A Rolling Start
Happy 2019, fellow person who checks their emails on holidays!
If you’d resolved to stay away for another week, click off now! This WC will still be here when you get back... along with a couple of expired Boxing Day deals and some exciting news from a kindly lawyer about a mysterious great uncle.
Unlike this guy, the suggestions to follow are evergreen, though particularly pertinent to the first week of a new year.
If you were that way inclined and read the piece I flicked your way from Tim Ferriss on the pitfalls of setting NY resolutions, you’d know that he contends that it’s better to review the year that’s gone instead - write a list of good things (and not so good) that happened, and some learnings along the way. Then, in the year ahead, spend more time doing the things that make you happy, and less on the stuff that leaves you feeling crappy.
In 2019, I’ll be spending more time on writing, cooking, reading and eating - quite achievable as far as goals go, I reckon. I’m preemptively putting “sleeping” on the back-burner from about April, but banking as much of it in the form of 'napping' in the meantime.
In between naps, I’ve managed to stumble upon a ripper of a podcast for you, and finally made a date on the couch with Samin. Join us...
If you’re that way inclined:
Watch: When Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat hit my desk as food editor, I deemed it THE investment cookbook of 2017. I'd not seen anything as revelatory in the edibles explanation sense since McGee's On Food & Cooking, combined with the best kind of irreverent illustrations and diagrams from Wendy MacNaughton. Her 4-part Netflix series of the same name is a distillation of the decade of work she did on the book, set to the most incredible landscape and close-up money shots of the finest foods on the planet. It's evident that the entire crew are as obsessed with eating as Samin is, and it's a sheer delight for the senses. A word of warning: Don't Watch Hungry!
Listen to: Although a new year spells possibility for some, for others, thoughts can just as easily fall into a spiral of reflection and regret over what's been lost along the way. Hidden Brain is an extremely well-produced psychology podcast that fuses translational behavioural psychology research explained with relatable, real-world examples. The episode on Loss & Renewal is a quick and easy listen that may give you just the right kick of motivation to feel the fear and attachment, but make the leap regardless!
Cook: I’m sharing a lot more recipes and tips on my various social platforms as I gear up to pump out book two (for grown-ups this time), and would love to see you try out what I'm tinkering with, so that we may crowd-source potential questions and suggestions along the way. I'm using #😏cookclub on Instagram, because the recipes tend to evoke a satisfying sense of smug, and reclaiming #365daysofvegetables for another year, because I never stopped, really. I'll also keep indulging in Instastory cook-alongs, so if you're not in the habit of clicking on the bubbles at the top of your feed, now might be a good time to start.
Snaffle: Thankfully, I'll get a chance to explain the appeal of Nailed It (as per last week's WC) to the Domestic Goddess herself when she returns to our shores for a series of Evenings with Nigella in Jan-Feb. Just like her Euro tour, each location sees NLaw in conversation with a local fixer, so naturally I'll be getting on the mic at Hamer Hall in Melbourne on Saturday Feb 9th. Tickets are going ballistic, so if you're umming and ahhing, get a wriggle on to snaffle some up!
On that note, it's time for me to get rolling on some golubtsii for dinner. They'll likely be a combination of Claudia Roden's recipe and this Creole one that I stumbled upon on the InterGoogle. If you've any tips, please send them in my general direction... Mum's away, and I'm ashamed to say I've never claimed this Brassica Birthright until now. Wish me luck!
Cheerio!
A - Z.