READ.// “It appears doable that after practically a yr of solitude and collective self-banishment, and of crushing restrictions on journey and journey, the chantey could be offering a short glimpse into a distinct, extra thrilling lifestyle, a world of sea air and pirates and grog, of many individuals singing in unison, of being free to boldly take off for what Melville known as the ‘true locations,’ the uncorrupted vistas that may’t be situated on any map.” I positively didn’t have “sea shanties getting huge on TikTok” on my 2021 bingo card, however amidst the darkness and dread of this current second, I—like so many others—have discovered stunning pleasure and luxury in “The Wellerman” and different conventional songs. This New Yorker piece by Amanda Petrusich breaks down this healthful development.
LOOK.// Top-of-the-line reprieves I’ve discovered from the prevailing gloom is happening lengthy, almost-daily walks—however whilst I discover consolation within the contemporary air, I want I have been nearer to some wilder tracts of nature. Within the meantime, I get my dose of forest bathing from Tree.fm, which permits customers to go to and hearken to recordings of various forests everywhere in the world.
DRINK.// Tenuta Foresto La Comedie Barbera Frizzante 2018
Simply earlier than New 12 months’s, Jen at Hop Burns & Black—the South London bottle store with which I wrote my cookbook, The Beer Lover’s Desk—gifted me this bottle of joyously glowing pink wine from northern Italy’s Piedmont area. Comprised of the Barbera grape (lengthy thought-about inferior to the native king, Nebbiolo), this wine is extra than simply enjoyable fizz: Its pops of acidity, its crunchy cranberry character, make it really feel positively electrical. After weeks of dreariness and palate fatigue, this wine woke me proper again up.
