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Since moving to New York a few months ago, I’ve been paying more attention than usual to people eating in public. The density of this city somehow brings the joys of food right in front of you: the smell of a hot dog eaten standing outside your local restaurant or lunch counter, the crunch of popcorn at the movies, the neighborhood bodega full of New Yorkers craving a bacon, egg, and cheese dinner at 2 a.m. on a Saturday.
It’s a cliche to say that eating is about much more than just food—it’s about connection, deliciousness, family—but in our busy lives, we easily forget that. Take today’s reading list as a reminder to really taste the veggies in your on-the-go salad, to smile at the person across the street who’s also drinking an iced coffee, to notice what’s in front of you and not just gulp it down.
How we eat
What home cooking can do that restaurants can’t
By Reem Kassis
When we eat, the social context may even be more important than the food itself.
Read the article.
What you learn when you eat alone
By Mari Andrew
A personalized pizza may seem sad, but it doesn’t have to be.
Read the article.
Something strange happens with Caesar salads
By Ellen Cushing
When does a classic dish become something truly special when chefs add pig ears, tequila and other crazy ingredients?
Read the article.
Still curious?
- The Hotdish Ticket: “By putting food front and center, Harris and Walz are highlighting earthly pleasures and sheer abundance,” Ellen Cushing wrote earlier this month.
- The people who eat the same thing every day: In 2019, Joe Pisnker profiled half a dozen people who value consistency in their daily meals, including a man who brought the same lunch to work for about 25 years.
Other distractions
PS
I recently asked my readers to share a photo of something that left them in awe of the world. “I was lucky enough to witness the ancient Palio of Siena horse race, a spectacle postponed a day by rain but no less passionate,” writes Michelle Lauren Kim of New York City. “The jockeys, blurry blobs on their speedy steeds, stand in stark contrast to the Italian crowds passionately cheering on their contradas – neighborhoods bound by history and friendly rivalry – in this lively moment.”
I will continue to publish your answers in the coming weeks. If you would like to share them, reply to this email with a photo and a short description so we can share your miracle with other readers in a future edition of this newsletter or on our website. Please include your name (initials are fine), age and location. By doing so, you agree that The Atlantic has permission to publish your photo and publicly attribute the response to you, including your first and last name, age and/or location that you share with your submission.
— Isabel
