The Monday Digest, May 2024
What happened last month on the newsletter, what’s to come and links to articles I enjoyed
I want to take a moment to say hi to all new subscribers! Thank you for being here and welcome!
This is the extra newsletter you get every first Monday of the month to sum up what I published the previous month and to tell you what you can expect on this one.
As a reminder, here’s what you will find on My Cup of Tea:
The Monday Digest: The first Monday of every month you’ll get a summary of what I sent out the previous month, a sneak peak of what you’ll get the current month and latest food news, personal notes, etc.
Every Thursday: a new newsletter on the following topics (a different one each week): 1 recipe, 1 educational blog on food photography, 1 in-depth essay about the history and uses of a dish or ingredient, 1 travel guide/chronicle/interview.
May’s summary
I started out last month with a perfect recipe to celebrate spring flavours while keeping it easy: Creamy Pasta with Peas and Prosciutto
Last month I shared the easy composition rules that you can apply both to photography and interior design, my other -until now secret- passion: What Learning about Photography Taught me of Interior Design
The historical essay was about Massachusetts’ official dessert, a layered cake with history and some shame: Boston Cream Pie
The last article of the month was a reflexive essay on a topic many of us share: On the Meaning of Comfort Food as an Expat
Before this Digest there was an extra Thursday, so I wrote an essay on the difficulties of being a freelance writer and the things I had loved lately: On Showing Up Even When You Are Feeling Hopeless
What’s to come this May
Thursday the 9th: This month’s recipe is a favourite of mine (and of a whole nation) and it’s also a perfect vegetarian lunch: Tortilla de Patatas + What Else to Eat it With (Vegetarian)
Thursday the 16th: The photography post this month will take you through my thought process to create the vermut spread I photographed for the essay about comfort food: How I Shot This. A Mediterranean Appetizer Spread
Thursday the 23rd: This month’s historical article will be about the most important rock for humans: Salt. Looking into an Ancient Salt Marsh in France
Thursday the 30th: The last article I’ll share on May will be a travel chronicle, written after my 10 day trip I’ll take on this month: Coast to Coast, Crossing The United States by Train
Food News
Famine has begun in northern Gaza, US official says - The Guardian
Swapping red meat for herring, sardines and anchovies could save 750,000 lives, study suggests - The Guardian
Medellín’s Cafes and Farms Are Taking Back Colombian Coffee - (Liliana López Sorzano) Eater
‘The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook’ Was Ahead of Its Time - (Aimee Levitt) Eater
Salsa Espinaler is a Hot sauce without borders - (Nat Belkov) Eater
No, Thank You, I Do Not Want to Sleep Inside El Bulli - (Amy McCarthy) Eater
Here Are the 2024 James Beard Awards Restaurant, Chef, and Media Finalists - Eater
What Do Bay Leaves Actually Do? - (Emily Rahravan) America’s Test Kitchen
What If You Actually Cared About Tea? - (Jordan Michelman) Taste
The Art of Sardine Collecting - (Anna Hezel) Taste
Mineral Water Gets the Silent Treatment - (Jordan Michelman) Taste
Substacks I loved
10 Niche things I miss about Italy -
The Venetian PantryRagù bolognese: storia e ricetta -
Fritto MistoThe Desk Dispatch: In Diaspora, Spice Becomes Seed -
From The Desk of Alicia KennedyInvisible Labor of Being a Food Writer in 2024 -
Local Baker’s NewsletterThe World's Ending, I'm Still Writing -
The Good Enough WeeklyI figured out the future of food media -
Feed meSentimental journeys, grief and coming home. -
Lickedspoon with Debora RobertsonThe $2.3 Billion Global Industry Taking Over Your Grocery Store Fridges -
Tap is FineI can't Believe It's Not Butter: But What Is It? -
Serving up sweetnessHow to Decipher Tofu Labels and Be a Better Cook -
Pass the Fish SauceWelcome to The Unplugged Traveler -
The Unplugged Traveler#ArtReimagined, a photographic project for Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna -
The Freak TablePersonal Notes
Next week I’ll be taking a train from Boston and arriving some days later in San Francisco, without lifting my feet from the ground. The train is Ross’ favorite transportation medium and as we are celebrating his birthday, we chose to go big this time. I’m really looking forward to it, and I am excited to see the landscape change hour after hour in front of us as we cross 10 states. I am also curious to see if I can notice any difference in the gastronomy from coast to coast. I will tell you all about it on the last post of the month!
Thinking about the trip makes me feel happy to live here, in such a diverse country. But the news lately bring other emotions. Knowing that the least worse option for a president is someone who is currently supporting a proven genocide is truly depressing. And yet, I find some hope in seeing all the students protests rise in universities from around the country. Here in Boston, Harvard and MIT students have been active for a while now. It’s quite comforting knowing that the leaders of tomorrow know better.
Grazie Elisabet for the mention!
Thank you so much for including my essay in your edit Elisabet, I am humbled! Looking forward to reading more of your writing!