Mondays Mindless Consumption #1

Hello again. Its been a while, I know. Since I last wrote, a lot has happened:

• I ran a vegan food business called Rabbit Food for about two years. It was probably one of the hardest but most rewarding things Ive done. I loved it, but having to juggle it with my other jobs really burned me out so, as of October, the whole operations been on indefinite hiatus.
• I started a new, food-centered blogbased on a project I started with a few friends back in 2015. Hoping to develop it further in the next few months.
• May marked our third year in Hanoi. Its been a wild ride and a real love-hate relationship with the city but, for now, were happy where we are.
• Over the past few months, weve said goodbye to some really good friends and made a few new ones. It may have taken me a few years but Im finally happy with the relationships Ive cultivated and, for the first time since we moved here, I finally feel settled.
• And last, but certainly not the least, we adopted a dog! Her name is Peggy and shes the cutest, sweetest little peanut. We love her so.

Now that youre up to speed, let me start a new and hopefully semi-regular feature on this blog: Mondays Mindless Consumption! Its basically a way for me to file away all of the random content/media/art/food Ive been consuming and, more importantly, loving recently.

Reading:

I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike An article on the systemic mental and emotional abuse of Mary Cain and other female runners from the trainers of Nikes Oregon Project. Heartbreaking and rage-inducing.

The Rumpuss list of books about living abroad Cant wait to dig into some of these. As a female expat on her third year of living overseas, its heartening to read about other womens experiences in navigating new cultures. Might help me parse my own experiences and maybe give me the nudge I need to finally start writing about them.

Watching:

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories Season 2 A Japanese anthology series that centers on a Tokyo diner run by an unnamed chef (only referred to by his customers as Master) and the coming and goings of various characters who come to eat there. Each episode features a different dish. Its a real gem of a show thatll both tug at your heartstrings and make you want to book the next flight to Tokyo ASAP.

The Souvenir A beautiful and completely uningratiating film by Joanna Hogg that features stellar performances by Honor Swinton Byrne, Tom Burke, and a pitch-perfect cameo by Richard Ayoade. Anchored by a solid soundtrack of moody new wave bops.

Eating:

Yesterday, Joff and I decided to visit our old neighborhood (Hai Ba Trung) and hit up some old faves. This place was a new and happy discovery. This beautiful bowl of noodles is called bn c trn and it cost $1.29. Its fried fish over some boiled greens, rice noodles, and topped with a mess of fried shallots and peanuts. As always, there are several condiments nearby so each customer can make their own sauce. I hit it with some fish sauce, chopped chili, and pickled garlic. *Very emphatic chefs kiss*

This beautiful khai jiao (Thai-style omelet) that Joff made last week is still on my mind. A ridiculously easy recipe using pantry staples. Get the recipe here.