Friday Five: Aisha Joshi
*taps mic* introducing a guest post!
Hi Consumers!
I know it’s been a while, I’m still on my extended writing break, but I’m so excited to pass the mic to a very special person for a guest-written Friday Five! Today’s Friday Five is brought to you by Aisha Joshi — wonderful friend, brilliant writer behind the new Close Friends newsletter (go subscribe!), and digital mastermind behind some of your favorite food and cooking brands. She is truly a ray of light so there’s no better person to share their Friday Five with you this week.
Book: The Crane Wife by CJ Hauser (Ed. Note: The Crane Wife essay is one of my favorite reads of all time — I had no idea it was adapted into a book until Aisha wrote this!)
Let me start by saying this is not your summer beach read. This is one of those books you curl up on the couch and read slowly, carefully, savoring each and every sentence like a ritual. When I finished this book I thought "I needed that." Hauser's essays about relationships, love, and grief cut through and hit you where it sometimes hurts. There are some books you read for joy, and other's where the joy comes from feeling seen by the words on the pages. This is the second one.Â
Food: I love steak!!
I find that these days, especially living in Brooklyn, red meat is pretty uncool. I have so many friends who say they don't cook meat at home or rarely eat red meat. That steak is just "eh."
It's always funny for me to hear people talk about a steak so nonchalantly. Growing up, my parents, who are both immigrants from Nepal, always celebrated the protein at the center of our table. I'm not sure if it's because they grew up eating it so sparingly, but for us meat was simply the star of our meal. Lately I've been embracing my family's reverence for meat and have found a nice little ritual in cooking myself a steak. I typically eat half for dinner and save the rest for a salad topped with cold steak strips the next day. I know that access to sustainably raised meat, and the ability to buy it are both privileges. So when I do make it, I savor each step and each bite as a treat.
Clothes: Girlfriend Collective Bike Unitard
Did I feel like a wrestler when I first wore this? Sure! Did I feel like a hot dog all sealed up the second time? Yup! Did I surprisingly love both of those feelings? BIG YES! I've been wearing this thing 24/7. It's perfect for bopping around town with friends, Citi-biking to Domino Park, and of course just sitting around at home.Â
Song: July turned to August and I ran straight to the Folklore album on Spotify. I'm a year-round Swift fan  (in the same way I refuse to claim the word "foodie," I just can't use the term "swiftie," I'm sorry) but as soon as it's summer I start counting down the moments until I can blast the bridge from "August" on August 1st. It's simply the pure pop escapism I crave in the summer.Â
Delightful Treat: Edible Flowers
It's true, I've become one of those people who garnishes their lunch with edible flowers! I've always admired bloggers who make beautiful dishes adorned with flowers (@noreenwasti is the ultimate inspo!) but never felt like I could justify buying them for myself. But this past weekend I had friends over for a birthday dinner party and decided I wanted to decorate my own cake with edible flowers—it was my birthday after all! I bought my flowers at the Union Square Farmer's Market and after decorating my cake (which was very cute and very midsommar) I had a bunch of petals and buds leftover.
I have to say, throwing some flowers on my leftovers and toast this week has brought me maybe too much joy. In a time when it seems like the world is so overwhelming, upsetting, and you're reminded that bad things happen all the time, we owe ourselves a few frivolous flowers on our toast. I think if you can, you deserve to make the mundane a little more beautiful for yourself.Â
If you liked this brilliant guest post, go ahead and subscribe to Aisha’s newsletter! xo