Rattled

Hi there,

Surely you're salivating for an all-seltzer post, but alas—its day has not come. For our apartment was broken into, you see, and I've only had space to think about that. (Hot yoga and an ambitious cooking project gave a touch of distraction, but not enough.)

I'll give the abridged version, as I don't want this newsletter to drift too far from its core mission (No: "My favorite clouds, ranked" or "Crypto so crazy!") You signed up to read about groceries—I shall not fail you.

Thursday morning at about 7a, I went downstairs to feed our cat Sadie (we have a furnished basement, a blessed NYC anomaly.) The air was frigid and Sadie was screaming—it's always cold and Sadie is always noisy, but this was EXTREME. Lo and behold, the back door was wide open, which is not how I left it.

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Two laptops were missing! They left everything else, including a TV, an ice cream maker, and a really nice ladder, if you're curious what burglars don't like. We spent most of yesterday dealing with the fallout, like calling the cops 4 times to get someone to take a report, letting 4 different cops in our apartment between 7:30 and 10pm, cleaning up all the muddy cop footprints, and teaching our dog and cat how this household feels about cops.

We weren't hurt of course, and a couple of laptops is small potatoes when you think about other stuff. One of my kind coworkers brought me a gently used replacement computer from Long Island so it's not even much of a practical loss, besides the photos and music I foolishly hadn't backed up. Mostly trying to get over that feeling of raw vulnerability.

Onward! New week, new energy.

xo,

Jesse

Featured Items

I've never tried Queso de Freir, aka frying cheese, and was delighted to see it at the surplus grocer. The obvious analog is fried halloumi, a treat Abby introduced me to in London, and a bit of Redditing confirms they can replace one another in recipes—neither cheese melts when fried. Tomorrow night, I'm gonna make queso/zucchini fritters!

I feel like there are common Goya products like rice, beans, and olive oil, but we get to encounter the company's more novel offerings. These new bonito salads in a tin feel a bit MRE, but they pack mucho flavor and are perfectly portioned pre-workout food. (Also available con mayonesa, aka Ensalada Rusa aka Russian salad.)

These noodles were used in tonight's dinner, a Szechuan eggplant situation that Abby cooked from the Nom Wah Tea Parlor cookbook. The noodles were toothy and thick, with an ever-so-delightful mouthfeel. We had never heard of the Lam's company, so I did a little digging.

It appears to be a small operation based in Queens, but that's where things get curious. The Lam family originally hailed from Guyana, and started producing noodles back in 1960. But at some point they pivoted to making plantain chips, and now that's their only focus—noodles aren't even listed on the Lam's website! Maybe this was the last package of chow mein noodles they ever made, and we ate them like it was nothing. Sad.

I often wake up hungry, and my impulse control is poor. Historically this has led to unsound 2am decisions like "maybe I'll heat up a frozen cheeseburger." Not only does this habit lead to restless sleep and digestive issues, it's even described as a pathology: Night Eating Syndrome.

Luckily I've found a workaround. Tillamook cheese squares are small but substantial, and if I only eat one it doesn't mess me up too badly. Call it my night medicine! (When the cheese runs out, though, I'll be back to midnight jambalaya and funnel cakes.)