june postscript
June started out quiet, but I knew the second half would be busy, so I tried to savor it. The summer humidity hadn't set in at the beginning of the month, and it was still breezy in the evenings. I don't think anyone expected the smog, but it reminded me of Delhi - according to social media, I wasn't the only one feeling nostalgia for the homeland that week.
The delicious:
- A North-Central Nigerian dinner at Dept. of Culture full of new flavors for me, with the best gingery pre-dinner cocktail at Bar Francis to soothe my sore throat
- Omakase at Yasu Toronto, an excellent recommendation from Ruth Reichl's weekly newsletter; there were bites I had never had before, like the preserved herring roe on seaweed (a natural phenomenon) and the golden snapper
- A nightcap at Mother, which I walked by twice before finding the nondescript entrance
- The new menu at Dhamaka, which now shows dishes by region; the Kashmiri gosht chaamp was a unexpected delight, and the paneer methi is still a must-order
The bright spots:
- Exploring Toronto on foot
- The gorgeous open space in St. Catharine’s, pictured above
- These pants from Marine Layer
Entertainment:
- The final season of Never Have I Ever dropped, and it left me happy and sad. Trent is the sleeper hit of the show.
- I technically read R.F. Kuang's Yellowface in May, but it's worth a mention. I don't think it's her most well-written novel, but it's a page-turner and the frantic pace of the writing matches the character so well.
- I also enjoyed Pandora's Jar; Natalie Haynes looks at women in Greek myths and how they've been misinterpreted, as well as how that carries through to modern times. Turns out Pandora didn't have a box, she had a jar - a vessel much more likely to fall over accidentally.
