We went to dinner with a couple of friends recently, and the topic of this newsletter came up (unsolicited, I’ll add). “What are you going to do when you hit #100?” one of them asked; I still don’t have an answer. Sometimes just getting one of these itinerant little missives out the door feels like a miracle. To say nothing of the 89th of them. Thank you for reading!
In Good Taste has some new subscribers since the last issue, for reasons only known to yourselves! As the old chestnut goes, “feedback is a gift,” and I’d love to hear from you - what’s interesting, what’s boring, what you’d like to see more or less of. The Substack comments section is open on each post, but you can always reply directly to the email, of course :-) Heckles, as ever, will go ignored.
Long-time listeners will note a new format with vol. 89! We love to test and learn over here at IGT HQ.
VOL. 89: INSPIRED READING
Offline:
Spain: The Monocle Handbook. We’re bouncing off to the Basque with a couple of dear friends in September, and I have catapulted into planning mode (more to come on that front).
Feel Free magazine. I’m usually skeptical of influencer products, but this magazine from designer Leanne Ford is really, truly wonderful. It has all the spirit of a zine and is incredibly inspiring -- come for interesting guidance on interior styling and beautiful imagery, and stay for the piece on the screen-printing nun.
Offline Matters book + cards: “a handbook for anybody experiencing digital overload in their lives and creative work.” 🫠🫠🫠
Admiring:
The Wind House in Poland, whose floorplan is dictated by the dense pine forest it is situated in
Periscope: a gorgeous, poetic design for a small, small space
Peaceful, honest, simple. Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge: “an elegance of living”
Ina Garten’s kitchen renovation, which begs the question - does she have to clean each of those hanging pans above her range everytime she cooks something that splatters?! 🤔🤔🤔
The magnificent cabins of Sweden’s Treehotel
Other items of note:
the hidden toll of microstress
27 cooking tips that are actually useful (like celery in a marinade!!)!!
possibly the most useful of all these links … talking points for life
Listening to:
an unapologetically nostalgic Dashboard Confessional mix
“it’s raining outside and someone is playing Nocturne No. 20 in C minor in the other room”
“In Embudo” - Mary Elizabeth Remington
“Japanese jazz when driving on WN” - vibey!
A SIMPLE SALMON FOR A SIMPLE WEEKDAY
The NYT likes to call ideas like this “no-recipe recipes,” which I find to be a confusing and clumsy term, but hey, I just write a newsletter. This meal is a good one for Wednesday evening ennui when it comes to dinner. You’ll be kept from ordering out or going out, and you’ll feel more smug for it.
INGREDIENTS
2 boneless, skinless salmon fillets, patted dry and seasoned with salt and pepper. I’m not too proud to say we love the big ol’ bag of Atlantic salmon from Costco for this job.
Equal parts brown sugar, whole-grain mustard, and olive oil
WHAT TO DO
Heat oven to 400. Whisk together the brown sugar, mustard, and oil, and taste to adjust the spiciness or sweetness or viscosity to your preference. Brush the salmon fillets all over with the sauce, stick in the oven on a baking sheet, and cook for 11 minutes. Serve with roasted vegetables or pearled couscous.