in good taste, vol. 110: spring flings
propaganda lists, airport secrets, and citrus mojo roast pork
I know, it’s taken a while for me to get another issue out. In giving myself a little grace, it takes a lot longer than it used to to put these together. As you all know, there’s lots on the Internet to sift through and only so much good taste therein!
Work trips have kept me busy lately, as well as a Spring break staycation at the top of May. We gardened, we dined, we went on neighborhood tours of homes. Tours of homes are a funny thing because they’re really just a public excuse to lurk on your neighbors. One of the homes on a neighboring street contained a collection of baseball memorabilia so one-of-a-kind and massive that I can’t believe it hasn’t been scooped up by an actual museum. Another included a fully restored classic car garage kitted out with vintage cars and a pristine jukebox. What a world!
Propaganda lists:
No matter which side of the social Internet you’ve found yourself on, you’ve probably seen those “Propaganda I am/am not falling for” lists. At least for now, I think the trend is pretty funny and spot-on for the monoculture hype cycle we find ourselves in — see also things like “safe hate spaces” and de-influencing.
It’s not a new framework, as fans of the classic NY Mag Approval Matrix or those hot or not/tired vs wired/ in-out lists would know. It’s another spin on the social signifier that is “taste”; in other words, telegraphing that you have enough of it to be really discerning. Ultimately, nobody wants to feel like they’ve been played by the invisible hand of hype. Everyone wants to feel like they’re above being sold to. And it’s really fun to be opinionated (or exasperated) on main! Anyway this trend is about on its way out, I’m sure, so here are mine:
Propaganda I am not falling for: Cropped wide-leg jeans. “Butter-” everything (except actual butter). Jelly shoes. Restaurants without sound dampeners. Oura Rings. Beets. Tabis (the shoes that look like hooves). Benson Boone. Clear bag policies. LinkedIn. Smoothies.
Propaganda I am absolutely falling for: Addison Rae. UV index. Midi length hemlines. Early-bird dinner. “Fake it ‘til you make it.” Small lamp supremacy. Non-branded hypochlorous acid. Lemony garlicky miso gochujang brown butter gnocchi. Shrimp salad. Being cringe = being free.
What’s a simple, underrated ritual that genuinely changed your life—and you wish you’d started earlier?: This prompt from r/simpleliving got me thinking. Mine would be making the bed every morning when I get up. Or taking a few extra moments to clear my desk at the end of the day.
“It can be genuinely hard to rest - to sit and do nothing for any length of time. That's true in a game, and it's true in the real world. But it's these moments of dawdling and dreaming that I increasingly crave. Maybe if I find enough of them, I'll learn how to actually stop and properly do nothing.” - From “Resting in Games,” The Bathysphere
Divine secrets of the Ya-Ya-Atlanta airport
You may know her as the airport too busy to hate: Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Intergalactic Spaceport is in fact the world’s busiest airport (the city loves this headline, I am not sure why). She contains multitudes (of concourses) connected by the Plane Train, and while she is not my favorite airport, she is my home airport.
I’ve been flying somewhat frequently the past couple of years for work, and thought I’d share a few ATL airport recommendations with you all ahead of the busy summer travel season. I have left Sky Clubs/lounges off this list.
Arrivals to Atlanta:
When you hop off the Plane Train and take the long escalator up to baggage claim, be aware of the candid camera situation.
For very quick pickup from the airport, ride the Plane Train to the International Terminal (E). Not applicable if you’ve checked a bag.
Departures from Atlanta:
Have your drop-off/Uber veer to the left and take you to the lower-level departure zone rather than sitting in gridlock at the regular level.
In the airport:
Art! There’s a ton of great art in the airport, like the walk between Concourses A & B, as Steve Waldeck’s Flight Paths illuminate the way. And the Zimbabwean sculpture collection between Concourses T & A is one of the largest outside of the country.
Varasano’s in Concourse A for its (excellent) pizza and piano bar. Go all the way to the back of the “Food Hall” when you come up the central escalator, fight your way past the Chick-Fil-A line and grab a two-top at the huge windows or a seat at the bar while the piano player is there.
Simply Books, also in Concourse A, is tucked behind the top of the central escalator, and is a bookstore with a great selection. It’s also got a secret section in the back with seating and plenty of outlets, so if you’ve got time to kill and some coffee and snacks, it’s a great place to work or read without a lot of distraction.
Ecco or One Flew South in the International Terminal (accessible via Plane Train if you have enough time): everyone recommends these, and they’re right. The seating area outside One Flew South has great people-watching potential.
I’ve heard great things about Chicken + Beer in Concourse D, but I rarely fly out of that one so haven’t been.
Miscellany:
The modern human Umwelt: “There’s one type of noise that I actually don’t like and it really does cut through me and interrupt my thought process. It’s when someone in the cafe is on a Zoom meeting and I’m sitting near them. And I’m not alone in universally hating it. A lot of people complain about this.”
Chainmail decor in the home (one of my favorite Pinterest Predicts trends that’s made its way from fashion to home)
On my wish list: Arranging Things: A Rhetoric of Object Placement.
CITRUS-MOJO ROAST PORK
Is it a full-afternoon cooking endeavor? Yes. Is it worth it? Also yes. It takes some time but slow-roasted pork with a Cuban-inspired mojo sauce is, in my opinion, the ultimate comfort food. I have shared a couple of recipes in the past for roast pork (e.g., in Vol. 48, Departures), but this is the simplest and maybe the best one.
At Publix, a 2-lb package of country style pork ribs costs around $14 and can last you for days in many variations: on rice as below, in quesadillas, in tacos, in a classic Tampa Cuban sandwich, et cetera. You could probably get away with making this in a crockpot, I don’t have one, so I made it the old-fashioned way in the Dutch oven. Low and slow, once again, yields absolutely phenomenal results. It’s so simple, so inexpensive, and rewards the patient cook.
INGREDIENTS
10 minced garlic cloves
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. pepper
¼ cup, minced fresh oregano
The juice of: 2 limes, 2 navel oranges, 1 red grapefruit
Salt to taste
¼ cup, olive oil
~2 lbs pork shoulder country-style ribs, salt & peppered all over
Extra lime quarters for serving
WHAT TO DO (note: updated for clarity!)
Mix the mojo ingredients in a large bowl (garlic, cumin, salt & pepper, oregano, citrus juice, olive oil) and pour half into a separate airtight bowl and refrigerate. With the reserved first half, toss the pork ribs thoroughly and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerating for at least 2 hours or 24 hours max.
Preheat your oven to 275. Add the pork ribs and their marinade to a Dutch oven (I used a 7.25 quart Dutch oven, but you could make this in a 5 quart depending on the size of the ribs). If they’re bone-in, nestle them in with the bone facing up. Place in the oven covered for 2 hours. At the 2-hour point, take the lid off, check the liquid (if it seems dry, add a half-cup of water or stock), rotate the pot and cook uncovered for another 2 hours.
Let the pork rest for 20 minutes, then shred with two forks. Serve with cilantro, rice, and lime wedges, and top all of it with the reserved citrus mojo sauce.
Love the 50 ways to rest and all the other groovy stuff.
The rise of cropped wide-leg jeans will inevitably give way to comfy gaucho pants, which is the next step to my prediction that the Kate Gosselin haircut (and maybe also skunk highlights????) will soon come back with a vengeance. I can't wait.