The Best Indian Cuisine in Town

Reviews and Restaurant of the Year in our dining and entertainment guide:

Copper Kettle Tempe
Indo-Pakistan Cuisine
1050 E Lemon St
Tempe, AZ 85281
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“Indian Food Hub of the Universe”

The Copper Kettle Tempe remains one of the hottest ethnic dining locations in the Tempe international scene. Located near ASU in a neighborhood that is one of the most culturally diverse areas in Arizona, the Indopak, as it is called by ASU students, attracts locals, internationals and Indian cuisine lovers from around the world.

The restaurant’s organic triangular shape reflects the tri-elemental essence of its culture while belying the sophisticated nature of the menu. Be seated inside to watch the Indian dramas, music and dancing or enjoy the outdoor indopakistan-style open dining. The Indian restaurants of Phoenix and Scottsdale are no match for the Copper Kettle’s absolutely fantastic atmosphere and quality of service, not to mention the great prices.

The Copper Kettle Tempe has been judged as the Number One Best Indian Restaurant among the top 25 tables in the world by Indopakistan expert and culinary guide Atin Kumar and his international panel of nearly four restaurateurs, rugby players, critics, students and journalists. "The chefs are by far the most talented in the world," says Kumar, after a careful review of local Tempe restaurants, “The Indopak offers the best food of any kind in the United States, Tempe and the known universe*.” The restaurant has also long been host to a variety of meetings for local community leaders and important diplomatic forums, Kumar noted.

We recommend trying their authentic Biryani, spicy Kabab, Tikka boti, curries, or the delicious tandoori grill chicken. Dishes are served with delectable Nan bread or over moist basmati rice. Don’t forget to try their outstanding and varied vegetarian menu as well.

No reservations currently required.

*Note: Atin would like to add that his mother's cooking is actually no. 1 in the universe; his above comments only applied to restaurants.

See also:

New Times Best of Phoenix 2001
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/bestof/award.php?award=25634

Visit the Copper Kettle Tempe website:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/5568/copperkettle.htm

Project Mayhem 2006/2007

ASUIV’s Project Mayhem: A Story of Soap

The concept for what is today known to members of the Fellowship by the code name "Project Mayhem" was conceived in March of 2006 during spring break.

It was a question of problem solving. We needed to gather people together during the summer and we needed to meet new people and mix things up in the next school year – all with minimal funding. There were, of course, the usual promotional items, but what do students really need? How can we help? The question was swirling in our collective minds until one day the soap in the shower ran out. The need was soap. We could probably learn how to make soap. It could be a great summer project. We could make a batch or two and give it away. It seemed like a good fit for the Fellowship, so we decided to proceed with the plan.

Upon returning to ASU after the break, a search in the Tempe Public Library catalog yielded a veritable bonanza of books on the subject of soap making. We read all of them and prolifically took notes. Search engines also showed thousands of web pages on the subject. A test batch proved that the idea was feasible. At the outset we had some issues with obtaining quality sodium hydroxide but finally a pure sample was procured.

Video: "We only support human testing"


Video: Testing continued


Video: "I think it works..."

If a batch or two could work, why not ten? If a few bars of soap were so fun to make, why not a few hundred pounds? The funding could be secured in small, unmarked bills if we made the right alumni contacts. So, we decided to make one thousand bars of soap that summer, and imagined the great possibilities. It would be a huge project that would require great commitment but, in the end, we thought, it would be worth it. Besides, what else did we have to do? We were a bunch of listless college students pursuing our dreams. That vision led to the formation of a project that, in the tradition of all great projects, needed a code name worthy of its greatness. Since that fateful July day, our project would be known not-so-originally as "Project Mayhem" from then and forever.

We discovered that although soap was a simple mixture of saponified fats and oils, the ratios would have to be optimized to obtain a good quality product while keeping costs reasonable. Olive oils would provide excellent moisturizing properties but too much would slow curing time, and wouldn't lather more than snot, besides being expensive. Castor oil would provide a thick lather but too much in the recipe would create a bar that would be too soft and deformable for our purposes. Coconut oils would also be necessary for a soap with high lather but a qualtity more than just a small percentage in the recipe would make a bar that would lack moisturizing ability. This was the case for many possible ingredients and their properties. It was a delicate balance between the good, bad and expensive. And then there was the issue of determining the optimum shipping quantities to eliminate waste, all while staying within budget. Suppliers were researched, specific gravities and prices compiled... An excel spreadsheet proved invaluable. A good source of high quality and low cost fats was discovered. After about a month of research and calculations, we were ready for the more extensive test batches.

The recipe was formulated, batched, modified, the shrinkage measured, batched again, and again, and again. Fragrances and colorants were tested in various proportions, molds were built, a conceptual bar size and pouring method was tested. By the end of July, the formulation and method were finalized. We were now in a race to batch the soap as soon as possible, so it would have time to cure before the fall semester began. We emptied our club checking account. FedEx had been delivering boxes of materials for almost a week. A mass email was sent to the IV masses, rallying them to take part in Project Mayhem. We gathered at ASUIV Headquarters at high noon on July 30. The location also happened to be the home of one of the student leaders’ parents. They wouldn’t mind, as long as we got through the day without burning the place down, and how could we anyway? We were taking precautions. Batching Day was planned into synchronized phases, safety equipment and over 250 lbs of raw materials were amassed and the quantities verified. By 1pm the house was teeming with people wearing black t-shirts. A project kick-off speech and safety briefing was given, and soon teams were cutting form liners, weighing chemicals, and heating cauldrons of oil to exactly 105 degrees F, plus or minus five. The glorious Project Mayhem awaited us and our campus. It would be an intense day that followed, but by 11 PM, the last of the indredients had been mixed in the proper proportions and heated to the correct temperatures, mixed to saponification with a hand drill mixer, and poured into readied molds. In one day we had made more than 1,000 bars of handmade cold-process soap. Thirty-six hours after pouring, the mostly-hardened soap was measured and cut into bars with butter knives while it was relatively soft.

Video: "Today we begin Project Mayhem."

After another day passed, the molds were removed and the over 1,000 bars were taken from the garage to inside the house to cure slowly and harden properly. According to some sources, on batching day the house was nearly entirely destroyed, with the dining room table and back patio undoubtedly sustaining serious maiming by the chemical splashes incurred. Therefore, the members of the Fellowship and the visionaries and directors of Project Mayhem would like to express their eternal gratitude and humility in light of these great sacrifices. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

After a month of curing had stabilized the soap chemistry, the wrapping process began with each acceptable bar hand wrapped in paper wrappers that we had designed, bearing the emblem of Project Mayhem and "IV Bath Soap" in large type across the front, and with a description of the soap on the reverse. The soap wrapping would extend for a period of months throughout the fall 2006 semester, eventually reaching completion in early January of 2007.

At the time of this writing, four hundred bars of IV Bath Soap have been distributed at the IV informational table on campus, and the rest will be given out in the weeks following. By the completion of Project Mayhem, our desire to create a useful product and serve others while advertising the Fellowship will have been appreciated by the approximately 1.2 per hundred students at ASU that receive a bar of IV Bath Soap.

Video: Mixing


Video: "Microwave is a bad idea"

The founding of IV at ASU - Oct 15, 1943

Project Wingnut Update: Surprising info discovered in the ASU Archives

After studying for my Spanish final this week I went to investigate the history of our fellowship in the Arizona State University Archives as the next step in Project Wingnut.

There I found the cross of our beloved Danforth Chapel on display! Apparently it had been removed from the chapel in 1990 after a court battle. It will only be on display until December 15th 2006 and then it's going back to the storage room. Read about it here: http://www.asu.edu/lib/exhibits/news/sensesacred.htm

So after a few hours rummaging through the Archives and after learning how to use a "card catalog," I discovered the October 15 1943 edition of the State Press. A headline on the front page reads "Inter-Denominational Society Organized." The article is about the founding of "Inter-varsity"at ASU! The founder's name is listed along with all of the officers, and even what the Tuesday night guest speaker spoke about!

This makes our chapter way older than anyone had imagined! This is so awesome, and a great step forward for the project! If any of you in the Fellowship want a copy of this, I made a copy of the whole four page October 15th 1943 edition, with its war bond ads and all.

A History of InterVarsity at Arizona State: The Birth of Project Wingnut

" I thought about the former days, the years of long ago” Psalm 77:5

A few months ago I again realized that I know of no one who can tell us anything of our chapter’s history before 1999 and obviously no student is around that remembers anything or anyone in IV before just a few years ago.
We seem so very retrospectively nearsighted. Shouldn’t we consider what has happened in the past? Shouldn’t we praise God for how lives have been changed because they were part of a community like IV? Wouldn't knowing this spur us all on to greater things? Doesn't anyone know when Intervarsity started at ASU? Shouldn’t someone investigate this subject?

And so, after some lengthy pondering and discussion, Project Wingnut was born.

The purpose of this project will be to investigate and write a brief history of the ASU IV chapter. I think this would be something that would eventually go on our webpage at least. So...we will be researching the University Archives and collecting information from our alumni regarding:

1) When did IV begin at ASU and who started it?
2) A brief chronology of important events in ASUIV history as known to you.
3) A brief description of what IV looked like during your involvement.
4) Information about you, when you got involved, what you got out of IV, etc.
5) All the names of people that you believe could provide us with further-reaching info and personal testimonies.

One of the main challenges of this project will be obtaining information from people from before the gap in the fellowship’s continuity during a period leading up to the year 1999. The length of this gap, and its cause, is hereunto unknown.

Michael and I will be working on this project during the break, but if anyone else is interested, will definitely be opportunities for delving into this with us. Email me.

Are you alumni of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Arizona State University? We need to hear from you. Email us at intervarsity@asu.edu

"I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done." - Psalm 143:5

Asian Bible Fellowship Large Group on Fridays

Our sister organization of sorts, Asian Bible Fellowship, meets on Fridays in the MU at 730. Check the screens for the location. We have been invited to attend, so join me there this Friday.

Asian Bible Fellowship

Fall 2006 Calendar

Aug. 18 – 6:30 PM - ABF Welcome Party! (456 E. Larkspur Ln. Tempe, 85281)

Connect Four

1. Connecting to God

Aug. 25 – “God-Initiated Connection” (MU 222 Mohave)

Sept 1 – “Rhythms of His Grace” (Location TBD)

Sept. 8 – “Seeing Him Everyday” (MU 080 Fiesta)

Sept.15-16 –Food for the Hungry “Making All Things New” Conference

2. Connecting to believers around you

Sept 22 – “Components of our Bodies” (MU 080 Fiesta)

Sept 29 – “Unity” (MU 080 Fiesta)

Oct 6 – “Overcoming Group Struggles” (MU 080 Fiesta)

Oct 13 – Praise Night (MU 085 Union Stage)

Oct 20 – “Being Others-Minded” (MU 080 Fiesta)

3. Connecting to people in your community

Oct 27 – “The Uniqueness of College” (MU 080 Fiesta)

Nov 3 – “Diversity and Reconciliation” (MU 080 Fiesta)

4. Connecting to the World

Nov 10 – “Social Injustices in the World” (MU 080 Fiesta)

Nov 17 – “Sharing the Good News with the World” (MU 080 Fiesta)

Nov 24 – International Thanksgiving Dinner (Location TBD)

Dec 1 – ABF Reflection night

Project Mayhem Update

We did it! Soapmaking went sooo well. No great catastrophes, no one missing limbs or eyes, my parent's place didn't burn down, no missing ingredients. I'm astounded... truly a blessing... This is going to be our greatest game ever. It was awesome to see everyone come out and help. We will have to make a soap page on our website...

Relive the Magic of ABF's Respond

It was February when Asian Bible Fellowship had invited the InterVarsity Multi-Ethnic Chapter to participate in "Respond: Humble Reflections Rendered to a Creative God." It was to be an event in which creativity and art would be displayed and performed as a response to the Creator.

ASUIV student leadership had found itself faced with a tantalizing opportunity.
But how to respond to God? Art? Song?

The thoughts were stirred around in futility until March 17, when the search for a 'response' drove a pair of leaders all the way to Blakely Manor in Seattle, to seek the counsel of the Beaver, a former leader in their ASU chapter. With the wisdom they received, perhaps mixed with the continuous rain, foraging for food in dumpsters, and torturously long back to back days of Settlers, creativity and clarity were soon to pierce into their classroom-stiffened minds.

Music from a band playing in the living room at the Blakely Manor's St. Patrick's Day party vibrated picture frames hanging on the wall in the small room into which the two had retreated from the crowds. They had convened yet again with the Beaver. It was 2 AM. Sounds of people jumping and shouting filtered under the closed door, while one of the two sat slumped in a threadbare futon, drifting in and out of consciousness, with rain and art sifting through his half awake mind. The few others were softly reading, almost chanting, pages of words and phrases from an Indonesian dictionary, pausing to hear the thump of Irish jig dancing beginning in the basement.

Someone left to get more soda bread. Then a spark of vision! The futon was now empty. Paper was in hand, figures were being drawn, outlines and sticks, platforms, wheels under hollow trees. The two chattered and laughed and others looked on in curiosity. Poetry, sculpture, trees…El Bee, of course.

Time was short. The pair was soon flying back to Phoenix to share the vision with the others, to procure materials, and measure the back hallways of the MU and ride the freight elevator.

The answer they searched for was found in nature, where God speaks so clearly and so constantly and still many fail to hear Him there. This tree was made to celebrate Him, His voice, in nature and trees, in symbolic destruction and creation, to celebrate the best response to Him in the true acknowledgment of a changed life.