Hi there!
It’s weird out there, huh? It’s back-to-school with peak hot temps for us East Coasters. Fall routines don’t feel set yet. Lots of things simmering, but not settled. The end of the month might feel a lot different than the beginning.
Cheese: Apologies to Willoughby, who I used to view as Harbison’s less interesting, kind of moody Jasper Hill sibling. First of all, they aren’t particularly similar, especially since Willoughby is a washed rind vs Harby’s bloomy rind. But moreover, Willoughby didn’t deserve my harsh judgment. Its pungent aroma mellows out in the taste, which feels brie-like with a meaty edge. I *gasp* half-melted some on Triscuits and… kind of loved it. Sacrilege? Maybe. But I’m into it.
Book: I have a loosely kept tradition of visiting independent bookstores whenever I’m in a new city, buying a book, and writing on the inside cover where/when I bought it. A Map for the Missing by Belinda Huijuan Tang is my favorite purchase thus far, bought at Downtown Books in Manteo, NC last month. Tang Yitian returns to China after many years in the U.S. to search for his missing father, while also reconnecting with a long-lost love while there. I admire Huijuan Tang’s careful maintenance of relationships over time – how they sour, how they evolve, how they change form. People aren’t stagnant, and Huijuan Tang is deft at telling a story about how life choices impact a love that once was.
Honorable Mention: National Dish by Anya von Bremzen will not exit my brain. Von Bremzen explores the controversial topic of food authenticity by traveling to eight cities and exploring their most famous dishes (pizza in Naples, mole in Oaxaca, etc.). Spoiler alert: There is an incredible amount of outside influence (international subsidies! persistent cultural myths! colonialism!) that dictates what supposed “authenticity” means. It’s a deeply researched and fascinating book on food history, nationalism, and culture.
Restaurant: On an epic suburban Maryland HMart-Costco one-two punch last week, we grabbed a quick lunch at Taqueria Cabrito, located inside a nearby gas station. The tacos (with slightly fried tortillas) were filled to the brim with meat (alas, they were out of lengua) and raw onions. The on-the-bone braised chicken with a just-the-tiniest-slow-burn red mole was great wrapped in (non-fried) tortillas, washed down with a quite sweet horchata. There’s so much more to try: cemitas, tlayudas, pozole… Is it the best Mexican food I’ve had in the DC area? Too early to tell, but I still love you, Taqueria Habanero and Taqueria Xochi…
Honorable Mentions: Lapis nails it every time. The buranee bademjan – eggplant with tomato demi-glace, garlic sour cream, and dried mint – is definitely a contender for Top Eggplant (alongside Piccolina’s eggplant parm).
Also, I’d return to Honest Grill in Centreville, Virginia for more KBBQ (but also get the onigiri and mochi doughnuts next door at Okaeri Japanese Cafe).
Thing: Y’all know about the Libby app, right? The brilliant way to borrow e-books and audiobooks from public libraries? I love the UX, I love how I can easily check my hold statuses, and I love that it feeds info to the library when I’m interested in a book it doesn’t have. But you already know all that, yah?
See you in October, ducklings!
-c