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10 GROUNDCOVER NEWS AFFORDABILITY Eating out on $20 a day in Ann Arbor The city of Ann Arbor is well-known for having a lot of good eats, but it is not necessarily known for being affordable. As someone who is new to Ann Arbor and also happens to be a broke college student, I wanted to explore the city, try out the famous food and do it all on a budget. My goal was to find three different places to eat, all within walking distance of the campus; one for breakfast, one for lunch and one for dinner, and do it all while spending only twenty dollars. I found that for breakfast there are a lot of large chains where you can get something affordable to eat, but I had somewhat of a harder time finding an affordable breakfast meal from a local restaurant. The place I did end up finding is called RoosRoast. This cute little cafe has two locations, one walkable located downtown on East Liberty St. and one that is a bit further from campus. The RoosRoast located on Rosewood St. has an extensive drink menu along with a good selection of breakfast items and pastries. I decided KAYLEE SMITH U-M student contributor to go with their “duh bagel sandwich” made up of a fresh everything bagel topped with cheddar cheese and cream cheese for only $4.50. This sandwich was the right call, filling and delicious. Lunch and dinner were my favorite parts of the day. There were so many options for these meals it was hard to narrow them down, but I did my best. For lunch, I decided to go with Joe’s Pizza, an Ann Arbor staple. Joe’s is a New York-style pizza place located on Central Campus on South University Avenue. There are multiple Joe’s Pizza locations in the world. The restaurant originated in New York City and the Ann Arbor location is one of the only restaurants not located in New York City, the others being in China. There is a limited menu, and by limited I mean the only option is pizza, but in my opinion that is all you need for a delicious lunch. There are seven different kinds of pizza and a slice ranges from $3 for a cheese slice to $4.75 for Caprese and supreme. I decided to go with plain cheese because not only is it the most budget-friendly option, but it is also my favorite. The restaurant is set up uniquely. You walk up to the counter and tell the worker which slice you want and they stick it right in the oven for you. The slice comes out hot and perfectly crispy. For dinner, I tried No Thai! which was voted Ann Arbor's best Asian restaurant. It is located near Pinball Pete’s at South University. The majority of the dishes are $12. First, you choose your dish, such as pad Thai or drunken noodles. Second, you pick your protein. You can choose between chicken, beef, tofu, or for an extra dollar, shrimp. Lastly, you select your spice level. The options are no spice, weak sauce, medium, yoga flame, or dim mak. I decided to go with the Pad Thai with chicken and weak sauce. This meal did not disappoint. It came out steaming hot and fresh. While it is on the pricier side of this list, the portion size is fairly large and I had a good amount left over. Although restaurants in Ann Arbor do not come across as affordable, there are some worthwhile budget-friendly options. If I were to rank the restaurants I visited based on flavor and price I would put No Thai! at the top of the list, followed by Joe’s and lastly, RoosRoast. For the full day of eating I was able to stick to the $20 budget and have a good time while doing it. Ann Arbor is a great place to venture out and try new things! JANUARY 13, 2023  BLESSINGS from page 3 herself and answered yes while looking at his pregnant wife. She asked their names again and explained that they could go over to her estate and wait for her while she shopped. She then asked Jack to assist her while she shopped so they could talk more. Levan told the wife Rebecca to tell the butler, Ronald, to prepare food and she would be home soon. The first thing she did in the mall was go to the pay phone and call Ronald and inform him to assist the family in any way possible. She visited all of the stores that sold blankets, once again purchasing them all. While helping, Jack said, “Wow! Do you really need all of those blankets?” Levan answered, “Yes, and you shall see I need even more than this.” Jack shook his head and kept carrying the bags and packed them into the golf cart. Finally the shopping spree was over and Leven asked how he lost his job. Jack stated that he had worked for Fry’s Electronics and the company just shut down without giving a warning to its employees. Levan remembered hearing about it on the local news. “Where do you and your family sleep at night?” she asked. “We stay in a hotel when we can afford it and in our family van. We park at the truck stops when we can. The children have not attended school this year due to our situation,” Jack stated. “I have been applying for jobs. However, I have to get messages and our mail through the shelter." "What kind of work would you have for me?” he asked. Levan smiled and said, “Don't worry about that. We must get you and your family secure first, then you can work for me.” She knew that he was an honest man who valued his family and worked hard to take care of them. Returning home she was tired, but she knew she had to make sure his wife was comfortable. Levan fed the family then took them to her guest house in the back of her estate and gave them the keys. The husband and wife hugged each other with tears of gratitude in their eyes. Levan said that they would talk about work the next day, that they should just get settled and rest up for a big day. She then retired to her room knowing her work still wasn't done. She closed her bedroom door and continued her assignment. That night she dreamed God was happy with the decision she made to help the family; however, the voice in her dream said once again to give away all her wealth. Arising the next morning, she knew she did not have a lot of time to get the job done. Feeling that the angels were awaiting her arrival, she pushed herself to continue her mission. At breakfast she told the couple that they would inherit her house and part of her money. Jack and Rebecca both said they could not accept and asked where her family was. Levan explained how she had no family members left, and this was the best solution for her problem. She then asked the family if they could assist her Saturday morning passing out all the blankets at the shelters. They said they would be happy to help with the blankets. Levan then showed them the estate and informed Jack of the business she owned that would be his – Paul's Hardware, located two miles from the house in the next shopping district. Jack cried and thanked God for his blessing from Mrs. Flora. Levan called a notary to meet with them at dinner. She already had her documents ready. When the notary arrived, she wrote a new will and testament and was happy that she had done what God asked of her. She left the estate, the hardware store, all her automobiles and three million dollars to the family she took in. She also left her butler and maid one million each. The only job left was Saturday morning giving out the blankets. Jack, Rebecca and the children - passed out over 2,000 blankets that weekend. Levan was excited and happy they were with her, especially the children. Monday morning came and Levan was bedridden, feeling weak and exhausted. However, she knew her work was done. She called Rebecca into her room and gave her a jewelry box containing all her jewelry. She took off her wedding band and handed it to her. Levan said, “My mother passed this to me for my wedding. This is for your daughter.” Rebecca was thinking how she did not have a daughter, only three sons. Levan smiled and said, “Remember this is for her.” Rebecca thanked her for everything and asked Levan if she wanted to call for the doctor. Levan smiled and said, “My doctor has already informed me it's my time to come home. Don't bother, I will be fine.” That night Levan passed away in her sleep. When the family went to check on her she was laying in her bed smiling. They were sad she left them so quickly; they had just met her and she blessed them beyond belief! That evening Rebecca decided to watch the news. The breaking report was how a family gave out blankets to the poor with $2,500 tucked inside each blanket. Four months later Rebecca did have a daughter and named her Levan; Rebecca understood what Levan’s mission was. The Christmas Miracle, published Decemeber 15, was LIES.

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