Reason of the Month

I have this problem often with clothes. I’ll conjure up exactly the pair of pants, for instance, that I want in my head, down to the weft and stretchiness of the twill and exact shade of, say, cerulean blue and go off on a desperate search to find them, which always (obviously) ends in failure. I am picky with a capital P. Unfortunately, I never owned a sewing machine or dress pattern, and barely know how to sew a button … Read More

Thursday night, my friend K was reading a book at home when she received a desperate phone call from a friend, who will remain known as X. X: “I’m at Planet Thai, and I don’t have enough cash to pay the bill, and I have ten dollars in my bank account but I get paid tomorrow, and they don’t take Amex. Can I swing by and borrow some cash?” Now, I don’t have to point out the obvious errs of … Read More

“You go, girl. Yeah, have that extra scoop of ice cream. Damn straight. You made it, after all.” That’s my chorus of you-go-girl girls in the back of my mind. They like to cheer, so I try to give them every opportunity to. They can be so feisty if I don’t: “I hope you enjoyed every minute of throwing away your quarters to skee-ball all night. And what was that whole margarita thing after 5 drinks for? Do you NEED … Read More

I’ve long put off reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and have for the past few days been soaking up that matte, darkly clad book like a parched sponge. Far be it from the only up-to-date source on the current industrialized food system that we live on, but sometimes it just takes thrusting yourself into the pages of an engaging book to make you really wake up and say boy, do I have a lot of dilemmas. As Kermit would … Read More

I love food in film. I love food television. There has been much said about the semiotics of food in media — specifically on sex and food media. Now why is that? Well, you can read an encyclopedia entry on the term “food porn” now, and you can also check out a recent article in Harper’s magazine all about food on TV and its sexual connotations. But if you ask me, plain and simple, it’s because making food is just … Read More

I have never been a very delicate eater, I’ll just put that on the table. Along with my elbow, lots of crumbs, and all the salt and pepper that missed the plate. I wish I could blame this completely on a “cultural clash” of sorts, as if to say that when one is raised in a half Chinese, half American household, I’m as confused about rules concerning handling bones at the table or holding a bowl to one’s mouth as … Read More

Here’s what I ate on Sunday: Chicken chilaquiles with green sauce and black beans for brunch made by Sam and Richard. Baked brie and mango spread on crackers for a dinner appetizer made by Sean and Meredith.

Five months of not eating out in New York is almost an anniversary. I should do something very elaborate next month to celebrate the half-year point, but for now, another meditation on why it’s so great to not eat out. This was supposed to be the Reason of the Month for December, but I’ve gotten a little behind myself. For some time, the word “holiday” hasn’t had to refer to a day of religious observation. And they’re seldom celebrated in … Read More