Mnn(l;iv • October 13, 1997
Tibet's strength lies
in its production
Seven Years in Tibet
Starring Brad Pitt
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
Rated PG-13
Playing at Hollywood 16
★ ★★ (out of five)
iOLLOM/ts
jildsaloj:
By Aaron Meier
Lifestyles editor
he new political drama,
Seven Years in Tibet, is a
perfect example of the Hol-
^vood production machine in
tion. It has a glorious romance
at ends tragically, exotic loca-
ns and a fifty-year-old mystery
uncovered, and that is just the
production of the film.
■ For those people who live in a
vacuum where no entertainment
i^ws exists, or for those people
10 have enough of a life to not
ve to stay up until 2 a.m.
itching Bob Goens shake his
id uncontrollably on "Enter-
Hinment Tonight,” here is the
saga of Tibet.
I First, the former first couple of
Hollywood, Brad Pitt and
(livyneth Paltrow, broke off their
engagement during production
pf this film.
■ Then, the production of the
movie was forced to film the
eath-taking mountain scenes
the Andes Mountains as op
posed to the Himalayas. Finally,
the main character of Tibet, Hein
rich Harrer, was discovered to
have been a member of Hitler’s
S.S. while he lived in Austria.
All this press and the movie
hadn’t even finished filming yet.
A textbook example of Hollywood
in a feeding frenzy.
Under this whirlwind of media
hype and shattered hearts lies a
story of political struggle that will
outlast Bob Goens and Mary Hart
both.
Seven Years in Tibet tells the sto
ry of Harrer, an Austrian mountain
climber, who escapes from a
British POW camp in India during
World War II. He then flees to Tibet
where he befriends and tutors the
Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of
the Tibetan Buddhists.
Behind this tragic political
backdrop, lies the story of a man
who must make a journey to
find himself.
Pitt, once again, breaks out of
the limits of the “Sexiest Man
Alive,” and proves he is the pre
mier actor of the ’90s. In Tibet,
Pitt adopts an Austrian accent
with as much ease as Meryl
Streep or Dustin Hoffman. How
ever, anyone can watch old
episodes of “Hogan's Heroes” and
copy an accent.
Pitt gives depth to the tradi
tionally stoic Teutonic people.
Harrer is a complex man with an
internal anger and broken spirit
to boot. Not many actors could
portray that anger and pain in
such a reserved manner, but Pitt
gives the anger a face.
The screenplay for Tibet is
hauntingly beautiful. While writer
Becky Johnston sometimes
paints the Tibetan people as
overly-simple, she does give sev
eral characters texture and soul.
Please see Tibet on Page 9.
Lifestyles
Health
Nuts
Local businesses offer a
variety of healthier foods
By Chris Martin
Staff writer
C ollege may be the best place
for people to feed their
brains, but often the body is
neglected in the process.
When time becomes a precious
commodity, taking the time to eat
regularly and healthy goes the way of
the McLean Deluxe burger.
Many students eat unhealthy
food because it is convenient. Late
night pizza delivery and drive-
through tacos form the nutritional
foundation for a busy body. Junk
food is cheap and readily available
for everyone’s most vulnerable times.
While eating healthy may seem to
be a difficult and time consuming
route, Bob Atkins, who co-owns the
Brazos Natural Foods with wife Janis
Atkins, said the time spent creating a
healthy diet can be worth it.
“If you want to begin a healthier
diet, jump right in,” Atkins said. “It
will pay dividends now, and even
more in the future.”
Students may often find it diffi
cult to know exactly how to begin
eating right.
Atkins said that variety is the main
ingredient in a healthy diet.
“Eating a variety of foods will cov
er a large base of nutrients,” said
Atkins. “Add more fruits and vegeta
bles, particularly raw ones. Subtract
fried foods, processed foods, soft
drinks and most dairy products.
They do have good marketing, but
don’t necessar ily do a body good.”
Atkins said marketing plays an
important role in what foods stu
dents decide to eat.
“Most foods on the supermarket
shelves are designed for marketing,
rather than nutrition,” Atkins said.
“Processing depletes and destroys
most of the nutrients that were built
into the food.”
When it comes to choosing
u Most of the foods on
the supermarket shelves are
designed for marketing
rather than nutrition.”
Bob Atkins
Co-owner of Brazos Natural Foods
healthier foods in the supermarket,
Atkins said it is always a good idea to
read the labels.
“If the list of ingredients makes
the food look like it came from a
chemistry lab, then you want to
avoid it,” Atkins said. “Those chemi
cals aren’t there for nutritional value,
A couple from Austin stop at the Farm
but for shelf life. It can sit there for
months, and the bugs won’t even eat
it. If there’s nothing in there that the
bugs want, then there’s nothing in
there for you.”
When it comes to finding
healthy food choices in the area,
Atkins said a little looking around
can yield high gains.
“In Bryan and College Station,
finding alternatives isn’t easy,” Atkins
said. “Try to choose foods that aren’t
fried or processed. Choose whole
grain breads rather than enriched.
Nature was a much better food de
signer than Nabisco.”
Price may also be a concern for
students who want to eat healthy.
Atkins said although organic
foods may cost more, they are of bet
ter value to the body in the long run.
Susan Cheney of Vegetarian
Times, a national magazine for veg
etarians, recommends a little extra
care in selecting basic fruits and veg
etables at the supermarket.
“If possible, choose organically
grown over picture-perfect produce
that is full of chemical sprays and
waxes,” Cheney said. “Fresh produce
is always preferable. The less time
that elapses from field to market, the
more flavor and nutrients.”
If shopping for organic foods at
the far mer’s market sounds too time-
consuming or costiy, students may
RONY ANGKRIWAN/The Battalion
Patch for fresh fruits and vegetables.
opt to try one of the quick health bars
around town.
Leyenda’s Fruit Juice Bar offers
freshly squeezed orange juice and
smoothies made with water, milk
or yogurt.
Jim Phelan, manager of California
Smoothies and Supplements, said
smoothies are a nutritious and low-
fat alternative to whole meals.
“A smoothie may be only a few
hundred calories, or around seven or
eight hundred calories depending on
what kinds of powders and nutrients
we put in them,” Phelan said. “Some
people want the extra calories to bulk
up, and some people want a low
calorie meal replacement.”
Phelan said smoothies beat fast
food hands down when it comes to
price and nutrition.
“Smoothies are really quick and
really cheap,” Phelan said. “Our av
erage price is around $5, which is
comparable to fast food, but think
about what you’re going to get.
Smoothies fill you up and give you
natural energy.”
Best of all, Phelan said, smoothies
taste great.
“When people think of health
foods they normally think about
wheat grass, things that taste awful,”
Phelan said. “We make smoothies
with fresh fruit, and that’s what peo
ple like.”
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The
Veritas Forum
at
Texas A&M
TODAY!
'Throwing a (Monkey) lA/rench
into Darwin's Machinery"
The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution
Monday. Oct. 13th. Rudder Theater. 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Another Monday presentation— Dr - Michael Behe
"A Scientific Defense for an Intelligent Designer"
Biochemistry 108, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
The Veritas Forum is presented by The Christian Faculty Fellowship of Texas A&M
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