Why Traveling Light Is Overrated

pack your whole self in that suitcase!

May 26, 2023

When I first met my in-laws, I noticed something funny…

Whenever they traveled, they packed a jar of Tasters Choice instant coffee in their suitcase. I found their habit endearing, but also hilarious and wildly outdated, like wearing a turtleneck under a crewneck sweater and using full punctuation in text messages. #classicmiddleage

But, twenty years later, I’m doing the same thing! On a recent one-night stay at a friend’s house, I packed the following: PG Tips tea bags, a mini electric teapot, eggs laid by my own chickens, and an egg cup... All so that I can get each day off to a happy start with my favorite breakfast of very hot tea and soft-boiled eggs.

Yes, my excessive packing was noted, and I was gently teased. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. For most of my life, I dutifully obeyed a voice in my head telling me I should be cool, casual, and low maintenance. I carefully watched what everyone around me did and said, then mimicked them to fit in: including making fun of people who packed instant coffee!

But the truth is, listening to that you should always fit in voice often left me grumpy and out of sorts. It feels so much better to be honest about my preferences, ignore the voice in my head, and fill each day with all the little joys I can, starting with breakfast!

I’m curious: what are your quirky habits and preferences?! I’d love to know! You’re very safe from judgment from the lady who packs her own eggs!

What I’m Watching

The Succession finale is this Sunday (as the entire world knows), and while it will be sad to no longer have a new installment of Roy family / Waystar / US election dysfunction to look forward to each week, I am very pleased to have several other great shows to watch!

I cannot overstate how good Love and Death is: this is a limited series starring Elizabeth Olsen and is the true story of Candy Montgomery, the Texas housewife who evaded punishment for brutally murdering her friend with an axe. It sounds unbelievable because it is - but it really happened. The first few episodes are a little slow, as the scene is set, but the show becomes gripping after Candy is charged with murder and her trial gets underway. How on earth did a jury find her not guilty? This is the question at the heart of the show.

My other current TV obsession is Platonic, a comedy series starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. There are so many things I love about this show, from Seth Rogen’s wardrobe and Rose Byrne’s Aussie-American accent (her California-cool wardrobe, too), but what I appreciate the most are the spot-on vignettes that show us how each character feels about where they are in life. Rose Byrne plays a married mother who gave up her legal career and has mixed feelings about it, especially compared to women her age who made other choices; while Seth Rogen’s character is newly divorced and struggling to reconcile his youthful yearning to be hip with the reality of being in his 40’s.

Meanwhile, Jim is loving White House Plumbers, a comedic take on the Watergate scandal, starring Justin Theroux and Woody Harrelson, who are both excellent.

What I’m Reading

I’ve just started Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. It’s a family saga, and homage to Little Women, that follows the four Padavano sisters, and their lives and loves, beginning in the 1960s.

Did you see New York Magazine’s most recent issue on what New York lifestyles actually cost? The window this provides into how people under 30 imagine their future lives (and the related pricetags) is fascinating, addictive reading, whether you ever aspire to live in the city or not.

Unsurprisingly, given this week’s thoughts on owning my quirks, I loved Samantha Irby’s piece on liking what you like, regardless of how other people judge you:

“…that day a new person was born, an upgraded version of myself that no longer felt shamed by some smarty-pants making fun of the John Grisham novel poking out of my backpack.”

And The Atlantic had some good news for fast eaters:

“But the widespread mantra of go slower probably isn’t as definitive or universal as it at first seems. Fast eaters…aren’t necessarily doomed to metabolic misfortune; many of us can probably safely and happily keep hoovering our meals.”

What To Cook

This weekend is the official start of BBQ season here in the US, and as someone who truly appreciates a good side dish, this piece has plenty of inspo, including Ratatouille, which I wouldn’t have thought of as a summer side, but is a great idea!

I’m going to bust out my favorite Chimichurri Recipe this weekend: here it is if you’d like to try it. The “smashing and chopping” of the salt and garlic is the key!

Best Ever Chimichurri (use it on fish, chicken, steak, bread, rice, pasta!)

3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup parsley leaves and stems
½ cup fresh oregano leaves *sometimes I skip the oregano and use more parsley
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

On a cutting board, smash and coarsely chop the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mash the mixture using the side of your knife until a coarse paste forms. Move the paste to the side of the cutting board, then chop the parsley and oregano together with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Combine the garlic paste and the chopped herbs and chop and mash until the herbs are bruised and fragrant. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the red-pepper flakes, black pepper, vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil; stir to combine.