New York City: Concrete Jungle of.. Too Many Choices? 

Dear loyal readers, you will have to excuse me for my recent laziness. However, I have a valid excuse, as I am currently in New York City, experiencing an ongoing case of FOMO x ADD. From foods made out of alien super food ingredients, to clothing from every brand under the sun, to a seemingly insatiable pool of men in (occasionally poorly cut) suits, New York presents a land of endless options that make focusing on just one thing damn near impossible.

In fact, I am becoming convinced that living, dating, merely surviving in this city requires a strong sense of balance and priorities, and an even stronger selective capabilities. Anything other than that lends itself to one out of two extremes. Case in point: the other day, I wandered into Whole Foods and walked out with roughly the entire store of groceries, all of which tantalized my senses but could not be combined into one cohesive meal. The following day, I walked into the exact same store and left with one stevia-laden coconut juice, frustrated by the endless food gazebo to the point where I actually wanted nothing. Although I realize that making an analogy between food shopping and dating is the stuff of a Carrie Bradshaw writers block (“Are men like socks?”), the two seem to have some valid parallels.

Just like you mustn’t shop when you are hungry, you mustn’t date when you are desperate, stacking up on unnecessary, unhealthy items that will leave you with nothing but a lingering sense of nausea. You must know in advance approximately what you are looking for, which will allow you to prioritize and navigate the selection on a clear head. You must acknowledge that certain things  (cake pops / basic rich boy douchebags) are bad for you, while others (chia-coconut-hemp seed rice pudding / artists with man buns) serve absolutely no purpose. Lastly, you must  remember that at times, the best things are those without the fancy packaging and the unnecessary glitz and glamor.

The truth is, too many options are not always a good thing. As human beings, we sometimes cope better with a more narrow selection, adapting more effectively  to things that are handed to us, which is the reason why the old-school formula behind the recent phenomenon à la Marriage at First sight is not as crazy as it may seem. Sometimes, its best not to choose. But in a city like New York, you will always have to.

In short, living and dating in this city requires a sharp mind, a sense of focus and balance, a very keen knowledge of who you are and what you are looking for. If you manage to attain that, preferably sans prescription pills and obsessive health tendencies that seem to engulf so many of the city dwellers, you are golden. Then, it can truly be that incredible city that dreams are made of, a land limitless opportunities, the American Dream at its finest. Perhaps, even a potential reason to erase the Tour Eiffel on and skinny little Hipster couple from this blog’s header and replace it with a financier and a Freedom Tower. (Hint much?!) And in the meantime, rest assured that I am saturating what the city has to offer and conducting some kick-ass experimental research that you will undoubtedly hear about next week!