5 Things I Consumed Last Week (couldn't make it up 😵)
on too much music, Yuri, Klara, exhausts and flavorful origins
Hello Nello
The weekend has almost passed and while my mind is tired to do this, my heart is ecstatic to share things that I have sifted through this week. It was also the Book Swap week for the month in Mumbai, so I will keep this short to find some time to get to what all the participants recommended. (I will definitely try to share some in the next issue).
The title is not only the new release by Ben Howard but also the state of my mind so I will just fly with it.
The Education of Yuri | Jerry Pinto
I spent the past month reading this week and savoring it slowly. A bildungsroman set in 1980’s Bombay about a boy who is 15 trying to understand and make sense out of life. You will almost feel that you are inside his brain and you’ll be surprised to see how someone can articulate those nuances in such a beautiful way.
If you are from Mumbai, India, there are a lot of scenic references that you’ll relate to but if you need a detailed primer about the author and the book, listen to this podcast.
Klara and the Sun | Kazuo Ishiguro
Perhaps all humans are lonely. At least potentially.
I have recently started reading this one. My last read from Ishiguro was an absolute blast in my head, so much that it was on the top 10 list. Time and again I have come back to dystopian fiction to make more sense of why we are wired the way we are.
The novel is an intriguing take on how artificial intelligence might play a role in our futures. It is also a poignant meditation on love and loneliness. I am done with a 100 pages and it is definitely pushing me to wrap up work early to find some more time to read.
Too much music | Maybe Baby
I have spent the last year listening to podcasts in the morning at a stretch everyday, while I used to cook in the kitchen to the point of mental exhaustion. I have deliberately distanced myself from any podcast/music/mobile phone while I am in the kitchen to be able to experience things more vividly. Hence, this piece spoke to me.
It’s genuinely difficult to find a video that isn’t set to music these days: your friend’s reel of their trip to Italy, a tour of a remodeled house, a celebrity interview, a tutorial about how to cut an onion. Sometimes I’d really like to hear the sound of the knife slicing through the onion on the wooden cutting board, but it’s always muted. The whole world seems to be muted these days, then set to music.
Somedays I do give in and experience the world through the beats of Airpods, I hope I can inculcate more silence in life (not just in terms of thoughts but literally as well).
Flavorful Origins | Docuseries on Netflix
If you are into food porn, this is for you!
Slow-motion close-ups. Long shots that show details in a food’s texture. Lusciously-shot scenes of people cooking the ingredient into tasty dishes. If you’re at all a fan of southeast Asian cuisines (particularly Chinese - no, not the Indian Chinese), this show will be one that you binge, then get you hungry.
Motorcycling | Malliketh’s Substack
Extremelyyyy ecstatic to announce that my fiancé Malliketh has finally took the leap to start writing on Substack. I have always admired his humorous and nuanced writing style (not to disregard how quick he is with writing).
This is an introductory piece about his love for motorcycling and how exhausts speak louder than words. You can expect more adventures, his love for everything related to tech, coffee, food and much more. Excited for what comes next :)
That’s all for this time folks!
Sharing a picture from the Book Swap today. All smiles!
Wondering how you can support me?
If you are a friend of this newsletter, show some love here.🐼
If you enjoy reading this, maybe share it with your colleagues, friends and family; it would mean the world to me :) or else Order a handrwitten postcard for them.
You can always reach out to me on dearhummingbird1@gmail.com. or connect with me on IG at _i__cook or use the comment section!
Always grateful for the love,
The Hummingbird🌺