::: Star Campus :::

Gossip Corner

It’s brunch time,folks!

-Zaireen Sultana Lupa

Come down to Kamal Ataturk Avenue, just between Kakoli Bus Stand and the field in Banani, and pick an alley any alley and you will eventually end up in one or more university campuses. And some of them are quite large and famous, too, starting with NSU and AIUB.

In addition, numerous coaching centers have recently popped up in the area, vending out practices on GED, IELTS, TOEFL, etc. So the youth population in Banani has, now, almost matched that of Dhaka University. So where do we feed all these mouths? Well, each campus usually has its own local hangouts:

Gossip and coffee.......ah!

If you take Helvetia (Banani Branch) on Kamal Ataturk, for example. The NSUers are known to frequent this fast food joint during their breaks and pop in for… anything, from their fruit slush to their combo-meals. And why not? The food is good, the environment spotless, and the ambiance friendly. The price might be a bit high to lunch there on a daily basis, but considering the gracious hospitality you receive from any of the managers or waiters, weekly basis sounds just about right.

Walk down a bit further, and you will find Dahlia's, a favorite amongst AIUBians. It's quaint, the food is simple and very take-out style, and the price exceedingly affordable. Here, you can snack on junk food such as Chicken Croissant and Beef Patties or meal on their Hot Lunch, which includes egg-fried rice, 2 pieces of fried chicken, beef chilly, and French fries. And for those of you who have a knack for the sweet tooth, I'll personally suggest that you try their chocolate doughnut (the frosting is heavenly).

If you are looking for even cheaper meals, just go down to Banani Supermarket, where you will find an array of fast food stores, very Bangladeshi style. I would not suggest you go to Shadharon Khabarghor, if you want a delicious meal and are a non-smoker, but students from any of the Banani campuses can be found there in the afternoon taking their lunch for its affordability. What you can try at Banani Supermarket, though, is a recently inaugurated branch of the famous Candy Floss. The downside, there is no place to sit; the upside, their beef cheese burger and ice creams are worth the weight on your feet. In addition, there is a biriyani house on the second floor of the establishment and a new steak house (Steak 'n' Chaap) on the third. You take your pick.

But if you really like Indian cuisines, you definitely have to try Tajmahal Tandoori, just off the left side of Banani Supermarket. Their chicken biriyani is a temptation unto itself, and it is extremely affordable. The cook is authentic so you can just understand my drift. And what more, you can come out fit to burst with very little money because the portions they serve is what we food connoisseurs call highly satisfying. But you have to have patience to eat there, because there is a queue in front of the store at any given time of the day.

Finally, we have Roshna Bilash down at Banani, Road #11. Where do we begin? Their biriyani and bhuna khichuri are scrumptious. Any of the meat items that go with Nan roti would be an even better choice. You have to try their shwarma. And if you can wait until the evening, then please do so, because you absolutely do NOT want to miss their barbequed chicken, which is served simply with this shwarma sauce they make exclusively. And if you are there, no matter what time in the day, try the specialties of the paan mama at the front of the eatery. Just watching him at work is an experience. And the paan? Absolutely juicy.

For entrepreneurs in-the-making, this part of Banani is an excellent investment in the restaurant and hospitality business, but you must not make the fatal mistake Dan Doris had just a few months ago, which closed down less than six months from its launch: That is, increase the price within two months just because students have shown you great patronage. Remember, youths are very skeptic consumers, just waiting for you to make a mistake. For those of you who want a piece of that Banani campus lifestyle, I have two words: Bon appétit.

Dazzle your friends & family with some food facts

01. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
02. There are more chickens than people in the world.
03. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
04. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning
05. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.
06. 13 people a year are killed by vending machines falling on them.
07. Americans eat 18 acres of pizza everyday.
08. Your brain is 80% water.
09. Dry mustard will remove onion odors from your hands or cutting board
10. Tomato juice will remove ink spots from clothing
11. Soft drinks account for 1/4 of all the sugar consumed by consumers.

-Sent by Arafat

“My grandma got a high school diploma!”

Asif Iqbal

Move aside guys and gals! Give space! It's my grandma coming to take her diploma. No, it's not a joke. It's real! Go ahead, laugh. But I can promise you that she will have the last laugh. OK, let me tell you the whole story.

Her name is Josephine Belasco, she is 98-year old, and she left school 80 years ago, and that was in 1924. Wow! Can you beat it? Well, there is more. My grandma was born in Calabria in Italy in November 1907. She was 18 when she moved to San Fransico with her family. Then she worked as an accountant for 36 years.

How come she suddenly got interested in going to school all over again? Good question. It was one of her grandsons who inspired her to do that. The typical age of high school graduates is 17 or 18 years. And the most amazing part of the story is that the school authorities still had her file with them!

So, folks, there ends my grandma's story. Though she is not my real grandma but I still feel that way about her, like a close family member. I am planning to invite her to come to Bangladesh and join one of our private universities. That would perhaps make us folks more attentive to our studies. What do you say?