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November 2017 Published since November 21, 1910 Circulation 4,000 ISSN 0845-356X Suite 3-04 8900 114 St. NW University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2J7 Advertising www.f-media.ca

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News Editor Sofia Osborne

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Photo Editor Rosty Soroka

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Online Editor Oumar Salifou

Cover Melissa Bui & Rosty Soroka

Contributors Megan Klak Teresa Mckernan Matt Gwozd Shay Lewis Annie Cai Taya Weyland Aidan Herron Claudia Kulay Jonathan Hocnalon HelĂŠna Plain Andrew McWhinney Olivia DeBourcier Stephen Raitz

Copyright All materials appearing in The Gateway bear copyright of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent. GSJS The Gateway is published by the Gateway Student Journalism Society (GSJS), a studentrun, autonomous, apolitical not-for-profit

organization, operated in accordance with the Societies Act of Alberta. Volunteer Want to write, draw, or shoot photos for us? To get involved visit gtwy. ca/volunteer for more information.

THE SYLLABUS NOTES

THE QUAD

Five Things For...

Q&A

We are throwing it way, way back with podcasts, films, books and blogs.

Aspiring astronaut Abby Lacson talks space camp and being a woman in engineering.

Make TIME to check out these U of A alumni's venture.

Come for the chess, stay for the bughouse with the U of A's Chess Club.

Is it better to overdress or underdress? Two students weigh in.

This Faculty of Law professor debunks health trends with his new documentary.

DIVERSIONS

Beyond the Bachelor

Point / Counterpoint

Worth It or Not Worth It Grayscale edition, baby.

Club Profile

Spotlight: Timothy Caulfield

OYSTERS ARE THE NEW BLACK Shucking Edmonton's osyter scene wide open.

Photo Essay An aesthetic look at local company Arturo Denim.

Anecdote This guy likes to run when he's wasted, like, a lot.

CADAVERS: DEATH IN THE ACADEMY Let's talk about death, dying and everything afterward.

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Notes | Five Things For

FIVE THINGS FOR:

Throw (Way, Way) Back Thursday BY MEGAN KLAK | ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA LUCAS

The Memory Palace PODCAST

His Girl Friday

MOON BEAVERS

FILM

WARDEN TACKLING

The Third Man JOURNALISTS

Interesting, odd, and forgotten parts of history are distilled into short, thoughtprovoking episodes in this podcast. He covers everything from the time the U.S. army decided to import camels to The Great Moon Hoax of 1835. The best episode, though, is the three-minute-long “These Words Forever,” which explores Marconi’s idea that sounds never disappear.

This classic Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant feature from 1940 is a crazy romp of a film. Both leads are in the newspaper business: Grant is an editor and Russell is a journalist about to settle down, get married, and retire from the fast-talking whirlwind of news. Grant also happens to be her ex-husband, and he sets out to remind her just how much she loves her job.

Ask the Past

Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers

BLOG

AGE-OLD ADVICE

HOW TO SPIT

In need of advice on how not to get expelled? Or, perhaps, how to compliment a lady? (Hint: Definitely tell her that her forehead looks like a castle.) In her blog Ask the Past, Elizabeth Archibald posts hilarious historical advice. People in the past had some incredibly bizarre opinions on everything from how to properly shower to the right way to spit.

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BOOK

MURDER MYSTERY

MAN IN A BATHTUB

Looking for a classic murder mystery but running out of Agatha Christie novels? Whose Body?, written by Dorothy L. Sayers in 1923, begins with a man found dead in the bath tub, entirely naked but for his spectacles. Enter Lord Peter Wimsey, a gentleman and amateur detective. Sayers is fantastic, and this is the first in a long series of mysteries. g

FILM

CREEPY BAD GUY

Film noir, crazy camera angles, and starring Orson Welles of Citizen Kane fame, this is a great watch. It also has one of the creepiest villains of all time, with some phenomenally evil lines. Set in Vienna just after the Second World War, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) shows up looking for his friend Harry Lime (Welles), only to find out he’s dead — and begins to investigate.

Beyond the Bachelor | Notes

BEYOND THE BACHELOR: TIME ESCAPE INVITES PLAYERS TO FIND THE FUN IN FRUSTRATION BY VICTORIA CHIU | PHOTOS BY TERESA MCKERNAN

Marko Chong : BACHELOR OF COMMERCE Tony Tran: BACHELOR OF SCIENCE BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (IN PROGRESS) Marko Chong and Tony Tran are bringing their business knowledge beyond the classroom. Chong, who holds a 2017 Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta, and Tran, who holds a 2016 Bachelor of Science and is currently completing his Bachelor of Commerce after degree, began working on the timed interactive puzzle-solving venture when they felt there was a need for a teamwork-based game in Edmonton. After nine months of planning and preparation, Time Escape Edmonton, one part of a group of franchised escape rooms with locations in Vancouver and Seattle, opened its doors last year. “The biggest challenge really came from our personal lives,” Tran says. “We were and are still students balancing school with running a business, and there was a lot of competition. But our work ethic is our biggest asset, and it worked out for us.” By capitalizing on the company’s emphasis on detail and authenticity, Chong and Tran hope to set themselves apart from other escape rooms and stay one step ahead of the competition. Their efforts are paying off: the location won the title of Edmonton’s Best Escape Room for 2016 and 2017 by Vue Weekly and is currently the top rated establishment in TripAdvisor's Edmonton Fun & Games category. Time Escape is open from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Friday, and from 12:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. on weekends. Bookings can be made online or via phone. g

NOVEMBER 2017 | 3

Notes | Point / Counterpoint

POINT / COUNTERPOINT SHOULD YOU OVERDRESS OR UNDERDRESS? Reviving the old dress pants versus sweatpants debate.

Point: Overdressed Is Best

Counterpoint: Underdress and Own It

BY MATT GWOZD

BY SHAY LEWIS

Whether you’re overdressed or underdressed, you’re going to stick out like a sore thumb. Both are obviously embarrassing. But frankly, being overdressed is way better, for so many reasons. You can always take off a layer of clothing when you’re overdressed. You can lose the necktie or your earrings to fit in a little better. You can’t do that when you’re underdressed. A suit jacket or a nice pair of heels isn’t just going to magically appear on your body. Being overdressed is a lot easier to pull off because at least you look good while you’re doing it. The sting of embarrassment is easier to take when you look hot as hell. Being underdressed is far worse because not only is it embarrassing, but you also just look like a bum. Another reason being overdressed is better is because you can always throw together some excuse to play it off. "Oh I just wanted to look my best tonight" or "I couldn’t go home to change after work". When underdressed, there’s no good excuses that sound believable — at least none that aren’t embarrassing in their own right. You could say your suit or dress is at the dry cleaners, but then you look forgetful too. So while being underdressed or overdressed are both embarrassing, being overdressed is way better. While being underdressed may be a good test of your personal confidence (which everyone needs once in awhile), sometimes you don’t want to test your confidence. Sometimes you just want to fit in. It’s easier to do that when you’re overdressed. You can lose layers or throw together some excuse and, you know what, at least you look good.

Underdressed all the way. We’re in 2017, a world of athleisure and minimalism, where with a confident toss of your hair you can stare down a pompous overdresser and announce, whether truthfully or not, that your leggings are couture. You’re not underdressed, you’re just trendsetting. You’re also going to be comfortable. Underdressing wins the comfort contest, hands down. Do you really want to be tottering on stilettos when you could be wearing your comfy old sneakers? The more comfortable you are, the more at ease you’ll be. It’s easier to think of witty comments at a cocktail party when your feet aren’t killing you and your hair isn’t pinned up into a heavy, headacheinducing arrangement. Everyone knows that when walking into a room full of ballgowns, being underdressed is embarrassing. It’s not because you’re wearing sweatpants, though. It’s because you’re wearing something different from everyone else. It would be just as embarrassing to walk, decked out in a ballgown, into a room full of people wearing sweats. If you find yourself underdressed, own it. There is an effortless confidence that goes with underdressing. It dares the room to call you out on it. At the end of the day, there aren’t many places you can show up to underdressed anymore. People wear jeans and leggings to the theatre, church, the symphony, and out to dinner. Wherever you are, there are other underdressers that have gone before you. Know that you are in good company with other people who were in a hurry, were tired, forgot what day it was, or chose comfort over style. Walking into a room full of ballgowns in sweatpants could be embarrassing, yes, but only if you let it be. g

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Worth it or Not Worth it | Notes

WORTH IT -ORNOT WORTH IT GRAYSCALE EDITION

Two writers weigh in on whether it's worth it to invest time, money, and emotion into the following.

Monochrome Instagram

Black & White Tattoos

BY ANNIE CAI

Maintaining a consistent Instagram aesthetic is a great way to achieve a professional look and keep the followers flowing in. But on a platform meant to be an online scrapbook, confining ourselves can stifle our personalities and make posting a chore instead of a way to connect with friends. Most of us are perfectly happy with fewer than 1000 followers. Leave the themes to businesses and aspiring fashion bloggers. NOT WORTH IT.

Tattoos are a permanent commitment to a work of art on an extremely sensitive and constantly changing medium: our bodies. They don't come cheap, either. Colour ink requires touch-ups to keep the pigment strong, and makes fading much more obvious. A greyscale tattoo will compliment any skin tone and has less risk of fading over time, making it a safer investment for your money. WORTH IT.

Taking a Date Stargazing

White Sneakers in September

BY TAYA WEYLAND

Drive to Elk Island National Park, spread out a blanket in the bed of your truck or open the sunroof, and turn on your date-night playlist (we all have one). This date boasts opportunities for both intimate connection and comfortable silence, as well as the chance for you to use any star-related pickup lines youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been caching. Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a romantic or an astronomy major, this date is a hit. WORTH IT.

Yes, you look slick. Yes, your buddies are impressed. Yes, that is the glint of jealousy you see in every passing face. But after a month of avoiding the ever-increasing hazards of puddles, mud, and grass stains, it may be beneficial for your sanity to give in. Soon, the looming threats of apple-picking and haunted hikes will be a reality. My advice? Buy some galoshes and live a little. NOT WORTH IT. g

NOVEMBER 2017 | 5

Stargazing with Abby Lacson

Q&A with an aspiring astronaut BY OLIVIA DEBOURCIER | PHOTO BY OLIVIA DEBOURCIER ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX PATTERSON

Abby Lacson isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the typical university student. Sure, she enjoys casually riding her penny board through the engineering quad on the way to class, or getting down on the dance floor during Just Dance Club events. But her career goals lie higher than the top floor of DICE. Lacson wants to be an astronaut. In her second year of mechanical engineering, she is a member of the

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AlbertaSat mechanical team. AlbertaSat is a student group that has constructed the provinceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first satellite: Ex-Alta 1. Designed and built on campus, it was made to collect and deliver data on space weather patterns. This May, it launched from the International Space Station (ISS). Lacson and the rest of the Albertasat team, fresh off their success of Ex-Alta 1, have already begun designing their second CubeSat.

When she was 18, Lacson went to space camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Centre in Alabama where aspiring astronauts go through mission simulations, and learn about what it takes to be an astronaut. We sat down with Lacson to ask her about her time at space camp, her experiences as a woman in engineering, and her plans for the future.

The Quad | Q&A

The Gateway: When did you become interested in space science? Abby Lacson: It was when I went camping for the first time in my life. I went with a family friend and her friends. We snuck out of the tent and we were looking to play some games in the dark but we just ended up watching the stars. And I thought, this is actually really nice, I want to be an aerospace engineer. I want to get up there. So that was my initial moment when I knew that I wanted to go into outer space. How did you get involved with AlbertaSat? I heard about AlbertaSat in my first year. I started as a media editor. I just entered the mechanical team this year. What I'm designing is actually for the next satellite. I help with thermal research: how to design the satellite itself, how to make it more efficient in terms of where the power goes and where the heat transfers to in other mechanisms in the CubeSat. Can you tell me about your experience at the U.S. Space and Rocket Centre’s space camp? Everyday we had three classes. We would

learn about U.S. and Russian space history, what the parts of a rocket are, and about different space companies. We listened to a talk from a former astronaut, and we got to design our own rockets. We did three mission simulations. So we would actually go to a full size replica of the International Space Station (ISS), the Discovery Rocket, or a Mars base in an Orion capsule. Our first mission I was on the ISS. I was a mission specialist, that's what they call people who don't actually fly the capsule and mostly do scientific experiments. I was finding ways to recycle water on the space station. The second mission was actually really special as a Canadian because I got to go up on the Canadarm2 replica. I also learned how to scuba dive in a 24-foot swimming pool. At the bottom we would shoot rockets from a launcher, and play with a bowling ball. Because it’s neutral buoyancy so it would make everything seem so light so I would spin the bowling ball on my finger. What path do you plan to take in order to achieve this goal of getting to space? I’ll graduate from U of A first. I still do want to do research with AlbertaSat,

making more efficient CubeSats and solar panels. Or maybe I could even find a way to make the structure absorb energy and keep it. I want to go to CalTech in Pasadena for my Master’s. Then I want to work for SpaceX. I just want to be part of that future and new space exploration. I want to design those rockets and really get to know them. What is your experience as a woman in engineering? In my first year, I tried not to ask questions because I was scared to be wrong and have people think, “Oh she’s a girl, that’s why she’s wrong.” One of my insecurities is that I don't like people to think I'm failing. But I’ve learned, if I'm going to ask a question, maybe someone else has that question. So now I’ll put up my hand and not be afraid to ask, “How does that work?” Having the reputation of wanting to be an astronaut is really big. Because in the future what if it doesn't happen, right? So I made the decision, if anything, you don't know until you try. I want to do this and really go for it. It's my dream. g

NOVEMBER 2017 | 7

The Quad | Club Profile

Come for the Chess, Stay for the Bughouse BY AIDAN HERRON | ILLUSTRATION BY CLAUDIA KULAY

The University of Alberta Chess Club is for players both new and experienced at chess, or just anyone who’s up for some laughs and a good time. Club executive Jordan Rohatynski runs the meetings on Mondays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the SUB food court. The club has a variety of players of all backgrounds, including a nine-year-old player named Ron who “routinely crushes everyone,” Rohatynski said. “We get people from all walks of life here,” he said. “From engineers to political science to fine arts to geologists. It’s an incredible diversity I just haven’t seen in any other club… Chess is

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definitely a game that attracts a diverse crowd.” The club looks very non-assuming — sometimes just three or four chess boards setup outside of the Subway in SUB. Other times it can occupy as many as six or eight tables as more players arrive. “It’s a very casual setup,” Rohatynski said. “There’s no membership fee required. It’s an incredible experience: it improves the mind, it allows a break in between studies and school, and honestly, it’s the greatest game in the world.” The chess club offers a variety of ways to play chess. Players can play normally against players of similar skill levels, or you can use clocks to play speed chess – a variant where players only have a limited amount of time to make their moves. The club also enjoys playing "Bughouse chess" (also known as "Siamese chess"), a two versus two version of chess that is extremely fast and wild. “It’s team chess,” Rohatynski said. “If someone captures a piece, they give it to their partner, and instead of making a move, they can place a piece their partner has given them.”

Club Profile | The Quad

This can lead to scenarios that would otherwise be impossible in a regular game of chess – two queens bearing down on the enemy king in the midgame, or dozens of pawns swarming the bored all at once. For those looking for a more competitive game of chess, the club also runs tournaments approximately once a month on campus. The biggest tournament is held every February, where the club competes against other Albertan universities in The University Battle of Alberta. The University of Alberta Chess Club has won this tournament seven times since the tournament began 10 years ago. “This will be (The University Battle of Alberta’s) 11th year,” Rohatynski said. “We’re looking forward to winning it again this year.” Rohatynski recommends that those who are interested in the club join the University of Alberta Chess Club Facebook page to learn about club events and meeting times. “(Chess has) been around for 1,600 years,” Rohatynski said. “There’s no way it could possibly disappear by this point. It’s taken the world by storm and it’s captured the hearts of many." g

UPCOMING CLUB EVENTS: BATTLE OF ALBERTA FEBRUARY 2018 For more information on club events and how to get involved check out: FACEBOOK.COM/UACHESS

NOVEMBER 2017 | 9

The Quad | Spotlight

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Spotlight | The Quad

Debunking Health Trends U of A professor stars in a documentary series BY JONATHAN HOCNALON | PHOTO BY HELÉNA PLAIN

Timothy Caulfield, a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta, is calling out misconceptions in international health trends in his new documentary series, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death. Caulfield, a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, and Director of the Health Law Institute at the U of A, is probably most famous for debunking products sold by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Katy Perry. His new show’s episodes are nearly an hour long and cover specific topics like detoxing, anti-aging products, genetics, weight-loss solutions, natural food, and the publicity around research for diseases. To evaluate the history and efficacy of some treatments, he interviews experts like Dr. Jennifer Gunter, a physician with four board certifications, and Joe Schwarcz, director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society. He also interviews University of Alberta professors like Carla Prado and Rhonda Bell from the Faculty of Agricultural, Life, and Environmental Sciences, and Kim Raine from the School of Public Health. “I like to think of it as science-based TV,” Caulfield said. “But it very much goes into the broader social context including pop culture, what the provider, and the people who are getting this stuff think about the topic.” During the first episode, Caulfield tries various detox procedures including homemade hair-cleaning blends, an ionic footbath, and an infrared sauna. He said the idea of cleansing the body seems to make sense, even if it isn’t scientifically accurate. “Who wouldn’t want to detoxify their body, right?” he asked. However, the messaging to the public around trends like detoxes is incoherent,

according to Caulfield. If a person wants to believe in the power of detoxing, they’ll be able to find support for their opinion on the internet. “Pop culture has played a big role in (detoxification’s) spread,” Caulfield said. “We have celebrities who have endorsed these things, and if not for that, detoxification and cleansing wouldn’t have been as popular as it is right now.”

“When you spend the day with someone who believes in this and they feel it’s doing something for them, you really get a sense that these services, even if they don’t necessarily have science behind them, are satisfying some kind of need,” — TIMOTHY CAULFIELD

While he respectfully approaches the perspectives of providers and consumers of such services, he said the show does not want to falsely imply that they’re scientific. However, through the show he came to understand why people use these services, especially when the science is perceived as inconsistent. “I’ve said this many times talking about the show that this was really eye-opening to me. When you spend the day with someone

who believes in this and they feel it’s doing something for them, you really get a sense that these services, even if they don’t necessarily have science behind them, are satisfying some kind of need,” he said. “There is a desire for people to have these answers, and some of them have intuitive appeal.” The episodes on genetics and cosmetic surgery are his two favourite episodes. Genetics relates most to his career in health law and many of his academic articles, and so he feels heavily invested in it. Likewise, the research he did on Seoul, South Korea’s cosmetic surgery industry enhanced his visit to the city. “We wanted to get a sense of that growing phenomena around cosmetic surgery and what the science says it’s doing for people,” he said. “Is it making people more happy? Is it making them more satisfied?” Although it can be difficult to avoid misinformation, especially on the internet, Caulfield said students should refer to independent, systematically-reviewed sources and avoid anecdotes portrayed as hard evidence. “They’re very seductive and that’s another reason why there’s so much misinformation out there and it can be so powerful because it’s often attached to a story or some narrative,” he said. Ultimately, Caulfield hopes the show’s exploration of its topics entertains and informs the viewer. “We really wanted to make a science show with a difference, and I’m really proud of how it turned out,” he said. The episodes are available for free on visiontv.ca, and Caulfield is already filming the second season. g

NOVEMBER 2017 | 11

oysters are the new black. BY VICTORIA CHIU | PHOTOS BY ROSTY SOROKA Consider the oyster: as food, it’s a historical delicacy consisting of a small round of meat between two calcified shells often slurped down raw; as a symbol of luxury, it’s the sole natural producer of pearls. They’re often only served in what you might call fancy restaurants, because that’s the environment befitting most oyster consumption. Everything about oysters screams high class. They’re not a food that’s accessible to everyone by a long shot. Oysters, like fine wine, have a highly developed culture built around them. There are dozens of varieties and flavour profiles and quality markers; there are east and west coast oyster fanatics; there are raw oyster bars and professional shuckers and detailed forum posts about the notes of varieties of oyster liqueur, the fluid inside the shucked shell of an oyster that rests below the meat when it’s been opened or “shucked.” There are oyster connoisseurs and food blogs that specialize in unpacking their briny goodness. Another similarity between wine and oyster connoisseurs is the price point. Oysters are known to be an expensive food — a dozen of the bivalve mollusks can cost you upwards of 20 or 30 dollars depending on the variety. But as there are cheap wines, there are also cheap oysters. The difference here is that across the board, oysters aren’t as wellunderstood as their fermented grape juice counterparts — and that’s where things can start to get murky. Because oysters are fairly expensive at full price, promotions on oysters are common. The most widely known promotion in North America is known as “buck-a-shuck,” which offers discounted rates for each “shuck” — each oyster prepared for consumption. Oysters, as premium foodstuffs, can fetch prices up to $100 each for ultra-exclusive Coffin Bay King Oysters; typical East and West Coast oysters are closer to about three dollars apiece. Buck-a-shuck can take that down to about 70 per cent — or less — of the standard full price.

NOVEMBER 2017 | 13

Feature | Oysters Are the New Black

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Oysters Are the New Black | Feature

Economically speaking, though, it’s hard to see how a restaurant could serve the same oysters as its regular nights at a steeply discounted rate and still stay financially afloat. And that’s precisely why most traditional buck-ashuck-serving restaurants don’t do that: instead, they serve one or two varieties of cheaper oysters and calculate what price they can reasonably offer them at. Whether that’s through shucking inhouse versus outsourcing to full-time shuckers or combining promotions with complementary alcoholic beverages, restaurants find ways to make buck-ashuck nights viable. But that raises other questions about the quality of these cheaper oysters, the skills of the shuckers, and the effect all this has on the consumer experience. “The first thing we can start with is the biology of an oyster,” says Simon-Luc Noël, a marine biologist and science facilitator at Science World in Vancouver. “The thing about all bivalves is that they’re fairly easy to grow, so they can be farmed really easily. But the problem with them, and the thing that everyone is really afraid of right now, has to do with (oyster agriculture): when you look at the oyster shell, it’s a craggy sort of thing. Part of the reason why it’s like that is because it’s made of calcium carbonate. People are afraid that with the changing climate and the dissolution of more carbon dioxide in water, what will happen is that it’s going to shift the balance of carbonate in a way that will make oysters harder to grow. It’ll take oysters more energy to grow, and so you’ll have fewer (oysters), and they’ll be smaller.” On top of shifting salt and calcium carbonate concentrations, another problem has to do with algal blooms, also known as eutrophication. The worst instance of this, where algae discolour the water around them, has its own special name: red tide. “A red tide occurs when types of algae and harmful bacteria start growing

like crazy in a certain area. It varies from year to year, but it’s been exacerbated by farming practices and run-off of nutrients. Eutrophication results in oxygen levels sinking down really low, which stunts the growth of anything growing in the water,” Noël says. If red tides are occurring, that means trouble for oyster suppliers and their clients. Combined with how prices are made up for buck-a-shuck and the knowledge the consumer has of oysters in general, that can make a big difference in how customers react to buck-a-shuck promotions.

“Many people have no idea about the processes of producing a lot of seafood,” Noël says. "Some shrimp can be farmed; some can’t. Some types of fish cannot be farmed; some can. Some people are unaware of how many different species of different seafood there are. So you have a public that is generally ignorant of seafood, and you can find in (the seafood industry) suppliers who take full advantage of that or is ignorant itself in understanding how ocean products are different from terrestrial foods.” Maik Kecinski, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta working in resource economics and environmental sociology, agrees that information — namely what information the consumer knows and how much — plays a huge role

in oyster consumption. In the case of the buck-a-shuck, knowledge about where oysters are from and how they provide certain environmental benefits might entice a consumer to buy, but revelations about the realities of oyster biology might not. “People respond to information; they like information, so providing some information is a good thing,” Kecinski says. “(With information), people’s willingness to pay (for a product) goes up. But if you tell them too much about it, then they get freaked out.” A consumer might like to hear that oysters help the environment and are a food that, in a strange way, gives back to the environment — but they do that by filtering up to 50 gallons of water each day, straining excess nutrients from agricultural run-off and manure out of the waters they’re grown in. Some people might be put off by such news once they know that like liver, oysters contain both the good and the bad of their surrounding environment. “A lot of people have no idea that oysters filter and clean water,” Kecinski says. The overall lack of information most people have about oysters means that there’s some leeway in how the changes in factors affecting oysters might impact sales. To a certain extent, the perception of oysters as a high class, premium food won’t really change regardless of how many red tides come in. A lot this has to do with how we as consumers see prices, deals, and the value of an expensive good. “Most consumers probably infer that they're getting a good deal, rather than that the oysters are lower quality. We have basic, quick decision rules that we learn from the marketplace and use (called heuristics), and one of the most basic of these is that ‘sale equals good,’” says Sarah Moore, a marketing professor at the Alberta School of Business. “If we think we're getting a deal, we have a positive

NOVEMBER 2017 | 15

Feature | Oysters Are the New Black

reaction and are more likely to buy. The way consumers would respond to such promotions would depend on which of these rules comes to mind when they see the buck-a-shuck.” Moore cautions against taking the positive effects of sale prices too far, though. “This relationship could go both ways — consumers have pre-existing attitudes toward establishments, and this will affect how they perceive promotions. But if somewhere always has oysters on sale and nowhere else does, then you might start to make assumption about poor quality and decrease your attitude toward them,” she says. To picture this whole debacle in a different light, Moore advises thinking of another beloved classic food deal: Wing Wednesdays. “Most of these promotions are fairly standard, and happen once a week: Wednesday wings; Monday oysters. If that's the case, then consumers come to expect those promotions, and take them as the norm — that is, they won't make any inferences about (a restaurant); it is what it is, because that's what happens on Mondays,” Moore says. “And if it's a good enough deal, as with wing nights, people go with the full understanding that they'll get smaller plates or sizes of wings than if they ordered them at full price — but that's okay, because that's how it is; everybody does it, and we're okay with letting the restaurant share some of the ‘deal.’” In line with these observations about consumer behaviour, Kecinski notes that, like most things in life, the price of oysters and the human response to price hikes and drops are really very complicated. “A lot of things influence your willingness to pay for an oyster — that’s true for any consumer good. (One factor is that) oysters have become a pretty popular good with the younger crowd, too — it makes (oysters) a cool, hip product, which drives up price. And in Edmonton, since there are so few places to get oysters, who

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knows — maybe the demand is just there (regardless of price changes),” Kecinski says. Despite the oceanic challenges with changing salt lines and different carbonate balances, oyster agriculture is skyrocketing and the oyster market is growing exponentially. With all this expansion, are the issues with quality and the image of “spitting out Tabasco-flavoured bits of shell while some sophomore nervously bloodies himself with a shucking knife,” as a 2016 article by popular food site MUNCHIES puts it, really a huge problem? And, if not, how are these vendors disrupting the perception that buck-ashuck is rife with subpar oysters and bloody, inexperienced shuckers? Nick Krudo, co-owner of downtown Edmonton’s Black Pearl Seafood Bar, says it’s really about quality, integrity, and putting those values above the goal to make a quick buck (pun intended). “I never keep my (oyster) stock longer than seven days,” he says. “Oysters can stay good up to 18 days, but I never have mine around that long, and we shuck them to order. Part of that is due to the Tuesday buck-a-shuck night (at Black Pearl), which because of the red tide on the West Coast, is now really two bucks-a-shuck night because we serve only premium East Coast oysters. East Coast (oysters) don't carry red tide at all, and they don't carry the infection that can come with red tide.” “It’s not a money-maker for me, per se, and I don't think that's the case for anybody doing buck-a-shuck,” Krudo says. “Normally we sell our oysters for three dollars each, so you get a discount. We don’t necessarily see a money gain, but it does ensure stock is always fresh and makes sure the customer can get a decently priced oyster.” For Mike Doppler, former executive chef of Edmonton’s Von's Steakhouse and Oyster Bar, that’s an experience consistent with Edmonton’s only other buck-a-shuck

establishment. “(Buck-a-shuck) does turn over stock. And when you’re dealing with highly volatile stock like live oysters, you want to move them as fast as you can," he says. There is a bundling effect that comes into play as well. "If I can get you into (a restaurant) with the idea that you’re going to buy six oysters for six dollars, you’re also going to buy a six-dollar beer (or) an eightdollar glass of wine," Doppler says.

"It might get to the point where you’re going to want to buy dinner as well." For Black Pearl, Krudo estimates there’s about a 30 to 40 per cent increase in oyster orders on the restaurant’s buck-ashuck night compared to other days of the week, but he also points out that Black Pearl’s not just about raw oysters. The restaurant serves lobster, crab, mussels, scallops, and myriad eclectic dishes that incorporate different curing and seasoning techniques for seafood. Because of that, Black Pearl doesn’t necessarily live and die by its raw oyster deals like some oyster bars, which he remarks is where a lot of the bad stereotypes about buck-a-shuck promotions originate from. As for shucking, Krudo says it’s really about trial and error. “You need to know what you're doing so you don't hurt your hand or shred the oyster shell, and there's a proper way of (shucking). But it’s about teaching it — really, anybody with knife skills can pick it up,” he says. “My wife, for instance, can shuck faster than anybody else.

But we’ll have little competitions between each other, for instance, to bring up (the team’s) speed. But we do a lot of testing the market, testing methods, and see what works.” Doppler agrees. “Anybody could be trained to (shuck oysters),” he says. “Unfortunately the old saying, ‘practice makes perfect’ — that’s what it is. It’s about

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repetition and muscle memory, and then it becomes automatic. For the average cook, it would probably take them two or three months to get efficient at (shucking), and that’s at doing about 20 to 40 dozen (oysters) a day.” By ensuring that shucking is done properly, supply is fresh and quickly turned over, and priority is placed on stock quality,

Edmonton’s oyster restaurants manage to avoid the oft-lamented pitfalls of subpar buck-a-shucks. “With increasing acidification, oyster prices are going to go up with time. At this point, it’s inevitable,” Noël says. “But if you aren't seeing those problems in the supply and marketing chain, buck-a-shucks aren't so bad.” g

CADAVERS:

DEATH IN THE ACADEMY BY ANDREW MCWHINNEY | ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA LUCAS

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Feature | Cadavers: Death in the Academy

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Cadavers: Death in the Academy | Feature

An anatomy student holds a human heart in their hands, tracing the vessels with their fingers. A group of sociology students crowd together in an embalming room, watching a body getting prepared for a funeral. In the teaching of death, the academy knows how complex the issue can be. Death, when confronted in person through a cadaver, or even in discussion as a social force, raises complex emotions that are by no means easy to process. No matter how it's approached, classes at the U of A tackle death in the same way: by normalizing the emotional response.

The Division of Anatomy, part of the Department of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, was created to provide undergraduate, postgraduate and professional students with comprehensive anatomy courses, as well as to perform anatomical and clinical research. I spoke to two central figures in the division: Dr. Daniel Livy, the director of the division, and Jason Papirny, the program coordinator for the Anatomical Gifts Program. The U of A’s Anatomical Gifts Program serves as the source for the university’s teaching with cadavers, which 1,200 students utilize each year to better familiarize themselves with anatomical relationships in the body. The program only accepts donations of bodies from those who pre-register for the program; family and next-of-kin cannot provide consent to a donation of a body of someone who did not grant consent before their death. It does not cover organ and tissue donations, as those responsibilities lie with Alberta Health Services. The program receives

direct contact with cadavers. This interaction includes dissection at various levels, ranging from simple to full-scale examinations of various systems in the human body. When I ask about the typical student reaction in these interactions, Dr. Livy describes it as “fascination,” and wonderment of students as they get to do things they have never had the chance to do before. When I call this wonderment a kind of curiosity, Dr. Livy is quick to interject and clarify. “There are many people who are curious,” Dr. Livy says. “We see this every day when there’s an accident and people are rubbernecking trying to see what’s going on. (Curiosity) is not why people are in the lab. People are in there to learn.” Dr. Livy stresses to me that learning in anatomy class does not simply consist of the examination of body parts; students must also consider how the people lived with certain ailments or abnormalities. “We’re trying to give them an appreciation for what this person’s life must have been like,” Dr. Livy says. “What did they experience? How would they have gotten around if they had a degrading hip of a certain caliber?” — The question of ethics looms heavy over the issue of cadaver use. Some may disagree with the dissection of dead bodies for religious or moral reasons. Does the division receive any backlash like this? Not at all, I’m told; in fact, body donation program receives great support from both the administration and the community. Dr. Livy believes this is because of the good it provides; the real ethical dilemmas come from those who break the rules surrounding how bodies are handled. “There have been ethical challenges from time to time, but it’s not because of the way

computer program which contains a database of images and 3D models of both a male and female body in dissectible form, as well as clinical illustrations. While programs like these avoid the ethical questions of working with cadavers, Dr. Livy says that they are not as effective for teaching as the real thing. Both Dr. Livy and Papirny tell me that many schools who have replaced their donor programs with computer programs have attempted to revert back to using cadavers for this reason. “There’s individual variability (between bodies) that is actually quite profound,” Dr. Livy says. “Some people have had surgeries; they’ve had pieces taken out, (surgeons) have had to reroute in certain areas… as an educational tool, you cannot beat that.” — Students aren’t forced to dive into dissection right away; instead, they are gradually exposed to the cadavers through observation. As this is when many students will see a dead body for the first time, they get to only touch and see the cadaver. Afterwards, they complete reflections that allow them to explore not just their emotional response to the cadaver, but to death and dying in general. This allows them time to not only address these feelings before they move forward in the class, but also to familiarize themselves with these feelings and learn how to process them effectively. “As a professional, you will be dealing with your own feelings that you have to attend to.” Dr. Livy says. “There will be family members that are having a lot of their own difficulties, and you’ll be trying to interact with them or provide counsel. It’s very challenging if you’re trying to deal with your own issues and trying to attend to family at the same time.”

an average of about 70 donated bodies each year. Pretty much all anatomy classes utilize cadavers. Aside from the introductory class, which contains too many people to make cadavers an effective teaching tool, almost every other human anatomy class involves

the body is intended to be used,” Dr. Livy says. “It’s because somebody breached that promise.” I ask whether alternatives to cadavers in anatomy classes do exist. Dr. Livy and Papirny note the existence of one such alternative: ADAM Interactive Anatomy, a

Some students have expressed concern over the possibility of encountering a dead relative who may have donated their body. If a family member’s body was in the room, they would remove the related student and not make them engage with the cadaver. As the hold on bodies is one-and-a-half to two-

CADAVERS IN ANATOMY

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Feature | Cadavers: Death in the Academy

and-a-half years, Livy notes that students are made aware of this possibility so that they can voice concerns in advance. Papirny has had several students notify the division ahead of time, allowing the program to avoid putting students in that uncomfortable situation by ensuring that they do not get placed in a room with the body of someone they once knew. THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCT OF DEATH Thanatology, or the study of death and dying, is the central focus of SOC 473 (Sociology of Death and Dying). The goals of the course are to examine the meaning and interpretation of death from sociological and cultural perspectives, the rituals surrounding death, and what death represents in the context of North America and elsewhere. Bede Eke, an instructor of the course at the U of A, tells me that thanatology was not even taken into consideration at the academy until the 1970s. This is due to a number of factors, including North American attitudes towards death. “Death was a private matter that was never discussed on dinner tables, just like sex was part of subject matter that people didn’t discuss much in North America,” Eke says. Eke explains that attitudes towards death changed as North American society experienced massive historical events such as World War I and World War II, where tens of thousands of Canadian and American soldiers died in action. Many veterans returned home with injuries that served as physical reminders of that mass violence and death. “From that point, death was no longer a stranger to homes, it was no longer a stranger to communities and societies,” he says. “People saw death everywhere.” Alongside realities of war, Eke tells me that a growing number of popular Hollywood films that began to depict a multitude of

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Cadavers: Death in the Academy | Feature

death situations contributed heavily to interest in studying death through rehearsed exposure. “There are no kinds of imaginable death that you do not see today projected on screen through movies,” he says. Eke tells me that continuous exposure to death through media has resulted in a removal of death from North American society. While in North America death is not tangibly observed in everyday life, other cultures not only witness death but participate in the preparation and burial of the dead as well. — Sociology, according to Eke, has great interest in the ethics of how bodies are treated after death. Individuals have the right to decide whether they want to donate their body for medical training purposes, and universities and similar institutions must follow those guidelines. Even when this permission is given, however, he stresses that cadavers must still be treated with ethical concern. “During the time that a body is being examined, or tissues are being removed, (clinicians) still pay very close attention to how that is done, having in mind that that person lying there happens to be a human being (that) used to be a relative to somebody,” Eke says. — In Eke’s classes, he notices that many students are apprehensive about what is going to be covered. The worry namely comes from the main focus of the class: how grief, bereavement, aging, and the dying process affect individuals and caregivers. His class, like anatomy courses, also takes a graded approach to death, introducing each topic slowly through discussion and documentaries before going on a field trip to a funeral home to see a dead body in person. Eke will debrief with students after viewing difficult material so that they can have a chance to discuss and process both their emotions and the information Eke is trying to convey.

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Feature | Cadavers: Death in the Academy

“My own style of teaching is even after they go through that experience, I want them to actually get the point I was trying to make, so I debrief them afterwards,” he says. “I also get them to shake off the impact and continue with their learning process.” One might imagine that students have a difficult time processing these emotiona; however, Eke says that he has very few strong negative responses to either documentaries or the field trip, despite the challenging subject matter. Once, he had to accompany a student leaving an embalmment room due to their emotional response, but he notes with a sense of pride that students have had a positive experience in his classes overall. “The overwhelming majority of the time, my students have expressed delight,”

Eke says, smiling. “They actually love all the beauty and experiences in the form of documentaries or field trips, they always love what they get out of the class.” — SOC 473 has been offered at the university since 1997. Eke says that over the past seven years, enrollment has been increasing steadily. Early numbers were typically quite small; Eke tells me that back when he used to teach the course in the spring semester, the department would barely be able to fill their minimum 12 spots needed to run the course. Luckily for him, that’s changed quite a bit. “Right now we have usually around 35 or 40 students (in the spring course), and (sometimes) even more,” Eke says. “During

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Cadavers: Death in the Academy | Feature

regular semesters, we usually get more than our enrollment cap. Our cap is 60, and we usually get more than 60 students, so then we accommodate some of them and direct the rest to take the spring course.” — While SOC 473 and anatomy classes take different approaches to the question of death and dying, they teach very similar attitudes when it comes to confronting death in the academy. What kind of things should students consider when approaching death as a subject in the academy? Dr. Livy’s main advice is to remember that complex emotional responses to death are normal, and that you should communicate with others about those feelings. According to Papirny, “The more you

demystify this for yourself and the more you explore those feelings, the more okay you will be. You may never be entirely comfortable, but at least you will be okay.” He added to not be afraid to ask questions in classes about death. “A lot of people probably think, ‘Oh that’s a stupid question, I’m not gonna ask that.’ There are no stupid questions.” Eke emphasized that instructors are understanding of students in classes that deal with heavy subject matter. “Instructors recognize that death and dying is not a simple subject; it has a lot of emotional ties, and people may feel differently. It is okay to express those feelings when you go to those classes.” g

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Diversions | Photo Essay

Diversions | Anecdote

Raitz Runs BY STEPHEN RAITZ I am similar to some fellow students in that, HECK YEAH, I like going out and having a good time. One tequila, two tequlia, three teuwquila, WOOHOO. NOTE: I do try to practice safe consumption habits and often succeed. But I am NOT like most students (or people in general) because, MMM BOY, I love to run. Over the hill and through the woods, to IDFK where? IDGAF, let’s just run. I love it so much, it’s in my Instagram handle. I have a habit of mixing these two activities. I go for a run before I go out because I need to earn it. I’ve gotta sweat it up before I consume all that alcohol or it doesn’t count. But I also have some sort of primal instinct that results in me running home after I’ve drank. I’ll be having THE TIME OF MY LIFE when instantaneously feeling like I MUST VACATE THE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY. No more dancing. No more socializing. ONLY RUNNING. My resolve is that no bus, Uber, or friend’s car could get me home as fast as my legs can. One night, I remember running through Windsor Park, a neighbourhood to the west of campus. An aside: yes, I must admit, I spent THREE YEARS living in LISTER CENTRE. LOL. I’m sorry, it was wild and I’m glad I’m out and I hope everyone is allowed to have a positive and safe

experience there. Anyways, one night I found myself, as some Listerites often do, at Dukes. I was mingling (making piecemeal conversations with fellow Listerites at a volume that I’m sure caused permanent hearing damage). I was enjoying the fine drink and fare (drinking AGD out of a teamer and eating some abandoned basket of fries). And then that night, it hit me like a dodgeball. That ancestral feeling compelled me to move my legs FAST in a STRAIGHT LINE. I ran out of Dukes. I ran down the dimly lit streets of Windsor Park. I jogged through shady alleys. I took a breather (drunkenly rolling around in a park) midway on my circuitous route home. All this breathing and rolling halted when I heard some noise coming from a bush nearby. I was gripped with fear, staring into a dark mass that held unimaginable horrors. It was game over for Steve. I did the only thing I thought would ensure my survival. I took out my phone and tweeted “waht is thta rustjilng?? in the busshs.” Moments later, a rabbit hopped out of the bush and ran into the night. And so did I.