Whenever the song by the Killers, 'Mr Brightside,' comes on, I am suddenly 18 again and waking up in my dorm room in Los Angeles as it plays on my radio alarm clock. I am not hungover – I didn't drink my freshman year – but I am exhausted from refusing to turn down any …
Roman Holiday
You know that moment when you revisit something – or somewhere – that you loved as a child only to discover it's not exactly how you remembered it? The first time I watched Roman Holiday was in preparation for my first trip out of the country. I was 11 and my extend family was going to …
Cuban Ropa Vieja, for Afar
I know I didn't write all that much about Cuba, in the end, but hopefully this piece I wrote for AFAR magazine's October 2013 issue – about ropa vieja, paladares, and the Revolution – will make up for it. Oh, and if you do ever make it to Havana, be sure to have dinner at …
On the Road Again
I know I've been remiss in my posting duties, but I've pretty much been working non-stop since the summer, so I've been cooking and going to movies less than I would like. I'm in the middle of four or five books, too, all of which I can recommend, but none of which I've finished. For …