3. Paris Review, Forbidden Fruit and Durian

01/29/2026

One thing New York is great for, is its magazine stores and variety of magazines available! My favourite magazine Paris Review has its head office over in Chelsea, I am very tempted to knock on their door and be like what’s going on with Australia not getting your recent issues? Aesop, who is the only stockist in Australia, is behind three! When my husband gifted me the international Paris Review subscriptions some Christmases ago, I waited 5 months, and the issues just never came.

It’s a small obstacle. I may mention a frustration once in a while about the far away land that is behind the happenings in the magazine space, or perhaps other spaces, but mostly I accept the unfortunate geographical reality. And by the time I finally get that issue of a Paris Review – I feel exalted.

So, to that end, I decided to visit the adorable Casa Magazines store in the West Village looking for my Paris Review, but alas, sold out. The pain was eased however, as I was surrounded by NEW magazines yet to be discovered. And discover I did. I found a wonderful magazine Cake Zine and their deliciously seductive latest issue ‘Forbidden Fruit’. Past issue themes include Sexy Cake, Humble Pie, Tough Cookie, Candy Land, Daily Bread. The literary print magazine explores art, pop culture, history through story telling about food, shares unique recipes, poetry and food art. Opening the magazine, I couldn’t help thinking it was something Nora Ephron would have been into. Since this was a woman obsessed with food. She once said:

“I don’t think any day is worth living without thinking about what you’re going to eat next at all times.”

But, back to the magazine, the essays are smart, engaging and they inspire thoughts about food, which is never a bad thing. A little snippet from an essay ‘Orange Crushed’ by Chris Crowley:

“The other day, I went to a local grocery store, the one with the salt cod and the high-end peanut butter cups, in search of orange soda. It had been a while. I like Coke when I’m hungover. I want the savoriness of Cel-Ray during a swampy summer afternoon. I don’t drink Mountain Dew, because I’m not a degenerate. For me, there’s a luxuriousness to orange soda, but it has to be Orange Crush.”

I’ve been craving Orange Crush ever since. Also, craving mooncakes! The issue has a Durian Snow Skin Mooncake recipe. I grew somewhat accustomed to durians when living in Singapore. Surprisingly, they taste not like they smell.

Time spent in a magazine store is never wasted….mooncakes await! Although, no way I’d ever be caught carrying a durian through the NYC subway…