On February 14th and 15th, Duke students will vote for the new Young Trustee. Though we here at Duke Spoon can’t complain about our current Young Trustees, we regret not knowing anything about their food opinions. We decided to ask this year’s election finalists – Uzoma Ayogu, Anya Ranganathan, Tanner Lockhead and Steven Soto – about their thoughts on all things food.
Disclaimer: Duke Spoon is not endorsing any of the candidates. We believe all candidates would perform admirably if elected. This article is not a political statement.
Uzoma Ayogu
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa
Spoon: What’s your favorite food?
Uzoma: A Gatsby. It’s a Cape Town-native food where people take leftovers like ham, salami, chicken or some type of meat, and then put curry and french fries or pasta in a long French loaf. It’s like a big sloppy sub that came from the Cape Flats area, where people would have leftovers from dinner, and the next day for lunch would have a big French loaf. It’s really popular in South Africa.
DS: Where’s your favorite place to eat on campus?
U: Definitely Farmstead. I found it kind of late in the game – just this semester. It always has a really good carb like pasta, or sweet potatoes, or rice, and really good meats like beef or chicken, so it’s really filling. And, they also have a good veggie – I always try to eat pretty balanced. Also the people there are really friendly! And they also have a really good pink lemonade.
DS: Where’s your favorite place to eat off campus?
U: I don’t eat off campus a ton, but it would have to be between three places. For casual places, Burger Bach. For more fancy restaurants, it’s a tie between Revolution [which has recently closed] and 21c.
DS: What is your guilty pleasure?
U: Aw man, I really love ice cream. So much. Even just vanilla ice cream. But butter pecan is my favorite. I could eat ice cream forever. And jellies. I really like jellies.
DS: If you had to eat only three foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?
U: Jollof rice, which is a traditional Nigerian or West African dish that I ate a lot growing up. Plantains, which is another really popular West African dish. And I guess so I don’t die from lack of vitamins and eating just carbs, grilled spinach? I guess I could always eat grilled spinach. As long as it’s got pepper on it.
DS: What is the most memorable thing that you’ve eaten?
U: When I was in China, we were eating family-style meals, and I think it was squid or octopus. And it was really good. Oh wait, no. Stinky tofu. It was so hard to eat. It was good, but it was so hard. That was definitely the most memorable thing I’ve ever eaten.
DS: What’s your view on cilantro?
U: I’m neither here nor there. I don’t really think it really adds anything. It’s a little bitter, honestly. And I’m not a huge veggie person.
DS: What’s your favorite Food Network show?
U: It’s been a while, but I used to love watching Nigella [Lawson], because my mom used to watch her all the time.
DS: If you were a food, what food would you be and why?
U: I think I would have to be popcorn, because I bring people together.
Anya Ranganathan
Major: Economics, with a Minor in Neuroscience and Certificate in Policy, Philosophy, and Economics
Hometown: Skillman, New Jersey
Duke Spoon: What’s your favorite food?
Anya: That’s actually a really tough question, and really don’t have a favorite. But if I were to pick something just with my gut, I’d have to say eggplant Parmesan. It’s the ultimate comfort food, and I love cheese.
DS: Where’s your favorite place to eat on campus?
A: Definitely the Divinity School. I think the food there tastes the most home-cooked out of anything you can get on campus. I love that West Union has a lot of options, but nothing beats Divinity School’s buffalo mac and cheese.
DS: Where’s your favorite place to eat off campus?
A: I have a couple places that I really like. Guasaca is great because it’s like Chipotle, but more authentic, and I love plantains. I love Dashi a lot, and Nanataco when I’m feeling something Mexican.
DS: What is your guilty pleasure?
A: Probably chocolate-covered pretzels. I love the balance of the salty and the sweet. I’m known to go through multiple bags of them during finals week when tensions are running high.
DS: If you had to eat only three foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?
A: It would have to be a really good balance of things. The first thing I would pick is Pad Thai because it’s really carby but it also has a really dimensional flavor profile with the peanuts and the eggs, and is very well balanced. In terms of a vegetable item, I’d probably pick a caprese salad because the tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil play really well off each other and it’s fresh and would cut the noodles really well. In terms of dessert, I’m absolutely in love with lemon bars because they’re so palate cleansing.
DS: What is the most memorable thing that you’ve eaten?
A: I lived in New York this summer and I went on quite a few food-related adventures. So I think the most memorable thing I’ve eaten of late is a sushi burrito. You wouldn’t think it would work, but it actually works really well. And I’m not a big rice person, so I liked that the fillings were more dominant than the actual rice.
DS: What’s your view on cilantro?
A: I know that a lot of people feel that it tastes soapy, but growing up in an Indian household, cilantro is a thing that we put in a lot of our cooking. We usually garnish things with fresh cilantro, so I’m a big fan.
DS: What’s your favorite Food Network show?
A: I would have to say “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives”. [The food featured] is down-home food, and you feel like it’s the kind of thing you could just go on a road trip and get if you wanted to. And it’s all very accessible. And Guy Fieri is hilarious.
DS: If you were a food, what food would you be and why?
A: Something like trail mix, because I like to consider myself someone that has a pretty balanced personality, with a little bit of everything. You know, trail mix has pretzels that bring a little saltiness, and it also has M&M’s – I can be sweet too. And the nuts are reliable and consistent. So something with a lot of balance in it.
Steven Soto
Major: Public Policy
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Duke Spoon: What’s your favorite food?
Steven: I’m Puerto Rican, and I love fried plantains. They’re so good. I actually recently found them on campus in West Union on the second floor, but I’m still trying to figure out the schedule. Plantains can either be sweet or salty, but I love dessert plantains.
DS: Where’s your favorite place to eat on campus?
S: Divinity School. Easy. Every morning I get the baked oatmeal.
DS: Where’s your favorite place to eat off campus?
S: A staple for me is Local 22. Whenever my parents come to town, we go there. It kind of reminds of my parents visiting whenever I go. I always get a lamb burger with pimento cheese. It’s really good.
DS: What’s your guilty pleasure?
S: I think I have a new one actually. Just a few minutes ago I was in the Mary Lou, and I tried cherry pie for the first time. It was so good. Also I love cake donuts.
DS: If you had to eat only three foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?
S: I love mint chocolate. Whether it’s in a mint chocolate cake or an Andes mint, I’m definitely down. Also salsa. Whenever I go home, I immediately eat salsa. Good salsa. I’m from Phoenix, so I feel like I haven’t found true salsa here. I guess I should probably eat something substantive too – I’m a really big fan of a good bowl of spaghetti with some Parmesan cheese on it.
DS: What is the most memorable thing that you’ve eaten?
S: I have multiple things. I went to Peru and I ate fried guinea pig, which included the head and the eyes. So we ate the fried guinea pig and took pictures with the fried head. I have also eaten a barbecue caterpillar. It just tasted so much like barbecue, because it was so saucy. The other thing that comes to mind is stinky tofu, when I went to Duke Kunshan University.
DS: What’s your view on cilantro?
S: No cilantro. It tastes like grass.
DS: What’s your favorite Food Network show?
S: I fly Southwest when I go home, and they have free channels that you can watch. And I always watch Cake Wars. It’s so funny because people just do the most for a cake. And it’s a cake that you can’t even really eat because there’s so much on it. So I always watch an episode of Cake Wars on the flight home.
DS: If you were a food, what food would you be and why?
S: I think I would be dragon fruit, because there are a lot of layers to it. There’s the red, purple, pink and green outside, but when you cut it, the inside is a surprise. You don’t know if you’re going to get a white or red one or something else. But I’d be a white one, because it’s like a zebra inside.
Tanner Lockhead
Major: Public Policy and Political Science
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Duke Spoon: What’ your favorite food?
Tanner: Pitchforks’ tots. Post-midnight.
DS: Where’s your favorite place to eat on campus?
T: I really like The Devil’s Krafthouse, although they only have sweet potato tots, which aren’t as great. But the rest of the stuff they have is delicious and it also has a cool vibe.
DS: Where’s your favorite place to eat off campus?
T: Off campus I really like Gonza Tacos y Tequila, which is downtown and serves Mexican food. Also Lilly’s Pizza is delicious. And also Parker & Otis. So that’s three – I’m a Durhamite, so I can have more than one.
DS: What’s your guilty pleasure?
T: Tots should probably qualify as a guilty pleasure food, but if I get another one, I really like Papa John’s Pizza and I feel guilty about it. I’m also not sure what the most socially acceptable fast food pizza chain is, but nonetheless, Papa John’s is really good.
DS: If you had to eat only three foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?
T: Sweet tea is one. I’m trying to be strategic about this – I really like the buffalo chicken wrap from The Loop. I feel like it has a lot of ingredients in it, so I would choose it because there’s a lot involved. And last… what’s something that would sustain me? I really like spaghetti.
DS: What is the most memorable thing that you’ve eaten?
T: When I was in South Africa I ate ostrich, alligator, and zebra at the same time. And it was delicious. That was pretty bizarre.
DS: What’s your view on cilantro?
T: Neutral. Hard neutral.
DS: What’s your favorite Food Network show?
T: Kid’s Baking Championship. I watched it with my roommates the other day. It’s kind of like Top Chef, but it involve kids, who are just brute force honest. They’re also more creative with their food because they’re not boxed in by social norms of views of the world. So I find it pretty fun.
DS: If you were a food, what food would you be and why?
T: I would be Cheerios, because I am cheery and versatile and highly functional.
DS: I have to ask – since all of the other finalists mentioned plantains, what’s your view on them?
T: I’m super in favor. They’re super delicious. I will disclose that most recently when I had plantains, I ate them right when they came off the frying pan. And they burned me, so that’s not great. But I’m a banana fan, and also like fried food. And plantains are a little unusual, so I feel special when I eat them. I’m very pro-plantain.
Don’t forget to cast your vote for Young Trustee through Duke Groups (sent out via email) on February 14th and 15th!