A Cookie Tale

I Know How To Pick'Em · by Marina Khorosh

“Night at the Urban Farm” by Kelcey Vossen

(Warning: this story contains numerous bad cookie puns. Dieters must proceed with caution.)

I love cookies. You love cookies. Everyone and their mother, elusive French people included, love ‘les cookies’, a universal symbol of comfort and happiness. That said, when Raya recently matched me with the owner of a trending New York cookie chain, I couldn’t help but be very excited. Unlike the DJs, producers, photographers (shudder) and actors (double shudder) that Raya stocks in abundance, the profession of cookie entrepreneur suggested an appreciation for other things warm and cuddly like curvy bodies and quirky personalities. The cookies, granted, were vegan and organic but, hey, tomayto tomahto, right?

10 Commandments of Dating a Brooklyn Hipster

Typecasting · by Marina Khorosh

Whilst moving back from Paris six months ago, I bitterly bid adieu to many things I loved – fresh croissants, Dries sample sales, cheap travel, men in great suits, the list goes on. In the midst of these misgivings, one of the consolatory thoughts that kept me going was the knowledge that New York had evolved significantly over the years, propelling the rise of an entire new micro-oasis, equipped with its own cultural trends, sartorial codes, and my own personal form of male kryptonite – Brooklyn hipsters in all their disheveled glory! After months of extensive research via the powers bestowed upon me by Raya (who should probably pay me, at this point!), I am pleased to present the 10 Commandments that one should follow if attempting to navigate the wacky waters of this outer borough!

When it Comes to Dating, do Political Views Matter?

Off the Record · by Marina Khorosh

Politics, money, religion. Three topics the Miss Manners in you is supposed to steer the f*ck away from in all social predicaments where peace is prioritized. However, seeing as most interesting conversations inadvertently lead back to one of these three topics, sitting in front of someone with no opinions on politics, money or religion, would lead me to believe they are less of a Miss Manners and more of a Miss-Still-Waiting-For-That-GED.

Considering the befuddling progression of the current US election, political discourse, in particular, has become an integral part of every dinner conversation, secondary only to the menu options. That said, how does this affect the already-perplexing dynamic of dating, where two people are not simply exchanging opinions, but evaluating each other on those insignificant things such as, you know, compatible values? Are opposing political views a crystal ball of doom, or could they play into the whole ‘opposites attract’ adage? Curious to find an answer to these taxing questions, I decided to grill my friends, singles and couples alike, on their stance on this matter!

6 Sleep Freaks Every Woman Needs to Know

Typecasting · by Marina Khorosh

When it comes to a new relationship, nothing is scarier than that first night of sleeping together. I’m not referring to copulation as much as the actual act of co-sleeping, a far more delicate process that immediately determines your subconscious chemistry and compatibility. Not only is there the fear that you won’t vibe well together (nothing is worse than an awkward little spoon feels), but there is also that hidden chance that your Prince Charming by day will turn into a Sleep Freak by night, falling into one of the following categories that every woman should have on her radar!

The Story of Jason Segel, the Reformed Commitment-Phobe

I Know How To Pick'Em · by Marina Khorosh

Illustration by the uber-talented Kelcey Vossen

In the game of sourcing Dbag Dating content, I often feel like the mountain that is constantly chasing down Muhammad via every Bumble and Raya vehicle available, which makes it quite nice when Muhammad occasionally shows up to the mountain in the form of a completely impromptu encounter, reaffirming my faith that meeting unhinged human beings really is my true calling.

Let’s throw it back one month, to the first Friday night in February. #DryJanuary is officially over, I’m back to myself drinking, the world is making sense again. I also have no social life to speak of, so I take a friend up on an offer to go to some random guy’s going-away party in Nolita. Two hours later, I’m standing in the middle of one of the most bizarre places I have ever been to in NYC – it’s called Tropical 128 and it looks like a merger between a Cancun beach bar and a traditional pool hall, swarming with underage NYU kids and the occasional LES hipster. Our party is concentrated by the pool table, where I spot human kryptonite in the form of a tall, tattooed, man-bunned hipster strutting around with a pool stick and a very serious look on his face. It’s one of those situations where I can probably spend all night swapping cool stats with him if I really want to, except that it’s a new year and I have resolved to grow a brain.

“Do you think ‘View Collect’ is a good name for a company?”

French Girls Do Everything Better, Even Instagram (And It’s Because They Don’t Care)

DD x Vogue · by Marina Khorosh

Selfies. Engagement. Follower ratio. Digital footprint. Previously reserved exclusively for the blogger set, self-marketing terminology has become an essential part of our daily vernacular. Admit it: How many times have you gone somewhere “just for the picture,” or made your friends reenact a fun moment so you could capture it in better lighting? And for those of us who feel kind of awkward posting that new Loewe bag on Instagram, there is now Snapchat, where shameless self-promotion can be subdued via a few cleverly placed emojis! In the moments that we aren’t posting, we are watching (read: stalking), observing, and building a bizarre viral fascination with people we have never met in person. While I understand that this is the name of the game, it occasionally scares me when my New York friends know what color Gucci loafers Chiara Ferragni has in her closet. This is a phenomenon I never really encountered in my years of living in Paris. And so I wondered: Is it just that I never noticed, or is it possible that our social media epidemic somehow bypassed the trend-resilient French, kind of like ’80s fitness-mania and athleisure?