Appetizers

“I don’t do spicy,” my friend Mark had declared for years whenever the topic of Korean food came up. For a solid decade, he avoided … Read more

Introduction My neighbor, Mrs. Caldwell, watched me wrestle with a mound of soggy zucchini slices one humid Saturday afternoon and didn’t say anything at first. … Read more

Introduction “The big game was in less than two hours, and I was staring at a nearly empty fridge. Everyone else was rolling in with … Read more

The summer I turned thirty, I was reorganizing my tiny apartment kitchen when my quiet next-door neighbor, Mr. Jenkins—the accountant who never said much beyond … Read more

“Why can’t we just grate the zucchini raw and fry it straight away?” my friend asked while we were prepping dinner one humid summer evening. … Read more

Introduction The summer I turned thirty, I was grabbing a quick coffee at a corner café when the sharp tang of hot sauce in the … Read more

“Last Saturday morning wasn’t anything special,” my neighbor called out as I stepped onto the porch. I’d just popped over to borrow a cup of … Read more

There used to be a quaint little diner tucked away on a quiet street corner in Charleston, South Carolina, that made the most unforgettable creamy … Read more

“You gotta try these,” my neighbor Todd said, sliding a plate of nachos across the fence one sunny Saturday afternoon. I was fiddling with my … Read more

Introduction The neighborhood block party was in less than an hour and I’d just realized I hadn’t brought a single dish. Everyone else was hauling … Read more