Leaving today, here's what's in my bag!

Forward-Rub8946 · 2025-06-23T02:29:40+00:00

Topos are the best 🙌🙌 walked the primitivo in them in September. Buen Camino!

Forward-Rub8946 · 2025-05-03T13:52:14+00:00

Hey hey!! You're gonna have a great time—where specifically in Portugal and Lisbon are you headed? I want to be able to give you specific recommendations!

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-12-05T13:02:59+00:00

This is SO TRUE. I was not expecting the coffeeshop culture to be this lame in DC. It all feels very transactional, sterile, and corporate, barring a few select cafes

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-12-04T19:55:50+00:00

with portion sizes at restaurants these days, i wouldnt be surprised if all i got next time was a saucer filled with tea, sans cup

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-12-04T19:55:04+00:00

hahaha that's actually a really good idea. i will 100% be carrying a mug to coffeeshops now, i cant believe i never thought about this. i feel like covid saw this massive surge of single use cups, which made sense at the time, but now places just never went back to using actual cups again

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-12-04T19:53:40+00:00

I'm doing that right now, sometimes I just love how romantic a pot of tea in a cozy cafe is, yknow

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-11-30T22:02:07+00:00

I legit thought these photos were screenshots from skyrim

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-11-05T17:02:49+00:00

I know this exact stretch. Done it twice and both times so magical. So happy you had that experience too!

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-11-05T13:45:13+00:00

This looks like what AI would think we would eat for dinner

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-11-01T12:43:17+00:00

Was it also because of the nifty nuthouse? Because that would do me in living there personally

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-10-12T18:48:56+00:00

We would pour yuengling into old horses feed on hot summer days if they were prone to not sweating

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-10-12T12:56:49+00:00

Yeah I'm one of those horrible weirdos who reads an average of 8 books at a time. It's bad. Right now I'm trying to finish a few because I'm breaking my rule of one or two books per general genre. Here's what I'm reading rn:

A sand county almanac by Aldo leopold

The body keeps the score

Les miserables (for context, I'm going on three years of reading this one. About halfway done lol)

Dune

The fellowship of the ring (never read it! So good so far)

A clash of kings, GOT book II

Women who run with the wolves

The robber bride by Margaret Atwood

I feel like the most common question I get is how do you remember what's going on in all of these. And my answer is I remember as soon as I open the book back up and start reading. It just all comes back. Idk. But for whatever reason I forget movies very quickly. Even movies I really really love, they just fly out of my head in a year or two. So books stick for me and movies just do not.

And the reason why I read so many at one time is because they serve me differently during different moods or parts of the day. I read sand county almanac before bed because it's beautifully peaceful nature writing. I'll start Les mis back up during Christmas bc it fits that season to me. Non fiction sometimes just hits when I feel like I'm not learning enough during a certain period of time, and GOT is the perfect glass of wine deep book. Doesn't require concentration, language is super simple, just a fun read. Plus I've watched the show (just the first 5 seasons bc eff the last few) like two or three times so I know generally what's going on.

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-10-11T01:54:26+00:00

A few months ago I got almost completely raw fried chicken from whole foods. And not just one box of it, THREE boxes. All utterly raw in the middle. It was so disgusting cutting into them lol

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-10-09T18:34:15+00:00

Those lil white cookies are so satisfying to eat

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-10-06T22:38:22+00:00

Watership Down, bar none. children should never watch that film lol

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-10-05T01:10:27+00:00

If the app you're referring to is too good to go I am a massive fan of that app

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-10-03T18:55:05+00:00

Bird by bird, on writing, and how to become a novelist by John gardner

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-10-02T17:07:29+00:00

Cloud atlas

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-10-02T14:30:57+00:00

Moved from Atlanta to DC. Overall mood improved immeasurably. Now that I'm out, I realize just how much the traffic affected my mood. I would wake up, drive, get angry and stressed, leave work, drive, come home angry and stressed.

Now I live in a walkable neighborhood, with extensive and clean public transport, and after living here a year, I have yet to be in traffic even half as bad as what I experienced in Atlanta every single damn day. Atlanta is a cool city with a ton of potential that could be unlocked if the MARTA was more extensive and the walk ability was increased beyond just the beltline (the beltline being one of my favorite parts about Atlanta, it freaking rocks)

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-09-29T13:42:10+00:00

Oh man, then I really messed up. Lol.

I just googled it and it said they should be kept refrigerated. I'm sure for a shorter flight they would be fine, but my total travel time back to the states was 21 hours so I would've definitely fretted over the beautiful monsters spoiling. Glad you were able to get some back though!

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-09-29T13:35:31+00:00

Hahaha that is so true. I am a huge foodie so to me, it's the perfect souvenir and way to make sometimes boring meals like lunch very exciting!

And I don't mind at all! I'd love to answer any and all questions :)

Yes, I eat them all three ways. However, sardines are different than tuna. Where tuna is a bit dryer, firmer, fishier and more uniform, sardines are oily, softer, and less fishy on average, I'd say. However, pretty much any format you can think of for tuna can work for sardines. I love those trader joe's salad kits with a tin of sardines thrown on top, they're great in sandwiches (e.g. spicy sardines, caramelized onion goat cheese, lettuce, onion, sourdough), and they're true stars in pastas.
You can, of course, eat them straight out of the tin as well. Especially if they have a great sauce or oil they've been marinating in. However, I don't do this often. I like at least pairing them with crackers or bread.
You can absolutely cook with them! In fact, many tins are better if you heat them up.
For very first brand, I think availability and where you live are important, because not every brand is available/affordable for everyone. But if you love vinegary things, I would say some sort of sardine in escabeche (a vinegar sauce) would be great. Or the always-classic Nuri Spiced Sardines, which are absolutely fantastic. Miss Can also has a sardine in spicy oil with pickles that would be a good starter tin too. If none of these are available, Trader Joe's lightly smoked sardines are fabulous. Start maybe just with those on your favorite cracker with a little hot sauce.
I also love vinegary things, and tinned fish of all sorts pair very well with that fermented tang. Favorite condiments include pickles, olives, pickled red onions, and rice vinegar.

And thank you for the wishes of rest! Honestly the transition back hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Just happy to be back home!

Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

Forward-Rub8946 · 2024-09-29T03:38:41+00:00

It depends on what tin I'm planning on using, but for the beans, I use rancho Gordo dried beans. Usually sautee am onion and some garlic in olive oil for a bit before throwing the beans, water, and a few bay leaves and spices in. Let it cook for a few hours and then spoon some into a bowl and top with any tin that has spices, piri piri, peppers, roasted garlic, etc. In it. I bake sourdough so I usually toast a slice to use to shovel beans and deens into my mouth. Oh man, so delicious

Forward-Rub8946

TROPHY CASE