Life is an existential card game. The random shuffling of genes and circumstance determine which cards you are dealt with. Perhaps you get a lucky first hand – good looks, good health, inherited wealth. Perhaps you start out disadvantaged. Nonetheless, this does not mean you have lost the game; you…
This recipe is surprisingly simple. Cookies can be difficult to make low-carb because the lack of sugar means it’s near impossible to get that chewy, caramelised texture. Here, we go for a different texture. Chewiness comes from shredded coconut bound by whipped egg whites. I just throw the whites into…
Modern feminists consider themselves the deities of female rights, the celebrants of women. In reality, feminists seem to condemn femininity. Some reject the very things that make women, well, women. Symbols of femininity have somehow become tools in an arsenal feminists like to call the “social construct”. The woke West…
The ‘hypoxymoron’: a hypocritical oxymoron. Many years ago I created this term to describe a strange phenomenon plaguing society. Hypoxymorons are the result of a chicken-and-egg scenario. A problem is identified, but when one attempts to solve it, they end up creating the very problem they wished to solve. This…
We all have something to be proud of. Maybe you’re proud of your all-nighter essay which got a first, or your 4-day Duolingo streak. Maybe you’re proud of your little brother for winning a swimming race you helped him train for. What confuses me, however, is pride in things we…
Genetic ethnicity testing is in vogue. Just pop a swab of saliva in the mail and an affordable test will reveal the components of your ethnicity. It’s the new form of heritage reconstruction, a ‘scientific’ confirmation of the family tree. After all, who doesn’t want to know what they’re…
Throughout my studies at university, I’ve thought of ways to apply anthropological reasoning to real life. One of the biggest issues I’ve found is the definition of a relationship. At what point do people consider themselves ‘committed’? Things may seem pretty reasonable at first glance. In conventional Western society,…
I’m just a woman muddling through life in an increasingly feminist society. The fight against misogyny, for equal rights and female success, seems pretty wonderful to me. However, we girls have backhanded ourselves by relinquishing the gift of ‘chivalry’. Chivalry used to mark the gentlemen from the ingrates. It…
I’ve probably said it before, but isn’t there something spectacularly dreamy about pistachios? Picture it: a queen or king, reclining on a silk-lined throne, popping each jade morsel into their mouth while date-palm fronds fan them from either side . . . Putting aside my life goals, let’s get down…
I’ve finally made it. A homemade version of my favourite Asian drink! Before you start your happy dance (because, yes, I admit that is exactly what I did), check your local Asian grocery stores. In New Zealand I couldn’t find bubble-tea-worthy tapioca pearls. You want the specific ones for making this drink…
