D.A.T.E (Data, Advice, Trends, and Expertise)

February is my favorite month, because of Groundhog’s Day (early spring!), my birthday, Lunar New Year (year of the dragon!), Superbowl (snacks), Mardi Gras, Leap Day (this year!), and it’s the month of loveeee <3

Ditch the Valentine’s / Galentines Day dinner reservation and cook at home instead with Simmer. We like to do a date night IN and make a heart-shaped pizza.

Hinge’s First Gen Z Report Reveals Top Dating Trends and Tips to Find a Relationship in 2024 (Hinge): Hinge released a new D.A.T.E (Data, Advice, Trends, and Expertise) report revealing groundbreaking Gen Z insights. Hinge’s behavioral science experts found that while a majority of Gen Z Hinge daters (90%) want to find love, their collective worries about rejection are standing in the way. 

The Hinge article shares embracing “cringe mode,” initiating the WAW (what are we) convo to avoid uncertainty, and cracking the code of good DBL (digital body language). These dating lessons can be applied to most things in life, including this Simmer journey. As I apply for startup accelerators and network with VCs, I’m mindful of my non-verbal subtexts, such as emojis, punctuation, message length, and response time. I have to get out of my comfort zone and lay it all out there, even in the face of possible rejection. I have to be bold in asking for what I want and propose the next steps to move the Simmer journey forward. How are you applying these tips to areas in your life?

Excited to share Simmer’s first public feature in Cloudflare’s Built With Series. It was super fun chatting with the Cloudflare team about how we’re bringing the fun back into cooking.

Introducing D.A.T.E (Simmer’s Version)

Data: 73% who are married or in a relationship said cooking with their partner is one of their favorite things to do, and 80% of singles said if a first date talked about how they liked to cook they'd be much more open to a second date with them.

Advice: Unless you’re baking, recipes are guidelines, not infallible rules. Once you’re comfortable with the basics of cooking, apply those skills to your original ideas. Use recipes as jumping-off points for ingredients you like.

Trends: “Friday night date night…Pookie looks absolutely amazing” Campbell “Pookie” and Jett Pucket are a married couple known for their TikToks showing their date night outfits. They blew up in popularity when one video of Jett praising Pookie’s style went viral. Dozens of brands (Dunkin Donuts) and celebrities (Meghan Trainor) are now making parodies.

Expertise: Season everything when cooking. For example, in chicken alfredo: season the chicken, season the pasta, and season the sauce. One flavor element will not permeate the whole dish. The difference between a $10 plate of pasta and a $50 plate of pasta is putting the right amount of salt in the water.

If there’s still someone in your life (or yourself) who is an Android user, Simmer is now out on the Google Play Store! Send them a cooking date request to find personalized recipes for you two.