in good taste, vol. 102: a small business
shopkeeping, magazines, and a simple summer ratatouille
Recently, a popular breakfast place in our neighborhood relocated to a different block. It took up the corner of an old, single-story commercial building, which also currently houses a quirky tea place, a bridal shop, an interior design firm, a framing store, and a realtor. With a local market and one of our favorite restaurants across the street, it’s a moderately bustling little commercial block.
The thought of what could go into the old café has been a distraction for me. A bookstore, a bookstore-game store (the game store part is for Adrian, not me), a bookstore-game store-wine bar, a bookstore-game store-wine bar-shoppy shop? The mind, it whirls. I am the embodiment of this TikTok parody in this moment- “I’m just such a merchant.”
I’ve been idly reading about the state of independent bookstores (thriving, allegedly) and of other people’s experience opening & running them. I’m wondering where money comes from to start a small community business, what a business plan actually is. Maybe more precisely … I’m trying to pin down what is most interesting to me about the idea, beyond the fact that I could walk to it from my house? 😼
The last link above about running a bookstore in small-town Texas is a little cheesy, sure, but the notion of being specific (not exactly specialty, like only a cookbook store, or only rare books, but also not a generalist) stuck out to me. Having a point of view, but not necessarily a genre. What if a little bookshop in Atlanta just carried matters of taste? What if a newsletter turned into a bookshop?
Thoughts of a dry brain in a dry season!
A SCATTERING OF GOOD TASTES
What I’ve been up to, mostly offline:
Probably related somewhat to my shopkeeping musings: as work and work travel piles up for the Internet company that employs me, I’m craving the art of pottering (or variations on tinkering, pootling, wafting and pondering)
Adrian and I are headed to Boston and NYC for a little summer getaway next week. I’m excited to bring my camera and a ton of film, go to Fotografiska and Casa Magazines, see David and Nathan and Carter and Michael, post up at Amor y Amargo and Grand Army, to take the train and cut a rug with Ted Leo in celebration of an all-time favorite album.
Been out here and there just snappin’ away on film. The Minolta SR-T 201 is currently claiming the top spot as favorite camera on the roster. Everyone’s been so kind and encouraging about my new hobby, now I just need more friends to take it up so I feel less self-conscious! A few highlights from the past few weeks:
Admiring:
The Magdalens Islands of Quebec: wow, I love this write-up and very much want to go right this minute: “dazzling and soothing, the kind of place that dislodges the clutter in your head and then sweeps it clear.”
- ran a very fun rundown of Audrey Hepburn’s costumes in Funny Face (1957)
This collection of niche museums
An absolutely lovely look at the home of the late Anne Broadbent - described as “part interior-design project, part artwork, part performance,” and an even better descriptor here - “an aesthetic of abundance, teetering on excess.”
A bit of a rabbit hole here, so bear with me, but I learned of a shop called Bon out in Tucson via
. I am not really one to have a “capsule wardrobe” (honestly, I like shopping too much for that to work as directed). But if I could afford it, Bon’s assortment is how I would dress every single day. I don’t know if a shop has ever really captured my desired wardrobe aesthetic quite so exactly!!!
Other items of note:
Longtime favorite newsletter
shared some relatable reflections on Borders (RIP) and its magazine/periodical section. For those who knew it, it was unparalleled, an icon, a legend, and the moment. The magazine section of the Borders on North Dale Mabry in Tampa, Florida was a cultural cornerstone of my youth!!! It’s where I discovered Maximum Rock & Roll and Adbusters (the irony there doesn’t escape me), Paper and Purple and all sorts of niche art magazines on thick paper stock that I’m sure are well out of publicationA search engine that helps you find weird old books : it is exactly what it sounds like
Armadillo Online, there is nothing more to say on that matter
The No Bummer Summer Club!!!
hot day, hot soup, hot bread, hot life!!!
A SIMPLE SUMMER RATATOUILLE
I’ve mentioned before that in this house, we believe in our local CSA! In the absence of a thriving edible garden (we have two tomato plants who are currently trying their best), the incredible Love is Love cooperative here in Georgia keeps us stocked in weekly vegetables. An abundant road of squash and zucchini naturally points toward ratatouille, and as a simple ratatouille is just slow-cooked vegetables, it’s hard to go wrong.
I have not found much need to sweat the sliced zucchini or eggplant in salt ahead of time, as I prefer a soupier ratatouille and enjoy a more cooked-down, soft texture. If your preference is more structural, toss those vegetables in a couple of tablespoons of salt in a colander in the sink, and let them leak for about 20-30 minutes.
All in all, this is a simple, remarkable, snappy early taste of summer that loves to be eaten with garlic bread, next-day with some shrimp, and next-next-day on top of sticky white rice.
INGREDIENTS
All of these vegetables, chopped in ~1-inch chunks:
4 vine tomatoes
4-5 yellow squash and zucchini
2 medium yellow onions
1 large eggplant
¼ cup, olive oil + 2 separate tbsp.
1 tbsp. butter
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 tbsp. vermouth (optional)
4-5 whole anchovies
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp. herbes de Provence
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Piment d’Espelette
¼ cup fresh basil, torn up into small bits for serving
¼ cup grated Parmesan (optional)
WHAT TO DO
In a Dutch oven, heat the 2 separated tablespoons of oil and melt butter, then add sliced garlic and cook on medium heat until it’s fragrant (but not browned), then toss in the anchovies, mashing with a wooden spoon as they cook down. Splash the vermouth in, raise the heat to boil for a minute, then lower back to medium heat.
Add in all of the vegetables, shower them generously (1.5-2 tbsp) with salt, pepper, herbes de Provence, onion powder, and piment d’Espelette, mixing well (and patiently) to get everything coated. Note: there will be a LOT of vegetables in this pot - we have a 7 ¼ qt. Dutch oven and I get nervous there will be spillover, but the vegetables cook down quickly!
Low simmer for 3 hours on the stovetop uncovered, stirring every 30 minutes to make sure nothing is sticking or burning on the bottom. Serve it in bowls with a little basil and Parmesan garnish, and top with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.