Hi Friends,
Happy April Showers! We got a downpour of rain in perpetually dry Southern California this weekend, which was awful in the moment but resulted in the most picturesque rainbow and beautiful cumulus clouds at the end of it all.
I’ve been busy being offline this week; the barista and I had an extravaganza of social time this week as we both somewhat accidentally scheduled time off. Amidst the coffee dates and chitchatting, I also managed to bake twice in one week, which is a new record for me.
My family has been requesting my banana bread for what feels like months, but I never got around to it after they gave away our Pyrex loaf pan to a family friend after one particular potluck (still mad about that; the old Pyrex loaf dishes were much sleeker than they are now). After one particular family feud that left the parents butthurt that I bake primarily for my friends (I know, it’s funny), I drove over to find a Pyrex dish and ingredients to whip up some banana bread for them.
I loosely used this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen, eyeballing ingredients based off my two thawed overripe XL bananas and subbing out the raisins for a hefty chopped mound of chocolate. The loaf was a success, and they enjoyed this for a few days alongside my aunt, though I did still manage to sneak a few slices out to my WIP crew+.
That was my initial baking of the week, but I got a last-minute invite to the barista and Judy’s birthday on Saturday, which I immediately knew I needed to bake for. After deliberating on what kind of cake to bake and collecting some intel from the barista, I settled on this Vanilla Strawberry Cake recipe from The Salted Sweets, running a little conservative on sugar amounts and opting to bake the cake in a 9x13 pan to turn into a layered cake.
This recipe was delicious and most definitely appeased to the masses, balancing the right amount of moistness in the cake with the acidity of the cream cheese frosting and juiciness of the fresh strawberries I received from my Aunt Sahra on Easter.
All this to say, I’ve become the resident baker in most of my social circles this year. What started as another one of my creative hobbies has now turned into a fine balancing act of patience and persistence. While I do bake on a whim, it’s not a skill nor a pastime that comes naturally; it’s a deliberate process of deciding on a recipe, setting aside a few hours of my evening or morning, and a little bit of hoping and praying the treats turn out alright that wears me out in the moment but gives me huge gratitude when I see the smiles on my friends’ and family’s faces. There’s always a compliment that comes in the form of, “You should sell these; I’d buy from you!” - a kind comment but one that I will always respond to with “Baking is my love language, I’m never turning this into a side hustle.”
And that leads me to the point: cooking, in many ways, is creativity in the form of a means for survival. (*I could insert some Nigella Lawson or Eric Kim quote here but you get the vibes*)
Baking is, in my opinion, entirely optional; while a baked good sparks joy, it’s not a form of healthy nutrition nor intense routine that needs to be a part of my or anyone’s life. I’ve found baking to be a great way to express my love, care, and appreciation for those around me; it’s a beautiful marriage of dedicated time, gift-giving, and an act of service for the people around me. My position as a social baker is reminiscent of my parents’ highest expressions of love for me: I grew up with a mother who’d always offer to cut fruit and a father who’d whip up incredible dinners or take me out for a nice meal upon most occasions.
As someone whose emotions and experiences have been highly shaped by cuisine, I crave the joy that baking brings to those around me. There’s not a sour face in sight when I plop a pile of sugar, flour, and time in front of them. There’s also the comfort of knowing that a baked good, despite the hours of work and the mess it can create in the kitchen, is an inoffensive, relatively menial gift that doesn’t feel burdensome to bring to a colleague, acquaintance, or new friend. It’s a great way to break the barriers and say “I care about you” without actually speaking the words verbatim.
I feel semi-obligated to recognize that this is a very domestic hobby with very tradwife optics, but I feel pretty sure that between my Trump administration jabs, Marxist views on the world, and my academic background, no one’s really assuming I’m trying to be one with that world.
All this to say, I’m going to miss being able to bake on a weekly basis once life picks up, but I don’t doubt that baking will continue to be a pastime in my life. After all, I’m just a curious person who is constantly curious about good eats.
Into my week, which has been a particularly exciting one (and, funnily enough, the 17th edition, aka one of my favourite numbers):
Reading/Watching: Sinners (and a belated review of The Encampments)
The barista and I spontaneously went to a showing of Sinners on Tuesday after discussing the film’s unbelievably high ratings the evening prior. I was disappointed, to say the least; the film captured a lot of the nuances and complexities of Mississipi in the 1920s but struggled to keep me engaged. The “switch-up” in the middle had me at a loss for words, but not quite in a good way; I was confused and found some elements of the plot and scenes to be cringe-worthy. I expected to form some deeper thoughts throughout the week, but this is actually the first time I’ve sat with it since, and I don’t have much to report. I’d give it a 1.5/5 stars on Letterboxd, the 1.5 sheerly because Michael B. Jordan is a beautiful, beautiful man.
I also totally forgot to mention The Encampments in last week’s RESTO; I watched it with the musician on Thursday after picking him up from the Santa Ana station. This was mostly a “hey I really want to watch this, wanna come?” situation, so I thoroughly appreciated that we got to watch it. It was fascinating to see the realities of my senior year on a big screen and especially impactful knowing the recent news of Mahmoud’s deportation. If you’re able to catch a screening and are interested in learning more about student activism and institutional/governmental/social censorship of free speech in regards to Israel and Palestine, I’d highly suggest watching!
Eating: Out A Lot
I’ve probably eaten out this week the most of any week this past month. I had a lovely family dinner on Wednesday at Manpuku, a Japanese BBQ spot in Costa Mesa serving good cuts and great sides. I had Uroko for lunch on Thursday after work, enjoyed a snacky OC day on Friday, Malatang and pocha food at the birthday on Saturday, dim sum in the 626 on Sunday. Sprinkle in a WIP sando and that’s been my outdoors extravaganza. Nothing was insanity, but all were delicious and great canvasses for social engagements.
Styling: Clothes outside of work, finally
I got a weekend off this past weekend, initially because I thought I’d want to go on a short weekend trip. With increased social obligations and a general pleasant underlining in my life in OC, I opted to stay in town, attending a birthday party and spending an afternoon/evening up in LA instead. I’ve gotten so used to my routine of work being my primary outing and dressing for a mix of style and comfort that the sheer freedom and non-work social environments had me stumped on what to wear on my days off. I’ve been a little uninspired this week largely due to the unexpectedly chilly weather, but perhaps this week will be a little sunnier and short/skirt-friendly.
Treating: Aforementioned baked goods for my loved ones, many a sweet treat for myself.
Aside from the baking I’ve done primarily for others, I’ve also had quite a gluttonous week myself. From Salt & Straw to Bopomofo Tea, sweet treats have been a throughline in my week, mostly just to chitchat somewhere outside of work and home. Highlight was probably ice cream from 626 Hospitality; honey misugaru and yakult were such a good sweet-tart combo with the recommended seed/nut accoutrements.
Obsessing: Over trying to find a new nail salon???? (Generally just trying to figure out what my life will look like in OC)
I’m officially into my 4th week with these nails, and I’m starting to get nervous that I’ll never be able to get them done again. My nail salon is increasing prices for their Russian manicures in May; what was once $80 (which is already ridiculous, I know, but worth 6 weeks for me) is now $100, and I’m having a harder time justifying the three digits than the two. Russian manicures in OC generally tend to be in the $100s, which was a hard adjustment from One L’s junior manicurists offering $70-80 manicures in Manhattan. I may hop over to Look at Me’s new location in Santa Monica later in May to take advantage of their new client deal, but I’d really love to find a new consistent nail salon, especially given that I’ll be here for the next few years.
Alright, that’s enough of a ramble for me! I’ll catch y’all soon.
With Love,
Anna
Speaking of baking, you should watch grand budapest hotel if you havent already - good baking adjacent scenes. Time for you to pop open the google docs i shared w u btw