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Upon entering Thái Bảo Vietnamese, the ambiance prepares you for one of the best meals of your life. Paris by Night, a long-running Vietnamese musical production, plays on a box television underneath small mirror displays covered in flowers. Young children and college students alike stare in awe at the aquarium display beneath the register. The staff offer a warm welcome and are truly passionate about their work.
But the heart and soul of any restaurant is the food, and Thái Bảo Vietnamese never fails. Offering everything from cultural staples to specials piled with various decadent meats and vegetables, Thái Bảo Vietnamese packs a flavourful, authentic punch in every bite. If you’re looking for a first taste of Vietnamese culture, go for the phở. Phở (pronounced fuh, as in pho-ck you) is a traditional noodle soup dish. Blending spices and herbs, phở broth is a delicious blend of sour and savory, and can be accompanied by red meats and vegetables alongside classic rice noodles. Additionally, phở from Thái Bảo Vietnamese are accompanied by a platter of possible add-ons. A squeeze of lime, a sprinkle of cilantro, and a few bean sprouts can add even greater depth to this delicious meal.
This is the place to eat where the locals do. Sandra Vo, fellow staff writer at the Highlander says that the authentic flavors and offerings reminds her of home and how much she’d “taken [her] mother’s cooking for granted” after moving away from home. But, located just east of the Regis Bookstore, Thái Bảo offers a journey into Vietnamese cuisine for those longing for a taste of home and for those just discovering it. The dozens of menu options mean that there is something for everyone at this restaurant, including vegetarians. From phở to rice bowls, stir fry to lo mien, and even Vietnamese hot pot, the possibilities are all but endless. With this culinary magic just a ten minute walk from campus, heading to Thái Bảo Vietnamese is a no-brainer.
photos by: Madelynn Loring
photo credit// Mark Bruhn
Recently, I spent the morning with Dr. Mark Bruhn, a professor of English who specializes in cognitive literary studies and has taught at Regis University since 1996. I was told by his colleagues that his story was an interesting one, and I quickly discovered the truth behind that statement.
“I wasn’t going to go to school,” Bruhn began. “My parents wanted me to, and that was my main motivation not to. I was a terrible English student through school—I just hated it.”
This rebellious attitude proved to be a theme in our conversation. “It just goes along with my character,” Bruhn said. “You can’t tell me what I should do—you tell me I have to research, I have to be Catholic, I have to go to high school, I’m gonna say, ‘I don’t want to do any of those things. Those things are for fools.’ But as soon as I don’t have to do any of those things, they become interesting to me. It’s gotta be my choice. I’m still like that, you know.”
Despite concerns about Bruhn graduating from high school at all, he completed high school and stayed in Connecticut. There, he spent a summer hitchhiking to his job in the produce department. After finding that position unsustainable, he joined his parents in Maine and got a job at a gas station.
“I had no way to meet anybody,” Bruhn explained. “I’m an eighteen-year-old man desperate for friends [with] no way to meet them, so I thought, ‘Well, I guess one way to meet people would be to take some classes at the University of Maine at Augusta.’ The University of Maine at Augusta is essentially a community college branch of the University of Maine. I signed up for a few classes and, lo and behold, they were remarkably powerful to me.”
Bruhn spoke highly of classes such as Creative Writing, Russian Literature, Adolescent Psychology, Theory of Personality, and Abnormal Personality. After spending three semesters of unprecedented academic engagement and inspiration at the University of Maine at Augusta, his professors recommended that Bruhn pursue a Bachelor of Arts. Bruhn took this advice and spent the next two and a half years completing an English major at the University of Southern Maine. His studies provided him with a new outlook on literature and faith.
“When I got to college, I started reading William Blake,” Bruhn began. “Blake had a very different understanding of Christian religion—almost the exact opposite of mine. I was persuaded by Blake that I’d been thrown to tyrant in my head. It was limiting my experience rather than making it good or orienting it in a positive way. And so, the kind of devotion I had given to the Bible and to books like Thomas Kempis’ Imitation of Christ, I now starting giving to people like William Blake and William Wordsworth and Coleridge. In a way, I exchanged a fundamentalist Christianity for a religion of poetry and the tradition of poetry in English literature. I guess I’m still very much centered there, in that kind of spirituality.”
However, Bruhn’s newfound love of English literature locked him into a somewhat intimidating fate. “[I] did realize that, ultimately, I would have to be a teacher,” Bruhn said. “That was a little daunting at first because I was really afraid of public speaking. My voice would get really tremulous, and I could feel the blood coming to my cheeks. [I] challenged myself to get over it by putting myself on the spot—I’d volunteer to do presentations first, all that kind of thing. And now I’m at the point where I just love to stand in front of an audience and hear myself talk, so obviously, there’s hope for the fearful.”
His public speaking was soon put to the test. “[My wife and I] found out that we were going to have a child,” Bruhn explained. “I was working at a deli at the time, and it didn’t sound like a deli was going to pay for three peoples’ existences. So I realized, yeah, I’m going to have to come up with something, so I started applying for high school teaching jobs.”
From there, Bruhn ended up teaching high school at Lincoln Academy, which did not go as well as he’d planned. As Bruhn explained, his love of literature seemed to outweigh his love for his students. “I was 23 years old,” Bruhn said. “I looked like I was about 12. I had senior high school students who were much broader and hairier than I was. They could threaten me, and it would work. I went optimistically with this great idea that, ‘Oh, I’m so into poetry and literature. I’m going to turn all these kids onto this.’ And they knew they were going to make a whole lot of money lobster fishing, so they weren’t really interested in literature.”
Luckily, Bruhn’s time at Lincoln Academy didn’t turn him away from teaching altogether. While at Lincoln Academy, he also taught introductory English classes at the University of Southern Maine. During this experience, he found himself valuing the motivated, respectful older students that he had in his evening classes. Most importantly, it allowed him to realize what he valued most in academia. “Of course I love my students,” clarified Bruhn. “But I really love helping them to love the thing I love. That made it clear that I needed to get a Ph. D.”
His graduate studies began at Duke University, but because of the program’s new emphasis on stardom through literary studies research, he left before the end of his first year. “I did [English] because it was feeding my soul,” explained Bruhn. “I wanted to share that with people, not self-glorifying self-promotion.” As a result, Bruhn and his family moved back to Maine, where he managed a law book and business directory publishing company. This, too, failed to feed his soul in the ways he wanted, but by this point, he was committed to holding a position for at least 3 years before trying something new.
“I had never held a job for a length of time,” Bruhn admitted. “I would quit a job because there was a Yes concert and my shift conflicted with it. I had a really terrible CV [curriculum vitae], and I’d now just quit graduate school as well.”
Bruhn gave graduate school a second try at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, which he spoke highly of. At age 33, he completed his Ph. D. This was followed by a year of teaching at Dalhousie before he came to Regis in 1996. “I guess, one of the messages I’d give to undergraduates is: You don’t need to know what you’re doing until you’re 35,” Bruhn laughed. “I think you should expect to play around with a bunch of different directions as you graduate. Get frustrated here and enthralled there and just negotiate a future over the next decade and a half, [don’t] chastise yourself or beat yourself up over the fact that you haven’t figured it out.”
When I asked Bruhn what he considered the most unexpected part of his journey, his answer was heartwarming. “I didn’t know I wanted kids until my girlfriend told me she was pregnant,” he smiled. “You have options when you hear that, and the couple needs to discuss those options, but for me, there was no option at all. I wanted that child. As soon as I heard about it, I wanted to be a dad. So one thing that’s been unexpected is just how much I’ve loved being a parent. It’s certainly the best part of my life.”
His advice to future graduates also brought a smile to my face. “Everyone is going to say to you, ‘What are you going to do now?’” Bruhn said. “You need to correct them immediately by saying, ‘You mean, what have I accomplished? I just finished my Bachelor’s degree and I’m so proud.’ Don’t get distracted by your future, right? Celebrate your present. It’s huge what you’ve accomplished. It will go where it needs to go and you can trust that. Tune out, turn off, and drop in.”
Bio: Hi! My name is Lauren Alvarez I’m a junior this year majoring in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and minoring in Environmental Studies. I’m from San Mateo, California. I enjoy reading books from Tiktok, going to Trader Joe’s and ominously staring out my window. Fun fact: I often tell people I’m 5’12 instead of 6’0 and 95% of people don’t notice.
photo credit// Malia Olson
I stroll into the pub on campus at 5:25. I wanted to be here early, but of course she’s sitting at our usual table working on some homework. Crap. Malia Olson has her reusable water bottle, recycled materials phone case, and half a dozen rings on her fingers. She is engulfed in her bio homework when I sit down. She’s not nervous, nor should she be. This doesn’t feel much different than our thrice a week dinner at The Caf. The only difference is that Malia Olson is running for Regis Student Body President, and I’ve got the scoop.
I’m approaching this interview through the bias of a good friendship and my sincere belief she brings something brilliant to the table. The table we are chatting at, our conversation is slightly dulled by the roar of the dinner crowd.
“So, Malia, would you rather have teeth for toes or toes for teeth?” She laughs—I’m hilarious.
“Teeth for toes.”
Ah. A woman of culture. Though the interview is supposed to be formal, we ebb and flow through the conversation, mixing in her glimpses of her personality while discussing some ideas Malia has for the future of Regis.
Ms. Olson has a background at Regis as a Violence Prevention Educator. This work not only prevents stalking, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault on campus but also trains athletes as well as classes and facilitates programs like V-Day and Denim Day. When asked how her work as a VPE affects the way she hopes to lead Malia responds, “Since I am a survivor of sexual assault, that really motivates me to make campus feel like a safe space for students. I know it’s not always easy being a student here and that shitty things can happen.” She continues, sharing some questions that are not only incredibly important to her campaign but to her values as a Regis student, “How do we create space for students who’ve had rough experiences to feel safe and feel heard, and give opportunities to tell their stories?”
When asked about reinstating the soft-serve machine from our freshman year—if you weren’t here before The Caf remodel, I’m sorry—Olson laughs, “I could certainly try. [I’m] not sure if RUSGA necessarily has a lot of control over what Bon-Appetit decides to do.” Although this is not the answer I was hoping for, it does lead into a bigger conversation about Regis as a school.
Malia is candid in her admiration for Regis. Of course, we all know the appeal of a smaller school, its prime location between downtown and the breathtaking Rocky Mountains, but Malia emphasizes that it’s a Catholic school. While this is slightly unexpected—both of us are non-practicing—she explains that the Jesuits add that, “Social justice focuses on all of these classes.” She goes on to say, “Even science classes ask how this matters and how it affects us?” Looking through the lens of intersectionality between science and social justice is something Malia is quite comfortable doing, as she is majoring in Bio with an emphasis in Molecular Biology & Genetics with a Psychology minor.
Malia is not afraid to criticize Regis too. Talking about the administration’s handling of the tech hack of Fall 2019 and their response to COVID-19 when it started last March, (can you believe it's been a year!?!) Malia uses the shortcoming of our school to emphasize how valuable what the students are saying is, “There are really powerful instances when students really made a change.” We, as students, were outspoken about our disapproval of their actions and they made changes because of our demands.
Beyond the confines of running for Student Body President, Malia is also a student during the time of COVID-19. These are difficult times. Meeting new people is hard enough, not even considering the restrictions we all must make to stop the spread of the virus. She talks about the idea of “missing out” on the college experience, “Regis sometimes lacks that sense of pride… pride in your school. RUSGA is a really good place to address those things because that's the [students’] money going towards programming… they can go to their Senators, they can go to their representatives and be like, ‘hey I want to do this thing where I hand out utensils’ or whatever.”
I then ask her the most intimidating question of all time: how would you describe yourself? Usually this question brings instant panic, but Malia doesn’t hesitate, “I’m very introverted and I’m a helper.” This intrigued me, as you often don’t see introverts holding a lot of power. I pick her brain and I’m pleasantly surprised when she says, “Any sort of government is built and structured so that it benefits extroverted people. So, when you have somebody holding a leadership position that is an introvert, that is so important because…[you] notice when other introverts are not in the conversation or their voices aren’t being heard.”
As we are wrapping up, I realized that I forgot to ask her some basic questions. So, for the audience: her favorite color is a teal blue, her favorite movie is The Princess Diaries, and her Spotify top artists are Queen, Yolk Lore, and Alexander23. She’s from Crested Butte, Colorado, a lovely little ski town. She has an incredible tea collection and loves matcha. She’s about 5’2, her hair is insanely healthy (genetics). And most importantly she is incredibly genuine and someone I get excited to see every time she walks into the Student Center.
When the interview is over, I press the stop button on the recording app on my phone. We both sigh a breath of relief and I ask her, “You wanna go get some dinner?”
She giggles, “Yeah, I’m starving.”
**RUSGA has pushed all elections to the fall