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Viva No Problemo!

In the past decade, Dartmouth has become a thriving business filled town. The college students at UMass have allowed for various chain restaurants to open and accommodate those dorm room munchies. Now, while the soup, salad, and breadsticks at Olive Garden are delicious, sometimes, a girl just needs more. Well, a hop, skip, and jump away to downtown New Bedford may be the answer. No Problemo, located on hipster Purchase Street, is an unconventional and delicious alternative to those nuke your food in the microwave joints. No Problemo is a genuine Mexican taqueria serving food that's fresh and prepared on order. The food here is not the spicy Mexican variety one may be accustomed to; instead, it is more simplistic: think really good meat products and fresh beans. The quesadillas are amazing, grilled and made with steak or chicken and sometimes featuring specialties like gorgonzola cheese. Burritos here are not an easy task to finish. These suckers weigh in at over a pound and are filled with meat, cheese, rice, and beans. However, the real arc de triumph at No Problemo is the tostada salad: a monstrosity of field greens, rice, beans, jalapeños, sour cream, and fresh lime cilantro dressing. Besides the tasty eats, No Problemo offers an atmosphere not readily found. The food is prepared line cook style by former New Bedford punk rock scene musicians who call out your name when your food is ready. The restaurant feels very Cheers like with everyone knowing each other and regulars coming in daily for a fix; the clientele ranges from skater teen to corporate lawyer, and all mix and mingle well over their black beans and rice. The music played over speakers ranges from traditional Mexican fiesta music to cutting edge local acts. No Problemo, once a B.Y.O.B. establishment has recently been granted a liquor license, and now offers over 30 different exotic bottled brews. So, next time your tummy starts to grumble, take the extra five minutes up 24, and head to New Bedford for some tasty Mexican delights. Delicious food? No Problemo!

Democratic Shennanigans

President Bush has left most of America with a nasty taste for Republicans in their mouths, so 2008’s election was going to be a year for change, right? I think not. I was all excited for a democratic president to take over the White House, but after recent media bologna, I could care less. This year’s election trail was some of the nastiest most mudslinging in years; the funny thing is that it wasn’t the usual republican versus democrat banter. No, this year has been filled with democrat versus democrat word wars courtesy of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Didn’t these two realize they were on the same side to begin with? In various debates these two blue staters mercilessly called each other out on every issue they could come up with, foreign policy being a favorite. In my personal favorite campaign moment, after a sharp tongue lashing by Clinton, Obama actually angrily replied, “Oh no she didn’t.” These two candidates all but called each other the village idiot and former beloved President Clinton (now desperately trying to become the first mister) actually brought in racial slurs into the campaign. But I digress. I was actually almost okay with all this hooey; it sure did make the Colbert Report interesting. The thing that bothers me is that after Clinton insisted on staying in the race so long because she believed in her abilities over Obama, this week the two mudslingers actually joined forces! Clinton recently was quoted saying, “Vote for Barack Obama and you will get the change that you and we need and deserve," Huh? Wasn’t it just, I don’t know, five minutes ago that she was all but calling Obama an idiot to the press. I can practically smell the desperation coming from Clinton as she now wags her tail for a potential spot as Vice President, (making Bill what, the new Lynne Cheney?) The ridiculousness of this election makes me long for the days of hanging chads and electoral colleges of 2000. Is anyone but me wishing that Howard Dean could run again without whooping at the Democratic convention like a mental patient? So, yes, 2008 will be a year for change, but I’m not quite sure if it’s going to be one for the better, and considering who’s running our country now, that’s saying a lot.