What would a brat eat

365 party girls probably cook sometimes

It has been a month since we were blessed by Charli xcx’s Brat and I continue to be deeply affected by it. June was a month of big transitions but no matter where I went, I was bumping that: exiting the subway to “Club classics,” basking on a Greek island to “Everything is romantic,” reluctantly packing my bags to “So I,” and approaching my parents’ cul de sac in our quiet Bay Area suburb mouthing “you wanna guess the color of my underwear.” Not to be dramatic, but I feel like I’ve found religion. I want to say grace at the table like this. 

Like many listeners, I’m about 11 years later to Charli’s music than I’d like to be, but to be fair, I spent all my pop culture energy on One Direction fanfics in 2013. So really I’m like 7 years late and I’m putting in the work to make up for it. Every morning I wake up and regret that I will never get to hear Pop 2 live. It was ahead of its time! “party 4 u” might be my most played song this year. I even made a playlist to track my top 20-ish, and we’re sitting at 13 tracks, constantly in flux. I fear I may be annoying, but I’m not wrong. 

This summer, we’re transitioning from the girlification of everything to the bratification of everything. 

And I don’t just mean pointing at lime green objects and saying brat. After catching up on Charli’s discography, it’s clear that she has gone from singing about boys to singing mostly about herself. And her career, friends, frenemies, family, etc. Last year it was trendy for girls to infantilize themselves (“I’m just a girl!”), but Brat is not here for that. Brat exudes confidence with a tasteful dose of vulnerability, self-awareness, and narcissism. It’s REAL. 

All of these things can co-exist, which we see in the album’s cyclical nature. Take “Rewind” – the title not only takes us back to childhood naïveté, but also to the beginning of the album. It confronts the radiant confidence of “360,” momentarily replacing it with self-doubt and nostalgia for a simpler time. Then we get anxious about having a baby and BOOM! Right back to bumping that in “365.” Then in “Spring breakers” (underrated!) she addresses criticism of her Vroom Vroom EP and lack of award show success while throwing in iconic lyrics like “hi it’s me you’re all in danger,” making it clear that she knows her position in the industry (re: “I’m famous but not quite”) but would rather continue the experimentation that is at the core of her artistry. 

The sounds and themes in Brat are often unexpected, implying an openness to not conforming to mainstream ideas about how women should behave and a resistance to letting one thing define one’s personality. Brats are messy with complex emotions, and in a way that is probably good for her growth. (I use she/her throughout this piece but obviously anyone can embody brat!) “Girl, so confusing” and “Sympathy is a knife” paint the complexity best, revealing insecurity and jealousy with striking honesty. Charli is the perfect artist to take the girlhood conversation to new places because she’s clearly not trying to be a role model or fit into the pop princess mold.

The identity attached to brat summer feels more inclusive and attainable than past summers, which were dominated by Barbie, clean girl, cottagecore, boho-chic, mob wife, coquette, I can’t keep track, etc. Brat summer is not immune to the internet’s tendency to push a trend, even though obsessing over our vibes does not feel very brat to me! The trendiness attached to brat is basically “Mean girls” personified, where all you really need to be brat-coded is black sunglasses and a white tank top.

Still, I appreciate that other aspects of brat summer are fluid enough to keep it fairly broad: engage with some niche media (i.e. Charli’s brat collection of films), do things that are probably a little bad for you but not that bad for you, spontaneity in any form. To me, these are also the principles that guide what a brat would eat. 

Although there are plenty of internet graphics that speculate what is brat and what isn’t brat, the bottom line is that a brat just does what she WANTS. Even if she wants to sit around in bed going down deep internet rabbit holes, that’s still soooo brat. When it comes to food, it’s also quite simple. A brat eats what she wants. 

Are domesticity and brat summer mutually exclusive?

I’d like to think that the brat summer philosophy extends to the kitchen, but on the surface, brat doesn’t really give cooking. Domestic labor has historically been women’s work and expected from women, and it wouldn’t be very brat to give in to expectations, would it? If we dig a little deeper though, we know a 365 party girl isn’t always partying. Rest is very brat (think “Everything is romantic”). Considering the possibility of a more domestic life is very brat (think “I think about it all the time”). Grappling with all that has been passed down to you is very brat (think “Apple”). And creativity is very brat! Wanting nice things for yourself is very brat! So a case can be made for part of brat summer taking place in the kitchen, even if there are annoying links to the patriarchy, which we won’t get into here. 

A brat eats what she wants, but it’s usually pretty easy and maybe a little messy. And I can get behind that! I was in a cooking rut for the past month, mostly relying on good fruit, good tomatoes, and meals that require minimal heat. Even girl dinner, the trend from last summer, is very brat when done right. And it’s not just because of olives! 

Sandwiches too big to fit comfortably in your mouth, with the first bite taken while standing over the counter. Little bits and pieces of leftovers can inspire a fun and fresh meal (hence the girl dinner reference). When she takes on more of a project, it’s an original idea that requires solving a jigsaw puzzle made up of multiple recipes on the internet – a chaotic endeavor that can have beautiful (or awful) results, as any adventurous home cook knows.

When brat green takes over the discourse 

I dabble in brat green but don't worry, there's more

Part of what has made Brat so commercially successful relative to Charli’s past albums is the branding. Like what is this pixelated Arial font doing on this Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards slime green? I was subconsciously looking for brat green at vintage stores even though I’ve never worn brat green in my life. I quickly learned that brat green doesn’t really work on me but yeah, effective marketing works.

While there is somewhat of a fixation on brat green, the fashion of brat summer is usually not brat green. Charli herself mostly wears black and white, and instead of experimenting with color, she experiments with silhouettes, affirming that brat summer is just about finding what makes you feel confident. Likewise, much of the discourse about what to eat during brat summer fixates on brat green, like this Eater article that just talks about lime green cakes, but again, it’s more about eating things that make you feel like yourself. 

(spice) club classics

Certain foods and drinks feel very brat: kitchen sink sandwiches, gelato dripping from a cone (has to be a cone, not a cup), a bowl of cold olives, spaghetti, cereal for a late night snack, iced americanos, aperol spritzes.

Half of these are inspired by “Everything is romantic,” where Charli is obviously singing about a summer on the Amalfi coast, so the things we associate with Brat are going to be a little European. But what if they didn’t have to be? And I’m not talking about trashy American vibes instead (a more appropriate classification would be city sewer slut vibes, if you catch my drift), like diet coke and Taco Bell, though those are supposedly very brat. I’m talking about something like chaat. Doing cool things with mushrooms. Fun textures and bold flavors! It’s a je ne sais quoi situation.

This isn’t about eating foods that are brat green, though that is one way to go about it and there is some brat green on this list. And like I said, part of brat summer is doing what you want and eating what you want! So here are recipes for brat summer, spice club edition. 

pesto pasta salad with zucchini and eggplant

Channeling “Everything is romantic” with homemade pesto, sundried tomatoes, mixed greens, tomatoes, olive oil, and capers. Other pasta suggestions: a lemony spaghetti, gochujang vodka sauce.

corn chana chaat 

Still channeling “Everything is romantic” but with a little more spice. While I’m on the topic of chaat, the queen of easy, tangy summer eating, I’ll also bring up pani puri and papdi chaat. And while we’re talking corn, I’ll also suggest my friend Tiff’s Vietnamese tomato and corn salad. I made it yesterday and it’s perfect!

tofu katsu focaccia sandwich 

Or any kind of focaccia sandwich. I am convinced that focaccia might be the most bratty bake because it’s so simple as long as your yeast is alive. (Sadly, mine was not.) The tofu is inspired by tofu katsu but battered with besan (chickpea flour) and rice flour before a coat of panko. With gochujang mayo and a cabbage-carrot slaw! Other sandwich suggestions (eggplant pakoras, chickpea salad, mushrooms!)

cold coffee 

Really good espresso is bratty, instant coffee is also bratty. Idk how to explain it. Cold coffee feels like creating a gem out of something trashy, like my year-old instant coffee from Sprouts. It’s how they make it at cafes in India! Simply blend 1 tsp instant coffee, 1 cup milk, 1 cup ice, a date (or sweetener of choice), and a hint of vanilla extract.

mango/cherry/strawberry/blueberry/lychee matcha

Matcha (bratcha?) is inherently bratty because of its color. Buying matcha to sip on a walk is very brat but making your own fruity versions that are a little harder to find outside? Also very brat and SO GOOD. The standard method involves making a jam or syrup or fruity puree, but I find it easiest to just blend the fruit into the milk, maybe with some almond butter for extra creaminess. The mango and cherry are my picks lately!

things on toast 

pan con tomate, figs on avocado, pb and strawberry jam, beet raita, the world is yours

no-cook salads

Cool, crunchy, briny. I’ve been making a lot of salads inspire by Greek salad. Bread in a salad is always a good idea.

playing around with rice paper

Rice paper sushi rolls are a favorite of mine. Also love doing mango summer rolls - the mango almond butter sauce is great for folks with a peanut allergy.

grilled cheese

Always with a twist. I love a grilled cheese with Brooklyn Delhi’s tomato achaar, schezwan chutney, kimchi, and caramelized onions and mushrooms.

a perfect post-going out snack

I had to drop this in here after scrolling through my camera roll. I froze a bunch of extra aloo tikkis and vadas once so now after a night out, I microwave them and finish with any chutneys and crunchy things I have on hand. It’s a mess, which is the only appropriate look for 2 am.

cake!!! treats!

I’m due to make my annual lemon cake soon. And of course a matcha strawberry cake suits brat well.

Ending this properly with a playlist that has all of Brat, all the remixes, and an assortment of songs that are brat-esque