Wild Card

Future Restaurant Trends for 2019

Nowadays, restaurants all over the world are embracing all sorts of new trends in an attempt to cater to an ever-changing society. 2019 is no exception, as many restaurants are already attempting to embrace brand new trends to cater to audiences. According to restaurantbusinessonline.com, these are five new trends that should be coming sometime this year.

1. Savory flavor boosters at breakfast
Savory options are emerging as a beloved member of the breakfast club. Diners can expect to see oatmeal and bean-topped grain bowls, uniquely flavored sausages and global-inspired dishes such as shakshuka or chilaquiles on the menu. As for what types of savory flavors are gaining traction, be on the lookout for cotija cheese, blue cheese, Caesar dressing, Cajun spices, sriracha and pecorino cheese.

2. Asian and Pacific Island cuisines
Look for experimentation with Pacific and Asian island cuisines. Where sriracha has thrived in the past, sambal will begin appearing more and more. Lime is a prominent flavor in these cuisines, and Filipino adobo will likely increase in notoriety. Malaysian and Indonesian foods to look out for include satay (seasoned, skewered and grilled meat served with a sauce) and bakso (a savory meatball soup).

3. Ordering automation  
Self-ordering kiosks speed up lines, and at-the-table ordering offers a sense of immediacy to diners, rather than having to wait for a server’s attention. At-the-table ordering also offers the potential of increased check averages, since there’s no waiting to order drinks, apps or desserts—three categories that diners may waver on and decide against if they have the spare time to do so.

4. Better-for-you kids meals
As finding healthier options becomes more and more important to consumers, kids menus are changing in stride. Some chains have already taken steps in this direction. For instance, Smashburger offers grilled chicken strips as part of its kids menu, while Burger King offers its BK Fresh Apple Fries (peeled apple slices) as a side instead of traditional french fries.

5. Plant-based dining

Expect to see a heavier focus is on making vegetables the star of the show, rather than just a side. This could be due to consumers’ increased consumption of vegetarian and vegan meals—23% of consumers say they expect to eat more vegetarian foods in the next two years, and 21% say they expect to eat more vegan options,  according to Technomic’s 2019 Center of the Plate: Seafood & Vegetarian report. Additionally, look for more unique plant-based items on menus, like Romanesco broccoli, burgers made from beets and cashew-based “cheese” sauces.

Classmate Blog Critique

Rhett Gentry's Blog Critique

Rhett's blog is one of the few blogs that I actually take time and look over, mainly due to its easy-to-read format and his ability to make his posts flow easily, most likely due to the fact that he has a minor in English. The link to his blog can be found here. 

One of the things that I admire most about Rhett is his style of writing. I'm not sure if there's an actual word for it, but Rhett's style of writing is similar to that of a novelist, using several descriptive terms while managing to to keep his thoughts on track. However, in my opinion, this does come with a downside. He tends to get straight to the point, and, while he does do a good job with the details, he doesn't really branch out past that, providing very little when it comes to background of his subject. He usually talks about it, but not in great detail or length as he does the main focus of his posts. 

Rhett does an extraordinary job with images and videos. For most of his posts, his images and videos were that of his main focus, primarily on a certain person, people, or event. This, coupled with their placement, were aesthetically pleasing to me, particularly with the his post regarding television. 

Rhett definitely goes all out when it comes to research. Overall, it seems his topics are very well-researched with various links and videos provided to back up and support his claim or topic. In particular, his video regarding Japanese film just seemed to fit perfectly with the subject, allowing it to simply mold into his writing and become a part of the flow.

One thing that I do recommend for him to improve upon, apart from the previously mentioned issue, is that I feel the pure black background isn't very inviting. While that is his personal preference, I, personally, don't feel like this an educational blog, but rather a hardened blog of an individual trying a little too hard to promote gun rights. As I said, it is his preference what he does with his blog, but I feel a bit of a brighter tone would help.  

Overall, I believe Rhett's blog is still quite good, despite my personal issues. I can tell he's worked hard and put forth a considerable amount of time and effort into his work and, personally, do think he has earned any praise he receives for his blog.

International Media

BBC Review

BBC, or the British Broadcasting Channel, is one of the most well-known news international news channels in the world. The British Broadcasting Company broadcast its first radio bulletin from radio station - 2LO. In 14 November 1922. Wishing to avoid competition, newspaper publishers persuaded the government to ban the BBC from broadcasting news before 7:00 pm, and to force it to use wire service copy instead of reporting on its own. 

On Easter weekend in 1930, this reliance on newspaper wire services left the radio news service with no information to report after saying "There is no news today". Piano music was played instead. The BBC gradually gained the right to edit the copy and, in 1934, created its own news operation. 

A weekly Children's Newsreel was inaugurated on 23 April 1950, to around 350,000 receivers. The network began simulcasting its radio news on television in 1946, with a still picture of Big Ben. Televised bulletins began on 5 July 1954, broadcast from leased studios within Alexandra Palace in London.

The website itself contains several news stories related to both the UK, as well as international news from all over the globe. Personally, I have no issues with this particular source of news as it, generally, it quite reliable, usually not picking one end or another when it comes to things such as political debates. 

One thing that BBC does very well, as opposed to popular new networks in the U.S. like CNN or FOX, is that BBC ONLY gives facts based on either research, witness testimony, or some other form of evidence based on science of facts. Compared to networks like CNN, who tend to lean one direction or another, they give very little opinion on subjects, preferring to only use facts. CNN, for example, will generally give opinions on a particular subject, rather than looking at all the evidence. 

BBC is also very good when it comes to their reporters and their ability to cover a vast array of different topics. From politics to entertainment to natural disasters, BBC always has some sort of coverage over every major event in current history. And for that, i applaud them.

Social Media

Facebook Bans White Supremacy....FINALLY!

After many years of individuals all over the globe complaining that they still have to deal with the issue of white supremacy on Facebook, the multi-billion dollar company has finally placed a ban on anything in their posts relating to white supremacy. But what finally caused them to give in and listen to their users (for a change)? All it took was two mass shootings at different mosques in New Zealand. 

According to aljareeza.com, "Facebook policies already banned posts endorsing white supremacy as part of the company's prohibition against spewing hate at people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity and religion. The ban had not applied to expressions of white nationalism, Facebook said, because it linked such expressions with broader concepts of nationalism or political independence - such as American pride or Basque separatism. But conversations with civil rights groups and academics in recent months led Facebook to conclude that white nationalism and separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organised hate groups, the statement said. 'Going forward, while people will still be able to demonstrate pride in their ethnic heritage, we will not tolerate praise or support for white nationalism and separatism," Facebook said.' "

Though Facebook did not link the new act to any specific event, and said it had been working on the change for three months, the statement came less than two weeks after the company received widespread criticism related to the mosque shootings in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. The shooting suspect was able to broadcast the massacre on live video on Facebook, and at least 50 Muslim worshippers were killed in the gun assaults, according to aljareeza.com. 

The massacres in New Zealand are one of the many pieces of evidence of white nationalism spreading like wildfire. Most of these ideals preach a standard "European" life, rejecting any form of immigration from anywhere in the world, and shares many vicious online threats, though it is rare for any of said threats to be carried out. The New Zealand shootings are considered a rare occurrence on that front. 

According to aljareeza.com ,when asked about the potential threat that white supremacy could be, they said this: "Some analysts say it is a cohesive movement bound together online that stretches across Europe into Russia and has a wide following in the US and Canada. They say it poses as much of an international threat as violence inspired by groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) - and they add that the threat is even greater in the US, where white nationalist attacks have outpaced those by other groups for years. According to some researchers, white nationalists have been emboldened by the rise of politicians espousing traditionalist views and a tough line on immigration - from Marine Le Pen in France and Viktor Orban in Hungary to Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump."

Critiquing a Media Critic

IGN: Who's Writing this Review Again?

Over the years, I have become quite enthralled in video games. Stories, gameplay, characters, settings, all of these things are needed to come together to make an enjoyable experience. But who's the one actually deciding whether a game is worth playing or not? There are many critics out there that have different opinions and state their issues with a particular game or series of games, which is completely fine. I have no quarrels with that whatsoever. However, IGN has become one of my most hated gaming critics for two main reasons:

1. Their reviews are completely inconsistent throughout.
2. You have no idea who is actually writing the review, as IGN has over thirty different reviewers at their disposal.

Let's begin with my first issue. I, personally, think that IGN reviews are constantly contradict themselves. Take, for example, Kingdom Hearts 3. The third paragraph in their review begins talking about the story and plot of the game and how it "feels lackluster in light of the technical improvements the franchise has made. An attempt to satisfy both the Disney stories and the overarching plot causes some unfortunate stagnant pacing, with Disney plots playing out with slow dialogue and Sora, Donald, and Goofy occasionally questioning why they’re even visiting some of the included worlds at their outset."

Kingdom Hearts 3 Gameplay

Literally, in the very next paragraph, "A hero losing his powers is the most common trope in RPG sequels, but here Sora’s loss is smartly tied to his fight against the forces of darkness, building off one of the most significant personal struggles Sora went through in the previous games. That creates a strong impetus for Sora to avoid Kingdom Hearts 2’s notorious mistake of a long, slow prologue and jump right into the action of Hercules’ world." I don't quite understand why IGN insists on doing this, especially in two paragraphs that are connected like that, but it is just one simple example of how their inconsistencies ruin any credibility they have with me. 

The second issue I have with them, thankfully, is much easier to explain. IGN is a very successful company, and as such, must have a large staff to keep up with everything they need to do to keep the business running. This includes hiring multiple writers to help write reviews on different games. However, I feel this is an issue because with having multiple writers, you aren't really sure what the majority feels about a certain title. Instead, you are only getting the perspective of one individual, who, quite possibly, could despise a particular game that you're interested in, even if the majority of other reviewers give it nothing but praise. I just simply feel like reading a game review from IGN, no matter the final result, simply can not be trusted.