Month: September 2014

Long Live Adulthood

First God, then rock, now this? According to a story in this week’s New York Times Magazine, adulthood is dead.

Nevermind that “[Concept] is dead” is the academic equivalent of click bait. In this case, the social media headline might read: “A respected New York Times cultural critic makes a bold statement. What he says will surprise you!” Unlike click bait, the content is indeed surprising and even worth reading; it’s also a bit off the mark.

Black is Back: 6 Foods for My Former Goth Self

You know Halloween spirit is ramping up when black food stories start making the rounds.

Burger King in Japan actually introduced the black-bunned burger two years ago, but it appears they’ve just stepped it up with a black cheese black bun burger with black ketchup.

It’s a specialty item that’s expected to be available for a limited time. As one reader commented on the Kotaku post, this is definitely a “stunt burger.” A quick look at the press it’s already gotten in the last day, however, and it’s safe to say it’s a pretty successful stunt. Successful enough that we’ll ever see this item stateside? Who knows.

10 Silly Kitchen Gadgets (Justified)

For someone who lives in a modest Brooklyn apartment, I collect kitchen items as if I own Martha Stewart’s personal kitchen. Of course I’ve never seen Martha’s digs, but I imagine her cooking nook is as large as my entire abode.

Some of my cooking doodads do elicit appropriate ooohs and aaahs of admiration, but many have been denied the respect that they so rightly deserve. Which is to say, I’ve been mocked mercilessly (often by my own partner) for owning not only unnecessary, but “ridiculous” gadgets. Here are ten maligned items that I will shamelessly defend.

On Re-Finding Feminism

Not just as a woman but as a human being, I appreciate and support all of the women and men out there who dig into gender issues, helping us to improve our thinking and keep us working toward true equality everywhere. It’s not normally an area I tend to write about. Maybe I’ve been a little overwhelmed by the vastness of the history. Maybe I’m afraid I’ll do more harm than good … and better to shut up than make things worse. Most likely I’ve been in a 15-year depression on the subject after writing an article about the rapes at Woodstock ’99.

The Tragedy of Modern TV Comedy

Seth Meyers’ opening monologue of the 2014 Emmys was wonderful in many ways. But there was one joke in particular that grabbed me. It was truly brilliant in being funny… until I managed to think too hard about how true it is.

To whit:

“We had so many great shows submitted this year. We had comedies that made you laugh, and comedies that made you cry… because they were dramas submitted as comedies.”