in good taste, vol. 101: a slow life

hobbies, tiny things, pools, and garden chicken soup

Soft life, slow living, quiet hobbies: my guiding principles for spring and summer 2024. I’ve become more interested in hobbies and practices that slow me down, and are literally productive -slash- anchored in the real world.

I tried to pick up both embroidery and calligraphy as hobbies with tactile appeal, but they didn’t stick. Adrian offered, “it’s because a new craft or hobby shouldn’t steal time from your reading in the evening,” which was incredibly insightful and exactly right. I needed to find a low-stakes hobby that would allow me to learn, but not at the expense of other activities or ways I like to spend my time. And, honestly, I’m not that crafty.

So I decided to pull out my old Canon Ftb and start learning how to use a camera properly. I’ve developed a couple months’ worth of film from a local lab now and have taken some truly terrible photos!! And I have accumulated a Minolta SRT201  and Ricoh XR7 along the way. It’s slow learning, in a good way. A practice of building patience, building skill; a real slow practice of being okay with being not great at something immediately. I’m out here trying to build a soft life in the everyday pinch, watching 2 hours of calm film photography in Japan, and just taking it easier on myself. 

Thanks to everyone who responded to the polls in the last issue, the Editorial Board values your opinions and input!!

some good Seattle light with the Ricoh XR7 :-)

A SCATTERING OF GOOD TASTES

What I’ve been up to, mostly offline: 

• Collecting books in my travels to Seattle and St. Petersburg. New favorite bookstores include Elliott Bay (Seattle), (still) Book + Bottle (St. Pete), and the anarcho surprise of Left Bank Books Collective in Pike Place Market.

  • Did not get to visit Peter Miller Books in Seattle (design + architecture), but I did get his book, which is wonderful 

• Being obnoxious in public with my cameras! Imagine all the dramatic pauses that come with figuring out shutter speed. These things are loud, too.

• Re-watching season 10 of Curb Your Enthusiasm on Delta flights. Since I’ve been flying a lot lately (✨climate queen✨) I have been picking one series and watching it through. I will forever love Curb even though it doesn’t always hold up with the current moment.

Admiring:

• I have three ideals of swimming pools in film: the first is from The Valley of the Dolls, the second from Call Me By Your Name (I am desperate for this plunge pool), the third is from The Graduate

• The new visual identity for American Girl - perfection, no notes!

• This archive of the homes and studios of famous artists - featuring standards like Fallingwater and standouts like the textural Cornwall studio of Barbara Hepworth

Other items of note:

• 9 habits of curious minds: “Some studies indicate that curiosity may have a genetic component (DRD4-7R has been dubbed the “wanderlust gene”), and most researchers agree that curiosity can be nurtured.”

• One of my favorite museum stops of all time is the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. This is a great read on why tiny things are so fascinating.

• Our friends Andrew and Darbie have started an amazing garden in Charleston, and gave us gigantic stalks of fresh oregano (among other monster herbs) on a recent visit to Atlanta. I cannot overstate the size of this oregano, and in fact, it is still fragrant and green many (many) weeks later?! Fresh oregano is a good thing and a good taste and a miracle. Here’s an article all about harvesting it. 

• Spanish cocktail culture (+/- large gin-tonics) is about to be the next “manifesting your Italian spritz summer” thing and I’m all about it. 

• Consider the lemon, from Bey to Kate Nash to Tony Montana and bey-ond

Listening to: 

• The new Vampire Weekend album, a funny phrase in 2024;

• The new Billie Eilish album, especially “Birds of a Feather”;

• The score to Challengers, which might be the perfect get-work-done soundtrack;

• “Cartagena,” Reyna Tropical (2024)

• Chappell Roan, who was amazing in St. Pete this past weekend! 

GARDEN CHICKEN SOUP

We returned from Seattle a little exhausted, so Adrian put together this soup (I am married to a Good Man, if that wasn’t obvious). I’m calling this “garden chicken soup” because it tastes very simple, very fresh, and an all-season antidote to feeling rundown. Sub out any pasta or rice you’d like. We used homemade chicken stock, but the box (or a bouillon cube) would do just fine. This is uncomplicated food for inflamed systems!

We both agreed it could use a squeeze of lime at the end, so feel free to add on your own. This may just cure what ails you, and leave you with great leftovers for the next day’s lunch. 

INGREDIENTS

3-4 carrots, chopped up
3-4 celery ribs, chopped up
5 garlic cloves, chopped
4-5 green onions, white parts chopped fine
½ onion, chopped
5 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp. Adobo seasoning
½ box (½ lb) of filini pasta (or small noodle shape, or rice)
5 chicken tenderloins, seasoned with salt & pepper
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
(optional: juice of half a lime) 

WHAT TO DO

In a pot, sauté the carrots, celery, garlic, and green onions in a bit of olive oil, until softened. Add the chicken tenderloins and chicken stock to the pot, season with salt, pepper, and Adobo, and heat, submerged, to just at boiling. If there’s not enough liquid to submerge, add water 1/2 cup at a time, and keep on a low boil until the chicken reaches 165F with a thermometer.

Remove the chicken to a plate and shred with a couple of forks, then add back into the pot at a boil, along with the pasta (following the timing for pasta by the box instructions, or about 3 minutes). Cover the pot, lower the heat,and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Top with cilantro and optional lime juice. 

That’s it. Stay rested and hydrated, open a window or two.