Monday, March 10, 2025

Lifestyle

Reflections on the perils of overthinking

here is a lot to be said for blind positivity. On a good day, I’m a manifester, a big believer in my ability to speak things into existence. During my English A-Level, I had complete confidence that the crystals hidden in my bra would provide enough luck to snag me an A*. Today, I put great faith in words, relying on the same ‘I can do it’ that gets Olympic athletes across the finish line, to help me through difficult situations.

The fourth year: Oxford after your year abroad

I’m now in my fourth year, and as such, must grapple with the reality of my Oxford days drawing to a close. Granted, this is something that every student must contend with, and I watched on as most of my friends bade a fond farewell to this city where our friendships began when they graduated last summer. Yet there is something about the fourth year that I’m certain makes the final year even more strange: a sense of something already lost, of living in a moment that has already passed.

An evening at Pierre Victoire: French bistro dining at its best

Pierre Victoire has been here on Little Clarendon Street for decades – one of...

Being Cupid isn’t easy: What I learned from a term of running Cherpse

Now, having exhausted myself with these relentless pursuits, the job has been passed on to a new bright-eyed Cupid, and in my retirement I’ve become fondly reflective, and decided to curate my insights into this list: 

Food for Comfort

Age 11, my secret banking password was RoastBeef, so, yes, I would call myself a foodie. Age 21, I eat three square meals under lockdown, so...

Home Workouts: A Guide

With term looming and a reading list down to our feet, we’re all getting our fair share of mental exercise. But with thinking comes frustration, and...

The Kitchen as a Political Space

Men tend to ‘enter into’ the kitchen whereas women are understood to be already there.

Genetically Modified Foods: Friend or Foe?

The EU has not approved any genetically modified (GM) fruit or vegetables as safe for human consumption and in the UK they are mainly used to...

Domestic, Religious, Uncanny: the Symbolism of Food in Art

The quotidian, comforting presence of food renders the trope ripe for subversion

A bygone age: restaurant reviews

I revel in the hyperbolic criticisms of journalists whose only job is to become eloquently irate about slightly sub-par food.

Hands or Cutlery? Resolving an Immigrant Identity Crisis

You are not merely what you eat, but, equally, how you eat.

Ode to a Waitress

‘I’d rather be doing anything, anything than this shit’, falls out between hysterical bouts of sobs – my Mum didn’t sign up for this....

Leaders of Tomorrow? It is Time to Practice Some Humility

At a recent job interview, I was asked whether I considered myself a follower or a leader. Later at lunch with some other candidates,...

Folding@Home: the virtual fight against a global pandemic

As we all isolate at home in the middle of this outbreak, it is difficult not to feel powerless. We are not medical professionals,...

Sleep is for the Rich

This may sound familiar. Five political prisoners are locked in a gas chamber in 1940s Russia. In a military-sanctioned experiment, the subjects are kept awake...

Oxford’s Best Chip Van: A Highly Scientific Study

It is high time for someone to put an end to this age-old dispute

Antisocial Media

Between digging the bunker in the back garden and foraging for loo roll, I’ve mostly been scrolling through Oxlove recently, becoming increasingly invested in...

Bread Making, Simplified

A new bread recipe that won't leave you with the usual sticky hands...

Rethinking Chocolate

When did you last eat chocolate? If you’re anything like the average Brit, your answer will likely fall within the last 48 hours. But...

Staying sex-positive during a global pandemic

The Coronavirus pandemic, of which the far-reaching consequences will not be fully appreciated for many years, has seen a short-term shift from young people...

Editors’ picks – Life and Culture in the Time of Covid-19

Our CultCher and Life section editors have pooled their wide-ranging knowledge and have produced their picks for shows, albums, movies, books and lifestyle ideas...

The problem with home delivery – and how we solve it

Businesses must adapt, and consumers must play a greater role in their support

Mauritian Prawn Rougaille

Rougaille is at the heart of authentic Mauritian Creole cuisine. It is not only the easiest Mauritian dish to make, but its combination of...

Moving beyond meat: University proposes to halve meat consumption by 2025

These schemes could encourage colleges to follow suit

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