Can you believe we’re already half way through 2024? The garden is fully alive — a proper update is probably over due — and I have dutifully been collecting links for you like some common magpie or squirrel. Part of the trouble with this link roundup type newsletter is that by now so much of this is old news… I think this will probably be the last one. I’ll revert to texting links to individuals, with the boiler plate “youdonthavetoreadthisbutIthoughtyoumightfinditinteresting” disclaimer.
🌶️ I haven’t defended David Chang or Momofuku in casual conversation in quite some time1, and this chili crisp trademark war is great reminder of why. What happened to COMMUNITY NOT COMPETITION — the budding anti-capitalist in me would like to state for the record that this is not a vibe. I have some thoughts that are probably too private for the internet (the limit does exist), but I will say I’ve been struggling to find the right balance between commerce and contentment as I sift through ideas for how the next phase of my life might take shape. This is an unnecessarily cryptic way to say: I continue to enjoy being unemployed.
🫱🏻🫲🏾 Hmmm… a theme emerges? I’m about to get a little fresh and also talk about condiments again. America’s favorite snack store is back at it, this time taking advantage of the delicious / well branded / all around good vibes Brooklyn Delhi. I mean, there is a definitely a conversation to be had about the Trader Joe’s cult, whitewashing, & cultural appropriation… right? If I may humbly make an auxiliary book recommendation, The Secret Life of Groceries touches on both the rise of TJ’s and the uphill, pay-to-play battle that is getting your condiment brand on the shelves of major retailers.
🌭 Yup, fully condiment brained. I had never heard of hot slaw but immediately made some for a bbq after reading this article. It was just fine? I think it would have paired better with hot dogs, but alas it was a burger kind of afternoon for me.
🗺️ This is off topic (I contain multitudes), but I had to share this walkability mapping tool because I was trying to build something similar (and a lot worse) once! I have very rigid criteria for how walkable where I live needs to be. I won’t dox myself, but I’ll say my Portland home gets top marks in everything that matters to me except library proximity, which is unfortunate, but eBook checkouts have helped bridge that gap. Actually, you know what, it is on topic — proximity to farmers markets, supermarkets, cafes, bars and restaurants is essential to your relationship with food. Anyway, a fun tool for the non-trivial number of readers who are thinking about moving in the near future, you know who you are.
🚕 It’s maybe time for me to break up with delivery apps. As someone who has moved from a place where getting food delivered multiple times a day is not at all unusual, to a place where I feel like I am the only person on the block I’ve ever seen get food dropped off, I have notes. Of course delivery has existed long before the apps and is an important lifeline for those who can’t get to restaurants easily, but I’ve been rethinking of the true cost of convenience in my own life a lot recently. Our delivery cadence has dropped to maybe 1x a month, swapped out in favor of takeout on nights when we don’t cook or eat out. I’ve had so many lovely interactions with business owners and patrons alike in the very small amount of time I spend picking up food… it seems a little melodramatic to say it, but I feel way better connected to my walking distance community. Also, a lot of these companies have a history of being fairly evil, but this is not a moralistic plea, the privilege of having the time to go pick up my food and living in a place where I can do so on foot cannot be overstated. I think we’re entering an era of wide spread rejection of smartphone enabled living in general, but that’s another post.
🥖 Lastly… I need one of these stamps. I try and buy food related stamps when mailing out little zines, but they are far and few between. Scratch and sniff sounds like a distant dream — USPS, are you listening? A fun fact about me is that being a stamp designer used to be my dream job ~15 years ago… can you imagine?
INTERMISSION: Various chaotic scenes from the garden(s)….
![A pig figurine in a raised garden bed, garden harvest of lettuces, herbs, peas, Japanese inspired rock garden, Bird garden statue in another raised bed, nasturtium in the sunlight, garden harvest basket, california poppies, hand holding shelled pea, wide shot of garden bed with aframe trelis](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8124ade-9232-4f36-bd49-6b341f5541fe_966x1301.jpeg)
![A pig figurine in a raised garden bed, garden harvest of lettuces, herbs, peas, Japanese inspired rock garden, Bird garden statue in another raised bed, nasturtium in the sunlight, garden harvest basket, california poppies, hand holding shelled pea, wide shot of garden bed with aframe trelis](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9ee67aff-aa73-48a2-91d1-eab5a60c3d04_2185x1290.jpeg)
![A pig figurine in a raised garden bed, garden harvest of lettuces, herbs, peas, Japanese inspired rock garden, Bird garden statue in another raised bed, nasturtium in the sunlight, garden harvest basket, california poppies, hand holding shelled pea, wide shot of garden bed with aframe trelis](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f59d4da-c403-4521-888f-b1187520929f_1475x1052.jpeg)
![A pig figurine in a raised garden bed, garden harvest of lettuces, herbs, peas, Japanese inspired rock garden, Bird garden statue in another raised bed, nasturtium in the sunlight, garden harvest basket, california poppies, hand holding shelled pea, wide shot of garden bed with aframe trelis](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c682580-f4f3-4d70-960a-5b33de199725_1735x1301.jpeg)
![A pig figurine in a raised garden bed, garden harvest of lettuces, herbs, peas, Japanese inspired rock garden, Bird garden statue in another raised bed, nasturtium in the sunlight, garden harvest basket, california poppies, hand holding shelled pea, wide shot of garden bed with aframe trelis](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F713629bf-683d-4995-b0b3-41d271cdcc5d_976x1301.jpeg)
![A pig figurine in a raised garden bed, garden harvest of lettuces, herbs, peas, Japanese inspired rock garden, Bird garden statue in another raised bed, nasturtium in the sunlight, garden harvest basket, california poppies, hand holding shelled pea, wide shot of garden bed with aframe trelis](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff1ec1754-300a-4ccf-8500-dd1e48e7adee_1145x1301.jpeg)
![A pig figurine in a raised garden bed, garden harvest of lettuces, herbs, peas, Japanese inspired rock garden, Bird garden statue in another raised bed, nasturtium in the sunlight, garden harvest basket, california poppies, hand holding shelled pea, wide shot of garden bed with aframe trelis](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff0ba9cd1-6f6b-446a-97f2-27c0fa39f69d_1067x1301.jpeg)
![A pig figurine in a raised garden bed, garden harvest of lettuces, herbs, peas, Japanese inspired rock garden, Bird garden statue in another raised bed, nasturtium in the sunlight, garden harvest basket, california poppies, hand holding shelled pea, wide shot of garden bed with aframe trelis](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc85243e0-e58e-48c7-b740-f3e28795d502_1475x1149.jpeg)
![A pig figurine in a raised garden bed, garden harvest of lettuces, herbs, peas, Japanese inspired rock garden, Bird garden statue in another raised bed, nasturtium in the sunlight, garden harvest basket, california poppies, hand holding shelled pea, wide shot of garden bed with aframe trelis](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_474,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0ce14ad1-1d7b-49f1-b882-50707a2c31db_1475x1106.jpeg)
📚 1/2 way through the year also means I should be about 1/2 way through my 2024 reading list. I’m only marginally behind, which is truly some sort of miracle. Invitation to a Banquet remains a major standout, but I also have thought and talked a lot about The Cost of Free Land since finishing it however many moons ago. Relatedly, this podcast episode and some auxiliary reading (The Shallows, How To Do Nothing, Digital Minimalism, Four Thousand Weeks, etc. — not all good, I will disclaim) really have me rethinking my relationship to the internet and technology at large. Notes2 have absolutely killed what was briefly magical about Substack for me so… I really don’t know what the future holds.
Music wise, I do have a playlist for you, but first I must join the chorus of people raving about Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee, it’s… truly transformative. I don’t remember the last time I had such an intense and visceral reaction to music. I recognize that it can be challenging to listen to the whole thing in that it is long, and virtual every song hits — I had to physically restrain myself from looping a few early tracks. If you’d rather take it one song at a time, I think some of the catchiest songs are: Dreams Of You, All I Want Is You, Kingdom Come, If You Hear Me Crying. Anyway, obvious front runner for AotY for me, but here are some other sounds I have been listening to.
I’ve been fairly MIA lately, and regrettably that trend is not projected to reverse anytime soon. However, I do have some obnoxiously long posts simmering in my drafts, so stay tuned.
I was a big fan in his defense of MSG era
For email only subscribers, Notes is a Twitter-like social feature Substack introduced last year. I’ve been half heartedly using it to capture some shorter food / garden related thoughts