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Battle of Monterm/s Kid Koala expands turntable sound The Restaurant Review by ADAM DAWKINS "Real Mexican" food can easily stir a debate. Exactly what is Mexican? Many would argue that only foods made historically in Mexico (made for at least the past 100 years) can qualify. How ever, the blending of cultures has brought many variations to authentic Mexican food. The Mayans used to populate South east Mexico subsisting on wild game, fish, squash, beans and com. Com was of such importance that a com god had to be worshipped for a good harvest. Along the coasts, tropical fruits played a more important role in food preparation as well - often showing up in seafood recipes. Mayan food is the basis of what is now considered "Au thentic Mexican." Sample dishes in clude tamales, barbacoa, ceviche and atole. Descended from the food of the Mayans, authentic Mexican takes ad vantage of the varied food sources in Mexico. There are meats, seafood, com and rich stews and sauces. Small meals are often served wrapped in a fresh tor tilla. Even basic recipes vary widely in different regions of Mexico. Most meals served as authentic outside of Mexico are based on recipes from North or Cen tral Mexico. Sample dishes include came guisada. mole and tamales. lex-Mex is the blended flavors of Northern S lexico ;uid the Southern Unit ed Suites where Native Americans, cow boys and Mexicans mingled cultures. Many traditional dishes have been .ti tered by one side or the other to cre ate the cuisine style that most Ameri cans consider Mexican. Tex-Mex also encompasses the Americanized dishes such as Mexican ingredients used in a casserole instead of served with a tor tilla Sample dishes include chili, corn bread. tamale pie ;uid fajitas. While, from a business perspective, Mexican restaurants do not historical ly do well in Columbia, it seems that the market serving USC offers several restaurantes Mexicanos. If you have 1/ not had the opportunity to try the local Mexican fare, I suggest doing so. Monterrey .feck’s 733 Santee Avenue Five Points $ Monterrey Jack’s serves a very nice selection of Mexican cuisine (and some Tex Mex and American) at more than reasonable prices. I am especially fond of their chick en fajitas. The chicken is very lean and tasty. But the best part is the guacamole, which is, without a doubt, some of the best I have ever tasted. In general, I have not been disappointed by anything I have ordered there. I do have one problem with Mon terrey Jack’s: The service is constant ly slow and is often quite rude. I was there with a group of friends just this past weekend. Wfe ordered simple meals, a few drinks, etc., and were there for two and a half hours. To make things worse, the waitress actually told us, "You’ll have to excuse me, I’m a ter rible server." At least she was honest. Next time I go there, I will probably take the opportunity to write my the sis while waiting to be served. If you don’t mind waiting, I rec ommend Monterrey Jack’s. Monterrey s ] 99 Knox Abbot Drive Cavce $ ,M I have yet to leave Monterrey’s dis appointed. From tamales to margaritas, Monterrey’s serves some of the tastiest and filling Mexican food (for the money) in the area. My roommate and I make our weekly pilgrimage to Monterrey’s to enjoy the quesadillas, tamales, etc. I think what makes Monterrey's food so appealing is not just the authenticity, but also the fact that it is smothered in tasty sauces, cheese and anything else that might be appropriate. Whatever it is, 1 ;un a fan of it. If you have not had the chance to try Monterrey’s, do so. You won’t leave hungry, that’s for sure. Check them out on the weekends, as they have a tradi tional Mexican band playing in the din ing room. There are a number of other Mex ican restaurants nearby, and if you are a f;m of Mexican cuisine, I challenge you to try all of them. by Jason Paddock Gamecock Critic When pioneering deejays like Grand Wizard Theodore first started scratch ing and laying mayhem to dance floors, the emphasis was on block rockin’ beats and melodies dropped and re dropped. Because music nev er stopped playing and records just kept going into one an other, combined with the crafted scratch sounds, these deejays created a whole new kind of energy with ready-made records. Kid Koala’s not the first artist to demonstrate this tumtablist aesthetic. For the past 10 years, groups like the X-ecutioners and the Invisi ble Scratch Picklez have tak en the techniques developed by DJ Jazzy Jeff and Cash Money and turned them in to methods of composition. To those who believe that dee jaays simply play the melodies of other records, check out Kid Koala s Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and you get a glimpse of the scratch as its own mu sical tone and note, with the Kid pulling urban notes out of a turntable like Miles Davis pulling moods of Spain out of a trumpet. Check out the track “Drunk Trum pet,” where Koala accompanies the piano with his own scratched improv, bringing to mind Coltrane as much as Mix Master Mike. The magic of Kid Koala comes from this musical perfor rnahce style of tumtablism found in the sets of deejays like Q-Bert and Rob Swift, but rarely with Koala’s flair for note playing. On “Music For Morning People,” Koala scratches mad speeches over the drums of a human beat boxer, ere ating this symphony of voices that calls the audience to bounce at least as much as any No Limit track, and it’s funnier. While silly beats make heads won der what’s going on, all kinds of weird personalities creep up, like in “The Tem ple of Gloom,” where a man explains to the audience about how he makes sounds with mud. This record demon strates not only skills, but also the per sonality of Kid Koala, which provides so much of the charm of the record. Even to people who don’t enjoy the art of turntablism, the constant humor and creativity in this record provide re curring moments of pleasure. Seek out Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for the freshest in hip-hop turntablism. Many people think this Kid Koala is go ing to take the tumtablist torch from Q Bert, and take the genre to a new level. From the sounds of Carpal Tunnel Syn drome, I’m sure that could be the case. But to tell you the truth, my mind’s too preoccupied with trying to figure out what the hell he’s doing. Plus, my neck just hurts right now. Artist: Kid Koala Album: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Rating: out of sHS-## Listen to 90.5 WUSC-FM to hear Kid Koala’s Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. A Colimbia Landmark for Fine Food, Spirits and Entertainment Since 1971 12 Tommy Circle 254-9913 Wednesday 2/16 Muddy Quarters thursday 2/17 D. B._ Bryant fri-sat 2/18-2/19 Centerstage Karaoke HAPPY HOUR DAILY • 4:00-7:00 200 Wings every Monday night | Lunch Specials , $4.95 __ w tea or soda Dinner Specials 1 meat & 3 vegetables $4.95 w/ tea or soda