Refresh Your Rhythm: Stef Dag’s Guide To Chewing Through the Noise of NYC
The Big Apple: notoriously coined “the city that never sleeps,” or slow down, for that matter. Among the hustle, sometimes the only antidote is to slow down, smell the roses (bodega-sourced)...oh, and pop a piece of Trident, of course. That’s exactly the kind of energy we’re channeling in "Refresh Your Rhythm." We’re hitting the classic corner stores of NYC with our host, Stef Dag, on a mission to keep it fresh—literally and figuratively. Lit by the quintessential glow of fluorescent lights and surrounded by eclectically stocked aisles, each episode is a spontaneous slice of big city life that starts with a piece of gum and ends...well, you’ll see.
They say making friends as an adult is “so hard.” But what if it didn’t have to be? At A&M Food Store in Dimes Square, Stef kicks things off with a question that arguably hits harder than a 2 AM chopped cheese: When was the last time you made a new friend? Like, the IRL kind. Armed with a pack of Trident and zero shame, she challenges a curious shopper to break out of their comfort zone and into the well-documented chaos of New York street socializing. Cue a montage of hopeful friend requests met with the usual city scoffs because, well, New Yorkers aren’t exactly known for their warmth. Just when it seems like a wash, sparks fly at a local café, and our contestant makes a surprise connection: a casual proposal, sealed with a single stick of Trident. Plot twist, indeed.
Over at a Lower East Side Deli & Grill, Stef catches a stylish stranger mid-sandwich order and asks the all-important question: “How do you like to keep it fresh?” While his go-to is a cold shower, Stef’s got an even cooler suggestion: chewing Trident. “Cliché!” you say. But honestly, hear us out. Obviously, the next logical step is to combine forces. Enter: impromptu sidewalk ice baths (not the craziest thing we’ve seen on these streets). The duo strips down (tastefully), submerges, and pops a piece of minty Trident for the ultimate full-body refresh. After all, nothing’s cooler than Trident. Wink, wink.
She came for snacks but stayed for a strike. In the final round of Refresh Your Rhythm, Stef turns a casual bodega convo into an impromptu competition when she challenges a confident gamer to a bodega aisle bowling match—with pins made entirely of stacked Trident bottles. The rules? Simple: knock them down and win unlimited Trident. With fierce focus and a flick of the wrist, our player brings the heat and lands the win. Talk about mint condition.
Three episodes, a handful of rejections, and one unexpected love story later, we’re reminded that these corner stores are more than just quick stops for snacks—they’re the pulse points of the city’s social rhythm. Next time you duck in for “just” a seltzer or a scratch-off, maybe linger a little. Pop a piece of Trident, crack a smile, and see what unfolds.
Read the exclusive interview with Dag below!
Let’s start with the obvious: What’s your current rhythm? (Are we in our 6 AM pilates & green juice era or our 1 AM bodega wine and take-out era?)
Both, as well as neither. My rhythm is whatever the latest trending 22-year-old on TikTok told me it should be. Right now, I wake up and stare at the void for 45 minutes, do breathwork, chug a cortado, and then completely ruin it by checking to see if my Reel about my UTI went viral (it didn’t).
As a longtime New Yorker, what's one thing you think only real NYC girls get about this city?
If the night isn’t happening by 11 pm, the night is not happening. Go home and find God.
What does "finding your rhythm" look like as a creative in NYC, especially in a city that never slows down?
Stop clogging up your brain with music, podcasts, and content—just walk around the city and pay attention. It’s fucking crazy out there! Spy on people, ask a stranger who their first love was, eat alone, and talk to the bartender. Your mind can’t wander if you’re frying your dopamine receptors all day.
What's something no one tells you about chasing a creative path in NYC until you're in it?
You can’t get your best work done and be out all the time. Constantly being out and telling yourself it’s “to have something to write about” is BS. You have to isolate, stay home, study, drink tea, and go on long walks of solitude. It’s a Henry [David] Thoreau summer.
How did you first get started in comedy? When did you realize that could be a career path?
I wanted to be a Disney Channel star but my mom was from Yugoslavia, and my dad was a carpet salesman (and I have a mean Eastern European face that doesn’t play well on children’s television), so we didn’t exactly have any industry “connects.” Then I realized there is no barrier to entry to just get on stage and yap. A few years ago, Nikki Glaser DM’d me to say she liked my comedy, and that’s when I realized, “Hey…maybe I’m okay at this.”
I was bad for a very long time—you have to be. It’s good to be bad at the thing you’re pursuing. If you’re immediately great at something, either A) you’re not or B) you’re not taking enough risks.
How do you think New York has influenced your comedy style?
New York comics are the best writers in the world. In some cities (LA, sorry), some people rely on personality and ~vibe~, which is fine, but I love a disciplined writer. Also, you can go to any comedy club in NYC and see the funniest person in the world performing for 40 people. You have to level up or you’ll die. Not figuratively.
You spend a lot of time talking to strangers: what’s your read on the current vibe of New Yorkers? Why do we have such a bad rep?
New Yorkers are so nice and genuinely looking for human connection amidst a loneliness epidemic. We all have such big dreams that it’s hard for 2 people to come together and form a functional relationship because we're busy. There’s also an illusion of choice which I’m going to shatter right now: there aren't that many hot, cool people. They’re rare, and you don’t have that many options.
Where do you go in the city when you need to recalibrate…mentally, emotionally, or creatively?
Cemeteries for long walks, book stores for existential comfort, Mister Sunday to dance, and the comedy club to remember why I’m alive.
This city is notoriously transient, and “community” can often feel elusive here. How do you find your people in a place that’s always moving?
You have to have hobbies—oh my god! Especially ones you’re not monetizing. It's such a red flag when people just work, exercise, and party. Sign up for literally anything. Last year, I took pole dancing classes, and it changed my life. I have a pole in my living room now. It’s so hard. Strippers should be able to board planes first.
What’s the weirdest, funniest, or most unhinged thing that’s ever happened to you in a bodega?
I’m constantly going through a breakup, but one time I was staring at the Pellegrino section crying because it reminded me of my ex, and the bodega guy came over and gave me a hug. Still charged me $7 for the Pellegrino, though. Also, I think he grabbed my ass a little.
What’s one thing NYC taught you that you don’t think you could’ve learned anywhere else?
In a lot of places, people wait for life to happen to them. In New York, you make life happen. You’re the master of your fate. You can do fucking anything literally right now. Stop reading this and go do it—seriously, I’m not kidding, GO!
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