Rachel Lopez is a a writer and editor with the Hindustan Times. She has worked with the Times Group, Time Out and Vogue and has a special interest in city history, culture, etymology and internet and society.
Articles by Rachel Lopez
Listicle: 10 of our favourite high-school clichés
They don’t make American high-school clichés like they used to. Here are our most treasured from film and TV
Published on Mar 17, 2023 10:52 PM IST
Can paper straws save the world? Weighing our green choices
It’s the little paper straw against a planet slowly destroying itself. Do our little switches really add up to big differences for Earth?
Updated on Mar 11, 2023 01:32 AM IST
Fanning an old flame: Chef Gaggan Anand on his India dreams
The chef best known for his chart-topping Bangkok restaurant Gaggan is in India for a residency, serving up 25-course meals at ₹50,000 per head. The event is sold out and wait-listed. Does that mean it’s time to finally drop anchor here too, with his first restaurant in India? The diners are ready, but he wonders if the industry is.
Updated on Mar 10, 2023 07:08 PM IST
A timeline for therapy
When should you seek professional help? Any time is a good time, but some milestones call for a helping hand
Published on Mar 03, 2023 08:41 PM IST
Outdated etiquette? Just don’t give a fork
Good behaviour shows refinement. But some rules are sexist, ageist and classist. Here are the manners you don’t need to mind
Published on Feb 17, 2023 07:38 PM IST
Ghosting someone is all right. So get over it, already
You’d best make your peace with it
Updated on Feb 11, 2023 12:02 AM IST
Hide, don’t bend. Low-rise jeans are back in style
All through 2022, we dismissed them as one-offs, well-intentioned sartorial errors we assumed would be quickly dismissed
Updated on Jan 27, 2023 04:04 PM IST
Patty smiths: Check out the latest advances in meatless meat
As manufacturers rush to innovate, mushrooms and seaweed are fast becoming popular. See which other plants and proteins are being used to raise the steaks.
Updated on Jan 20, 2023 05:51 PM IST
Way of all flesh: A look at meat-eating patterns worldwide
Global per capita consumption is growing. Poultry is the most popular form of meat, followed by pork, beef, fish. See which tiny countries eat surprisingly large portions, and where India stands amid it all.
Updated on Jan 20, 2023 05:47 PM IST
Eats shoots and leaves: How green is our diet really?
Around the world, people are cutting back on eating meat, or giving it up entirely. So is vegetarianism winning? We looked at how various countries have fared and found that the numbers vary in unexpected ways, and our diets are not as green as you’d expect.
Updated on Jan 20, 2023 05:36 PM IST
Suite spots: Which hotels from films and TV to waltz into, and which to avoid
White Lotus seems almost as high-risk as the Bates Motel. Expect a break to stretch on and on at the Cherry Tree Inn. See where to check in and where to stay out.
Updated on Dec 23, 2022 08:43 PM IST
Mr Fix-it: Author and influencer Ankur Warikoo on failure,mistakes and making it
He’s known disappointment and fear; changed his mind about what he wants to do; started over at 40. It’s all part of what makes this author and entrepreneur, co-founder of Nearbuy, just the right person to craft life hacks for young India.
Updated on Dec 17, 2022 01:06 PM IST
For better and for worse: Wedding-night rituals from around the world
Some customs are endearing, others downright abhorrent. See who is harassing grooms, and where karaoke has entered the fray.
Updated on Dec 10, 2022 10:07 PM IST
A case of monumental errors: Bright hues cover ancient temple art
As temples, some over 800 years old, get makeovers, bright, shiny paint is being used to decorate exteriors. This can damage stone, obscure workmanship and impede archaeological study.
Updated on Dec 03, 2022 07:40 PM IST
Summing it up: Manil Suri’s new book looks at the wonder of maths
Stop chasing calculations and correct answers, and math starts to get magical. It can unravel mysteries of the universe and prompt questions about why we’re here, says mathematician Manil Suri. See how his book accounts for it all
Updated on Nov 26, 2022 12:51 AM IST
Starry knight: Meet the first Indian to use the James Webb Space Telescope
Manoj Puravankara, a researcher of young stars, is focusing JWST’s giant lens on points far back in space and time. How did the universe evolve? Are planets a natural by-product of all stars? What can the answers, whatever they are, tell us about how we came to be?
Updated on Nov 07, 2022 03:01 PM IST
Stuff of legend: The history of the buffet, via Rachel Lopez
Large spreads have a history going back 2,000 years. The Roman empire, the Sikh langar, Vegas — see how the all-you-can-eat format came about.
Updated on Nov 04, 2022 03:27 PM IST
Parallel tracks: Not-to-be-missed films and shows inspired by reality TV
They use tropes such as backstories, voting rounds, alliances and surprise challenges to tell tales that are witty and unusual. Take a look at how the mockumentary, shockumentary and even animation have been influenced by the genre.
Updated on Nov 04, 2022 03:24 PM IST
See plus: Reality shows that are giving the genre a good name
Reality TV has learnt a few lessons in its 30 years. One of them is that audiences don’t always want to see contestants squabble, squirm or scheme to get ahead. Some shows now focus on healthy competition, self-betterment, great ideas, and the occasional stubborn crocodile. Binge on these.
Updated on Nov 05, 2022 11:59 AM IST
Reality check: Are you still watching?
Reality TV is now 30 years old. The cameras are still rolling; the participants, as eager to squabble, sob, sweat and squirm. But new shows are reworking old tropes. Judges are more encouraging, competitors more relaxed, formats more informative. Even the cameras feel less intrusive. It’s almost as if being nice is finally being recognised as part of the human condition.
Updated on Nov 08, 2022 01:05 PM IST
See where your city has been: An interactive graphic maps Earth’s ancient past
Pick a location and see where it might have been on the globe, and what was around it, as much as 750 million years ago. It’s a whole new way to see the world.
Updated on Oct 29, 2022 04:42 PM IST
Retell therapy: Indian literature is flourishing in translation
Telugu thrillers, memoirs in Marathi, epic poems in ancient Prakrit... books from across the country are enjoying a second life in English. Where should you begin? Six translators, including Daisy Rockwell, Jerry Pinto and Poonam Saxena, pick their translated favourites.
Updated on Oct 18, 2022 02:46 PM IST
Sounds of not-so-quiet quitting: The disgruntled ditty
I’ve No More F***s To Give by Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq is all over Instagram. And he’s not the only one. It seems a welcome new genre is emerging: protest poetry for a generation that’s just starting to rage against the machine.
Updated on Oct 08, 2022 02:09 PM IST
In a Barbie world: Why it’s time to give Ken his due
He’s remained a steady, loyal, supportive boyfriend for more than 60 years. What’s his story? How has it evolved? And what’s the dark twist in the Barbie film due out in 2023?
Updated on Oct 08, 2022 01:14 PM IST
Ink spell: Celebrate Indian tattoos at The Godna Project in Delhi
From indigenous inks and hand poke styes to traditional motifs, the Godna Project in Delhi will bring together indigenous tattoo artists from across India, in an effort to document and discuss India’s inking traditions
Updated on Oct 01, 2022 12:37 AM IST
Material gains: The return of the scrunchie
The ponytail accessory is trendy again, luxurious, and all over Instagram. And it’s helping small businesses stretch out.
Updated on Sep 23, 2022 07:30 PM IST
Mumbai’s very own art gallery inside kaali peelis
Close to 60 images make up “What’s On Your Taxi’s Ceiling”, at the picturesque town square of Place Scanavin at the biennial Images Vevey Festival which runs all through September
Updated on Sep 13, 2022 11:05 PM IST
Alpha Bets: Talk like an Egyptian
It’s been 200 years since the Rosetta Stone was decoded. As HT Wknd marks the milestone, see how new tech is attempting to unravel all that we still don’t understand about the hieroglyphics.
Updated on Sep 10, 2022 08:36 PM IST
Pyramid schemes: Tour the museums displaying rare Egyptian treasures
To mark 200 years of the decoding of the Rosetta Stone, and 100 years since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, museums around the world are showcasing objects from ancient Egypt. Take a peek.
Updated on Sep 10, 2022 08:05 PM IST
Signed, sealed, undeciphered: Check out these scripts we still can’t read
Ancient writing systems are some of the most complex codes ever devised. Even after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, which offered translations for some of the symbols, it took two decades before scholars could actually read hieroglyphs. Elsewhere, undeciphered ones remain like a lock without a key. Here are some of them.
Updated on Sep 10, 2022 08:04 PM IST
