It feels good to...feel good.
Hey gang. If there’s one linking thread to all of the “mentions” below, it’s that they’re all somehow related to self-care, which I’ve been giving myself plenty of this last week. I think we could all use a bit of that these days, right?
1.
High-Tide: There’s a paywall sitting in front of this story I recently wrote for Air Mail about SeaWeed Naturals, a new line of cannabis and seaweed-based products launched by one of the Cousteaus, but I wanted to share the underlying idea anyways. Aside from learning what some of the other Cousteau family members are up to, I also developed a newfound appreciation for the multiple benefits of seaweed and algae, which the brand sources from local aquaculture farms. Loaded with vitamins, amino acids, and collagen, seaweed is also one of the planet’s oldest and most efficient carbon sequesters. And then of course there’s the cannabis component, which is quite a genius way to pull in the bucks for one’s earth-saving initiative, versus a somewhat outdated model of appealing to deep-pocketed donors to invest in the production of algae. There’s feel-good investments, and then there’s investments that actually give you something to feel good (or maybe a little high).
2.
I’ve been obsessively trying to edit my virtual shopping basket for this online Taiwanese pantry, when I realized I already have the frizzled ginger in sesame oil, sitting front and center in my kitchen cupboard. It was a recent gift from my friend Christene, who knows good taste in every respect, and if the half-empty jar and its oil-stained label is any indication, I should be adding another jar to my shopping haul.
3.
If you’re more of a bake-a-cake person—or simply a Dolly Parton fan—then mark your iCals! Dolly Parton (yes, THAT Dolly P!) partnered up with Duncan Hines on a limited-edition collection of cake mixes and frostings (likely landing in supermarkets in March). This is already making me feel inspired and motivated to turn up Dolly’s greatest hits, and grease up some pans for the rash of spring birthdays coming up.
4.
More food! My friend Lauren and I had lunch at Che-Li this week, as I try to eat my way through the critics’ “best new restaurants” lists from 2021. The Shanghainese restaurant, which deceptively hides amongst the head shops and noodle joints on St. Mark’s Place, has earned a place on several of the lists I’ve bookmarked and annotated, and it’s obvious why. Few places combine a sense of atmosphere, ritual, and also comfort, with the kinds of exquisite dishes coming out of chef Qiling Wang’s kitchen: glistening, poached shrimp, perfumed with tea and surrounded by billows of dry ice; fortifying, perfectly-wrapped soup dumplings; and an elegant little mountain of fried, marble-sized cubes of peppery tofu. We barely made a dent in the menu, but today’s meal gave me every reason to return—and asap.
5.
In praise of the multi-year journal (aka diary)… this is my second year using a 3-year journal. Each page is dedicated to a single date, and the pages are divided into three sections for each year. There’s only enough space to jot down a few lines or sentences, which the writer in me didn’t think I’d enjoy, but it actually makes the whole idea of keeping a journal pretty easy and low-commitment. What’s more, it’s fascinating to revisit the same day’s entry for a prior year. You may be reminded of moments you’d completely forgotten, or you might see recurring patterns. To be frank, mine actually helped me realize that I do in fact seem to suffer somewhat heavily from the January blues. Somehow seeing actual evidence in the form of my own words and handwriting, made it easier to accept—same goes for my willingness to give myself a little extra love during these times. Anyways, here’s a classic 5-year diary I’ve been seeing everywhere, and another slightly larger option in various colors.