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I cooked everything for my vegetarian Thanksgiving, and I felt very accomplished

By: Gracie Watt

Essay:

-According to a 2018 Gallup poll, 5% of U.S. adults consider themselves to be vegetarian.

-I have been vegetarian since 2018, and have tried to cook for myself frequently, finding various recipes on Pinterest.

-Some of the recipes that turned out the best, according to my family and friends, were from a popular recipe blog, Half Baked Harvest.

Let’s play the word association game– the word is Thanksgiving. I’m willing to bet one of the first words that comes to mind is turkey. However, for people like me who practice a vegetarian diet, Thanksgiving can be tricky if you’re trying to uphold the tradition of getting stuffed. I went home and cooked and baked everything following vegetarian recipes, and you can do it too.

Starters and Salads

Goat Cheese and Apricot Crostinis with Pistachios and Mint

Fall Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Kale Salad

Before the big meal, everyone expects a few appetizers, a soup or a salad. I decided to make Goat Cheese and Apricot Crostinis with Pistachios and Mint and a Fall Harvest Honeycrisp Apple and Kale Salad. Both of these I would rate about a 6/10. The crostinis were a bit of an acquired taste. My Aunt Bridget loved them, but my cousin Beau spit it out. The kale salad has a really unique dressing that I enjoyed, but could only eat so much of.

Sides

For vegetarians on Thanksgiving, the sides are really where it’s at. So, I went all out on some really tasty options for side dishes.

Roasted Carrots with Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese

These roasted carrots with candied pecans and goat cheese were a pleasant surprise for me. I honestly didn’t think they would be one of my favorites, but I give them an 8/10, and all our Thanksgiving day guests gobbled them up as well. The brown sugar is really what makes these so tasty.

Baked Brie Mac and Cheese

This was my second consecutive year making this dish because it was such a hit last year. This baked brie mac and cheese from half Baked Harvest is well worth the work. It consists of three different cheeses and you can use elbow macaroni or large shells. This one is always a crowd pleaser, and I rate it a 9/10. I only took a point off this year because the recipe is a bit elaborate, so making it slightly stressed me out, but it was definitely worth it.

Crispy Rosemary Butter Roasted Potatoes

These crispy rosemary butter roasted potatoes were my favorite. I could’ve just eaten a plate of these, landing them as the only recipe this year that I am giving a 10/10 rating to. I made this for a friendsgiving with some of my oldest friends, and these potatoes were certainly a highlight.

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Truffle Tart

Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

As a chocolate-lover, these desserts definitely hit the spot. I give the dark chocolate and sea salt truffle tart a 7/10. It was very good, but just a bit too rich for my liking. The espresso chocolate chip cookies were pretty addictive, and pair excellently with vanilla ice cream. I give these cookies a 9/10.

So you see, it’s definitely possible to avoid meat on Thanksgiving if you so choose. From these pictures, you can see that I had not one but two very full plates, and the effort I put into making all of this food left my heart very full as well. And there’s nothing like walking it off with a nice hike with your best furry bud.

Story Assignment 3 pitch

I have a few different ideas for Story Assignment 3. I am thinking either I will use Soundcite for an album review because those look really nice. I’m not sure what album I would review yet though.

I am also interested in using The Pudding for my story because those are always visually pleasing. If I do that, I may do a story about food because I think the visuals would be interesting for that.

Lastly, I am thinking of maybe doing a video interview with b-roll and an accompanying written story. I still have to think of who to interview, but I think this would be a good way to show my interviewing skills.

Tableau Map

Interactive map displaying the childhood poverty rates by school district in Central Texas for the 2019-2020 academic year. District boundaries are from the 2020-2021 academic year.

Data sources:

U.S. Census Bureau SAIPE School District Estimates for 2019

Texas Education Agency Public Open Data Site

It’s the climb: being part of a team with Rory O’Connor Arias

Inside Crux Climbing Center, located just five minutes from St. Edward’s University, visitors will find a chill environment filled with games, people lounging or working on assignment, maybe some 21 Pilots music and dedicated climbers on the many assorted rock walls in the facility.

A majority of the climbers in the center are students at St. Edward’s University and members of the climbing team. This team is co-led by senior Patrick Behrens, and for those on the team newer to the sport, like Rory O’Connor Arias, everyday is a learning experience.

The team meets four to five times a week, but members are only required to go to two practices a week. However, lots of practice in their free time is highly encouraged.

It’s easy to get lost when listening in on a climber conversation, as there seems to be a whole different language when it comes to the sport; Arias commented on this set of vernacular that he “still hasn’t got all the terms down after a year.”

Arias, a 20-year-old senior studying communication at St. Edward’s, began climbing last year, in 2020, when there wasn’t a whole lot to do besides go and explore the outdoors.

“My best friend got me into climbing during the 2020 year. When I got back down to Austin at the end of 2020, I started doing it by myself,” Arias explained. He went on to tell the story of how he got “discovered” by the climbing team captains. “They just came up to me and saw me climbing,” and offered Arias a spot on the close-knit team. Since that moment, he has been a dedicated member of the team and bonded with, what he refers to as, some of the “best people.”

The excited novice climber also spoke about the “rush you get after climbing,” elaborating that his favorite thing about the physically challenging sport is the adrenaline and joy that comes from mastering a move you’ve been working on for a long time.

However, it’s not always peaches and cream with climbing. “Sure, it gets frustrating,” Arias explained, as falling is very common with the sport. Luckily, the Crux center has plenty of crash pads and equipment for safety precautions, and if all else fails– the whole team has every climber’s back.

Regardless of any shortcomings or frustrations team members may have with themselves or with the sport, in the end it is all worth it, as Arias explained, “the reward at the end of it completely outweighs any struggle that there was prior to it.”

Chat Bot

Story Assignment 2 Pitch

For story assignment 2 I think I want to do a mini-documentary on my roommate, Taheera Washington. She is in a watercolor class right now, so I think it would make for very good b-roll and a nice calming video. I would interview her on the class and also take an angle of why these type of elective art classes are important for St, Edward’s to require. I will also interview her on her progress in the class and if she thinks it has been beneficial and if she feels she is getting better at watercolor painting. I plan to film in our apartment because that’s where she usually paints and the natural lighting is nice.

FAQs- Social Media and Journalism

How has social media changed the travel industry in the last few years?

Luckily, I have a lot of connections when it comes to travel experts and social media influencers, so many were willing to help me out and provide some insight to these questions. Marika Flatt, travel editor for Texas Lifestyle Magazine helped answer this question through her personal experience. “When we are invited to attend a press trip, it is definitely expected that we will be posting content on our social media platforms. In addition, when I post photos on my personal Facebook page, sometimes I get more interest in the destination that I do through my articles,” Flatt said.

Is social media changing travel for better or worse?

This question is really matter of opinion. From conducting multiple interviews from the points-of-views of the travel expert and the Instagram traveler, I have found that it is really a bit of both– better and worse. Flatt has been in the industry for years, and she believes it is completely better. “Absolutely, 100% it is helpful for the travel and tourism industry. So many travelers initially find out about a destination by way of seeing it on someone’s social media platform. Images are key for travel and tourism these days, and there’s no better way to get those images out there than through Instagram and Facebook,” she said.

However, issues tend to arise with social media as well. Instagram influencer Carrie Rosenbalm explained, “I think it can be harmful when considering popular international destinations. Instagram worthy locations, if you will, have often become so popular that you find yourself waiting in long lines to snap a picture and you’re left with very little time to truly “experience” the location,” illustrating how social media can alter our ability to live in the moment.

How can travel experts and social media influencers work together in the future?

“Working with influencers can be an advantageous partnership that provides impactful and organic word of mouth type marketing. Travel influencers with an engaged audience have built trust with their followers. That trust allows them to see how they themselves could enjoy the experience that’s being shared,” Rosenbalm explained.

From my interviews and research I have gathered that, like most things, social media has an extensive list of pros and cons when it comes to the travel industry.

How social media is changing the game for the travel industry

For better or worse, social media is changing the game for the travel industry.

As any modern day Instagram-scroller knows, social media is constantly showing us beautiful images of places we’ve never been. Ads for travel businesses are always popping up on the feed. On the other hand, influencers jetting off to new locations is also a predominant theme in the algorithm.

Has social media increased people’s wanderlust and helped the travel industry, or has it made people feel as if they don’t need to get out there because they can easily see all the views from their phone?

To gain some insight on the ways social media is changing the travel industry, it is important to look at it from two different perspectives; first, that of the travel expert. This person could be a travel agent, a journalist or anyone who is considered to have expertise in travel. Their main medium is not social media, though they may partake in it.

Second, it is important to see the side of the Instagram travel influencer, whose main medium is social media. They promote travel and typically get invited, and occasionally paid, by travel companies to promote a city or hotel to their followers.

Jenny Hart, a travel journalist who has written for publications such as Travel + Leisure, offered her insights on ways social media is helping but also harming the travel industry. “Destinations that were once seen as unobtainable for many people are now much easier to access right at their fingertips,” she said.

But, as many social media users know, not everything is as picture-perfect as it seems. Hart explained that “sometimes there is an attitude of ‘If you didn’t share your pictures, were you even there?'”

“A lot of the most beautiful traveling images you see are heavily edited. Maybe it was really crowded and they had to edit people out,” Hart said.

Speaking from positive personal experience, Hart helped illustrate the growing importance of social media for a travel journalist like herself. “I’m certainly not a social media influencer in any respect, but having a social media presence has become a really important part of my personal brand,” she said.

“I used to be strictly a travel writer, but now I do social media marketing as well, with different hotels and tour operators as clients,” Hart said, proving that travel writers have also adapted to the world of social media.

Gaining a different point of view from Shadoe Lee (@keepaustinyoung), Instagram travel influencer, she explained that Instagram has allowed her to “share my insights of local places and places I have explored with others, while also allowing me to partner with tourism boards and hotels.”

When asked about whether social media is helping or harming the travel industry, she replied: “This is a double-edged sword. Overall yes, social media helps spread the word and awareness about certain spots. But on the other hand, some places that are deemed “Instagramable” are great places to visit, but are over crowded because of the social media fame and therefore not as fun,” she said, voicing similar concerns as journalist Hart.

Dre Fox (@timeofdre), a Social Media Coach, also offered her insights. “I think travel blogging tends to romanticize travel (ie dresses on top of mountains) but honestly, is that so bad? I view it as artistic expression and while it might be unrealistic, photos don’t always have to be realistic,” she said.

However, there is also cons, she explained. “I do think there is a problem when a place is misrepresented. If you’re editing things to look better, it can create issues with people that go there and realize it looks totally different.”

Looking towards the future of social media and travel’s relationship, Fox voices some ideas she would like to see come into play. “I’d love to see cities doing longer term partnerships with influencers so they can return throughout the year and ‘travel deeper’ within the area to paint the picture.”

Having these perspectives helps us see that social media is here– regardless of what our opinions may be about it. Instead of looking at it as an obstacle to overcome, those in the travel industry can look at it as a tool to further their success and build more relationships.