Add to List - #83
Normans, floorfillers, and home-cooked meals worth missing trains for
Hello, thank you, and welcome. I love you for being here!
Add to List is my Sunday round-up. It’s the small things that brought me joy, evoked an emotional reaction, or became some short-lived stability in the past seven days.
Obsession
Normans (and 00s floorfillers)
This article about ‘the defining person of 2025’ really had me both laughing out loud and wincing a little. (Really, the shame is on me for historically finding a large subsection of these men attractive, and requesting their validation on Hinge).
I watched Berlioz last week in Finsbury Park (who knew the place could have such a glow-up) and was stood in an entire field of the sandwich-appreciating, moustache-laden, micro-dosers.
Equal parts endearing and terrifying, witnessing the scene was a reminder that being original is moot, merely it reflected our social neuroses (a fun longer read on our social neuroses here).
Regardless, I have been enjoying replaying the Berlioz album and having small flashbacks to the memory. Specifically:
And, of course the whole set wasn’t his own music. The moment this banger dropped, I became as excited by the song below as a hangover nat-wine-enthusiast being served an over-priced greasy fry-up.
Confession
Hinge.
Yep, still don’t hate it actually. So far, so fucking good.
Shook
The number of people arrested for protesting genocide this weekend.
Do note the semantics of the headline.
Cook
Some highlights this week.
Tempeh This week I’ve been optimising on ‘the big Tesco shop’. Ingredient of the week has been tempeh, which I’ve lightly fried in salads (of course with heaps of crispy chilli oil), or added to rice bowls and miso broths with green beans and noodles (again with a fair bit of crispy chilli oil).
Martini Tuesdays (this is becoming a worryingly regular feat). On Tuesday, I attended the launch of Town Bar. The restaurant with its psychedelic 70s style, and small plates has been open for a while, and now the mixologists behind one of London’s best cocktail spots (Satan’s Whiskers) have joined the fold to bring some lucidly high-flavour drinks to match the decor. I sampled some of their canapes, and their signature ‘Dill Boy’ martini. Later in the night, I quaffed a ‘Grapefruit Charger’ which, as you might imagine charges you to a degree of party sufficiency, driving you forwards into your evening (i.e. in my case, drunk texting on the way home with a meal deal).
And, while in Edinburgh, I’ve enjoyed at least two home-cooked meals with my friends Rory and Emma, who are the most perfect of hosts. Nurturing energy, fantastic chefs, comfortable bedding, listen to my (overly descriptive) anecdotes with nothing but (at least feigned) smiles.
We devoured a home-made pork larb as we discussed rising signs and tarot reads with a one too many glasses of red last night. The findings were quite accurate that even the skeptics in the room were convinced.
And, the silver lining to being stuck here for an extra night (explained below) was today’s tomato, tapenade tart.
Book
Deep Cuts, Holly Brickley
I am enjoying this but I’ve been doing a lot of writing recently so this has taken a slight pause. Review to resume next week.
I’ve also added Tart to my list after reading an except in a bookshop this weekend and feeling nothing but hungry for more of it.
Look
Puff ball skirts + vest tops.
Plus, a pair of pointy shoes (always) just to make the look a little less Dalston, and a little more Royal Doulton.
Can’t Stop Scanning
The concept of ‘Heteropessism’ / ‘Heterofatalism’
‘The Trouble with Wanting Men” - New York Times
‘Heteropessism and our declining faith in the straight, cis-man’ - Glamour
I do feel it deeply in my bones. Yet, also I do understand that we continue to see what we believe. So, did I mention how wonderful men are these days?
Forward Planning
Next week’s start was — quite literally — derailed.
I write this from Edinburgh. There was a VERY long queue to get me back from the Bonnie capital, with a chaotic 3-cancelled-train-conundrum ahead of me. So, I decided to stay another night and travel back tomorrow.
And a reminder, 17th September is our next writer get-together for folk on this platform. We will be releasing the details soon via
; make sure you’re subscribed for updates.
I really love martini Tuesdays for you 😍 for anyone, for us all !
Delay repay on that train you should have got ! Extra time with pals is always precious