Hello there,
I've been in need of some good distractions recently — as if war and never-ending climate disasters weren't enough, the recent Supreme Court decisions that stand to destroy US democracy sent me in a tailspin. Luckily, I've found some good things to watch and read.
Watch
I initially brushed off Perfect Days (Hulu) when I saw it come up as a recommendation, because it looked boring, and it takes a lot for a movie to hold my attention these days. But what I found was that in its banality, it was completely hypnotic and captivating — not unlike Terrace House, also from Japan. It was soothing and beautiful, which is pretty incredible since it was basically a full-length infomercial for Tokyo's incredible public bathrooms.
The Accidental Twins (Netflix) tells an incredible story that seems too unlikely to be true: two sets of twins that were switched at birth and later discovered one another in their 20s. (If it sounds familiar, the brothers were profiled in the New York Times Magazine awhile back.) It's an unbelievable story, and really moving.
Sprint (Netflix) is a docuseries focused on one of the best Olympic sports: sprinting. It follows some of the world's most famous sprinters from the US, Jamaica, Italy, and the UK during a series of competitions last year. It made me really excited for the Olympics to start in a few weeks.
Read
The Stationary Shop felt a little bit like a telenovela in book form to me, but I really enjoyed it. It's about two Iranian sisters who end up in the US, and a frustrating tale of star-crossed lovers (one of the sisters and her ex-fiancé). It's a quick and satisfying read, and I especially enjoyed reading about Persian food, since I've been getting into Persian recipes recently (see below).
Real Americans is a multi-generational tale of a couple that fled Mao's China, and the fate that beheld their daughter and grandson. While I didn’t love the book's structure, it's really well written and really engrossing.
See the full list of recommendations here.
Follow
I’ve gotten into following recipe accounts from around the world, and one that I enjoy is Rural family, in Iran. It's just a bunch of women making mouth-watering recipes outdoors.
Do
I recently bought the Persian cookbook Bottom of the Pot and it was way overdue. Some of the recipes take a long time to prepare — especially since some require large amounts of herbs and steeped saffron — but they are totally worth it. I've never made such good chicken.
Until next time,
Rachel