UC Davis‘ annual Celebrate Your Body Week will begin Feb. 23.

Hosted by the Association of Body Image and Disordered Eating Committee (ABIDE), the week will showcase a series of events designed to promote healthy body image within the UC Davis student community. Celebrate Your Body Week is run in conjunction with National Eating Disorder Awareness Month in February.

“This week … is a great opportunity for students to be critical about those images they receive [about body image], and also, to affirm who they are, celebrate their own person and feel good about what is going on in their life,” said Joy Evans, an ABIDE committee member and assistant director at the Women’s Resources and Research Center.

Celebrate Your Body Week will kick off Monday with the Great Jean Giveaway from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the ASUCD Coffee House, where students can donate old jeans to the needy.

Karin Lawson, Psy.D., a committee member and CAPS eating disorder program coordinator, said that the purpose of the Great Jean Giveaway (which will run continuously throughout the week) is to encourage students let go of those jeans they hold on to in the hopes of losing weight.

“It’s a way to be proactive in your own life – giving away those jeans that don’t really make us feel good about our bodies. It’s much more interactive on a personal level,” Lawson said.

Afterwards, Chenese Lewis, a media personality, plus-size model and advocate, will present a keynote address and body image and empowerment workshop beginning at 5 p.m. at ARC Ballroom B.

“It’s exciting to have a woman who is articulate about the diversity of women’s bodies … there are messages we receive [from pop culture] about what standard of beauty we should fit into; it’s a real narrow window, and the effects are personal,“ Evans said.

On Wednesday, noon to 1 p.m. at the MU Art Lounge, ABIDE will host “How to Help a Loved One,” where individuals can hear expert advice on how to help significant others with body image and eating disorders.

“At CAPS we have people coming to consult with us all the time about how to help a roommate with a problem. ‘How to Help a Loved One‘ is really about how people can take an active role for the people in their lives who are not in a healthy place in terms of body image or an eating disorder,“ Lawson said.

Other events during the week include “The Art of Mindful Eating” (5 to 6 pm. at the ARC Meeting Room 3) and “Love Your Body Yoga” (12:15 to 1 p.m. at the ARC Meeting Room 1).

“It’s not just about food and nutrition, but how we speak about food, about how we feel when we eat, and the relationship between body and mind,” said Ryann Miller, also an ABIDE committee member and a registered dietician at Cowell Student Health Services.

“The yoga class, [is] one of our favorites, because you can really feel that body-mind connection; we’re going to have an instructor giving positive affirmation during the class,“ she said.

ABIDE is composed of members from Campus Recreation, CAPS, Cowell Student Health Center, and the Women’s Resources and Research Center dedicated to “raising awareness about how society might influence one’s relationship to one’s body and to food” with the goal of “preventing and reducing eating disorders and the prevalence of body image oppression through education, outreach, support and intervention,” according to the group’s website.

“[ABIDE] is a really, really great resource that is working hard to get the word out. I think it’s especially important because working at Cowell, I’ve seen the high volume of disordered eating on campus … these events really point out that this is an issue,” said Sara Shwartz, a fourth-year clinical nutrition major and nutrition intern at Cowell. “It’s a professional staff of people who have volunteered their time to help improve the health of all students.”

Find out more about the ABIDE Committee as well as the events for Celebrate Your Body Week at wrrc.ucdavis.edu/abide.

ANDRE LEE can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

1. Taqueria Guadalajara

640 W. Covell Blvd. and 417 Mace Blvd.

2. Chipotle

227 E St.

3. Dos Coyotes

1411 W. Covell Blvd. and 2191 Cowell Blvd.

The people have spoken and this year’s “Best Burrito” is Taqueria Guadalajara, or “Guad’s,” as many of us hear in Davis like to call it.

“We make our burritos with a lot of love,” manager Christian Marquez said. “We have fresh ingredients, great quality and we give the customers what they want.”

Not only that, but they do so at affordable prices as well.

A regular burrito is $4.45 and a super burrito is $5.45, and if you’re really hungry, they have a super giant burrito priced at $9.99.

The restaurant has a wide variety of meats that you can choose from including steak, chicken and pork as well as fish and shrimp. Guad’s delivers their quality product in a tightly wrapped tortilla and all the essentials of a burrito, including rice, salsa, beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and even a choice to add a whole avocado to your burrito instead of guacamole. Each meal also comes with complementary chips and salsa.

Guad’s also offers a wide variety of other authentic Mexican dishes to go along with their burritos such as enchiladas, chimichangas, quesadillas and nachos.

With a location in both North and South Davis, Guad’s is able to provide their delicious burritos to everyone in Davis at prices everyone can agree with.

Downtown Davis‘ Chipotle takes second place, while Dos Coyotes rounds out the top three.

– Kyle Hyland

1. UC Davis Arboretum

2. Davis Greenbelt

3. The Quad

Most picturesque places in Davis can be noted for their sweeping vistas and magical beauty; the UC Davis Arboretum certainly encompasses these characteristics

Largely maintained by volunteers from both the community and students, the arboretum welcomes roughly 250,000 visitors yearly, according to arboretum director Kathleen Socolofsky.

Community members and volunteers maintain the arboretum to look, feel and smell like an untainted environment, Socolofsky said.

“Our own horticulture is more focused on the plants because we are a living museum,” she said. “Every plant is a specimen in our museum … and every single person who works also supervises volunteers from the community.”

The arboretum encourages student leadership with a fix-it crew, nursery volunteers and student groups such as Arboretum Ambassadors that aim to maintain the arboretum’s picturesque environment for students to enjoy.

In second place is the Davis Greenbelt, located throughout all areas of Davis, composed of bike and walking paths. The greenbelt offers open spaces filled with nature and relaxation.

Coming in at third is UC Davis‘ very own Quad. During many sunny days of the year, one can witness an array of students lying out in the grass catching some rays, or even taking a little nap before or after classes. New this year is the Centennial Walkway, a common place to find students walking and biking illegally.

– Angela Ruggiero

We asked, you answered. The 2009 Best of Davis results are in!

Every year, The California Aggie polls the UC Davis community to get a feel for all their favorites. We made up a survey, tallied up all the votes and now we’re proud to bring the Best of Davis results to you. Use it as a guide to find the best of everything around town.

Best burger, pizza or sandwich? Got it covered. Best place to work, study or dance? That’s all here too.

You don’t have to wonder where all the Davis hotspots are anymore. Just turn the page and find out!

1. ASUCD Coffee House

Memorial Union

2. Campus Copies/Classical Notes

Memorial Union

3. In-N-Out Burger

1200 Olive Dr.

College students love to socialize, so why not do it at work? The Coffee House at the Memorial Union is the perfect place for the student who wants to earn extra cash, gain leadership skills, all the while being constantly surrounded by people.

With over 225 student jobs, including leadership positions, the affectionately named Coho serves 7,000 customers daily. There are 45 part-time supervisors who report to six student managers.

“Since we cook everything from scratch employees get an opportunity to start something – whether it‘s soup or an entrée – from start to finish,” said director Sharon Coulson.

Not only is the Coho a lively place to work, but there is also a paycheck of $8 to $10 per hour.

Located among the daily activity of students and staff grabbing coffee or meeting up with friends, employees work side by side with other students and are constantly meeting new people, all the while listening to music.

Student manager Alex Calciano, senior history major, got his start as a freshman when he needed a job.

“As a freshman I didn’t now a bunch of people,” he said. “I heard it was pretty social, so why not go for it and make a couple bucks while working.“

The Coho, overseen by five full-time staff members, is a $4,000,000 break-even operation and hires about 75 to 100 new employees every year. For the past 40 years and counting, the Coho’s student employees continue to cater to the hustle and bustle of campus life.

ASUCD Classical Notes/Campus Copies, located in the Memorial Union, came in at second place while south Davis‘ In-N-Out Burger landed in third.

– Pooja Kumar

49’er Video,

606 W. Covell Blvd.

Blockbuster Video,

303 F St. and 1411 W. Covell Blvd.

Dimple Records,

212 F St.

For the third consecutive year, 49’er Video received the best video store award in Davis.

49’er carries one of the largest selections of videos in Northern California, said owner John Merchant.

“We have over 30,000 titles for rent in our store,” he said. “We are really a store that focuses on people who are looking for a wide variety of movies. For example, we have 4,000 foreign films in our store and we have probably close to 1,000 classic movies.”

Compared to bigger corporate video rental stores, 49’er is a small, private owned store.

“We are not a giant corporation, so we’re extremely active in the community,” Merchant said. “We support a lot of local organizations with gift certificates and free rentals and through the years we probably have contributed to between 300 and 400 local organizations.”

All the employees are UC Davis students, Merchant said.

“We have a whole staff of people who work here who really love and understand movies,” he added.

Second and third place was awarded to Blockbuster and Dimple Records, respectively.

Dimple buys, sells and trades videos, which can be especially convenient for busy college students who have problems returning rentals on time, said co-owner Dilyn Radakovitz.

“It’s easier than renting because you pay for the new or used videos and the customer can bring it back and sell it. They can keep [the video] as long as they want and then come in and sell it back,” Radakovitz said.

– Janet Hung

1. Delta of Venus

122 B St.

2. Pluto’s

500 First St.

3. ASUCD Coffee House

Memorial Union

Think hand painted menus, mellow reggae tunes and a tasteful bohemian mix of fresh, vegetable-filled entrées.

Delta of Venus is this year’s unquestioned victor in the “Best Vegetarian Options” category, offering a delicious and healthy food selection, and an upbeat hippie vibe to match.

For breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert, there are dozens of meatless and vegan options that are good for the body, and equally pleasing to the palate.

“We have vegetarian and vegan options for every meal,” said Blake Hurzler, the restaurant’s assistant manager. “During the day, only four items on the menu even have meat on them at all.“

Among the popular favorites, the curry tofu, vegetarian scrambles and vegan brownies are some of the many best-selling items that keep customers chillin‘ in contentment and coming back for more.

In second place, Pluto’s is known for its amazing salad selection, with dozens of choose-them-yourself toppings, and freshly baked foccacia bread. If you’re not in the mood for a salad, the fresh cooked veggie side dish and grilled portabella sandwich are other meatless favorites.

Coming in third, the Coffee House on campus always offers a number of tasty tofu dishes and a vegetarian lasagna that is certainly worth sampling.

– MICHELLE IMMEL

090219_fe_BestSushi.c

Headline: Best Davis Sushi

By CHRISTOPHER BONE

Aggie Features Writer

The name alone is a mouthful, but Davis Sushi Buffet Japanese Restaurant has made a meteoric rise to be UC Davis student’s favorite sushi spot.

The leap comes after a mere eight months in business. Restaurant manager Andrew Nguyen credited the business’ emphasis on customer service for its popularity.

“Customer satisfaction is most important to us,” Nguyen said.

With a lunch buffet at $12.95 and dinner for $16.95, Davis Sushi Japanese Restaurant aims at achieving that golden triumvirate of quality, quantity and affordability – and it seems to have hit all the right spots.

Nguyen pointed also to the restaurant’s elegance and energy as big customer draws. The restaurant’s boat-trays that carry food along an imitation river help enhance this unique atmosphere, Nguyen said.

Of course, one can’t forget the food itself.

“Our chef is well trained and underwent a tough selection procedure,” Nguyen said. “We want to keep our food unique and of good quality.”

Davis Sushi Buffet Japanese Restaurant is located at 707 Second St.

Second place on this year’s list goes to Fuji Chef at 213 G St. Last year’s number one lost out this year to it its newer rival, but their $12.99 lunchtime buffet still keeps the regulars queuing up for more.

At third place is Zen Toro at 132 E St. Many customers go to experience the famed heated toilet in the women’s restroom, but they stay for the menu, which features Hawaiian-Japanese specialties in addition to the traditional choices.

– Christopher Bone

1. Shields Library

UC Davis campus

2. Arboreteum

UC Davis campus

3. Mishka’s Café

514 Second St.

When it comes to their studying, it appears UC Davis students are enduring traditionalists.

Shields Library was again voted the top study spot for Aggies to hit the books.

With over 3.1 million volumes, Shields Library is the largest library in Yolo County and the third largest in the UC system. It first opened in 1940 and was renovated several times over the past 50 years, with the newest additions to the building introduced in 1992.

Students cite the quiet atmosphere and convenient location as the library’s most attractive features.

“I feel like it has a more scholarly environment so it gets me in study mode,” said Jenny Broker, a senior biological sciences major who says she visits the library at least once a day. “There are too many distractions in other places … the library is quiet.“

First-year biological sciences major Angela Miraeles said she prefers the library for working on group projects.

“There are lots of big tables here and it is in the middle of campus,” she said. “There is no confusion with directions and getting lost.“

The UC Davis Arboretum came in second place while Mishka’s Café, located on Second Street in downtown, rounded out the top three.

– ERICA LEE

Zia’s Delicatessen,

618 Third St.

Nugget,

409 Mace Blvd., and 1414 E. Covell Blvd.

ASUCD Coffee House,

Memorial Union

There’s just one Zia’s in Davis, and it’s number one for sandwiches in Davis.

The family owned traditional delicatessen welcomes patrons with a friendly “Buon giorno“ and a full menu of hot and cold sandwiches – not to mention the customary gelato and Pellegrino.

Husband and wife owners Kevin and Anne Marie Crilly attribute their success to the quality of their food, some of which come from down the street in Davis; some of which come from to across the continent in Italy.

“We’ve used some of the same vendors since we opened 14 years ago,” Anne Marie said. “We really think that quality is the most important ingredient.“

Sandwiches like the Viareggio are loaded with turkey, cheese, pesto mayo, lettuce and tomato on their signature chewy roll. The deli also serves several fresh vegetarian sandwiches, like the Livorno, equally as delicious.

The deli also sells cold cuts for retail sale, so that customers can make their own sandwich creations at home with Zia’s knowledge and expertise in food. In addition, items like cheese and cakes can also be purchased over the expansive deli counter.

“We love our students,” Anne Marie said. “They’re part of the neighborhood. We have our downtown people, our families, and then we have our students. And we really value them.“

For more great sandwiches, stop second place winner, The Nugget, at both 1414 E. Covell Blvd. and 409 Mace Blvd., where you can go grocery shopping, and get a tasty sandwich on the way out.

The third place winner, the ASUCD Coffee House in the Memorial Union on campus, offers students the convenience to grab a bite in between classes.

– Lauren Steussy

1. Downtown

2. The Colleges at La Rue

164 La Rue Road

3. Primero Grove

500 Primero Grove

Location, check. Bars, check. Places to eat and see live late night shows, check and check.

You name it, downtown’s got it, so there’s little surprise that Downtown Davis has been voted the best place to live.

The first-place finishers in 26 of the 38 categories voted on in this year’s “Best of Davis” are located downtown, ranging from popular eateries like Woodstock’s and Burgers and Brew to the usual weekend shenanigans that go down at places like Froggy’s and The G St. Pub.

“The best part about living downtown is the proximity to campus, restaurants and bars,” said senior communication major Annie Hicklin. “I can walk everywhere and almost never have to drive. It is also a huge benefit to be able to wake up 10 minutes before class and still make it on time.“

Ten of the remaining 12 first-place winners can be found a short walk away on campus.

Various housing options are available downtown. Apartments, varying from the ones above Crepeville to the Davis Townhouse Apartments, and houses – a directory of property management companies is available on the City of Davis‘ website – alike are available for lease.

“There is no place I would rather live than downtown,” Hicklin said. “I definitely don’t miss the bus or the price of a parking permit. And I really got to know the city of Davis better by living downtown.“

Location also proved to be key with the rest of our list, as The Colleges at La Rue (just west of campus across from the Activites and Recreation Center) and Primero Grove (on-campus housing near the Segundo dorms) round things out in second and third place, respectively.

Adam Loberstein