what's good again

Welcome to late Sunday/possibly Monday where you are

In poetry: This poem brings sweltering images of summertime together in a delicious, languorous, sexy way. *sweating* Enjoy!

First Blues by Saundra Rose Maley
That summer night
Was hot
Steaming like a crab
Luscious under the shell
 
Televisions gone bleary
Blinked
In front of men
In undershirts drinking beer
 
Wives upstairs took showers
Caught
A glimpse of their backs
In hallway mirrors
 
I sat in the dark
Invisible
On the backporch
Drinking in the night
 
And it tasted good
So good
Going down
And somebody like me
 
Blew night through an alto sax
Blew and blew
His cooling breath
His hot cool breath on me—
 
And I came alive
Glowing
In the dark
Listening like a fool

In food: Last week was my birthday and per my personal requirements (#Virgo), a variety of meals are scheduled. I learned a long time ago to embrace my nature - having things the way I want them + the need to plan - and so I investigate places I’d like to go then make it all happen. Occasionally I don’t start planning early enough [THE SHAME] so am unable to get into a particularly popular restaurant and despite having I Need To Talk To Your Manager hair, I am not [generally] that person; I do more research and figure things out because not enjoying my birthday is out of the question. This summer I heard about kann (say ‘cane’), a Haitian restaurant helmed by James Beard Foundation award-winning chef Gregory Gourdet, and made an ultimately futile attempt to reserve for sometime in August - I do utilize all 31 days for celebration when necessary (#LeoCusp) - but there are many places in Portland I haven’t yet been plus a handful I’m always happy to revisit*. So I found Câche Câche, a sort of pop-up behind a brewery and headed by Chef de Cuisine John Denison from St. Jack, another marvelously Portlandia spot - meaning it has fantastic if a little offbeat & preciously named food & drinks with funky decor that somehow feels both practiced and completely random. I saw that this place was about seafood but missed the “raw bar” part, which made the choices a bit limited for me in general though what we ended up with was still excellent. Except the whelks, probably because they were chilled but mostly because I was still a little full from eating a bag of Chipotle chips + free guacamole earlier in the day. But they were pretty to look at while Stu ate them.

Yummy things.

*Other Places I Recommend:

• Toki, Official Birthday Dinner #1 on the 18th when my Seattle bestie was in town, opened by Peter Cho, owner of Han Oak where I still haven’t yet gone but desperately need to now that they have Gimbap parties (!!). Toki was marvelous Korean sharing food, including the red bean ice cream sundae they brought for me after dinner.

• Sousòl, kann’s basement bar also run by Chef Gourdet, that I found out about just in time for Birthday Dinner #3. Beautiful + delectable small dishes “inspired by the cuisines of Haiti, Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Mexico and more, along with the influences of those who migrated to those countries.”

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In music (and bonus reading): My Seattle bestie was in town to go see Japanese Breakfast with me at Pioneer Courthouse Square on the 19th. They are described as an “indie pop band” but I don’t think that properly captures how they feel when you listen, and definitely not how I felt after watching them live. Maybe it’s because I read lead singer Michelle Zauner’s memoir Crying in H Mart before ever listening to her music [FOR SHAME again] but I was ready for the ethereal sound & thoughtful themes & clever lyrics - things that might describe what “indie pop” groups are going for but Japanese Breakfast feels more authentic and personal than most of what gets widespread airplay. Seeing Zauner in concert is a whole extra level though - she is vibrant and intimate and so kind. I felt properly seen & hugged afterward.

Watch & feel loved.