My passion for writing isn't limited to just advertising; it takes many shapes and forms.
Essay: "Festival of Lights"
Shredded potatoes fry on the pan to a perfect golden brown crisp. The sweet smell of onion dances into my nostrils. As the sun outside lowers, a cozy dimmed lighting rises and embraces our kitchen. Each of us divide and conquer to put the finishing touches on the highly anticipated Hanukkah dinner. My brother Andrew excitedly chops up the fruit for fruit salad. Strawberries add a bright pop next to the dull melons. I feel like one of these strawberries: excited and dancing spastically amongst the calm melon-like vibes that surround me. It is both riveting and frustrating. I just want time to speed up. I want the meal already.
My brother Adam puts the apple sauce and sour cream into their respective bowls; very different flavors come together to compliment each other- kind of like the members of my family. I delicately and thoughtfully begin my job: setting the table.
As I put a fork down at each place, I envision what kinds of foods it will soon be sinking its prongs into. Sweet, cinnamon-y, warm apple kugel. Greasy, crispy latkes doused in wet, sweet, and creamy toppings. I place the knives down next. These will soon meet slobs of juicy brisket and loaves of plush freshly baked challah. Willingly leaving their mark on important pieces of the meal, allowing us to enjoy them.
Now for the spoons. The spoons will have the pleasure of finding themselves in deep, seemingly endless, bowls of matzah ball soup. They will carry pools of rich savory broth, glistening a golden color that sparkles with my mother’s rings as she prepares it. My mother is deliberate in her cooking, the way she is deliberate in her life. She knows what she wants. Whether it’s the perfect shade of matzoh balls, or to get a certain job, my mother has goals that she will always strive to achieve. And never stop until she does...
The spoons will be the transporter from bowl-to-mouth of round and loosely formed matzoh balls. These balls are inherently crumby and rough around the edges. But, somehow, when we use this spoon to cut into them before eating, the balls always fall perfectly into two smooth halves with no bumps in sight, ready to melt in our mouths. You could call it a holiday miracle.
Since Hanukkah is the festival of lights, we cannot enjoy dinner until we light candles. We gather around our kitchen island in a circle, where the symbolic fixture of the menorah holds us together. My brother takes the magical honor of lighting. Only three, since we are on the third of eight days. First, he lights the shammash. The shammash is historically granted the special job of lighting the other candles. He gracefully spreads the fire across the candles. As the flames spread, our faces become lit and the room feels warmer- though unclear if the warmth came from the newly lit candles or within ourselves.
We recite the prayers.
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam... Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.
Now, it’s time for the most exciting part of the night: present opening. Each perfectly wrapped mystery glistens in front of the living room fireplace, hoping to be chosen on this night. Blue wrapping with dreidel print, silver wrapping with white Stars of David. After deliberate thinking, I choose a small box in the corner. Sometimes the smallest of things bring the largest amounts of happiness. Inside of it something beautiful awaits. Something special and something mine. Something I share with those around me, but something I keep close to my heart and call my own. As I am about to unveil the big surprise of what’s inside, I look around the room. The family is close. The spirits are high. I feel thankful. I feel content.
It’s as if Hanukkah is a present in itself. Hanukkah may only be 8 days of the long 365-day-year, but it is full of such profound happiness. Wrapped with anticipation and sealed with a bow made of community. Despite it being small in the grand scheme of the year, it has such powerful impacts on how I view my family and the world around me. Hanukkah is the small present in the back corner of the year. Small but mighty. So much joy contained in such a small package. It’s mine, but really it’s ours.
And so I slowly start to unwrap the paper...
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A Memoir: "The Shiva"
Heavy tears fall down soft cheeks. Lifeless, closed-mouth smiles act as a weak dam to stop the salty water from rushing out. Familiar yet unknown guests hug me sweetly and guide me with empty words. “Don’t worry Amy, it’s going to be okay.” We stand gathered in my grandparents’ home, but, now it is just my grandma.
The air in the house is thick with vivid memories. Every painting I lock eyes with and couch I lay on, I am reminded of what once was but never will be again. A statue of a young girl stands in the corner. She has always had eyes that seem to follow you as you walk by. But, this time, her eyes are still on me as I walk far away down the dreary hallway. I stop. I look back. She’s still staring. She knows.
My dad never cries. But this morning when I walked past the bathroom, I heard a muffled weep seeping out of the bathroom door, with the foggy steam of the shower, bringing condensation to the cold and uncomfortable vibes of the house.
As a mere 6 year old, I can’t comprehend death. But the 7.0 earthquake of emotions cracking my father’s typically composed exterior left me with a burning and helpless sensation inside. 15 years later, I can identify this emotion: desperation.
At the shiva, there are cookies and cake and lots of beautifully catered desserts. I eat my chocolate chip cookie- soft and chewy, just as I like it- and look up at the tall adults above me. Small talk and snacks.
I stuff myself with treats that usually leave me full and happy. But no amount of sweetness was enough to fill the bitter void within me.
How can we cover up what has happened with a sprinkle of sugar and an orgy of futile embraces? I am perplexed and frustrated. The other children sit down in a circle. They have toys. They play games. They laugh. But my grandpa is still dead.
Mortality. A new concept to me. One day someone is here. With you. You can touch them and feel them and see them and love them. And the next day, all you can do is the latter.
My family gets to keep his watch. It smells like him. His cologne- deep and mysterious like the man he was- smells kind of like an old wooden table at camp, sprinkled with cinnamon and splashed with hard alcohol.
I do remember that I would sneak into the room where we kept the watch, just to take a whiff. I was 6 years old, I couldn’t comprehend death. But still, each and every time I looked at the watch. Looked at my father. Looked at my brothers. Looked at my grandma. But couldn’t look at my grandpa, I felt a burning and helpless sensation inside.
Desperation.
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Humorous Food Review: "I Tried The New Starbucks Everything Croissant" (Featured on Spoon University)
You know when you wake up and crave something savory, but have eaten one too many everything bagels lately? These are real problems that lazy, hungover college students face on the reg. Well, this past January, Starbucks released a new product that is changing the breakfast game: an Everything Croissant. For just $3.25, you can experience this new take on traditional breakfast foods.
I set out to try the new concoction, so I could tell you what it's all about. Here's what I thought:
The Appearance
If a croissant got caught in a hailstorm of seeds, it would look a little something like the Everything Croissant. Or maybe if a regular croissant was going incognito, hiding from the paparazzi. Next to predictable banana breads and blueberry muffins, the Everything Croissant is a bit of an intriguing mystery.
The Taste
The taste of the Everything Croissant is very unique. Unlike an everything bagel, the croissant contains three kinds of cheese. There is a delicious asiago running through each bite, as well as Gruyère and Fontina. Because of these light but distinguishable cheesy flavors, the croissant takes on a more sophisticated taste than an everything bagel.
It tastes like you just woke up in a Paris hotel, and a Room Service waiter that looks and sounds like Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet speaking French has gifted you with his presence, espresso, and an Everything Croissant.
As unsophisticated and contradictory this sounds to the European dream image I mentioned, the cheesy croissant truly has a Goldfish-like taste—in the best way possible. I mean, who doesn't like Goldfish? If a Goldfish cracker took a bath in a buttery batter and jumped into a pile of everything seasoning, it'd taste a little something like this.
The Texture
The texture is a bit crunchy on the outside with just enough chewiness from the flaky inside. The seeds obviously add a little more bang with each bite, and really spice up (no pun intended) the average consistency of a croissant. I recommend ripping it rather than biting to get the full effect of the doughy insides.
Since it IS a croissant and not a bagel, the butteriness is not lost. Each bite there is that creamy, but not overwhelming, buttery feel. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. In the picture below, you can see some of the layers of deliciousness that stack up to create the inside of this product.
I would recommend this product to anyone who wants something ~classier~ than an everything bagel, but not as #basic as a croissant. Instead of eating an everything bagel from a local bagel store in NYC as you rush to your internship, this croissant has different sensual and relaxing connotations.
Despite its cheesy flavoring, this product is anything but "cheesy." The concept is new and exciting, and I think it's something everyone should check out. Be prepared to bite into something like you've never had before.
**Espresso, a trip to Paris, and Timothée Chalamet not included in the purchase of this product.**
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Poem: "He Won't"
He says he would be honest. He won’t.
Mental health has been abused and molded into excuses. He has set a fire to disguise deep and ugly lies with the gasoline of manipulation, and a match struck by anxiety.
Only he can stop the fire. He won’t.
Sometimes the most empty of words, void of meaning they promise to carry, strike us in the most profound ways.
I need you. I like you. I miss you. The nothingness that exists between the words. Fabrications of the truth he should admit is no longer there. He won't.
You know you are better. You know you deserve better. You deserve someone who would run to you no matter the situation, he won’t.
His tornado of personal problems has the ability to sweep people up until they can’t stand the ride anymore. In prioritizing himself, he misses out on people and things that could be.
People better than him. People who have been there for him. People who have cared for him. People he would be lucky to continue knowing.
But people he won’t.
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Horoscopes: "Which LaCroix Flavor You Should Drink Based On Your Zodiac Sign" (Featured on Spoon University)
It's true, people can get pretty crazy about their signs. Like OMG, Mercury is in retrograde! I guess I have to marry a Virgo now, and I should be extra cautious of people being nice to me today. If you believe in the power of the stars, you can base a lot of your choices on what the stars say—even down to the LaCroix flavor you should drink.
Whether you believe in all this stuff or it just leaves you confused, here are the flavors of LaCroix you should drink based on your zodiac sign.
Aquarius: Peach Pear
You're an independent woman/man and don't need no simple flavor. You like new and exciting things, aka peach doesn't cut it, and neither does pear. Peach-pear, though, is something new and different. Therefore, you obvi have to try it because you thrive off of anything not #basic.
Pisces: Cran-Raspberry
You're balancing your sensitive and gentle side with your artsy and friendly side. Like, you wanna go out with your friends and be social, but you also wanna lay in your bed and watch a documentary. Therefore, you need a drink that is a little bit of both. The cranberry side is more subtle and reserved, while the raspberry side is full of pizazz and will motivate you to change into going out clothes and wash it down with vodka.
Aries: Lime
You are confident, enthusiastic, and optimistic. You know how to put the lime in the coconut, and you will be the one to shake it all up. The green coloration on the can is bright and cheery, reflecting your positive outlook toward all things. Cause hey, even if you're having a sh**ty day, at least you are #blessed to drink such a delicious drink.
Taurus: Pure
You're patient and practical. With your rational and level-headedness, you probably never impulsively buy cookies at 2 am. Lucky you. The "pure" flavor is for you. With no flavoring, it is practical and knows it doesn't need a distinct flavor to make it taste good.
Gemini: Orange
You are gentle and affectionate. Kinda like your mom always tells you to eat oranges and drink OJ when you're sick, people love to hang out with you when they need a reboot of energy. The citrusy flavor and warm color is sure to fit your aesthetic.
Cancer: Tangerine
You are imaginative and emotional, yet also kind of manipulative—aka, you know you're not just an orange. You are a freakin' tangerine. You're probably the person who didn't tell anyone that they applied early decision to a college, and thrive off of wearing socks that don't match (I'm talking polka dots on the left and a solid color on the right). You describe the color as not orange, but "a light shade of tangerine."
Leo: Coconut
You are innovative and passionate, yet dramatic. Coconut water is overrated, and you know it. You deserve a unique drink with an intense flavor, just like you. Try the coconut flavor to channel your creative side and shake things up.
Virgo: Lemon
You are shy, kind, and analytical. Like the lemon flavor, you are also zesty and sharp. But, your smartness sometimes turns into overthinking, like when you don't get a text back for two minutes and 33 seconds. Don't worry, though, this lemon flavor is simple and delicious. You'll have nothing to stress about when you drink this.
Libra: Berry
You are indecisive and avoid confrontation. Naturally, you should drink the flavor that doesn't know what it really is. It doesn't want to decide if it's more of a strawberry or a blueberry. So, it doesn't pick sides, and instead is just "berry." We both know you haven't slept in days because the huge decision of which LaCroix flavor to buy next has been hanging over your head. Fear no more.
Scorpio: Piña Frase
You are resourceful and brave. You deserve a drink that is just as brave as you are. Pineapple mixed with strawberry? Ballsy. This is the perfect flavor for you to show off how daring you are. Plus, it probably makes a delicious low-cal mixed drink. Classic you, being resourceful and all.
Sagittarius: Passionfruit
You speak your mind and have plenty of opinions. It's only appropriate that Drake sings a song about the flavor you should drink. Just as Drake is open about the way he feels and belts it out, so do you. You're honest that you only love your bed and your momma.... and Passionfruit LaCroix. I'm sorry.
Capricorn: Pamplemousse
You're kind of a know-it-all, but it's OK. If someone ever offered you a grapefruit-flavored drink, you'd smile and ask for Pamplemousse instead. You' already know that the word simply means grapefruit in French, because you instantly Googled it before cracking open your first can back in the day.
Next time you are craving a light and refreshing beverage, try the LaCroix flavor that fits your sign. You'll feel more balanced and aligned, or at least hydrated.
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