News brief Cultural Forum plans Nelly, Ice-T concert The EMU Cultural Forum is fi nalizing its contract with an out side promoter to bring hip-hop stars Nelly and Ice-T to MacArthur Court on Sunday, Feb. 24. Cultural Forum members met with promotion and fire marshal representatives Tuesday to set the framework for the final contract. “It’s happening. We just need the specifics,” Heritage Music co ordinator Kurt Catlin said. He added that the Cultural Fo rum hopes to add an R&B act and a local hip-hop act to the bill, cre ating one of the biggest concerts held in Mac Court. Nelly styled his way onto many “best new artists” lists in 2000 with his debut album, “Country Grammar,” which spawned the hits “Ride Wit Me,” and the title track. The supposed one time hustler helped put St. Louis on the hip-hop map with the help of his quick-tongued, sing-song lyric style reminiscent of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Jeremy Lang Believe people who say they are abused. Tell them it’s common — they’re not alone, it’s not their fault, there’s help, they deserve a good life. Learn about domestic violence — battering is taking, not losing, control. Take action — call for help, donate your time & money. Call Womenspace for an action kit! 1-800-281-2800 APAN IGHT Ticket Price: UO Students & Children $6.00 Adult $7.00 JAN 20,2002 6:30 Doors Open 7:00 Show Start 7:30 Event Start 9:00 Close Presented by JAPANESE STUDENT ORGANIZATION gladstone.uoregon.edu/~jso c£> I have to remember to wheel over to Firestone and use my Duck Buck v coupon this term. Get your Duck Buck coupon clipper in the Oregon Daily Emerald on Wednesday, January 16, 2002. Adam Amato Emerald Saigon Restaurant owner Lee Nguyn cooks Chicken Garlic for a waiting customer. “Everybody loves my food,” Nguyn said. Homecooking from Vietnam ■Eugene’s Saigon Restaurant offers customers a homey atmosphere and a menu for vegetarians and meat-eaters By Arlene Juan for the Emerald Entering the door of Saigon Restaurant, the smells of cilantro, lemon grass and lime waft through the air. On a fairly quiet Monday evening, neighborhood residents step into this little eatery anticipating a taste of authentic Vietnamese cui sine. As a recent addition to the in tersection of East 19th Avenue and Agate Street, the restaurant offers a nearby escape from meat and-potatoes and fast-food fare. Since the restaurant’s opening in August, business has been steady with new and returning customers, and the restaurant continues to receive positive re views from local residents, own er Mung Bui said. “We heard a lot of good things about this place,” first-time visi tors Wes Chang and his wife, Jus tine Walsh, said. “So we came down to try it.” University student Minh Hoang said Saigon Restaurant is “a wel come change” from the other Viet namese restaurant in town. “It almost tastes like my mom’s home cooking,” she said. With artwork and the whisper ing sounds of Vietnamese love songs surrounding the dining area, Vietnam seems close to home. Seating about 100 people indoors and 40 outdoors, the restaurant offers a spacious, hom ey atmosphere. “We opened the restaurant be cause we wanted to offer a new eating experience to the Eugene community,” Bui said of herself and her husband, Lee, who cooks Saigon’s fare. For those who watch their di ets, the use of oils, fats and meat is minimal. “Fresh, uncooked vegetables, salads and rice are the heart of Vietnamese meals,” Bui said. The menu consists of a variety of entrees for both vegetarians and meat-eaters. The vegetarian dishes vary from sauteed deep purple eggplant drizzled in garlic sauce with white tofu (Ca Tim Xao Toi) to a mix of bell peppers, “We opened the restaurant because we wanted to offer a new eating experience to the Eugene community. ” Mung Bui Saigon Restaurant owner mushrooms, onions and tofu swimming in curry sauce (Ca-Ri Chay Xao Dau Khuong). Non-vegetarian dishes fall un der the specialty categories of “pho” (pronounced “fah”) noodle soup, vermicelli dishes, family style entrees and variations of fried rice. Customers Chang and Walsh decided to try cold salad rolls as an appetizer. Known as Goi Cuon, they are translucent rice papers wrapped around crunchy lettuce, bean sprouts, rice noo dles, steamed shrimp and slivers of pork. They come with a warm locate 1461 E,l9thAvfc Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday Reservations: Mot neces accepted; call 302-1277 dipping sauce.made of peanut „ butter, fish sauce, rice vinegar and drops of coconut milk. Forthe principal meal, both or dered the traditional Vietnamese bowl of pho noodle soup, which arrives steaming and accompa nied with a platter of fresh lime, jalapeno, cilantro and bean sprouts. Bui said these ingredients play the same role in Vietnamese cui sine as salt and pepper in Ameri can culture. Chang and his wife, who are new to the area from San Francis co, said “nothing compares to the food in San Francisco, but this comes close.” Arlene Juan is a freelance reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald.