It’s a cold, rainy day in Madrid. As I stare out my windows, all I can think about is how dirty they are. It’s upsetting, unlike this weather. A respite from the berating sun of a Madrid summer is always welcome. I think I lamented the end of summer for a day and quickly realised I’m ready for autumn. Knitwear here I come! In today’s edition, I sing praises of salad, give more bag advice, and work through some envy. Besitos.
-Edward
P.S. I can’t stop thinking about Troye Sivan at the Met Gala. Stream Angel Baby!!
I. I am deeply obsessed with salads. Every spring I rejoice the reintegration of salads into my diet, and every fall I mourn. Reintegration in this context means eating them once or twice a day. For that reason alone, I must discuss right here and now the salad I made last week. A roommate of mine moved out and left some food behind that I have not been in the habit of buying. This surplus of food and the approaching ‘best by’ dates lead me to everyone’s favourite kitchen activity - Chopped: Amateur Hour. The ingredients included:
Romaine lettuce (chopped)
Tomato (diced)
Cucumber (sliced thick)
Radish (sliced thin)
Feta cheese (crumbled)
Hummus (slapped on)
Grilled zucchini slices (pared)
Extra virgin olive oil (drizzled)
Coarse sea salt (sprinkled)
Now I know you are probably thinking, “Edward, what the hell? This salad is nothing to write home about, let alone send to my inbox.” And that is where you are wrong! This salad slapped me across the face with nuance. It shot levels of endorphins to my neurotransmitters not seen since February 2020. It pulled me in close and whispered in my ear savoury nothings. I would attach a photo, but unless you have perfect lighting, your food pics look like shite. Sorry. That is a fact. I do not make the rules. Light does. This is all to say that the Season of Salads is coming to an end, and you should experience your Last Salad before it’s too late.
II. In the last edition, I tackled the universal need for crossbody bags. So I thought, why not keep that ball rolling and discuss the staple tote bag. I was under the impression that most people already had a go-to tote, but I have recently discovered that is not the case. So, why do you need a tote? That’s a stupid question. Are you eternally 8 years old and carry a backpack everywhere? Grow up. Let’s discuss what makes a good tote.
You never know what the day might bring, and subsequently what you might carry. So, a tote has to be sturdy in make. A thicker material with solid stitching. I have this iconic tote bag from sustainable fashion brand MANIMAMI here in Madrid. It’s made of recycled t-shirts and I love it dearly. But, it stretches easily which limits the weight I can carry in it.
There’s debate on the shape of the bag. Do you prefer a square or rectangular tote? Personally, I am a rectangular tote person. I like things to fit deeper in a tote bag. In the past that meant wine bottles fit nicer, now it’s more water bottles for me. And when it fills up, it’s not jutting out in front or behind me, but rather along the length of my body. A rectangular tote also leaves less of an opening. So if you live in a large city like myself, that limits the space for sneaky hands to grab your stuff. That brings in the debate of a zipper or buttons. Zippers seem really intense - I mean it’s a tote bag. I have had one with buttons and it was a nice addition, but I’m not attached to the idea.
Keeping this all in mind, you have to find something that matches your style and doesn’t make you groan when you realise you’re about to walk out the door with it. I fully support having a quirky tote or two, but we’re talking staple. I currently roll with a bag with this design from the 2019 Biennale. It’s time for a change. We must part ways. I bought this bag from El Prado this summer, which I love but it doesn’t make the cut. My new staple tote is out there somewhere and so is yours. We’re all on this big journey together. That big journey called life, and tote shopping.
III. Every time I open Instagram, I am bombarded by an endless sea of photos from Italy and Greece. These aren’t travel or photography accounts. These are people I know, and a select few that I do not. We can refer to them as thirst follows. Apparently this was the summer to travel around those two countries and I missed the memo. People were in Rome. They went to Venice. Everyone was in Athens. The Amalfi coast was highly featured. Naxos ranked high, rivaled only by Santorini.
This is not a call-out on those who traveled where I could not. This is more a release of general frustration and envy. For the second year in a row, I haven’t been able to spend my summer holidays in Italy. Woe is me, I know. But really, I miss my friends there. My ability to speak Italian is slipping, which is concerning considering all the time and effort I put into being mediocre at it. I’ve also been plowing through the backlog of the podcast Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby. It has definitely been fueling my fomo. If you’re into Roman and Greek mythology, I highly recommend.
Discussions have already taken place to establish summer 2022 as The Italian Summer within my friend groups. And if you haven’t had that talk with me yet, please make sure to voice your interest soon or I will not take you into consideration when plans start to formulate. Harsh, but I am no one’s babysitter. So, mark my words. In a year from now, if you’re not sick of Italian content on my social media, then I failed. Until then, I will be 🧘🏼♂️ manifesting 🧘🏼♂️.
We have to enjoy the final days of tomato and zucchini season!