Dinner at Sera's, vol. 9
We're back!
Hi and welcome back on this beautiful (almost) summer day!
During our hiatus last week, I officially handed in my master’s thesis, and now all that separates me from my degree and, more importantly, summer in Berlin (!) is one 5,000 word philosophy paper - which, at the beginning of the semester, horrified me, but after the thesis, I now feel is small fries.
Food for thought
Now that school is basically done, I want to spend a lot more time cooking (and therefore, filming) recipes I’ve had saved, starting with this Ottolenghi dish. I’m a little skeptical about the taste of grilled lettuce, but I’m always willing to give anything that appears to be visually pleasing a go.
I saw this video recently of a “Big Mac” salad, and the dressing really called out to me as something I need to try, although my feelings on ground beef change almost daily. I either love it or feel completely nauseated by it, so I’ll have to hope for the best if I do try this, or just go for the vegetarian version.
Shop ‘til ya drop
I actually have nothing on my wishlist right now. Somehow, I didn’t manage to see any TikToks in the last two weeks where I thought, “I need that,” which I am grateful for.
I am extremely fearful of overconsumption, mainly as someone who prides herself on her relatively “minimalist” aesthetic, but the amount of garbage overflowing out of the world’s landfills definitely gives me pause as well.
I’ve been enjoying keeping my outfits on the basic side lately (I think everyone probably does look their best in jeans and a plain t-shirt), but I will update the newsletter accordingly as soon as I (inevitably) get bitten by the retail bug once more.
In the news
A lot of awful things happened in the past two weeks, i.e. the leaked Supreme Court draft signaling Roe v. Wade is soon to be overturned, Israel’s horrific murder of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the shocking subsequent scenes of Israeli riot police attacking mourners during her funeral procession, and the mass shooting in a Buffalo, New York supermarket yesterday by an 18-year-old white supremacist (who was, very predictably, taken into custody unharmed).
I have nothing substantial to add to any of these topics, especially as I feel like they speak for themselves, even though some of them are more correctable than others.
Do I think the Senate filibuster, much like the entire US Constitution, is an archaic practice? Yes. Do I think Ruth Bader Ginsburg should have retired when Obama was still in office? Yes. Do I think, to a young, heterosexual, white male, the idea of voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016 was a fate worse than death? Definitively, yes. Do I think I, as a US taxpayer, should be funding Israel’s state-sanctioned human rights abuses? Absolutely not.
Bad things happen all the time, and we will continue to be extremely powerless to them, no matter how many people we rally, or voices we corral, or insipid infographics we post on Instagram. I think it’s ok to accept that, especially if you’re at all concerned about the sanctity of your own mental health.
Song of the week
“LET’S DO IT AGAIN - Radio Edit” - Jamie xx
I became completely hyper-fixated on this track during the final 72 hours of my thesis writing process and listened to it (no joke) on repeat for at least 70% of that time. I know it’s a good song because now that I’m done with writing, I still want to listen to it.
Coming up
This week, I’ll be conducting a systematic deep clean of my entire apartment (and documenting parts of the process on TikTok). Maintaining an organized apartment is the only way I can maintain an organized mind, and I let a few upkeep items slip significantly these past few weeks, so it’s time to set myself up for success once more.
If you have any videos you’d like to see from me, let me know in the comments of this post or send me an email/message on Instagram. I’ve gotten a few requests for a bathroom “shelfie”/skincare routine video so that concept is top of mind, but don’t hesitate to let me know if there are any others.
In bigger, longer term news that I’m really excited for, now that I have significantly more free time, I’m also planning a series of videos on Turkish/Mediterranean-inspired dishes, that will likely culminate in an actual dinner party (per this newsletter’s namesake), and in addition to those recipes, I’ll be giving tips on how to set up the table, how I choose the menu (and the accompanying drinks), and just general advice on curating the best “vibe” possible.
That’s all from me today, see you next Sunday!