Things That Made Me Less Cranky: February 2025 Edition

I'm still in the thick of South American summer, gracias a Dios

Welcome to my monthly list of recommendations. It is made up of completely random things/events/moments that made me less of a raging, bitter, hag despite the dumpster fire that is our world. It also includes food-centric suggestions. Enjoy!

Idiosyncratic List of What Made Me Less Cranky

• Live band jams in tiny art galleries in Lima with cheap beer and pass-the-bucket policy

• Therapy

• Eating a big ass turkey sandwich with aji and salsa golf after a day of partying

• Teaching a workshop in your alma mater

  

  Lovingly known as La Puke, where I began college before transferring to McGill

• You know that scalding hot shower you take after you’ve been in your swimsuit for too long and it got a little chilly? Yeah, that

• Burying your head in the sand, er, in a book while on the sand

• Big Balls not paying attention to your steadiest gig to cut it quite yet (but I’m expecting that to happen any day now)

• Getting a new, exciting idea for a novel when it hasn’t happened in a while

• But, also: Remembering the genius of a rejected project, if only to realize you have that ability inside of you

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What I’m Watching:

• Mo. Funny, clever, and poignant, this is the best show about the plight of the Palestinian people that does not directly address all the horrors we’ve witnessed in the past year, but does a damn good job of tackling it from a “family-friendly” angle. Plus, it shows the true shitshow that is the immigration system for asylum seekers.

• Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. The perfect movie to fulfill your fantasy of staying close friends with the worst ex you’ve ever had. It’s also about grief and giving yourself a second chance, without being super saccharine about it. I’m going to take this and the original Bridget Jones movies as canon. The other two don’t ever need to count.

What I’m Reading:

I’m still juggling about six other books right now, but I finally finished Rita Bullwinkel’s Headshot. I say finally because I had to return the ebook to the library while I was halfway through and then it too forever to get it back. I’m obsessed with books with multiple points of view and I’m in awe of how distinct and fully-fleshed Bullwinkel made each of these teen boxers. Have other novels with multiple points of view to recommend? Please share below!

What I’m Listening:

Blessed Latin American summer where not only got to party to Bad Bunny’s new album but also to “Astrotropical”, the collaboration between Bomba Estéreo and Rawayana. I love my troubled region, which never fails to make life-affirming art, even when it’s going through hell (which it always is and is always not as bad as it could be).

What I’m Downloading:

Latino USA is an excellent podcast, in general, but they just launched a series called “Hombre: Understanding Latino Men” that is well-balanced on that demographic white people LOVED to parade around as the REAL reason Trump won. (By the way, if every single Latino voter had gone for Harris, Trump would have still won—because of the significant number of white voters who chose him.) I basically only trust Latino media, at this point, to say anything new or interesting about Latino voters and I’m begging everyone who wants to understand that sector to do the same.

Restaurant of the Month: Awa in Lima

Decorated to resemble the lush jungle region of the food it serves, Awa is a gorgeous and elegant homage to Amazonian cuisine. Every single picture I took sucked LMAO. But my friend and I worked our way through cecina croquettes, paiche charcuterie, a duck juane floating in a rich broth and a bright chonta salad.

Bar of the Month: Bottega Dasso in Lima

I should really hate this overpriced wine bar that caters to old money men and the kind of international business professional/diplomat that think it’s quaint how many tourists believe Miraflores is ritzy (they know the truth), BUT BUT BUT. The have several wine options by the glass—a rarity in the city—and you can hear yourself talk. The leather chairs might even be comfortable enough for luxuriously long writing session.

Best Thing I Ate: Raspberry Donut at Dodo Donuts (but really all the donuts I tried)

Artisanal donuts have finally arrived in Lima, about twelve years too late, but you know what? You don’t know how much you’ll miss them until you live in a city where Dunkin Donuts has a monopoly on the treat. Dodo Donuts opened to much fanfare, which is always a little cringe, but my family and I marveled at how fluffy and restrained the dough was, letting the frosting shine. I also loved that Dodo has savory options: ham and cheese and pesto with tomato.

Clockwise: Ham and cheese, chocolate, purple corn, passion fruit, raspberry, and pesto

Best Thing I Drank: La Linda Rosé Malbec 2022

Finally found a rosé here that lets my Basic Bitch flag fly. The proximity to great, affordable Argentinian wines is maybe one of the better things about Lima. It’s a rosé—uncomplicated, breezy, like a tart cherry.

lalindavinos

A post shared by @lalindavinos

Elevator Lewks:

I like seeing what normal people wear and I, a normal person, like sharing outfits that I think look good on me. For some reason, I only notice them when I’m in the elevator. (Sometimes I notice them in my room hehe.)

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