It's not like a fuzzy feeling
The work of hope & California restaurants
What a week, huh? It’s hard to think about anything besides the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which is already having dangerous consequences. The truth is we knew this was coming and just as the right has been working to overturn this for 50 years, a network of activists and organizers has been finding ways to help people access the services they need and fight back. This is a national issue and we have to work together. The court has been very wrong before and there are ways that other branches of government can undermine their authority (if they try).
Organizing is mostly somewhat mundane stuff—making phone calls, putting up yard signs, or working a weekend shift as a clinic escort. It’s okay to take a beat and think about how you can best support this work (I’m personally jetlagged and need to do some thinking about how I can get involved) and it’s mandatory to take care of yourself and your community so you have strength to keep going. This is an emotional, painful moment and your feelings are valid. Hope is not so much a feeling as a discipline (Mariame Kaba goes into this here, she first heard it from a nun) and it’s one we all need to practice (and we can take turns). And please, don’t use gendered language when talking about this issue. Not all women can get pregnant and not all pregnant people are women. And stay safe if you are protesting and organizing digitally (Signal is a good app for secure messaging).
I wanted to share this quote from the Mariame Kaba interview linked above, “It’s work to be hopeful. It’s not like a fuzzy feeling. Like, you have to actually put in energy, time, and you have to be clear-eyed, and you have to hold fast to having a vision. It’s a hard thing to maintain. But it matters to have it, to believe that it’s possible, to change the world. You know, that we don’t live in a predetermined, predestined world where like nothing we do has an impact. No, no, that’s not true! Change is, in fact, constant, right? Octavia Butler teaches us. We’re constantly changing. We’re constantly transforming. It doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily good or bad. It just is. That’s always the case. And so, because that’s true, we have an opportunity at every moment to push in a direction that we think is actually a direction towards more justice.”
I’ve got links on the subject further down and our usual stuff coming up. Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
I got home from California late Saturday and finally cooked dinner last night, which felt so good. I made a version of this roasted broccoli and white beans, without the lemon and with some additional spices. I topped it with nutritional yeast and served it with pasta.
Something to order:
Newport Beach:
Whenever I’m in Newport, I have to have Taco Mesa. I tried a new to me dish called the Quesalicious, a fried quesadilla stuffed with potato and other vegetables. So good.
LA:
Back in LA, Clare and I had dinner at Escuela Tacos, a very chill spot. We had really good guac and cauliflower and mushroom tacos and they also made a refreshing mezcalito. It was so nice to catch up!
Molly and I had a little Culver City hang, visiting The Ripped Bodice, a romance only bookstore that I loved, and Go Go Bird at Citizen Public Market for vegan dumplings (Molly also recommends their fried chicken).
Karl and Olivia snagged us a table at Gjelina and we had such a good dinner. It was my first time there and it more than lived up to the hype. We had a delicious rose from Hungary and split a bunch of things. The highlights: grilled oyster mushrooms, a grilled salad and the pizzas. We got the squash blossom and the pomodoro with tomato confit and burrata. The produce really shines and the space is gorgeous, inside and out.
San Diego:
Dale and I love ending our trips in San Diego. The airport is 100 times more chill than LAX and the train ride down offers ocean views (and is cheaper than an Uber across LA). This time, we stayed at an AirBnB in University Heights (didn’t love the airbnb but loved the neighborhood). We had dinner with Matt and Melissa at Kairoa, a New Zealand inspired Brewery with a gorgeous rooftop. Not a bad spot to watch the sunset and the food was really good. I loved the mushroom bulgogi fries and the soba noodle bowl.
Also in University Heights is Stella Jean’s Creamery, which we visited twice in two days. The smores flavor is really good and you can do a split scoop as a single.
We had a good breakfast at Twigg’s coffee shop (Dale loved the biscuit breakfast sandwich and the coffee was really good) and spent the afternoon at Mission Beach.
Before flying out, we were able to grab brunch with Ongell and Ramond at Snooze AM. It gets busy so join the virtual waitlist on yelp before you get there. The food was great and they were flexible about customizing everything, which is a major plus at a breakfast spot. I got a simple veggie omelet and got to try Dale’s strawberry shortcake pancakes, which were really good.
Something to read:
I share additional reads in the Thursday newsletter for paid subscribers.
I’m on the latest episode of Milk Street Radio (it’s the first segment) talking about food in the metaverse, based on this article. We recorded this back in April and I’m so excited it’s out!
The Daily Harvest contamination scandal is alarming. Their lentil crumbles are making people very sick (multiple people have had their gallbladders removed) and the company was slow to share the news, initially blamed customers for not cooking the crumbles properly and was trying to bury it on social media. If you have the products, send them to the FDA for testing!
My grandmother died from her abortion. I survived my own.
Black women in the South have been bracing for Roe’s fall for decades
We are not going back tot the time before Roe. We are going somewhere worse.
We Will Not Be Saved / We Will All Change (found in Alicia’s excellent newsletter).
Abortion funds to donate to, with a focus on states with trigger laws.
Love this from Olivia Rodrigo!
I'm an abortion doula in the Deep South. This is what I want you to know.
The staff of Teen Vogue responds to the end of Roe
With the Corpse of Roe Still Warm, Far Right Plots Fascistic Anti-Abortion Enforcement
Why queer visibility in baking matters.
It all started with a salad spinner. How Oxo consistently designs such good kitchen gadgets.
Dinner parties are trending (here for this as I am overdue to host one)
This one is for my infrastructure fans: what to do when you see a crumbling city.
I’m seeing this show this weekend and I’m so proud of LT!
In writing a book, I rewrote the story of my own life
This candle would be a good gift for your enemies
Trans chefs reshaping restaurant culture
The Road to Turning 500 Acres Into a Black City
Inside the James Beard judging process (there is room for improvement as judges are not required to visit all the nominees)
Long-Distance Queer Love Helped Me Eat Without Fear
New Yorkers, remember to vote tomorrow! Here’s more information. I’ll be voting for Jumaane Williams and Ana Maria Archila (disclosure: my sister works for their campaign and I’m very proud of her).
Take good care and thank you for being here. Next week’s newsletter will come on Tuesday after the long weekend.
xo, Abigail