FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2001
Taki's has the taste
that tempts the tummy
------~
Taki's restaurant located on West 12th street
Old-style diner with old-style prices
by Karl Benacci
features co-editor
Not long ago, I had the
opportunity to have breakfast at
Taki's Restaurant, which is located
on West 12th Street, near Peninsula
Drive. A few of my friends and I
decided to go there because we had
heard that Taki's had good food
and that it was open late at night.
Besides. 1 used to pass by Taki's
Restaurant everyday when I drove
to my high school, and the 1950's
look of the restaurant (I later found
Red Hot Chili Pepper concert
The Red [lot Chili Peppers had
just announced additional dates to
their 2000 summer tour. It was
March, and a road trip to see two
awesome bands (the Foo Fighters
were along to open the show.) was
just what I needed. I got a hold of
my best friend Matt in State College
and my brother Ben in Pittsburgh to
see if they were game for the jour
ney to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Both were more than eager, and so
our crew was set.
Awaking at 8 a.m. on the next Sat
urday morning, I surfed my way to
the web site where tickets were
available. Matt was doing the same.
The lines were busy, but I finally got
through. I had three tickets to see the
Chili Peppers, and I was going crazy.
Matt popped up on Instant Messen
ger and said that only fifteen min
utes after the tickets went on sale,
there were none left. I told Matt I
got tickets, we went crazy together,
and our summer was going to be off
Have you gone on a road trip lately?
If so, write about it and send your entry to
behrcolls@aol.com.
Contest Rules : Any Behrend student can submit a 300-500 word story about a road trip they have taken since the end of the spring 2000
semester. The trip must be more than 150 miles from the original location. A photo must accompany entry with sufficient proof that the trip was
made. Insufficient proof will lessen chances to win contest. If more than one student took part in the road trip, only the student submitting the
story is eligible, unless all members send name in with entry. If more than one student name appears on entry, prize will he divided amongst the
students who entered. Send in entries to behrcolls@aol.com as soon as possible to ensure publication in the Beacon. Only entries appearing in
the Beacon will he voted on. Beacon members are ineligible and will vote on the winner.
out that Taki's was actually founded
in the 1950'5) had me intrigued. In
fact, Taki's Restaurant looks more
like a diner, which seems to add to
its appeal.
When I entered the restaurant, I
noticed that it was nearly filled with
people, which is very unusual since
it was in the early a.m. hours. I also
observed that the restaurant was very
bare, with little decoration on the
walls, however, it was immaculately
clean and there seemed to be a
hospitable feeling. My friends and I
quickly seated ourselves and
to a great start
Fast-forward to May 14, and our
crew was set to go. We left Pitts
burgh at noon that day, and headed
for the PA Turnpike. Ben began the
trip behind the wheel, and we hit the
ground running at over 80 miles per
hour. Stopping in Breezewood for
gas and a rest, we all got out of the
car. We wouldn't get back in again
for over an hour. Ben had locked the
keys in the car. Why he locked the
doors at a gas station we may never
know, but he did. There was a ser
vice station just up the road, so Ben
started walking. He returned shortly
with word that someone would be
down to help us soon. Eventually we
got the help we needed, and Matt
and I banished Ben to the back seat
and finished driving the rest of the
way ourselves.
Arriving in Wilkes-Barre, we
were famished. Stomaching some
Wegman's pizza, we headed for the
show. We went in early to get close
4 .*
o 4
.....,
contemplated on what to order. 1
decided to get a vanilla milkshake, a
few greek burgers, and some french
It only took approximately five
minutes for my party and 1 to receive
our meals, which was very shocking.
My milkshake was quite good; it was
served in the big metal cup that it
was mixed in, which further enforced
the 1950 s feel of the restaurant.
The trench fries tasted pretty good
too. They were served in a little
basket, however, the serving was
quite generous. But my favorite
Cruisin'
to the stage. The band already on
stage, The Bicycle Thieves, was the
worst band I have ever heard, and
we begged them to get off the stage.
Finally, the Foo Fighters hit the
stage, and the place went huts. We
moshed, pushed, shoved, kicked,
and punched our way through their
hit-filled set. Their show ended, and
we were sweaty, tired, and ready for
the Chili Peppers. They came on, but
were not half as good as the Foo
Fighters. The Foo Fighters were so
amazing, it wouldn't have mattered
who follovVed them onstage. Totally
exhausted, we headed to find a ho
tel. After showering and eating more
food at Perkins than any human
should, we fell fast asleep. The drive
home the next morning was much
less eventful, and we were back in
Pittsburgh in record time thanks to
Benny's lead foot.
By Brandon Yeckel
...~--
poi t ion of the meal was the Greek
buircrs They were packed with
beet, onions a n d glee!: sauce and
weic good! I had a lot of trouble
finishinr. ins meal because the
quantily of food was so large,
however, much to my delight, the
price of my neat was small , being
a pproximatel
scorn doll a rs !
)
It's laic lind a reNtatirant that
has good too(' at a good pi ice, hut
aki's has hen doing it for years,
and it doesn't seem as if they will
tie Lhanginp. that anytime soon.
Igi Taki's 15 stars.
makes for a sweaty road trip
Vieux Carre:
A play for
the analytical
audience
My first visit to the Roadhouse The
atre, as well as my first encounter with
the work of Tennessee Williams,
proved to be anything but what I was
expecting this past weekend. I was
expecting some sort of French play
performed in a formal setting; what I
encountered was an interesting flash
back narrated by the character of a
young homosexual in a quaint, hut
unique, setting.
Vieux Carre, written by Tennessee
Williams, is the story of several indi
viduals living in an old rooming house
and the situations of their personal
and intermingling lives. The narra
tor of the story, a writer who is actu
ally the young Williams, introduces
the audience to the loud, boisterous,
sometimes rude landlady, Mrs. Wire,
and the tenants: a lonely and proper
young woman, Jane; Tye, a vulgar
man who works at a strip club; and
Nightingale, a dying painter.
During the time the writer spends
as a resident of 722 Toulouse Street,
he learns much about himself and the
others who surround him in such close
quarters. All of the people occupy
ing the house suffer from loneliness
caused by one factor or another. Each
individual finds themself reaching out
to the others for companionship, con
versation, and a cure for the despair
each is feeling in their own life. On
the surface these individuals look
healthy, happy, and content. As a
member of the audience I was able to
see that each character needed one an
other for a different reason, although
they might not have wanted to admit
to it. Williams does truly learn that
"writers are shameless spies," in each
situation that he encounters, both face
to face and through the walls sepa-
• ati,
lEEE
rating each room.
While there were many serious is
sues dealt with throughout the course
of the story, I could not help to con
tinuously think to myself, "what a
Brandon Yeckel, 06 BLASC
by Kristin Grudowski
staff writer
house!" I wasn't rolling in the aisles
because I found the characters' situa
tions humorous, but the interaction
between the characters was absolutely
hysterical at times. Mrs. Wire's char
acter provided a majority of the comic
relief.
Strong actors and actresses, who
offer believable performances, por
trayed the characters in Vieux Carre.
I am only being honest when I say
that I didn't expect much after I first
viewed the Roadhouse's small stage.
The actors successfully lead me to
vi
sualize the many rooms of the house
on a stage about the size of three dorm
rooms put together.
I would recommend this play to
anyone who is willing to analyze and
contemplate the characters, story and
theme behind the title. Vieux Carre.
It is easy to see what is happening
right in front of you, but it is also im
portant to understand the message be
hind the madness. Anyone who is es
pecially sensitive to male nudity
might want to steer clear of this one
too.
While I did enjoy the play, inter
mission in the coffee house behind the
stage really surprised me. This close
knit gathering place was made up of
numerous mismatched tables, chairs,
benches and funky lamps. Bright or
ange walls enclosed the room and pro
vided a background for paintings and
other distinctive displays of emotion.
The room really brought out the in
tellect in Inc. As I sipped on my Coke,
because I don't drink coffee, I found
myself pondering the play I was
watching and examining every arti
fact around me.
Vieux Curre's theme may be some
what hidden in the sketchy storyline,
but what this play illustrates is some
thing you already know: people need
people. Everyone has problems from
time to time. In a house where ev
eryone has a troubling problem, the
house itself becomes the safest and
warmest place for each individual be
cause he knows he is not alone.