October Things

​Hello reader friends! October was a great month for me for many reasons, one of which was that I had a lot of wonderful experiences that allowed me to have content for this post! 

I ate a lot (as always) and read a lot (also not a new thing). 

Food I Tried

Maepole: I ended up eating at this vegetable-focused and entirely gluten-free (minus their mac n’ cheese) restaurant in Athens because of a profile I was working on. I brought my parents, brother, and my brother’s girlfriend to try it with me. Having two males who insist on some kind of meat for every meal enjoy their veggie-heavy plates (which were piled high, by the way, since the folks at Maepole don’t let you leave hungry) was surprising. The food was delicious; the textures and the flavors of the vegetables were different, so you weren’t just eating raw kale. There is indoor seating, but we snagged a table outside because the weather is beautiful right now. They’re open 7 days a week—so if you live around the Athens area, you have to check it out. 

(I ate all of this.)

Miyoko’s Vegan Cream Cheese​: ​I’ve talked about vegan cream cheese before and shown some brands I enjoy on Instagram, but this one is something magical. The first bite tastes like REGULAR CREAM CHEESE. This might sound odd, like “Duh, isn’t that what you want?” And yes, that is what I want, but since they’re all usually made from coconut (as is this one + cashews), that’s the dominant flavor. I almost burst into tears when I had this on some of my homemade flax bread. (Recipe coming soon-ish, but here’s another bread recipe to hold you over.) The aftertaste is strong and acquired, but I’ve got this spreadable heaven permanently stocked in my fridge. 

#godbless Publix

Glutino’s Big Pretzels are HEAVEN SENT. My family and I have been praying for a company to make a pretzel that compared to our favorite pretzel rods since we went gluten-free 15 years ago. Although it took over a decade, our prayers have been answered, and of course, it’s by Glutino. The taste and texture are unlike their normal pretzels; they’re wider, firmer, and (I’d say) more delicious. It reminds me of my childhood and my grandfather giving me pretzel rods as he sat in his recliner and watched wrestling. 

Things I Read

• I subscribe to this newsletter called The Profile, and I highly recommend signing up for her weekly newsletters. Polina Marinova, the curator of the Sunday newsletter, came to a class I took last semester and spoke about her career as a writer for Fortune (she graduated from the university I’m attending). Her recommendations are a mixture of profiles of both individuals and businesses, and as someone who doesn’t have time in her day to scour the internet for great pieces of journalism, I love getting a list sent directly to my inbox every week. 
• Still Me by Jojo Moyes: I love Jojo Moyes, and although hesitant about reading the third book in this “series,” I’m glad I did. Humor, romance, and an actual plot line are my favorites! 
• Those Other Women by Nicola Moriarty: This novel was a library find. I enjoyed the author’s writing, but was not fond of the end. I’d give it a 7/10.
• Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, A Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O'Reilly: Another library find! I love a good nonfiction piece, and this autobiography was riveting. Might be too gruesome for some readers. It talks about war, PTSD, and how combat journalists also suffer from injuries that soldiers do.
  • I would also recommend, if this topic interests you, to sign up for newsletters from The War Horse, which is the nonprofit newsroom that Thomas Brennan created. 
• The Confession by Jo Spain: My last library find for the month! I usually don’t do psychological thrillers, and I told myself I was going to return this one after reading a few chapters, but MAN I couldn’t stop thinking about the beginning (which is technically the ending) and how the characters wound up there. So I read it all, and it was gripping until the last sentence. The main character gets annoying because it was hard for me to relate to her life choices, but nevertheless, I couldn’t put the book down.

• “Are You Using the Right Cooking Oils?” Seriously switching gears here, but this article was so enlightening for me! First off, I’ll confess: I knew that smoke temperatures for various oils were important—there’s a lot of hype about it—but I didn’t know why UNTIL I READ THIS ARTICLE. For any cook/baker out there who was like me and didn’t know the important deets: When an oil burns, it produces carcinogens. I printed this handy list out…and also purchased avocado oil. 
• “How to Recover from Accidental Gluten Exposure” My mom forwarded me an email from Celiac.com, which included this article. Fortunately, I haven’t accidentally exposed myself to gluten in years, but it’s a big fear of mine when eating out. I knew that hydrating was important, but I found the rest of the tips interesting and wanted to share for all the Celiacs out there. 

 

• “Listening for the Country” by Zandria Robinson: Truly an amazing read. I’m envious of Robinson’s writing and ability to profile her father so beautifully. I aspire to write like this. 
• “Like Something the Lord Made; The Vivien Thomas Story” by Kate McCabe: This article was written in 1990, but it remains a story worth reading. I plan on purchasing Vivien Thomas’ autobiography. (Also, McCabe’s transitions and ability to pull the story along are inspiring to me as a writer.)

PS: I enjoyed curating this post and am considering making this a monthly thing. What do you think!?

PPS: I have so many blog posts lined up for the next couple months. I cannot wait to share them! Keep your eyes peeled!