Nonpareils - 3
Read:
Crying In H Mart: A Memoir - Michelle Zauner
I loved this book because it incorporated some of my favorite themes - nostalgia as expressed by food, the ramifications of growing up with your feet planted in two different cultures and travel writing. Based on her viral essay in The New Yorker, Zauner’s memoir will break your heart, make you hungry and above all, it’ll want to make you want to share a meal with your mom.
Joy The Baker’s New Orleans Favorites, Spring 2021
New Orleans is one of my favorite cities in the country. I’ve only been there three times but I am always longing to go back. I want to walk more, listen to more music and definitely eat and drink more. Next time, I want to get further out of the French Quarter and explore the rest of the city that serves as the wild, mad soul of this country.
Listen:
The fact that I’ve been to New Orleans thrice and never been to Preservation Hall pretty much makes me God’s perfect idiot (I’ve also been to Austin and never went to Antone’s because again - perfect idiot). I’ve been playing a lot of this music for Will - especially their stuff with Nate Rateliff and the Night Sweats.
I’m by no means a religious or spiritual woman but I do know what a joyful noise unto the Lord sounds like.
Watch:
Love and Monsters (Netflix)
I’m not big into post-apocalyptic movies because of the general….everything that’s happened over the past year and a half, but this movie was heartwarming and funny and there’s an awesome dog in it.
I mean, look at this perfect baby…
Also, Dylan O’Brien is utterly charming and the reason I started watching Teen Wolf on Hulu (he plays Stiles and is the best part of the show. If you liked The Vampire Diaries, you’ll like Teen Wolf)
Eat/Drink:
Cacio e Pepe and Shakerato at Elisabetta’s
If you would have told me that spaghetti, cheese, salt, ground pepper and starchy water make a wonderful meal, I would have called you a liar who probably puts raisins in her potato salad but Italian cooking is magical and cacio e pepe is proof of that alchemy.
Shakerato is a terrible name for my new favorite thing - a doppio espresso with whipped cream. I had one at 3:00pm and by 8:30pm, I was ready to pass out. Parenthood has broken coffee for me.
Chips, Salsa and Margaritas at Los Panchos
There are few perfect things in this universe - the logarithmic spiral found in shells, Brad Pitt’s abs in Troy, all dogs ever and fresh fried chips, a flight of salsas and an icy cold margarita.
Los Panchos in Lake Worth serves up perfection on the daily in the form of fresh seasoned tortilla chips and salsa. They didn’t have the avocado salsa nor the salsa de cacahuate (which bummed me out because peanut salsa is right up my alley) but the salsa diablo is habanero-based and bananas spicy which is as close to perfect as perfect gets.
Misc:
While I share more commonalities with Liz Lemon than I’m comfortable admitting, my favorite 30 Rock character is Lutz.
This Blimpie-loving bastard never fails to make me laugh and John Lutz (the actor, not the character) has probably the best Tweet thread I have ever seen on that stupid bird app.
This picture of Brendan Fraser and Grover
There’s a real sweetness about it and Grover is 100% the best Sesame Street muppet.
