth of heavy meals, but that does not mean you should let it go to waste.

If you aren’t going to eat your leftovers, then please don’t just throw them away. Fill up some Ziploc bags, walk down Broadway and I am sure you will find somebody who is gladly willing to take your leftovers. Think about how many people are out there who do not get the same kind of Thanksgiving meal as you do.

Follow Tanner Owens on Twitter @T_Owens21