Eat, Read, Go: Grilled Halloumi, Corn, and Peach Salad, "Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar," and Vancouver

EDITOR’S NOTE

Happy Saturday. I’m many things, but a fashion trendsetter isn’t one of them. So nothing pleased me more than spotting Cool Girl™ Zoë Kravitz in the shorts I’ve been wearing all summer. That said, I might try mixing things up with this breezy, “rich-looking” skirt (it’s surprisingly versatile) or the chic scarf-belt hack that everyone’s copying. But you won’t catch me in these aggressively ’90s pants (watch your back, linen) or these 2010s-coded stacked heels (you know the ones), no matter how trendy they are again. Some things — like Sabrina Carpenter’s borderline “butt cleavage” — are just better left in the past.

— Taylor Trudon / Writer, Culture & Lifestyle / Brooklyn, NY

A Salad So Summery, It Should Come With a Tan Line

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Normally, we don’t endorse love triangles (see: literally every season of Love Island). But this Grilled Halloumi, Corn, and Peach Summer Salad from How Sweet Eats? No drama here — just a forkful of sunshine in every bite. The low-effort, high-reward dish is loaded with juicy peaches, sweet corn, tangy pickled red onions, crunchy pistachios, peppery arugula, and the only cheese that matters (yep, we said it). Toss it all in a bright, herby cilantro-lime vinaigrette — and you’ve got the kind of salad that makes you forget you’re eating a salad.

The Time Commitment: Just 35 minutes. Plus, if you double the recipe, you’ll have lunch sorted for the next few days.

Key Tips: No peaches? No problem — use apricots, nectarines, or mango instead. For more protein, Jessica Merchant (aka How Sweet Eats) recommends adding grilled or shredded rotisserie chicken. Finally, while the recipe calls for a grill, you can easily make the corn and Halloumi on a skillet or in a grill pan.

Other Takes: For more dishes where Halloumi steals the show, try… 

• This obsession-worthy Orecchiette Salad, featuring marinated cherry tomatoes, refreshing cucumbers, and Halloumi croutons. We’ll give you a minute to process “Halloumi croutons.” 

• Bruschetta Salad With White Beans & Halloumi. Not only is the base mostly bread (a good start), but the most complicated step is toasting the sourdough — and that’s saying something.

• These weeknight-friendly Mediterranean Eggplant and Halloumi Bowls. They’re topped with a creamy lemon-dill yogurt, which, fair warning, “may become your go-to, put-it-on-everything sauce.”

Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee

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Picture this: You’re a mom of two on a date with your husband. But instead of a pleasant evening filled with samosas, he drops a bombshell over the Indian buffet: an affair with another woman. Shortly after that, you’re diagnosed with breast cancer — so, naturally, you name the tumor after his mistress, Maggie. That’s the acidic, oddly tender setup for Katie Yee’s Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar. The buzzy debut follows an unnamed Chinese-American narrator as her life cracks open — and she meets the chaos with wit, grit, and a touch of pettiness. She talks to Maggie (the tumor), writes a user manual for dealing with her ex-husband (“He loves whimsical socks, but not whimsical ties”), and tries to make sense of a life she didn’t see coming. We asked Yee a few questions. Here’s what she had to say…

Q: What’s the one place everyone needs to visit? 

Yee: Bennington, Vermont. It’s where I went to college and (more impressive) where an incredible garlic festival is held annually. Go for the garlic, stay for the foliage and the cider donuts.

Q: What’s a corner of the internet you recently discovered?

Yee: A friend gave me one of those bracelets with an endangered animal charm, and if you download the accompanying app (Fahlo, in this case), you can track your animal. I got Chuck the Whale Shark, and I love him. According to the map, he was hanging out around Papua New Guinea.

Q: What should be required reading for every human being?

Yee: The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. It tells the story of Japanese “picture brides” who came to America in the 1900s, and it is one of the most beautiful and structurally inventive books I’ve ever read. Prepare to be devastated.

Doing It All, Eh? Vancouver Might Just Be Canada’s Coolest City

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Some cities give you culture with a capital C. Others give you rocky cliffs, rugged trails, and dramatic coastline. Vancouver asks, “Why not both?” Located on Canada’s west coast, the British Columbian city is the rare kind of place where you wake up in a glittering glass tower (stay at the Douglas), kick off your morning with a hike beneath towering firs and a dip in the water (consider Kitsilano Beach a nonnegotiable), wander around a few stellar museums or eclectic neighborhoods by afternoon, and end the night with Cantonese-style dim sum. Basically, it’s the overachiever of Canadian cities — and we mean that lovingly.

🌲 Whether you are a lifelong REI loyalist or just dusted off your high school Nalgene, Vancouver has outdoorsy pursuits for everyone. Some of the most popular activities? Walking or biking the 5.5-mile seawall that wraps around Stanley Park (think: Central Park, but bigger and with more–notable bald eagles) or exploring VanDusen Botanical Garden, home to 7,500-plus plant species and an impressive Elizabethan hedge maze. But if you're feeling extra adventurous, hitch a gondola ride to the top of Grouse Mountain, where, in the summer, you can hike, mountain bike, and zip-line over the treetops. Or, cross the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge, which hangs 230 feet above Capilano River and, yes, wobbles.

👟 Apologies to the Vancouver Aquarium, but the city’s best attraction is its vibrant neighborhoods, which are full of character, culture, and carbs. Start in Chinatown — one of the largest in North America — to stroll through the tranquil Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, dive into local history at Chinatown Storytelling Centre, snack on New Town Bakery & Restaurant’s barbecue pork buns, and go all-in on dim sum at Floata Seafood Restaurant. Next, head to Granville Island — a former industrial site turned creative hotspot. Highlights include: the bustling Public Market (grab a Honey Dip at Lee’s Donuts), art galleries galore (check out the Indigenous pieces at Wickaninnish Gallery), unique shops, and an array of theaters (catch a comedy show at The Improv Centre).

🍴 Start the day at Livia, an Italian bakery and restaurant where the pastries are decadent, the sourdough is tangy, and everything feels like it was made by someone’s nonna. For dinner, lean into the city’s diverse food scene: Vij’s Restaurant serves up inventive Indian dishes, like lamb Popsicles and portobello mushroom curry, while Maenam is a standout Thai restaurant that goes heavy on locally caught fish (see: Pacific halibut green curry, grilled salmon salad). Finally, no matter how full you think you are, end the night with a waffle cone from Earnest Ice Cream (get the Whiskey Hazelnut or Matcha Green Tea).

We asked you to vote on an etiquette question you’d like answered. The winner was:

Q: Whenever my friend visits, she always asks to bring her dog — who sheds all over my pet-free house. What’s a polite way to ask her to leave the pup at home?

“If there’s any place we get to make the rules, it’s in our own homes. And if we make our rules known, people do not question them … [Your] friend keeps asking to bring her dog because you never said no. 

People have every right to ask for what they’d like, and it’s up to the person answering to state what would be best for them. I’d say, ‘I know I’ve said yes in the past, but I have a pet-free home, so going forward, I’m going to have to say no.’ It’s truly nothing personal — you have a pet-free home. It’s as simple as that.”

Unleash your competitive side with today’s games and puzzles. Choose from an anagram word search, digital jigsaw puzzle, or crossword (with a twist). Better yet: Try them all.