Leftovers #146
The brief emergence of the sun has softened the season. On spring equinox no less! I spent yesterday working from bed (see below) and then clocked off for the afternoon to enjoy the balcony (read: my communal stairwell) before a couple of wines at Bar Bruno with some friends. Working on a piece about failing on Sunday which feels vulnerable and kind of necessary as it’s the only thing that’s been on my mind lately…
Things to consume (bodily)
Towpath Cafe signals a seasonal shift. As soon as I find myself sitting on one of their school chairs or an Arnold Circus school eating sage fried eggs, I know it’s spring.
Made my perfect sandwich (as described in my latest essay): soft white roll + thickly sliced butter + thin folds of ham + cornichons, although this time I had some leftover gochujang aioli, pickled red onions and crunchy cucumber. Cheap and best enjoyed in the sun.
Reminder that a block of silken tofu can in fact be a filling lunch: remove from packaging, drain excess liquid, score with a knife and pour over 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp chilli crunch, a sprinkling of spring onions and some crushed salty seaweed (or furikake seasoning if you have). I sometimes will add a little more soy.
Simple beans and veg meal from Joe Woodhouse: borlottis (grab a jar from Bold Bean), tenderstem broccoli, some crunchy capers and homemade mustard mayo.
OK I really want to make osso bucco on super creamy polenta very soon.
Vietnamese dipping sauces and oils slap the hardest, here’s a recipe to make lemongrass chilli oil.
I’m passionate about breakfast burritos (if you want a great one, head to Bad Manners in Hackney Central before they move locations - their last day is tomorrow!)
Also not usually a lamb girly but these two recipes are making me rethink it… roasted over orzo here or over creamy butterbeans here.
Please enjoy Georgia O’Keefe eating breakfast here:
Things to consume (culturally)
An important interview with Palestinian writer Adania Shibi (who penned Minor Detail) on The Paris Review, titled “Making A Claim On Language”:
You witness the trust that Palestinian farmers have in trees and in the land despite the colonial violence they face every single day of their farming lives as Israeli authorities, military, and settlers see to it that trees are uprooted, crops attacked with pesticides, and farmers killed. Then you have to ask how this trust—its source or even its justification—is any different from the trust that sleepwalkers have in the night. Writers also move through the field of language guided by that trust, but ever more slowly.
I don’t know who these guys are but Basement Yard’s videos bring me so much joy. They have real men-of-New-Girl energy.
Thank you TikTok algorithm for introducing me to Sombr and this song which was just released today.
Listened to this Atlantic article about the Murdoch family, specifically profiling James Murdoch. The Succession lore of it all is wild.
Still enjoying (read: I can’t finish a book without being on holiday) Delia Cai’s ‘Central Places’, mainly because I find the protagonist and her struggles so relatable. Audrey Zhou returns to her Midwest home/Chinese immigrant parents with her white NYC-elite fiancé in tow, and confronts the tension between her past and present life.
Discovered this troupe of rappers called Whatmore who rap over other songs and it has LIT UP my ears. Here’s their Bandcamp.
Watched ‘Home Again’, a film by Nancy Meyers’ daughter Hallie and it completely satisfied my need for LA rom com energy.
I wrote a piece about how I forgot how to daydream:
Caught the trailer for Materialists - a new film by Past Lives writer/director Celine Song – and obsessed with commentary that this is the third film that her/her partner have written about love triangles… (Her partner wrote Challengers). Also exclusive track by Japanese Breakfast!!!
Enjoyed this Substack about the art of the packing list (based on Didion’s ubiquitous list widely circulated since The White Review)
It’s less about perfection and more about evolution. Joan Didion and Patti Smith’s packing lists, each so carefully curated, are a glimpse into the consistency they sought in their own lives. For them, the lists weren’t just about survival or practicality—they were about an enduring sense of self, about knowing exactly what they needed to feel grounded.
Mellow spring equinox playlist for you here:
