in good taste, vol. 83: zoning out
dissociation television, influencing, and chicken & feta chopped salad
I’m not really a trending TV person. The most “keeping up” I do in this medium is with the Kardashians. And even that is essentially because I’ve watched them forever, why quit on them now? I watched The Bear mostly for the hot chef. Generally speaking, prestige television (with the exception of Mad Men) is equal parts tedious and stressful to me.
Anyway, I found this piece recently on “meditative television” (a close relative of “ambient television”). We are YouTube TV subscribers in this household, which means we get access to some strange streaming channels like Tastemade and my personal favorite, Recipe.TV. The shows on these networks have all the look & feel of a glossed-up public access channel, and I love them for it. This is not meditative television. This is scripted disassociation with a soupçon of Yule Log. Ideal.
Have you, like me, fallen prey to the cult of busy lately? Watch some Paris Bistro Cooking with Edward Delling-Williams, or even A Taste of Ireland with Catherine Fulvio. Emerge somewhat restored.
A FOCUSED SET OF LINKS
Need to focus? Check out this customizable lofi tuner, or a lemon chicken ASMR recipe video “from an 1800s kitchen”
sculptures from a year in a French forest by artist Spencer Byles:
“Much of the appeal is based on the light, the shape of the land, materials and access. I prefer to work in areas that are quiet and remote where I can work undisturbed. I don’t publicize where sculptures are located. Forest visitors only come across my work by chance and news of their whereabouts is passed through ‘word of mouth’.”
The real magic of rituals
I know y’all like a good quiz, so take this one to find your book-collecting aesthetic
It will be interesting to see any overlap between readers of this publication and people who know who Emma Chamberlain is. For your collective consideration, I present:
her somewhat soulless Architectural Digest home tour (caveat: I love her!),
another correct take on that home tour, and finally,
above, the screenshot of corn stools that were linked in THIS VERY NEWSLETTER in 2020 (also proudly displayed in my home now, as a wedding gift from my friends Tim & Thomas).
Who’s the influencer now?
Don’t ever say this newsletter didn’t give you anything!!!
EVEN GIVING YOU A CHICKEN & FETA CHOPPED SALAD
Like I said, I’ve been moving fast lately, and not doing much in the way of creative cooking during the week. However, a roast chicken made the night before does double-duty for a wonderful chopped salad for a busy workday.
INGREDIENTS
1 chicken breast from a rotisserie or roasted chicken, chopped up
butter lettuce, bite-sized
¼ cup crumbled feta
½ fennel bulb, cored and sliced thinly
2 small roma tomatoes, diced
1 avocado, sliced
1 cup of pearled couscous, cooked
2 tbsp., strawberry vinegar
4 tbsp., lemon-infused olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
dash (⅛ tsp.-ish) of sugar
¼ tsp., za’atar
WHAT TO DO
Combine these things. Dress with liquid ingredients & za’atar. Mix again.
The lemon chicken video was great! Love your recipe too. Strawberry, lemon, zaatar, yummy combo! Guess I need to watch more Recipe.TV!