puglia propaganda, tortilla PR

You go, Katy Waldman.

I had a deep discussion with bestie Adrian last night about our respective analog anxieties; she struck some additional fear in my soul by reminding me that there’s apparently no good way to download/organize a lifetime of text messages!!! So when Apple goes down, that all disappears, too. Suddenly wishing I were a Victorian lady keeping my correspondence in hat boxes…

But also, Jeanine in the comments recommended these photo storage kits and Matt recommended this pocket camera. There! Saved us all some more research & agonizing.

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First of all, good on Katy Waldman for not falling for the James Frey comeback propaganda! “I’m afraid that I’ll describe his book and no one will believe me” is frankly an amazing line. The one after it is just as good. And what a kicker!!

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Emily Sundberg itemized your favorite influentials who are on that Puglia press trip for J.Crew. Do you think they are all getting along, or is someone hyperventilating in the corner of the beach club? (Also, is Puglia the new la dolce vita-vibed shorthand? I just noticed this fashion brand that named their pre-fall (lol) collection “Piscina in Puglia.” Anyone have eyes on that Alimentari Flaneur guy?)

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Some luscious food writing consumed recently:

• Hannah Goldfield profiled the Kansas-based flour tortilla master Ruben Leal, and the descriptions of said tortillas’ texture are so dreamy. Caramelo (Leal’s company) also made an appearance in the latest FOUND newsletter; clearly some good tortilla PR is happening, and it’s finally not dominated by Tacombi…
  

• Also in The New Yorker: Lauren Collins investigated the viral Algerian hazelnut spread, El Mordjene, which has the EU up in arms almost literally. I enjoyed Lauren recounting how she finally tracked down some authentic jars in France, but I cannot believe that she left them behind! (Also, wished there was just a little more description of what it actually tasted like. Felt almost a bit close-but-no-cigar on that!)
  

• J Lee’s food criticism, both in Feed Me and at Interview, is apparently quite divisive! Many people have sniped about it to me, but I honestly enjoy his rambles and think his recent dispatch on ThisBowl (“Naurho” is unfortunately hilarious) is dramatic in a fun way. He has such an intense attitude, and that feels like a relief amidst the default sycophantic foodfluencer tone.
  

• Tanya Bush (1/2 of the Cake Zine team) wondered about what virality tastes like for i-d; includes not only great descriptions of algorithmically optimized pastries but also the fellow people hot on their pursuit (“He is radiating disappointment but he feigns diplomacy.”)

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As for a feast for the eyes, I recommend the Hilma af Klint show at the MoMA, which was interesting not for the exquisitely rendered botanicals but more so for the weird little sigils she drew and ascribed to each plant. A watercolor of a pretty regular-looking sunflower, for example, is made freakish with her accompanying sigil that apparently embodies “From love originates always the power to overcome hostility to God.” It’s nuts! I loved it.