issue one, round three q&a: oreos--the great divider
welcome back to the most awkward part of your week, where we divulge a little too much information about our contributors. check out who's united on the sweet/savory front--and why two of us won't be sharing dessert any time soon.
ready? dig in with:
Kelsey Nolan, Isabella Bejarano, Jenna Arak, Chrysanthe Tan, Nicole Kelly, and Taylor Lauren Yates.
what's a food or food combination you love that most people find appalling?
KN: when I was little, my mom made me taquitos from the freezer with applesauce on the side, and the two would always run together, mixing flavors. one day I just started dipping the taquitos into the applesauce. the savory and sweet. gets me every time. also, she used to make my grilled cheese with mustard—I think because we were poor and she used cheap cheese, the mustard really spiced things up. now I can’t have grilled cheese without it.
IB: I’m a huge fan of many sweet/savory combinations. the least common has to be French fries dipped in vanilla ice cream—hasn’t happened in a while but it’s definitely up there.
JA: I really love mayonnaise—I don't know if most people find it appalling (how could they, it's SO GOOD), but my husband gags when I put mayo (and a lot of it) on a burger.
CT: frozen peas.
NK: I don’t think I do any combos that are that weird, or anyway no one is appalled by them (confirmed by an informal survey). oreos slathered with peanut butter…cheerios and PB&J? I always talk about putting pizza on a burger, and most people support it. (seriously though, who could have a problem with these combos? they’re delicious.)
TLY: I’ll eat just about anything savory, but my list of rejects is full of classic American sweets. oreos? cardboard. cheesecake? baby vomit. peanut butter+chocolate or mint+chocolate? GROSS GET OFF ME. otherwise, it’s not what I’ll eat, but when I’ll eat it that’s appalling—I'll just say I'm no stranger to food poisoning and leave it at that.
what's one word you used to mispronounce or misspell for far longer than socially acceptable?
KN: so many, but I’ll stick to the recurring ones: license. exercise. cuticle. maintenance. I always try to add like six extra c’s into those words, and I’m not sure why. also, lieutenant—I won’t pretend like I didn’t just rely on Microsoft Word to fix that one for me.
IB: I have to think twice before I say tortoise. I’m so proud when [I think] I pronounce it properly, but for some reason my brain wants it to be “tor-to-ease.”
JA: I know I've mispronounced words before, and continue to do so all the time. like, is it Los Feh-LEEZ or Los FEEL-iz? but I can't think of any other specific one that I've held onto.
CT: I thought my name was Chrysanthemum until 6th grade.
NK: I cannot spell judgmental correctly, ever. words with double letters. warrantee. recommendation.
TLY: my dysgraphic fingers make me a serial mispeller. any time I type gonna it morphs into a mystical creature named “goonan.” I can’t spell eczema to save my life. exzema? ecxema? noxema?? also, please don't make me say respite.
the female equivalent of boxers or briefs: padded, demi, or unlined?
KN: I grew boobs way earlier than my friends, and my mom insisted I wear unlined bras for far longer than was aesthetically pleasing. I think she and I were both trying to hide what was happening. but now, for lift and separation (what gross concepts)—demi. I don’t need any extra padding and unlined would just position my boobs at my belly button.
IB: a couple years ago, I switched to unlined only, and now I can’t go back to anything else, it just seems stiff and uncomfortable. when I look at older pictures, lined cups stand out like shoulder pads on my boobs, hot.
JA: oh, padded! I have always and will forever be grateful for the extra "oomph."
CT: on me, or other people?
NK: unlined if I must but when I turned 30 and quit all my jobs to write, I also quit bras. never going back! to either.
TLY: my bra preference contradicts my relationship with modesty. I was generously endowed in high school and developed disdain for any bra that enhanced what was already too much. I’ve gotten smaller since but I still loathe anything more than a lightly lined bra. that said, my nipples are mischievous. if I had Jennifer Aniston nipples—poised and graceful—I’d let them be. but they will not be tamed. am I wearing a scarf or holding my arms in front of my chest when you see me? nipple patrol.
if you could only read one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
KN: THIS IS TOO HARD. what if I’m feeling ineloquent? or uninspired? or upset about where we are in the fight for feminism? fine, fine. I’m going to go with Caitlin Moran’s How to Be a Woman because basically, she covers all of those issues in one unapologetic shot.
IB: old letters and cards from friends and family—I save them all. every now and then when I find one in a book or drawer I read it. it’s a nice reminder of that person and my relationship with them, and I instantly feel lifted.
JA: this is an insanely difficult question to answer, but probably Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Anne is my spiritual mentor (though she doesn't know it--yet] in writing, in spirituality, in life. and I will forever turn to her words for the encouragement (read: kick in the ass) that I need to be a better writer and better person.
CT: I’d rather save this question like it’s my last wish.
NK: One Hundred Years of Solitude—the longest and (more importantly) most luscious read I can think of. pretty sure I could feast on it for eternity.
TLY: East of Eden is my bible (ha), timshel is my driving force, and I reread all 601 pages every couple of years to remind myself thou mayest as well as remember that all this practice is bound to get me somewhere, eventually.