2001_03 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper March 2001

              March 2001
Hye Sharzhoom
5
Another Busy Semester for the Armenian Students Organization
By Sevag Tateosian
Staff Writer
There has been an Armenian
Students Organization in
existence at California State
University, Fresno for more than
30 years. Year after year the ASO
provides students with a place to
meet one another and to spend time
doing fun and stress-relieving activities.
A new executive board welcomes the 2001 spring semester.
The group is lead by President
Michael Harutinian, an Ag. Business major, who says "This semester will be like none before. We
have a strong executive that is focused to make this semester full of
fun events that will make the members talk for years to come."
Alongside Harutinian, are Vice
President Sevag Tateosian, Treasurer Barbara Harutinian, Secretary Talar Atarian and Sergeant at
Arms Tim Kuckenbaker. These
five students work hand and hand
to make the club all it can be. The
club meets twice a month and along
with discussing up-coming events
for the semester ahead,  they talk
about current issues concerning
Armenians.
Today, the club has more
than 50 members, including two
foreign exchange students that are
here from Armenia studying Agriculture. Members of the club are
also involved in many other activities, for example, student government at Fresno State. They also
help out with the Hye Sharzhoom.
New members are always welcome. The club tries to plan events
to fit around the schedule of the
busiest people.
The first event that the
Armenian Students Organization
co-sponsored was the Ara Sarafian
lecture on February 20th. Ara
Sarafian, who is the co-editor of
Armenian Forum and co-founder
of the Gomidas Institute spoke on
"Britain and the Armenian Genocide." Sarafian did an excellent job
speaking and presenting Britain's
point of view on the Genocide. The
event was a success as almost every seat in the Alice Peter's Auditorium was full. After the lecture
the members ofthe Armenian Students Organization accompanied
him to dinner at a local restaurant.
From Leftto Right: ASO executive members: Treasurer, Barbara Harutinian; Vice President, Sevag
Tateosian; President, Michael Harutinian; Secretary, Talar Atarian; and Sgt. at Arms, Tim Kuckenbaker.
What has all the members
of the organization excited is the
up-coming "mystery trip" at the
end of March. The ASO Executive
is planning an over-night "mystery
trip" outside of Fresno. The only
people who know the destination
of this trip are the five members of
the executive board and they are
keeping all information about the
trip top secret. Since the students
have the Friday off, they will be
departing in the afternoon and returning the following day. While
the students are at this "mystery"
destination,  they will have a full
See ASO, Page 8
Food Review-How Does Marat's Restaurant Stand up to Nana's Cooking?
By Shelley Kutumian
Staff Writer
The family owned and operated Marat's Restaurant located at the comer of Cedar
and Shepherd was the subject of a
Hye Sharzhoom undercover food
critique that proved the restaurant
to be a place to go to have a pleasant
dining experience of great Armenian and Middle Eastern food.
With no previous knowledge
ofthe service, food, or atmosphere,
I went into the restaurant open-
minded. Upon entering, I noticed
the place was full. A small, fluted
vase with sand colored marbles,
green and yellow silk flowers, and
a colorful plaid Easter egg sprouting out of the vase decorated the
tables. Soon after sitting down I
was greeted and given a menu.
My first glance at the menu
was a long one. There were several
different dinner plates to choose
from, including kebab plates that
gave you the choice of chicken,
shish (beef), lula, or lamb with pi-
laf plus a green salad; specialty
plates that included cheese borag,
yalanchi, and a choice of either
fries, hummus, tabouli, or a green
salad. There were also kebab salad
plates, light and vegetarian plates,
and a variety of hot and cold sand
wiches to choose from. The one
thing that impressed me when I
was looking through the menu was
the different side orders they had.
Someone who wanted to try a few
of their specialties could easily do
so without spending too much extra money.
When the waitress came to take
our orders, my dining companion
and I decided on the lamb kebab
plate, the specialty plate with lula
kebab, a side of lahmajun.and a
side of dolma (cabbage).
While waiting for our drink
orders to come, we listened to soft
and relaxing Armenian music. It
was soft enough for people to carry
on a conversation without distraction but loud enough to give the
room an Armenian flare.
We had to wait a few minutes
before our sodas arrived, and a few
more minutes before our meals were
served to us. One thing we did not
expect when our meals arrived was
the generous servings. Both of our
plates were covered and piled high
with food. The specialty plate was
practically enough for two, it included five to six pieces of lula
kabab, three large yalanchi, a cheese
borag, and a large bowl of hummus
with an unlimited amount of pita
bread. One lahmajun and a good-
sized cabbage dolma came as our
side orders.
My companion's taste buds
were tantalized with the cabbage
dolma. He enjoyed the spiced flavorings of the meat wrapped in a
leaf of boiled cabbage. I, on the
other hand, enjoyed the lahmajun.
The specialty dinner was very satisfying. The first thing I tasted was
the yalanchi. I am picky about
what my yalanchi tastes like and
these were good, of course they
can't beat my Nana's, but whose
can?
The lula kabab was first rate.
The seasonings, portion, and overall taste were tempting enough for
me to go back and have it again.
The meat was seasoned so the lula
kabab did not taste like another
ordinary piece of meat, and they
were cooked just right. The
hummus was a bit too tangy for my
taste. The lemon was overpowering and it was missing flavor, either
salt or garlic. The cheese borag
made up for the hummus though.
Flaky phillo dough, cheese, and
butter.. .who could resist? The lamb
kabab was just as good as the lula
kabab. The lamb pieces were tender and mouth watering. Seasoned
with parsley and onions, the lamb
was quite tempting. The green
salad was presented nicely with
chopped tomatoes and covered with
Marat's homemade dressing, a perfect ratio of oil and vinegar.
Even though my companion
and I were stuffed, we could not
leave with out having dessert. We
tried the Napoleon, which is Marat's
family recipe. Needless to say, that
was a fabulous way to top the meal.
Buttery layers of puff pastry filled
with a delicious sweet cream.
Our overall experience at
Marat's was a good one. The portions were generous and I recommend the lula and lamb kabab, both
of which were excellent. The fam
ily atmosphere also added a special
touch.
Prices for the dinner plates varied from $6.95 to $10.50 and the
sandwiches ranged from $4.35 to
$6.50. All orders can be dine in or
carry but, and chofag,haklava, and
other Armenian treats can be ordered by the dozen.
On a Nana scale of one to five
(five being that the food was just as
good or better than my Nana's), I
give the restaurant a 3 1/2.
Marat's Restaurant, operated
by Marat Oganesyan, is located at
8961 N. Cedar, at the southwest
comer of Cedar and Shepherd in
the Vons shopping center.
The Armenian Students Organization
cordially invites Fresno State Students to an
Armenian Dance Seminar
conducted by
Tom
Bozigian
internationally recognized
dance instructor
from Los Angeles
Ttiesday, April 3,2001
7:00-10:00 PM
Upstairs Cafeteria, Room 200
The evening is free for Fresno State Students.
All Fresno State students are welcome to attend.
This program is funded, in part,
by the Associated Students at Fresno State.