Breaking The Mold

The social classes in America are changing. Those who were once middle class are now sinking to the bottom as we lose our middle ground between the richest and the poorest. For some people, it means this: homelessness. [photo taken from Homeless in America.]

Corporate America continues to rise above us, making deals that affect the whole of the United States while our economy tanks. This is one of the problems that has hindered the middle class’ survival. [Photo taken from PCS.]

By buying local, we can help to preserve the middle class. Going to events such as the Thursday Night Market or the Saturday Morning market in Chico, CA, as shown in the picture above, is one small step towards preserving community and the economy. [Photo taken from Kayla Naylor.]

When the sun is out and the sky is blue and you’ve been running around all day, what better way to appreciate nature than to lounge in the sun with a grilled sandwich, some iced tea and a little bit of good company.

The Greek-esque fountain splashes its song much like a siren’s call as you meander past the patio tables and through the wide glass doors. Light fills up the high ceilings, as a craggily tree and field mural overwhelms the left side of the room with accents of local art sprinkling the adjacent walls.

Caring for the community, buying local, and investing in sustainable products — these are a few of Grilla Bites favorite things, and they are etching a new pathway for restaurants and local businesses alike who are buying as local as possible, being as sustainable as necessary, and producing healthy but tasty foods for the community.

Such items entertain the menu that boldly protests any unhealthy food choices you might consider at other restaurants. With drink options, such as Kambucha juice, wheat grass, and self-serve filtered water, you may feel like you have entered another country.

While you feel like you are in a foreign place, you might as well become adventurous! Taking into consideration the vegans and vegetarians that makes up many of Grilla Bites’ loyal customers, all grilled sandwiches come with the option of veggies or chips. Both are served with a side of bean-like dip that will have your taste buds disregarding what actually composes of the mixture.

After you have finished one of the only meals that may actually be good for your whole body in a healthy way, simply sit back for a few hours and watch whoever happens to flit by.

As you soak up the atmosphere, slowly it will dawn on you: Grilla Bites is a place where you can come alone but never feel lonely.

This might possibly be the echo of the foundational principles on which the Markens, owners, created Grilla Bites. Even server Seana Watkins agrees, “That’s one of the only reasons I wanted to work at Grilla Bites, is because I wanted to work in a community based environment.”

A constantly growing community is one of Grilla Bites’ top priorities. By buying from local farmers as much as possible, they are leaving a positive mark on Chico’s economy one farmers market at a time.

You wouldn’t think this would be a big deal for a restaurant, but according to Grilla Bites’ 17 points of philosophy listed on their website, a flourishing economy is all about community.

“A sustainable rural economy will be dependent on urban consumers loyal to local products; therefore, we are talking about an economy that will always be more cooperative than competitive,” which is the last point in Grilla Bites’ philosophy.

This restaurant does not exist primarily for making money, like most any business is consumed with. Grilla Bites’ philosophy is simply this:

What you do affects others. Whether you are a restaurant, a motel, a Macy’s or a Starbucks: you have the power to shape the economy.

What you do with that power, well that is up to you. But as Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Grilla Bites is taking all of its power seriously.

If you would like to support Grilla Bites by feasting on its healthy foods or would like to contact Grilla Bites, you may with the following:

196 Cohasset Road
Chico, California 95926
(530) 343-4876
http://www.grillabites.com/

[first draft]

“Always ask of any proposed change or innovation.” “Strive to produce as much of the community’s own energy as possible.” “See the old and the young take care of each other.” These are a few of Grilla Bites favorite things, and they are etching a new pathway for restaurants and local businesses alike. 

Tucked away in a brick building off the ever busy Cohasset Road lays Grilla Bites, a locally owned, organic restaurant that takes a new twist on serving the community by buying as local as possible, being as sustainable as necessary, and producing healthy but tasty foods for all who partake.

A constantly growing community is one of Grilla Bites’ top priorities. By buying from local farmers as much as possible, they are leaving a positive mark on Chico’s economy one farmers market at a time.  

The Thursday Night Market in Downtown Chico has been a tremendous resource for the restaurant. Not only are they receiving high quality organic produce, but they are giving back to the local community as well. 

Which you wouldn’t think would be a big deal for a restaurant, but according to Grilla Bites’ 17 points of philosophy, a flourishing economy is all about community.

“A sustainable rural economy will be dependent on urban consumers loyal to local products; therefore, we are talking about an economy that will always be more cooperative than competitive,” which is the last point in Grilla Bites’ philosophy.

This restaurant does not exist primarily for making money, like most any business is consumed with. Grilla Bites has standards to which all restaurants should be held by, summed up as this:

What you do affects others. Whether you are a restaurant, a motel, a Macy’s or a Starbucks: you have the power to shape the economy.

What you do with that power, well that’s up to you. But as a wise fictional character once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

As far as I’m concerned, Grilla Bites is taking all of their power seriously.  

There is a community online that can’t be ignored. You can say that people get addicted to the anonymity and even the ability to change your identity rather than facing the real world, but then you hear stories like this.

Renee DuShane has Pfeiffer Syndrome that she has been trying to overcome with countless surgeries. One night she posts a photo of her not-so-perfect forehead that she hides with her bangs, expressing that beauty is not what you see but what is in the heart.

She wakes up to the wonderful community of the internet, specifically Tumblr, embracing her for embracing herself. Called an inspiration, she finally felt welcome and found a community.

It’s stories like these that show how wonderful the internet really can be, if we choose to utilize it correctly.  

 

As part of the Chico State newspaper, The Orion, I took to the streets in Sacramento on Monday, March 5, and witnessed one of the finest demonstrations of free speech that I’ve ever seen. 15,000 students took up their signs and their passion as they marched from Southside park to the Capitol steps, each stride echoing the one demand shared among the crowd. 

Change. 

To read the article by Natalie Lessa that accompanied my photos, please follow this link.

To see the album of photos taken of the event, follow this link or click on the photo above. 

For my Journalism 130 class, I will slowly be developing an argument involving income inequality. As I come across articles to prove my following point, I may be posting small blogs to air out my crazy and random thoughts on the subject. Here is #1. 

A rising issue as seen throughout groups like Occupy Wall Street and in presidential political debates, is the financial instability that most Americans are familiar with today. You can’t walk through a grocery story without being acutely aware of the higher price of produce, or that interest of a loan you took out at the bank increasing. We’re all feeling the pressure, or are we? It seems that while a large majority of Americans can empathize with these scenarios, there is a section of society that sit in the kitchen but is out of the heat.

An article by New York Times describes the problem in income inequality today; “Rising inequality is beginning to produce a two-tiered society in America in which the more affluent citizens live lives fundamentally different from the middle- and lower-income groups. This divide decreases a sense of community.” This article talks about how housing tends to mirror this income gap, and how that could cause future problems in our society like those mentioned above. While groups like Occupy Wall Street may have made this issue seem rather silly and mundane, the issue should be far from being ignored. There is much more to be explored in the topic of income inequality. Why such a large gap? Who is to blame? Should the government be involved? What are some solutions to the problem? These are just a few questions that can be delved into while showing that there is problem in our society and our government, and how can we go about changing it.

There’s something enigmatic about a hero. When we were kids, we practically worshiped them. The shows, the action figures, the Halloween costumes. As we got older, the pedestal of a fictional character is usually dropped from our minds, but the character of a hero is never forgotten or dismissed. 

I always wondered why no-one did it before me. I mean, all those comic books, movies, TV shows… you think that one eccentric loner would’ve made himself a costume. I mean, is everyday life really so exciting? Are schools and offices so thrilling that I’m the only one who fantasized about this? Come on, be honest with yourself, at some point in our lives we all wanna be a superhero. - Kick Ass

I’ve always wondered this too. Our society is crazy about needing a hero, or more specifically, being a hero. So why hasn’t anyone attempted? Since the creation of Batman, we now know that really all that is required to be “super” is a load of cash and a vendetta.

And then I found these guys. Protecting their city, they don the super hero-esque attire and hit the night time streets. While this is a bit extreme, roaming around in some costume that looks like it should be worn only on Halloween, there’s something to this.

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