I also recommend the “coffee can” trick, which primarily helped us curb our cat’s behavior when she’s about to jump on something she isn’t supposed to (or about to knock down something). You just get an empty coffee can with a lid, throw in a handful of change, then put the lid back on. Shake this when the cat is…

Yeah, I don’t think there’s much we can do. My husband gets annoyed because my cat does the same thing that yours does — she’ll climb on a sofa to bat at art, and she used to chew all of our chargers (until we implemented a strict hiding protocol) — but I think it’s just something to try to live around and find the…

That litter box story is horrible and one of the reasons why I stopped watching that show — some of those owners were, in my opinion, abusive. (Ham guy aside, because his oversight is that cat’s gain.)

My cat loves me a little TOO much. I used to live on the second floor of an old brownstone, and when I’d walk up to the front steps, she would meow down to me from the window — and as I’d walk up the stairs to my apartment, I’d hear her jump down and run to the door. She also used to enjoy surprising me by jumping…

He once answered a question about how to deal with my (very clingy, active, un-shy, and perpetually-in-my-face) cat*, and his answer completely underwhelmed me: “Well, it sounds like you have a relationship with your cat.”

I really love how those hangers keep everything up in a much better way (especially slippery fabrics) BUT they are a magnet for every little bit of dust in the house. It’s not like we’re living in the Haunted Mansion or anything. I ended up keeping a few for blouses and thin-strapped dresses, but going back to the…

I always thought she would have slightly more conservative tastes in footwear, but then I read an anecdote ages ago (I think from one of Simon Doonan’s books?) about how she buys tons from Louboutin but would require all the soles painted black instead of red.

Oh, my grandmother was Italian. (My dad’s mother on the other hand, super WASP.) Her sauce was great, but she was not immune to mid-century fanciful cooking, especially for entertaining. There’s also the fact that her family moved a bit — so the garlic and olive oil that was plentiful in circa-1950s NYC was a little…

Or you can just buy a low-sodium sauce.

I do think food has become a form of class signaling, especially after the recession. Where you shop, what brands you buy (like not buying “name brand” stuff), how often you shop, how much you pay for fresh ingredients, whether or not you’re making things “fresh,” etc.

Funny you should mention the Save-a-Lot aversion your friend has, because I have noticed a weird resistance to grocery shopping by millennials. I’m not sure what your age group is, but I’m on the old end of that one. There are certain grocery stores that are considered acceptable (up here, that’s Wegmans, Trader…

The pre-made cheese plates are wonderful — our closest grocery store also assembles them on an actual board and even includes garnishes. This is the same grocery store that has a really great patisserie in addition to the standard bakery department. But guess what? Because they haven’t really updated the decor in a…

They also pay their employees a living wage AND treat them humanely (not crazy hours, giving them ergonomic seating at the register, etc).

I found a copy of that at a rummage sale and I love it! I wish they’d do an updated version with the same tone, but I think the “clean eating/everything lovingly bought organic at a charmingly themed farmer’s market/cooking IS LOVE AND EASY DON’T BE LAZY!” group would have a collective stroke. It’s not that I hate…

Let’s trade then — I’ll give you the cream cheese if I can have the buttercream! Cupcake friends forever.

You know, I feel that way about cream cheese frosting. Even when fresh, it just overpowers everything. (And I love cream cheese, so I’m not sure why I hate cream cheese frosting so much!) But to me, a good buttercream can rescue even a stale box cake. Or a piece of cardboard.

Is your problem just with frosting then? I understand that, especially if we’re talking about the canned stuff. But I don’t always assume something came from a box (which honestly doesn’t bother me unless it’s a bad flavor or something) because it has frosting. Many cakes are served frosted, after all.

Yes! They travel at least an hour to go to Trader Joe’s. It’s maddening.

Well yes, that definitely makes them snobs. That’s not without irony, since they happen to live in a neighborhood where the only restaurant is an Applebee’s. 

I love Aldi! But the problem is that there’s a distinct slice of the general population who fancy themselves as affluent. To these insecure people who conflate food with class (which they always do), Aldi is very affordable therefore it must be where “poor people” shop. And if they shop there, then they think that…