What is the Best? | Varyer
A square with a face has text that reads "WITB."

What is the Best?

Molly Butterfoss' hard-hitting, recurring query, based on the premise that in this busy age, we only have time for one thing: the best

What is the Best Vacation? ➺

Our resident travel agent in this journey we call life is back with some insider trading on where to invest your PTO—and how to do it without getting pregnant.

"Despite this satisfying synchronicity, there are a thousand headlines about how hordes of selfie-seekers are ruining travel. No one is (publicly) advocating for a return to the days when travel was only for a few rich people, but the underlying tone is sanctimonious disbelief that these flyover hashtag clowns don’t know their place. Personally, I find the hand-wringing gratifying—it seems like people are finally waking up to what I’ve long thought: that there are too many of us."

What is the Best Crime? ➺

“It was electrifying to witness someone treating life like a Supermarket Sweep (but at Erewhon).”

We all feel the deep allure of the illegal, but Molly Butterfoss is here to settle it: what's the best crime of them all?

What is the Best Drug? ➺

“‘Gateway’ drug sounds so full of promise! Have fun with it, and godspeed.

We may all have our preferred ways to imbibe, but Molly Butterfoss settles once and for all which drug is best.

What is the Best Costume? ➺

"Costumes, from lash extensions to monster masks, are critical tools for expressing our individuality—indeed, our very sense of humanity."

Costumes are not just for Halloween: allow Molly Butterfoss to free you from real-world costumes (business casual included 💀).

What is the Best Smell? ➺

Many aromas are lovely, but only Molly Butterfoss could determine the fairest smell of them all.

An illustrated graphic reads "So...what is the best pet?"

What is the Best Pet? ➺

Let the wisdom of Molly Butterfoss in her endless quest for perfection, guide you towards the perfect animal companion.

An illustration of various cookies.

What is the Best Snack? ➺

Stop pretending that GORP is good and Carrie Bradshaw really ate Saltines with grape jelly. Instead, let Molly Butterfoss guide you towards sublime snack liberation in her latest quest for only the best that life has to offer.

A needle gauge measures from "happy" to "soo sad."

What is the Best Mood? ➺

How do you cope with the sometimes unbearable open-ended contemplation of existence? Butterfoss has the answers with this meditation on the best mood.

A yellow illustration that includes a skull and crossbones, daggers, and hourglasses.

What is the Best Cult? ➺

Butterfoss tackles the question through the keen lens of popular culture, experiences lying to children, and tricks and tips from the Ptolemaic dynasty.

An illustration emulating a painting of a person.

What is the Best Art? ➺

Molly Butterfoss attempts to answer this very question in her latest review column that serves as a roadmap for navigating the stifling and complex subject of "art."

An illustration of a movie poster reads "What is the best ... movie?"

What is the Best Movie? ➺

A question often asked and rarely settled. Varyer columnist Molly Butterfoss is one of the few individuals equipped with the information to settle the debate, once and for all.

A finger dials a rotary phone.

What is the Best Way to Communicate? ➺

From Martin Luther's 95 Theses zine to Carrie Bradshaw's Post-it note breakup, resident dialectician Molly Butterfoss leaves no stone unturned as she shares the more effective modes of communication known to humankind.

A map location marker has a thought bubble that reads "What is the best transportation?"

What is the Best Transportation? ➺

From public transit to the freedom/death of flying, the options are limited and often disappointing–might as well enjoy the ride! In this column, Molly Butterfoss gives us an erudite rundown on choosing the best method for maximum comfort and minimum malaise.

A house has a thought bubble that reads "What is the best house?"

What is the Best House? ➺

Leaving one's own domicile can offer new experiences and evoke emotions that typically range from enjoyable all the way to downright disturbing. Molly Butterfoss gives us a taste of all the above in her this installment of What is the Best? a monthly column often uncovering one certainty: sometimes the gift of searching is in not having found at all.

A bouncy toy has a thought bubble that reads "What is the best gift?"

What is the Best Gift? ➺

"Bloodletting, crafting an AIM away message, home milk delivery: all bygone art forms rendered obsolete. Will the quaint tradition of gift-giving go the same way?"

In her monthly column, What 𝒾𝓈 the Best? Molly Butterfoss asks and answers the most pressing questions of our time.

A suitcase has a thought bubble that reads "What is the best job?"

What is the Best Job? ➺

"Supposedly, the important things in life are family, friendship, the warm touch of sunshine on our smiling faces, etc. Yet, rather than gathering with our loved ones, we spend most of our time flailing in the unforgiving grind of the global economy."

Molly Butterfoss offers up some astute observations on 'What is the Best Job?' since we're forced to have them and all.

The hand of the Statue of Liberty has text that reads "What is the best city?"

What is the Best City? ➺

The title is a question, and this column could be a mere one-word answer, but Molly Butterfoss respects you too much for that.

A planet has a thought bubble that reads "Where is the best place to shop?"

What is the Best Place to Shop? ➺

In the first installment of her new monthly column, Molly Butterfoss takes us on a philosophical journey to try to answer the unanswerable. It's sort of a rotating monomaniacal musing on the big questions of life...like Moby Dick, but shorter, and about pop culture. For her debut: a journey into the depths of fashionable consumerism.