Dear spice club, thank you for still being here. I did not anticipate such a long hiatus but here we are. I thought I had a big year of transitions in 2023 with graduating and moving to NY, but this year was no different! I lived in three places, started med school, and felt my priorities and interests shift through all of it. The hardest part of med school hasn’t been the studying but dealing with the fact that I am a Girl With Too Many Hobbies!!!
Even though I haven’t been filming or writing much these past few months, I recognized that I need a creative outlet. There was a month where that was room decor. Sometimes I took my playlists very seriously. And recently, it’s been fashion and secondhand shopping. I’m only at the beginning, but I know school is going to take and take until I’m left questioning why I chose this for myself. And deep down I’ll know the answer but that won’t stop the questioning.
I was reading my past essays and newsletters the other week, in awe of the words that poured out of my brain. Me! A brain! I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions but I do believe that thinking about what I want more of is a helpful way to remember what matters. So to more writing and cooking in 2025!
Anyways this is a roundup of things I loved in 2024, from food to media.
recipes
It would be so funny if there was a Spotify wrapped type thing for cooking and eating. Like imagine learning that you ate cereal for dessert 200 times this year. (Probably true.) You made 30 batches of focaccia this year. Your top vegetable was eggplant, your top fruit was watermelon, your top legume was chickpeas, etc. The recipes that defined my year weren’t necessarily the ones I ate the most often, but the recipes that I returned to several times for whatever reason.
Focaccia of all forms: tadka focaccia, cheesy chutney focaccia, miso mushroom focaccia, tomato achaar focaccia, etc. My favorite base recipe to use for its ease and result is by Grateful Pizza, but I also love the 3-day Nicola Lamb recipe if I have a little more hindsight.
Tamarind glazed carrots on herby pea tofu ricotta: This first made an appearance at the Farm to People dinner I did in Bushwick in May. Ever since, I’ve made the pea tofu ricotta a gazillion times. In fact, I think it was at every pop up or dinner I hosted this year. Recipe here!
I don’t have a recipe written out for this yet, but gochujang vodka pasta. I haven’t made pasta alla vodka without gochujang in ages and perhaps I should but it’s just SO GOOD. Sometimes with kimchi blended into the sauce and eggplant, mushrooms, and/or kale mixed in.
books
The first half of the year had some good reads. Favorites in bold!
The Right to Sex, Amia Srinivasan
Writers and Lovers, Lily King
Hijab Butch Blues, Lamya H
Poverty, by America, Matthew Desmond
M Train, Patti Smith
Better Than the Movies, Lynn Painter
Hello Beautiful, Ann Napoletano
all about love, bell hooks
James, Percival Everett
Freedom is a Constant Struggle, Angela Davis
Journal of a Solitude, May Sarton
Just for the Summer, Abby Jiminez
Against the Loveless World, Susan Abulhawa
And what I look forward to reading in 2025. These aren’t new releases – just books that have been on my radar or bookshelf for a while:
Field Fork Fashion, Alice Robinson
Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese
Inflamed, Rupa Marya and Raj Patel
Slouching Toward Bethlehem, Joan Didion
Bluets, Maggie Nelson
listening
This month I did an album advent calendar of sorts, where I’d listen to a new album every day except I didn’t actually end up getting to one every day. My favorites were Two Star and the Dream Police by Mk.gee and Icedancer by Bladee. Genuinely enjoyed most of them though.
I was in the top 0.05% of Charli xcx fans because after Brat I caught up on everything. how i’m feeling now is still my fav album by her and “party 4 u” was my most played song.
I listened to “touch tank” by Quinnie 150+ times apparently and it’s still perfect!!! Love all of Flounder.
This playlist was kinda my magnum opus of the year
Podcasts: Lemme Say This and Vibe Check.
watched
Girls when I was in New York, which was obviously perfect.
I was very active on Letterboxd in the summer. Apparently I watched 39 films in like 30 days. Very new for me! I was trying to become a better watcher and develop the ability to sit through movies without my mind wandering everywhere else and you know what! I did improve! Mostly I caught up on films that seemingly everyone has already seen, so I’ll just list the ones that joined my all-time favorites.
Thelma and Louise (1991): I love when women run away together and meet Brad Pitt in the middle of it but also who needs men <3
Party Girl (1995): Parker Posey strutting to the falafel guy to order the same thing in a different outfit every day was iconic. 365 party girls can party and also be librarians!
In the Mood for Love (2000): I rewatched this because I knew what to pay attention to the second time around: Maggie Cheung’s dresses, the colors and lighting in every scene, the timing of that one Spanish song over and over again.
Spirited Away (2001): So whimsical and so many layers to it! I can’t believe it took me this long to watch this.
Mother (2009): Such a complex portrayal of motherhood as a mother tries to prove her son’s innocence. What you think you know is always changing.
Inglourious Basterds (2009): A controversial film set in WWII era and I sort of understand why but also it was phenomenal.
The Florida Project (2017): The first and only Sean Baker film I’ve seen so far. Set in the shadows of Disney World, life seen through a 6-year-old’s eyes.
12th Fail (2023): Watched this on the floor in Patna with 10 people looking at my dad’s laptop screen on a very hot night but turning on the fan would prevent us from hearing the little laptop speaker. Movies about the Indian education system are always a hit with every generation of my family!!
pop ups
I’ve used my platform quite differently every year I’ve had it. 2021 was all about photography and building a recipe catalog on the blog. 2022 was getting into videos and storytelling about food and culture through them. 2023 was when I wrote most of my favorite essays. And in 2024, I wanted to do ONE pop up. And then I couldn’t stop and did four. Here are some of my favorite photos from them!
out & about
For coffee: Passionfruit and Chez Alex in Brooklyn, Highly Likely in Highland Park, Etiquette and Maru in Arts District.
And my fav restaurants:
all the Trini Food in Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights (but especially A&A and Ali’s)
President Thai in Pasadena was some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had I think
Villas Tacos in Highland Park were some of the best tacos I’ve ever had I think
I will always love NYC’s MáLà Project for Sichuan dry pot and LA’s Pine and Crane for Taiwanese food. Odd for me to group these together but somehow they feel like they belong in the same category – not because of their food but because of what they are to me in each city: the go-to spot to take other people and places that you could walk into but will always be a little crowded.
And a final random assortment of things that made my life better
Heritage Flakes!!! This cereal with frozen blueberries being my go-to sweet treat makes me feel like an almond mom but whatever.
Crunchy salted peanut butter. I used to be a smooth pb person but a friend put me on one time and I have never looked back.
Grocery Outlet - This is the first time I’ve lived near a Grocery Outlet and it really is bargain market!
Gleb on TikTok. He just gets it.
LA flea markets. To me, this is maybe the one thing that LA does so much better than NYC. I’ve been to the Rose Bowl flea but personally prefer the Los Feliz flea for a casual day out! Get the dumplings.
eBay. Specifically buying boots/shoes secondhand on eBay and using Reddit to figure out your size.
Having a list for everything. I know many people love Google maps for this, but I kinda love using my notes app. I have a separate list for lunch/dinner spots, brunch/bakeries/treats, coffee, drinks/going out, and things to do (museums, vintage stores, bookstores, theaters, etc.) for both LA and NYC. Sometimes broken down by neighborhood within the list.
And that’s all for this year! Ins/outs just coming soon, just for fun.
Yes!!! I was also a top fan of Charli this year!!!
kudoa to excellent taste in music & tablescapes & flavors & pasta, as usual!!!