The promise of spring
Can we have nice things again?
Yesterday was the first day of spring, which still feels too good to be true. Our Covid winter felt unfathomably long, with the pandemic coupled with freezing temperatures and endless snow basically sending us into hibernation. It was so cold out that even outdoor activities and daily walks felt impossible; since I’m still working from home, I often went several days at a time without stepping outside my apartment.
After a year of bad, I’m vacillating between feeling excited about the spring and summer ahead, and simultaneously feeling suspicious, like I can’t trust it. Spring is here? People are getting vaccinated? We might be able to start doing small normal things again, like gathering indoors with other vaccinated people and dining outdoors? The sun is out and it’s warm enough to be outdoors for more than five minutes without feeling totally miserable? It feels way too good to be true.
We’ve collectively been through so much in the past year, it’s almost hard to believe the universe might finally let us have nice things again. But it will.
Good things to read
Why this wave of anti-Asian racism feels different, The Atlantic.
I, phone, New York Review of Books. Choire Sicha reviews Lauren Oyler’s new book Fake Accounts, and every word of this review is incredible.
A letter to my fellow Asian women whose hearts are still breaking, Vanity Fair.
This is where 150 years of ignoring anti-Asian racism got us, Buzzfeed News.
This is your brain on Peloton, New York Times. Related: Inside the Peloverse, Elle.
Why doing nothing can make you more productive, Wall Street Journal.
The uneasy intimacy of work in a pandemic year, Vox. And related: The problem is work, Vox.
This actually might be the best summer ever, Vox.
It’s okay to grieve for the small losses in a lost year, New York Times.
Are you ready to be touched?, The Cut. Allison P. Davis on the end of the pandemic and finally (soon) being able to touch other people.
It was a banner year for Asian representation. Now what?, Refinery29.
And a recommendation: here are some ways you can support Asian American communities right now.
Good things to cook
Some things I cooked last week: this noodle-less chicken pad thai, fish taco bowls, this green bean and pork stir fry.
Also, spring produce is here! Admittedly, spring produce is my least favorite season of produce, but hey, this year I’ll take any sign of changing seasons that I can get. Some recipes I’m looking forward to making with spring produce in the coming days and week: this pork and asparagus stir fry, honey-teriyaki salmon and asparagus, brown butter radishes, butter-tossed radishes with Za’atar. If you have favorite spring produce recipes, I’d love your recommendations!
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