Common on greeting cards and dorm room posters, black-eyed Susans, known as an “aggressive perennial” (translation: a nuisance), are underappreciated. They bloom their hearts out from June to October—that’s nearly half the year, folks!—and then, as the petals fade and fall, the center turns into a
What makes the Alphasmart Neo interesting is what it doesn't do. It's a word processor--a full-sized keyboard with a six-line LCD screen--and that's all. For writers like me who can't stand writing longhand but fall prey to the
Besides appreciating certain olfactory delights on their own merits, I am a normal neurotic American, bombarded with commercial messages about personal malodorousness: breath, body, foot, hair, and clothing, not to mention my indulgence in what is to some the anti-social habit of smoking cigars. Thus, I approve of Kiehl&
Peanut butter, banana, and honey. What could possibly flatter this tercet of deliciousness? I’ll tell you: pork fat. In a peanut butter, banana, honey, and bacon sandwich, your taste buds begin with the sweet, kind crunch of peanut butter and conclude with the savory, ineffable joy of bacon. After
For years, I have eaten yogurt every morning—Dannon’s Fruit on the Bottom, Yoplait’s Original strawberry. All I can say is: Never again. Recently, I tried Fage Total Greek yogurt, and I’m hooked. It’s like the gold standard of dairy—tangy, tart, creamy, smooth. It’s
If you want to know how European capitalists spend their copious amounts of disposable income and leisure time there is no more entertaining source than the Saturday Financial Times. The FT Weekend section has excellent coverage of books, music, film, art, theater, fashion, architecture, wine, food, and travel, all from
No doubt in the future all our food will come out of pouches and packets, obviating the need for Cuisinart, All-Clad, and Wusthof doo-dads. My trusty rice cooker has been shelved since I discovered Zatarain's microwaveable rice pouches, 10 flavors ready in 60 seconds. Straight from
Aunt Trudy’s potato salad lasts about nine seconds in your mouth, but the fork you used to put it there will still be in a landfill after all your kids are dead. Ditch the plastic and try using biodegradable tableware made from corn and potato resins. After lunch, dump
Enough of mall-rat Yankees gear. Show some style with replica baseball clothing from Ebbets Field Flannels. So money but you don’t even know it? Try a Hollywood Stars jersey on for size. If Che Guevara is more your thing, go for the Havana Cienfuegos, motto: “The Elephant’s
A few weeks ago, I bought a curious Japanese tea set at a flea market. When you hold the tiny teacups to the light, you see a ghostly image of a geisha impressed in the porcelain at the bottom. I’ve since learned that these are Lithophane cups, produced from
