These Are a Few of My Favourite Things 10/28

1) Krishna Groceries

Probably I could write a whole edition on my favourite things to purchase at Krishna Groceries (not a bad idea, actually). On Route 9 in Poughkeepsie, it's a treasure trove of yummy snacks, delicious teas, cheap spices, and as a bonus you can get satisfying veggie samosas, and/or spinach pakoras. If you're really lucky, they'll have these fried spiced mash potato balls studded with yellow lentils. It's also the only place I've seen selling bird's eye chili peppers, though they look to be dried, and Asian eggplants. These aren't always available, but most times I stop by, there's a table with some cardboard boxes of produce laid out.

Feeling sad that you don't live in Poughkeepsie and thus can't make the trip to Krishna? I'm willing to bet money that there's an ethnic grocery store (not sure how I feel about that label) in your town that will fill the void.

2) History Buffs Youtube Channel

Probably all of my acquaintances, close friends, and family members can agree that I'm a history snob 

purist. I find the "true" stories to be absolutely fascinating with zero need for embellishment or alteration (I put "true" in quotations because what even is truth really?). So, when I'm feeling especially superior or frustrated with Hollywood's treatment of history History Buffs' Youtube channel is especially satisfying and comforting. Nick Hodges reviews movies and television shows of historic events/eras, pointing out what filmmakers got right, what anachronisms they included, and if the storytelling is good or straight up boring. Because the attention span of a youtube viewer is what it is, he does this in generally broad strokes and won't dissect more detailed properties, like costumes or dialogue. Of course, I salivate over Nick's scathing take downs of Mel Gibson's creative mostly erroneous interpretations of William Wallace, The American War for Independence, and The Mayan Civilization of the Yucatan Peninsula. But his positive reviews of movies and shows that work, both in accuracy and storytelling, are also great, and help me generate a list of history to films to watch, like Agora, The (life changing) Last Samurai , and The Last of the Mohicans

3) Enamelware 

To date I own an enamel coffee percolator, used once on a camping trip, and an enamel dutch oven which is a good soup pot. I would love to own more; specifically a bake set. In a roundabout way this is due to my love of warm, stodgy British food; this love tends to revive itself around this time of year when the temperature cools, and there's a dampness to the air. Times like these call for a mug of tea and the mushy comfort of a self-saucing pudding, or a creamy fish pie (like a shepherd's pie in that it's topped with mashed potatoes, but the filling is fish). Both these thing will taste fine in any suitable baking vessel; but they'll taste even better in an enamel baking dish! And just look how shiny and pristine it is!!

4) My Newly Made Sarafan 

A Sarafan is a Russian folk/peasant folk costume, and I've been meaning to try and make one for years. I finally did it, and learned that not only is it one of the easiest things I've ever made, it's also actually the cutest! I used this pattern from Folkwear Patterns and learned that, like most folk costumes, it's pretty much 2-3 rectangles sewn together and then gathered and embellished with trimming. Looks like I'll be making a lot more of these in the future!

5) Yogi Tea Honey Chai Turmeric Vitality

This has been my go-to brew in the office when I'm starting to vibrate from the amount of coffee I've consumed. The sweetness isn't overpowering, and the spices of the chai blend kindle a nice little warmth in my chest. Plus, each tea bag tab has a little saying to meditate upon; today's is "Balance of head and heart yields strength of character."