Celebrating Oil and the Potatoes We Fry In It
Potato latkes are one of my favorite foods, though making them is messy business. On Saturday, I’ll be cooking latkes for eleven people. And the only way I can get through it, is to do something my old-world grandmother never would’ve permitted. Fry them ahead of time, and reheat (425 degree oven, 2-3 minutes) before guests arrive.
What Cheers You Up During the Holidays?
1. PANETTONE. Italian pastry, perfect with morning coffee, only available for 6 weeks.
2. TOP MOVIES. Film studios hold their Oscar-worthy releases for the holidays.
3. URBAN HUSH. At 3pm on Christmas Eve, the city quiets down, and driving around is a breeze.
4. THE COLOR RED nail polish is an easy way to get into a festive, holiday mood.
5. CAVIAR. It’s the one time of year, collectively, that cooks don’t spare expense or effort.
Photograph by Guy Bourdin. Check out the exhibition and book launch of In Between.
Pick Me
Here’s one of the rubs of being single. On occasion, a retro anxiety creeps in which you imagine that others assume you’re not wanted. I’m sure it’s deep rooted. Like fearing your parent prefers your sibling. Or less primal, but still potent, that you’ll be the last person selected for the neighborhood softball team. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, one of my favorite friends, Miguel, came to visit. It’s effortless to be with him. And for these last six days, he accompanied me to every social event, holiday movie, dinner out. It was a relief to step outside my single life for a moment, and parade to the world that I’d been chosen.
Image: I Pick You by Keith Shore
Revving Up On Gratitude
Coping with Pre-Thanksgiving Frenzy
Illustration by the incomparable Maira Kallman. Check out her exhibition, currently in L.A.
George Eliot Explains Why I Hate Romantic Comedies
One of my all-time favorite writers, George Eliot, born Mary Ann Evans on this day in 1819, published an essay, Silly Novels by Lady Novelists, in which she expresses the essence of what drives me crazy about romantic comedies. Eliot wrote this during the Victorian era, so you’ll have to make some adjustments. But it’s worth it. Here’s an excerpt.
Thanksgiving Recipe: One Potato, Two Potato
This year, I was asked by my Thanksgiving host to contribute a dish with sweet potatoes. Not a glam job, but I’m ready. I’ve got two delicious, well-tested options. One takes a few minutes to prep, the other, more than an hour. Check out these recipes, and tell me which you’d prefer.
What Convinced Me To Get a Flu Shot
I don’t remember ever having the flu. Now I can say this out loud, without fear of tempting the gotcha gods, because 10 minutes ago, I was inoculated. $24.99 at Rite Aid. A quick pinch, and all was good, except the pharmacist told me to stay put for a few minutes to make sure there was no violent reaction. My arm feels sore, but maybe I’m imagining it. What convinced me, apart from the obvious reasons, was not my brother the pediatrician who lives too far away to nag, but an insistent, neighborhood family doctor who said: it’s not only about sparing you, but the more vulnerable people around you. Sold.
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FIRST PERSON SINGULAR is a guide to surviving, thriving and sometimes just getting through a single day. Created by Wendy Braitman (more…)
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