Pulse Editor; Jacquelyn Lewis jacquelynlewis@dailyemerald.com Tuesday, May 6,2003 Oregon Daily Emerald Escape the college diet with tasty, toastypies This is my idea of a relaxing Sunday morning: Wake up early. Make coffee. Eat breakfast. Read The New York Times. And finally, go to the store three damn times just to bake an apple pie. But it was worth it. I’ve been feeling culinary lately. I watch the Food Network obsessively and have been proudly pro claiming my goal to pack on the chub — not out of any desire to look Zoftig, but out of pure gluttony. Thin is not doing much for me, so I might as well enjoy a little licentious excess. Apple pie isn’t ex actly the epitome of extravagance, but it beats the hell out of Top Ramen. My dietary indulgences, I think, are symptomatic of my feelings toward my lifestyle. I’m growing tired of eating like a college student. I don’t want to cook out of a microwave or box. I don’t want to open the refrigerator to bare shelves because someone with drunken hunger pains ate all my bread. I no longer want to eat over the sink or in front of the tel evision. And there’s something inherently de pressing about Al bertsons-brand macaroni and cheese. In short, I must be growing tired of being a col lege student. Just as I don’t have the time to waste making a meal, I don’t have the free time to do any of the projects wasting my time on homework — busy work that has no real bearing on what I want or need. What I want is the freedom to be leisurely, and good cooking begs leisure. My endeavor took nearly three hours. In stead of studying, I baked. Granted, it shouldn’t have taken that long. I consistently fail to read direc tions or check to see if I have integral ingredients. For instance, I found out that pie pans are kind of important for baking pies. I’m now tight with the ex press line lady. On a side note, grocery stores on Sun day mornings are fascinating places. They’re populated by old people yelling for peanut butter and crusty, whiskey scented couples shopping for breakfast products. Who needs coffee when you can j ust get tossed? My lazy efforts, though, rewarded me with some rad baked goods. Apple pie is the ultimate in comfort food. Plus, it smells incredible. The aroma of baking apple pie is supposedly both an aphro disiac and an aid in selling houses. It makes a place feel homey and encour ages people to buy. It definitely reminds me of home — apple pie baking has a strong history in my family. We have a tiny orchard in our yard and used to bake mounds of pies every fall. My dad, in fact, is famous for his pie recipe. When he got remarried last year, he baked apple pies instead of having a wedding cake. Yet again, I’m Turn to Carlson, page 6 Nika Carlson D.I.Y. living want. Instead, I’m The new raw food movement, known as living foods, avoids conventional cooking methods and focuses on enhancing the body’s absorption of nutrients Mark Baylis Pulse Reporter There is an assortment of abandoned of ovens and microwaves lined up on the curb. Or at least there could be, if the popular raw foods diet continues to win approval among Eugeneans. Within just a few years, the raw food movement, also referred to as living foods, has moved from the fringes of vegetarianism to the cutting edge, attract ing a sizable Eugene community to its constituency. Raw foodists don't eat any food that has been cooked, heated, processed or is not organic. They believe these processes diminish the nutritional con tent of the food and the body’s ability to digest it. Those who adhere to the diet also avoid standard cooking methods in favor of soaking, blending and dehydrating to create their cuisine. “You can tell the difference right away,” said Rachel Mitrani, co-owner of the (Conquering Lions restaurant. “When you eat raw, you feel lighter and your body isn’t concerned with digesting." Raw foodists blame rampant health problems such as obesity, heart disease and cancer on the eon § sumption of cooked foods. “The typical American diet is the product of all the technology (that industries) have used to mass pro duce their product,” said John Duran, formerly a culinary chef and now a raw food cuisine chef. “I wouldn't have admitted it even a year ago because 1 was in on it," he said. “But nutrition has no place in culinary arts. It's remarkable — but only to your senses.” Turn to Raw, page 7 Oregon trails challenge hikers with treks into volcanoes, water falls Nearby parks present a range of difficulty levels that allow hikers to explore everything from Crater Lake to wild rose meadows Ryan Bornheimer Senior Pulse Reporter Countless books have been published examining the unparalleled backpacking terrain of the Pacific Northwest. Oregon alone draws thousands of hikers each year in search of that one defining trek through unspoiled wilderness. And on the right day, a backpacking excursion can be closer to a religious experience than a simple hike. From day hikes to overnighters, this part of the country gives backpackers plenty of reasons to strap on their strongest pair of boots and hit the trail. For example, there are more than 90 miles of trails leading into the backcoun try of Grater Lake National Park. Resi dent Naturalist Interpreter Luk Ander likens the trails at Grater Lake to terrain one might find in the Grand Canyon — the farther in a hiker ventures, the less traveled the region is likely to be. Ander accompanies groups into the park to help visitors put the science of the surroundings into the context of everyday life. He said many of the trails of Grater Lake are suited to day hikes, but some backpackers make a few days of it, adding that most stay out for a max imum of three days and two nights. He also said it’s hard to pick a favorite trail, but mentioned Watchman Peak and Mount Scott as particularly memorable destinations. Watchman Peak is a 1.4 mile round-trip hike with an 8013-foot overlook of Grater Lake. Mount Scott is a Turn to Trek, page 6 Danielle Hickey Photo Illustration Warm summer weather brings hikers to Crater Lake National Park to explore the more than 90 miles of backcountry trails. i