I Choose Choux

Hi friend,
It’s finally starting to feel like fall in Los Angeles; we’re only a month behind. Mornings are crispy, and the squirrels are slowly nibbling away at our pumpkins on the front porch, which has never been an issue before. I blame the drought. After living in the sweltering heat for so long, I can wear a light hoodie. People keep adding pumpkin flavor to all sorts of things that should not have pumpkin added. And no, I do not need pumpkin hummus or pumpkin-scented trash bags. I’m not a monster.

Mike (or the ref) and I met in the summer of 2020. We had to forgo many typical couple things like concerts or trips. Even having a drink at a bar was improvised into a make-our-own happy hour in a park. One thing I’ve enjoyed doing together is cooking. Whether it be breakfast for dinner or when I accidentally roasted some broccoli until it was very crunchy and burned.

For a long time, one of my long-standing rules is never to date a man who doesn’t eat bacon. No, I’m not against dietary restrictions, and as much as I would like, I don’t eat bacon every day. By having a shared outlook on food, like being with someone who understands my love of cheese and is not adverse to salty brined fish that comes in a can. When we get to cook and share a meal, the food tastes better, and I enjoy our time together. The New York Times even wrote an article about food compatibility a while ago.

With this cool weather comes the opportunity to cook more. I’ve been thinking of Thanksgiving sides and making eclairs. Why eclairs and not some other dessert? The other night Mike and I made dinner. We cooked dinner in the sense that some things we cooked and some things we warmed up, and everything was enjoyed and eaten. We bought an éclair from the grocery store bakery section, just a regular supermarket, nothing fancy. A few days later, Mike asked, in a text, if it would be bad if we ate éclairs every day. I responded by saying maybe if they are small ones, plus France is obsessed with bakeries. I don’t often make pastries for kicks, but I like the challenge of making them; I’m doing my research right now, and my Youtube feed has changed to various baking videos.

I hope you can share a meal with someone you love, and I will talk to you soon.