You guys! I don’t have many nice things to say about the past week, and that’s because I was PMSing, okay? The breeze blowing my hair into my eyes made me stamp my feet. The sound of chewing made me homicidal. The email confirming the closing of the apartment pool made me weepy. I was doing a whole lot of shuffling around the house feeling really sorry for myself because the end of summer was drawing ever nearer… But then, just as the temperature and humidity broke, so too did my attitude. And isn’t that poetic?

Oh, and do me a favor and drop a Q down below for a future issue! TYSM!

On My Brain 

Veneers Need to be Outlawed  

Do I want you to watch movies and TV with me? Yes. But am I horribly annoying to watch movies and TV with? Also yes. I will be on IMDB the whole time, I will be looking ahead at a plot synopsis, I will be talking over dialogue, and I will be pointing out when actors have gotten a horrible set of veneers. I credit Dr. Sara on TikTok, who does “veneer checks” on celebs, for training my eye to spot this disturbing trend. Some of the worst offenders, in my opinion, are Meghan Trainor, Nicola Coughlin, Sam Claflin, and Kiernan Shipka. Not one of these people needed new teeth, and whoever gave them veneers needs to be SHOT, because they all look like toddler beauty queens with flippers on.

Why has this become the hot new cosmetic procedure??? I feel like ”old man yells at clouds” watching all these people who had lovely little smiles swap out their homegrown teeth for a massive set of horse chompers. They never look natural, they’re always blinding white, and more often than not, they change the way people speak. What are we DOING?! When will it STOP! It’s gotten so bad that every time I see someone with a smile that has a little bit of character I say a little prayer that they’ll never get veneers. Whatever happened to disappearing for a while and getting braces? Or some sort of Invisalign? I can’t imagine modern dentistry doesn’t have another solve for a few overlapped teeth. Not to mention… Most people with little gaps or snaggled incisors don’t look like themselves without their natural teeth, and it’s very uncanny valley when the new ones show up. Some celebs with adorable smiles I hope never get veneers: Ayo Edebiri, Aimee Lou Wood, and Kirsten Dunst. 

Enough with the Elevator Close Button Already 

There are plenty of rude interactions that happen during the day-to-day of living in a city (or just in a society, for that matter), but one thing that never fails to spike my blood pressure is watching someone repeatedly smash the “elevator close” button. I live in a high rise, so I’m definitely more exposed to this phenomenon than most, but to me, it’s the same level of rudeness as running to the front of the plane as soon as it lands or not holding the door for someone who could clearly use the assist. The main motivating reasons for this behavior, I’d imagine, are saving time and avoiding social interaction.

As for time saving, the Americans with Disabilities Act mandates that elevator doors be open for a minimum of five seconds, and from my experience, it’s never much longer than that. So on average, you’re saving a maximum of five seconds… which is a laughably short amount of time. The social interaction part I’m a liiiiitle more sympathetic to, because I too, hate idle chit chat with strangers. But how often does someone really strike up a convo in an elevator? It’s rare, and it’s so fleeting/part of living in a metropolis that it shouldn’t really matter. 

Not to mention, there’s a longstanding theory that door close buttons operate as a placebo effect, and a good chunk of them don’t actually work. According to ElevatorDave (who I trust, for some reason) on this Reddit thread, the door close button only works if it’s enabled in the system. That said, elevator cars with a fire service panel are required by law to have a functioning door close button. So while the 80/20 breakdown is likely inaccurate, it is true that they don’t always work, and just allow the most impatient among us to feel like they’re doing something.  

In My Cart 

The Best Meat Thermometer in the Game

Hey! You need a meat thermometer if you like to cook—full stop. I cannot understate the peace of mind my Thermoworks Thermapen brings me, and using it consistently has actually improved my cooking, because I’m better able to tell when something looks like it’s almost cooked through, and it prevents me from drying things out for fear of undercooking them.

You might have already clicked the link and been shocked by the price… I get it. But I’ve used a number of lesser-quality thermometers, and they’re either inaccurate or easy to break, which completely defeats the purpose of a thermometer in the first place. It’s also consistently highly-rated by Wirecutter, as ”the fastest and most accurate instant-read thermometer we tested. It also offers a rotating screen with a bright backlight, a huge temperature range, and serious waterproofing.” I’ve even dropped mine multiple times, and despite a crack in the display, it works perfectly every time. Invest in yourself and your cooking, I’m telling ya!

A Really Chic Utensil Drawer Organizer 

I came across this photo on Pinterest and became fixated on the idea of a wire utensil holder instead of the cheapo bamboo wood organizer I currently have. The bamboo one is too small to accommodate all our utensils and doesn’t fit sidewall to sidewall in the drawer, which drives me nuts because there’s extra unorganized space around it. I also love the idea of the wire organizer because stray crumbs won’t collect inside the sections like they do in the bamboo one, so it’s easier to just lift the wire rack out and clean underneath it. Oh also, it’s very industrial chic. Love.

In My Belly 

Thai-ish Coconut Curry Meatballs 

It’s been a while since I’ve made this recipe from How Sweet Eats, but it’s a fan fave in our house. And TBH, it’s not as readily added to the rotation because Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell red curry paste (dumb) and that’s where we do most of our grocery shopping. However! I usually use half a 4oz jar of paste for this recipe, so I save the rest in the fridge or freezer for the next time I want to make this. Now, is this an authentic recipe by any stretch? No. But it’s very good, and if you’ve never had a Thai curry it’s an easy gateway drug into those flavors.  

Some notes/modifications: 

• The “Asian Creations” (lol okay?) and “Thai Kitchen” brands of red curry paste are pretty readily available in most grocery stores and usually sit by the soy sauce, but they’re not spicy at all so I usually add sriracha. 

• You can easily sub ground chicken or turkey for pork, but the pork is truly so rich and tender that I would never. If you’re not opposed to pork, go for pork. 

• I double the shallots and peppers in the recipe and halve the coconut milk, because I like the sauce to be a little thicker. 

• If you’re a big giant baby wimp like me, you can omit the cilantro and it’s still unreal good. 

A Chinese Dessert I’m Determined to Dupe at Home 

Let me start by saying: I have not cracked the code completely on this one… But I’m working on it. This dessert comes from Mango Mango, a Hong Kong style dessert place that started in Chinatown and recently opened a location in Jersey City. We’ve been periodically sampling things from the menu, but I’m currently hooked on the “Snow White Juice with Red Bean and Lychee Jelly” with rice balls and a side scoop of green tea ice cream. It’s so light and refreshing, and the combo of perfume-y lychee jellies and chewy rice balls is a textural delight. But I’m not a huge fan of red bean in desserts, so I’ve been trying to recreate it at home to avoid ordering with special instructions or eating around the little beans. 

So far, I’ve sourced lychee jellies from 99 Ranch (our local Asian grocery store), and since they’re individually packaged they’re also just perfect on their own. But I can’t seem to find the right rice balls (tang yuan), because the ones Mango Mango uses are almost Haribo-like in texture, and most of the ones in stores come stuffed with sesame or red bean paste. I might have to make them following this recipe or maybe sub brown sugar boba in instead. I’m also not exactly sure what makes up the “snow white juice.” It’s definitely a base of coconut milk, but when I tried using just sweetened coconut milk, it was missing something. So if you have any advice for me on recreating this dessert… I’m all ears. In the meantime, let’s all go to Mango Mango :). 

The Meal Everyone in My Family Requests for Bdays

Listen, if you’re not into white people food, I’d encourage you to keep scrolling. But if you are, let me put you on to the meal everyone in our family requests from my mom for birthdays and holidays: Chive cream cheese stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon. I’m not exactly sure where this dish originated, but I do know that it’s as American as it gets, and it’s so rich that it’s gotta be reserved for special occasions. Here’s how it goes: 

• 1 lb chicken breast 

• 2 containers of chive cream cheese

• 1 lb of bacon 

• Milk

• Broccoli 

• Brown rice 

1. Thinly slice and pound out your chicken breast into small cutlets, season with salt and pepper. 

2. Scoop a dollop of chive cream cheese onto each piece and roll it up. Reserve one container of cream cheese for sauce. 

3. Wrap each piece in a strip of bacon and use toothpicks to secure if need be. 

4. Bake in the oven on 375 until the internal temp is just about at 165, then broil to crisp up the bacon, turning the pieces over to get every side crisp.

5. In a small sauce pan, heat the other container of cream cheese over med low heat. Spoon in a few tablespoons of the drippings from the chicken pan and whisk. Add milk as needed to thin out, and salt and pepper. 

6. This is always served with steamed broccoli and brown rice, I don’t make the rules! 

You Ask, I Answer 

Q: “How should I decorate my office? There are so many walls and also I want to remain a slight professional mystery.” 

A: I will decorate literally any space I’m in—regardless of how long I’m there—so you’re asking the right girl. Case in point: I took a 3-month contract gig and I fully went thrifting for things to decorate my cubicle. That’s because I actually feel more productive and creative in a space that reminds me of the full life I live outside of work. And even though an office or cubicle is a transient space, we spend so much time at work that I think it’s more than worth it to invest a little time in making it a comfortable space. So here’s how I’d decorate an office (even if you want to remain a slight professional mystery).

Start with Degrees & School Artifacts

This is an easy one, and a really simple way to fill wall space without getting too personal. Get your degree(s) and license(s) professionally framed, and bring a few Command strips to work if you’re iffy on nail holes (though I would encourage you to just go for it). An even more fun way to incorporate your schooling is through collegiate memorabilia like pennants and flags (I love a good pennant), framed jerseys, or even an illustration of your college campus. 

Bring in Warm Lighting 

Don’t sleep on the immediately cozy effect of a warm light in an office. So often, offices are sterile, fluorescent environments that do nothing to inspire you to linger and finish your work. I love a little lamp at a desk, because you can turn off the “big light” for a cozy vibe, or at the very least, add some warmth to your cool-toned space. I got Jeffery a classic banker’s lamp for his desk (it’s giving lawyer!), and I brought this adorable battery-powered lamp to my last cubicle for a little light. 

Add Framed Art & Photos

If you want a piece of home and your loved ones on your desk, by all means, print some pics out and throw them in some thrifted frames. But if you do want to keep your personal life personal, there’s plenty of art that can be meaningful to you while not inviting questions and conversation from coworkers. I’m not really big on displaying photos even in our apartment, but I have lots of things on the walls that remind me of specific people and times. A receipt from a local restaurant signifies the dinner Jeffery and I had the night we got engaged, an illustration of Tower Bridge reminds me of my friend Sophia in London, a framed tour tee brings me back to a very special John Mayer show with my friend Kaileigh.

Collect Books & Tchotchkes 

Last but not least: Build up your collection of little objects and bring in a few books you’d like to display. When I worked in print magazines, we got sent a zillion books for potential review, and I amassed a little library of design books, novels to grab for train reading, and some cofffe-table-turned-desk books. I also like to keep mugs, coffee supplies, and a little tray for corralling stuff like sunglasses, keys, AirPods, etc.

Need a gift suggestion for your mother-in-law’s birthday? Stuck on how to rearrange the furniture in your living room? Want to know what to do with a jar of marinated artichokes? Come to mama. Hit me up with your questions, and I'll answer them in an upcoming letter.