Emchap's Shit from the Internet 10/6/21 🍠
While out walking with a friend last week, we passed a burned-out lot next to a building where I’d gone to have a nice woman inject poison into my face a few weeks ago. This put me in a very weird position of trying to remember if that building had previously been a burned-down husk or not and deciding that no, I was pretty sure the clinic had a standing neighbor building last time I was over there.
It was only upon receiving a text from the nurse checking on how I was doing, though, that I had confirmation. She apologized for not texting sooner to check in on my results, saying that she had been unable to get back into her building on account of the fire next door. So, at some point in the last three weeks, the building just went up in flames.
This was top of mind because I came out of the office yesterday to a home that smelled like a campfire. I did a brief lap around the apartment to make sure nothing I owned had caught fire (did I forget to put out one of my many fancy candles?) and, upon satisfying my concern, returned to work. It was at this point that my friend texted me video of the terrifying fire that took out multiple stores near me, including a vintage spot I was at with a friend a few weeks ago.
I’m sad the stores are gone, and sad for the employees and the owners, and sad that we’re now up to two fires in as many weeks over here. It’s disconcerting to have fire season finally end, only to have what I hope were just electrical fires kick up. I hope that the origin of the fires becomes clear soon and that everyone is able to recoup their losses and that the rest of my neighborhood remains un-lit-up.
Shit to read
The NWSL players are very brave in the face of an awful series of revelations.
You may have already seen the viral tweet about a guy functionally married to a crane who thinks he’s its mate, but the full article is absolutely wild.
A really interesting/sad longread about Soviet Jewish identity and the author’s botched circumcision as a boy + consequences resulting from complications of that as an adult.
I tried explaining this article to a man who is Not Online this week and he stared at me with absolute incomprehension.
We live in a failed state.
We live in a failed state, part two.
This article about the author’s experience with an advanced prosthetic arm was really good, I thought.
Never not reading AHP on Peloton.
Shit to eat
In a food processor, pulse together 240 g flour and 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Do not do what I did and add an extra tsp on accident.
Add in a stick and a half of good butter, pulse some more.
Toss in a Tbsp apple cider vinegar and a quarter cup water. Pulse until it just comes together, and then dump into a plastic bag, flatten into a disk, and chuck in your fridge for 2 hours. If you are not me, you will remember to do this the night before, because pie dough is godforsaken and takes forever to chill.
While that’s happening, chop up two red bell peppers and an onion into strips and chunks, respectively. Add in two sliced-up garlic cloves.
Toss with olive oil and mural of flavor and a pinch of salt; scatter on a baking sheet.
Bake the vegetables at 400 for 30 minutes, tossing around halfway through to avoid burning.
Once they’re cooked, cool them until you’re ready to assemble.
Take the pie dough out, and cut into four chunks. Flatten each into a disk and roll it out.
Top each disk with a spoonful of sour cream, spread out, and a quarter of the vegetables. Fold each edge of the dough in to make it galette-shaped.
Pop each in the freezer as you finish them, and freeze the batch for 15 minutes.
Take them out, pop them on baking sheets, and cover the dough with a watered-down egg wash.
Pop the galettes into the oven for 20 minutes at 400, rotating halfway through.
Take them out, bump the oven to 425, and crack an egg into a well you poke with a spoon in each tart.
Put them back in for 10 minutes.
Take out, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little olive oil, and enjoy for breakfast or dinner or whatever time at all.
(Recipe adapted from this pie crust and this red pepper and onion galette)
Shit to watch
New HBO cult doc new HBO cult doc new HBO cult doc.
Shit to buy
I am enjoying this candle.
And this perfume. All my perfumes smell like pine.