area of expertise

Bodega Beans Are The Best Thing To Eat When You’re Broke
During the years I spent paying off my credit card debt, I came back to one special, budget-friendly recipe over and over: bodega beans.

Bon Appétit’s Test Kitchen Chefs Are The Only YouTube Stars I Care About
I may never get better at cooking, but I will follow these chefs to the ends of the earth.

What Amazon Reviews Reveal About Humanity
The real reason to read Amazon reviews — specifically that trail of reviews left by one person, product after product — is to get a glimpse into a life utterly unlike your own.

Being A Wendi Deng Stan Has Gotten Very Complicated
My half-joking hobby isn't all that funny anymore, but it’s not like I’m going to look away.

Chris Gethard Really Really Really Loves Soda
You think you’re drinking soda, but you’re really drinking the history of our country, through sweet bubbles.

I'm Obsessed With These Ugly Mansions On Zillow
Thinking about homeownership fills me with despair, so I started looking at houses that cost more than $10 million. What I found was tacky, gilded-and-marble joy.

"The Young Pope" Is The Best TV Show Since "The Sopranos"
Occasionally, someone will congratulate me on “committing to the bit,” as if it’s inconceivable that I could love something this much.

Maximizing Credit Card Points Is The Perfect (Legal) Scam
In a world where we’re guaranteed so little, at least you can count on cash back.

Area Of Expertise: My Love Affair With Needlework
Needlework revealed the pleasure in transforming disparate ingredients into something else, something better — and something beautiful, in the eye of the beholder, anyway.

Stanley Tucci Is The Greatest American Character Actor
Tucci is a lifelong scene-stealer who has spent his career supporting other people's starring roles — and quietly making his own movies the whole time.

My Self-Care Routine Is Following Pugs On Instagram
When the world seems hopeless, I turn to the shining light of my dog’s Instagram feed.

You Can Find The Best Version Of The US At This Japanese Grocery Store
A trip to Houston’s Seiwa Market — where the shoppers are a microcosm of a wildly diverse city — will literally turn my day around.

I'm Obsessed With These 1970s Cosmo Covers
These magazine covers — simultaneously smart and dumb, progressive and retrograde — are a Rosetta stone for understanding sex and womanhood in the Me Decade.

Area Of Expertise: Crying Over “The X Factor”
When it comes to mainlining pure, uncut emotion, reality TV singing competitions are my drug of choice.

Area Of Expertise: Vanity License Plate Hunting
Cataloging the best and brightest personalized license plates requires unwavering commitment. But when you spot a truly great one, it's all worth it.

Remember Pandora Radio?
Recently logging on to my old Pandora account felt like meeting a former self.

This Toddler Is The Cutest Thing On Instagram
No other toddler gives me as much unbridled joy as minor Instagram sensation Jayde Robinson, age 2 and a half.

I’m Addicted To Old Console Games, And It’s All My iPhone’s Fault
Years after leaving the PlayStation behind, I've found my way back into video games — or maybe they've found their way back to me.

Area Of Expertise: "Bridezillas"
Maybe I love watching the Bridezillas because I aspire to their level of demanding hysteria — I just can’t muster up the energy.