In the FrontDesk hot seat: the dynamic duo
It's time to meet some Pike13ers! Today we chatted with Rachel and Clay.
Name?
R: Rachel Gnall
C: Clay M Andrews (actually put my middle name, Min, in there—it highlights my Asian side)
Where do you live?
R: Seattle, WA
C: I live in an apartment in Seattle
Where’s your hometown?
R: I’m from Portland, OR—or The Dalles
C: I’m from Plymouth, NH—"live free or die!"
1.5em;">What’s your favorite app (other than Pike13)?
R: Instagram, definitely. And Pinterest.
C: I like those brie bowls—you take a sourdough bread, cut it open, mount a wedge of brie, put it in the oven with a ton of butter, and then dip the top and apples in the cheese. So delicious.
R: My favorite app is bacon-wrapped asparagus, and by app, I mean appetizer because I already answered the actual question...where are you right now, Clay?
C: I’m reminiscing! My mom used to make it for me all the time.
How did you come to work at Pike13?
R: Tim Sloane—I used to work with him at Zulily, and he told me about the new company he was working at so I decided to apply.
C: Manifest destiny. I moved out west ‘cause I like the vibe, and then I found the job—you know, tireless networking, LinkedIn game going.
R: I stayed in Seattle ‘cause I already knew I liked the vibe.
What do you do for Pike13?
R: Manage accounts (Account Management)
C: We help business owners make Pike13 work for them.
If you weren't working at Pike13, what would you do?
C: Backpacking in South America on a shoestring
R: I’d be organic farming across the world and fighting for women’s rights.
C: She’d be making GMO-free tomato sauce.
What is your favorite salty snack?
C: Flaming Hot Cheetos
R: Oo! My favorite salty snack is seaweed.
What song do you love to dance to?
R: Anything Beyoncé
C: [Silence]
If you could live in any other country for 2 years where would you go?
R: Amsterdam
C: Venezuela
What exotic pet would you like to have?
C: I want a lot of exotic pets.
R: Yeah, me too.
C: I want a tiger.
R: Oooo, a tiger!
C: A tiger named Richard Parker. No, I would never name him Richard Parker. His name would be Tony. No, his name would change as he grew. Actually, I would add syllables… it would be Ben, then it would be Benji….Benjamin would be his final and most mature stage.
Who taught you to cook?
R: My mom
C: Who says I know how to cook?
R: No one taught Clay how to cook.
What do you miss from your childhood?
R: So much, just childhood in general
C: We had blueberry bushes in my backyard, and we’d pick them every morning and put them in our cereal—I miss that.
R: I miss summers and the freedom.
C: Pool to the basketball court to your friends.
R: Sleepovers!
What’s the favorite place you’ve lived?
C: I lived in Granada, Spain for a year. Great tapas bars, beautiful views, crazy gypsies—keeps you on your toes!
R: Milan, Italy—I studied abroad there in college.
If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?
R: Ooo, I would definitely make kale. I would probably make delicata squash, any variety of roasted veggies currently in season. Probably mostly vegetables. I can make you some fresh handmade risotto—not from a box! And for dessert…I would make cherry chocolate brownies with honey goat cheese frosting. And we’d drink a lot of wine.
R: Ooh, follow up answer—curry.
C: I’d make pesto from scratch. Half pine nuts, half walnuts, fresh basil. and some caprese salad! Sometimes I put pistachios in, and it’s bomb! Oh, and I forgot the fresh parmesan cheese.
How do you make a tuna sandwich?
R: I don’t ever really eat cold tuna sandos. They’re always tuna melts. Put tuna in a bowl, add pickle juice, capers, green onions, sometimes mayo and/or olive oil—depending on what I have in the kitchen. Sometimes soy sauce.
C: Whaaaa?
R: And sriracha. Salt and pepper, of course, and mustard.
C: What kind of bread?
R: Sourdough bread—toasted—kalamata olives, artichoke heart spread, some provolone, and melt it. Now I want a tuna fish sandwich.
C (and interviewer): Oh, my god, me too.
C: That sounds delicioso.
What form of transportation do you prefer? (air, boat, train, bus, car, etc.)
R: Boat, bike, walk. I also like flying but only because it means I’m going on a trip.
C: I try to walk everywhere.
What's your favorite zoo animal?
R: Giraffes
C: I like animals.
R: And elephants—those are my favorite. But I don’t like elephants in the US—their size and the fact they’re pack animals. They should not be in zoos.
How many pillows do you sleep with?
R: Two.
C: It varies.
What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity?
R: Frisbee as well as bike riding. Reading is my favorite indoor activity. And watching Parks and Rec.
C: I like to play basketball both inside and outside.
What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
C: They build character.
R: I hate cleaning the bathroom.
C: [disgusted noise]
R: Yeah, it’s the worst. I also hate taking out the garbage, but as Clay said, they make me a better person...and they keep my house nice.
What's your favorite type of foreign food?
R: I think Japanese probably for me.
C: Do you want the Asian division or non-Asian division?
C: Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean. Non-Asian division: Italian.
R: Ooo, good Italian.
C: Spanish, Mexican, then nothing’s distinguishable after that.
R: Indian food is so good too. That might be my second.
How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
R: 45 minutes
C: The thing about the food is that, there’s just so much to Chinese. You almost need to break it into its own category and subcategories.
(Sidenote: Clay likes food)
What kitchen appliance do you use every day?
R: Measuring spoons
C: That would involve using the kitchen every day.
R: Probably use the stove every day too.
Do you love or hate rollercoasters?
R: Love/hate
C: I’ve never ridden a rollercoaster. But keep that on the down low.
What's your favorite family tradition?
R: Hiding a pickle at Christmas! We have a pickle ornament. It’s been in the tree for a while. We leave it out for Santa with the milk and cookies and Santa hangs it. There’s an extra present under the tree, and whoever finds the pickle first gets the extra present.
C: We tend to speak in British accents a lot...Not sure if that’s a tradition, but yeah.
What's your favorite movie?
R: Probably The Fantastic Mr. Fox
C: I like Zoolander. Owen Wilson is hilarious.
What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?
R: Ants. I dont know if that’s super unusual.
C: Did you just eat them off the ground?
R: Yeah, in science camp we ate ants. On the trail my teacher was, like, you should eat these, and I was, like, okay!
Do you collect anything?
R: I used to collect rocks. My closet at home is still full of rocks—shoe boxes and cans. I still collect rocks. Not as many!
C: I don’t collect stuff. I travel light.
Coolest thing you've ever been for Halloween?
R: Wednesday Adams. Except I dyed my hair black and it didn't come out for three years.
C: When I was little I was a rainbow.
R: That is so cute!
C: I was the best rainbow. ‘Cause I was in the clouds like a rainbow was supposed to be. I think I was three.
R: When I was little I would only be a fairy. And then I got out of that and was an anatomically correct skeleton. Black turtle neck and leggings with felt bones.
C: I always wanted to be Speed Racer.
What do you usually have for breakfast?
R: Avocado toast on the weekdays on Dave’s killer bread. On the weekends it’s a party—all types of brunch food. Brunch is my favorite food.
C: Usually granola and yogurt. It’s not exciting. Some fruit.
What is your middle name?
R: Lynne
C: Min. Our middle names rhyme!
Everyone: OH MY GOD!
C: During the Joseon Dynasty in Korea in the late 1800s, Queen Min was outspoken against Japanese influence in Korea. The Japanese sent ninjas to assassinate her. The way our family got the name was because my great great great grandfather was a servant to queen min and he sneakily changed his name to Min in the confusion and kind of assumed royalty. Or at least I think that’s how my grandpa tells it.. And after the Japanese were pushed out he got a lot of land and sh**. But now they’re taking away the land because they realized they falsified it. For reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Myeongseong
R: My mom just picked a name.
Sweet or salty?
Both: Both
What would you name your pet gorilla (lizard, ferret, kangaroo, clown fish, etc.)?
R: Aw… um… I want to name it Foster.
C: Gilderoy. It needs to have alliteration.
Favorite museum?
C: Musee d’Orsay. Cause I like impressionism.
R: Yes! Me too. I agree. That’s also one of my favorites.
How far can you throw a baseball?
R: Not far.
C: Really freaking far.
R: Like two feet.
C: No, I’m joking. I blew out my rotator cuff.
If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
C: Thailand (I’m there right now!)
R: I want to go everywhere. I really want to go to China. And India.
When is your birthday? How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
R: Summer—July 20th—I never got to celebrate at school with my friends. During the summer everyone’s gone so it’s impossible. My sister’s is July 21st so we used to celebrate with a joint pool party. We’d rent out the town pool and invite everyone, and it was really fun. When you get older it’s weird. So I like to take my birthday and do things by myself and treat myself and get all the free things. Friends must celebrate at some point during the day but not all day. I do like celebrating my birthday. I don’t let that day go. I always take it off from work.
C: My birthday is in October. I’m still figuring out how I like to spend it.
Pets?
R: Her name is Susie. She’s a cat.
C: I have a little baby dog named Ninja. Black lab but little—she’s a mix. She runs around and is very excited and jumps on things and has so much energy. When you come in the house she runs in circles and then hops on the couch. She’s ALWAYS the fastest dog at the dog park.
What is your favorite candy?
R: I love candy.
C: It’s changed over the years.
R: I know, right? It used to be Swedish Fish. It was called Cows—it’s a caramel with liquid chocolate in the middle. They were amazing. I was obsessed with them, but you can’t get them anymore.
C: Tie between Reeses and Snickers. Reeses are so yummy, but Snickers are everything you want in a candy—they’re the total package.
What have you faked being sick for so you wouldn't have to go to it?
R: Yep, school, my old job, swim practice…
C: One time I made myself puke so I didn’t have to run sprints in baseball.
What is your favorite flower?
C: Lilies
R: I like peonies.
C: [quietly to himself] I think I’m going to name my daughter Lily.
What is the last book you read?
R: I’m reading Americana...by someone.
C: I just finished The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. And now I’m reading the Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano.
R: I’m also reading Yes Please by Amy Poehler.
C: I’m also reading A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.
What’s the most unusual job you’ve ever had?
C: In high school I rolled truffles by hand for a specialty organic chocolate upstart. It was me and a bunch of middle-aged hippy ladies rolling truffles with hemp seeds and chatting about the influence planet alignments have on your mood. The trick was keeping your body temperature down so the chocolate didn’t melt in your hands. Slow controlled breathing, poor circulation, and a comfortable position were key.
R: Clay...what! The oddest job I ever had wasn’t super odd but it was probably working for a farm and doing the farmer’s markets for them. I drove a huge truck, it was like a mini-semi to different markets and did some veggie deliveries as well. I was also a lifeguard but I don’t think it’s too odd either.
What always makes you laugh?
C: Kids. They do silly things and have no shame in it.
R: My sister makes me laugh. She’s the only person with the exact same sense of humor as me and we’re pretty in sync so really everything is hilarious.
Rachel and her sister at a friend's wedding in Oregon
Rachel picking blueberries in Carnation, WA
Rachel and friends nomming on some biscuit sandwiches from Morsel at the University District Farmer's Market
Clay, his mom, and his sister
Clay being super happy with his dad
Clay's dog Ninja