The Friday Five: August 13, 2021
Gettin' down on Friday
Hi there!
Welcome to the second-ever Friday Five, your weekly digest of art, food, and miscellaneous things to spark joy or relief as we wrap up another week. Share this with someone you’re thankful for.
Tweet / Piece of Vital Information for Your Everyday Life: Nigella Lawson read — and enjoyed — this newsletter!!! Lovely subscribers, you are now in the presence of greatness. I asked her to confirm whether or not she calls chaotically cutting up ingredients “a rustic chop” and she spoke on the record:
Song: “Swang My Way” is the kind of song I would start an episode of a TV show with (to the 0 TV producers reading this, please let me be a guest music coordinator), using b-roll and ambient shots until I cut to the title card + my character at 0:26 starting their day, starting a walk, or starting the plot. Relatedly, if you want to feel main character syndrome, put this on the second you step out on a walk and see how you feel when the vocals come in — I can guarantee you it will give you a little pep in your step. The instrumental breakdown that starts at 2:49 might throw you off but I still love this song in the summer.
Read: Audre' Lorde’s searing essay “The Transformation of Silence Into Language and Action” is something I can turn to every single day. I think about it all the time, and constantly revisit the quotes below. If you are ever struggling with the words to say, always remember that speaking and reclaiming your language is an act of self-revelation.
I was going to die, if not sooner then later, whether or not I had ever spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you…
…What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence?
Recipe: Powdered Doughnut Cake from Yossy Arefi’s “Snacking Cakes.” Who doesn’t love a powdered doughnut? No, seriously — who doesn’t? 👀 If you’re on this list and want to transform some silence into action, please contact me, I just want to talk. Anyway, imagine a fresh powdered doughnut in cake form, warm out of your oven. There is something about the amount of nutmeg in this recipe that is just sublime. It’s dense and has a great crumb (something I say after eating a piece to make myself feel like a British Bake-Off judge), comes together in one bowl, and is a delight to snack on and share with someone you care about.
Joyful Internet Content: Until Substack can embed Tiktoks, you’re going to get a lot of tweets from me…
“Just the thought of you brings a smile upon my face / That's how it makes me feel to see you everyday” - Blackstreet ft. Maya (above), and me thinking of you (newsletter subscribers).
With wonders and wishes,
Roya