Summer comes with a packed calendar of weddings, barbecues, and Friday afternoon road trips seem Fun but can also feel like a second job. That’s why my modest mission over the past two months has been to enjoy being in the middle of nowhere — my phone is turned off, left behind, or screwed up — where I have no obligations other than listening to my instincts and embracing the unknown. Helping me on that mission: I went to Japan for vacation last month, where my boyfriend and I put away our pin-to-forgettable Google Maps and used our eyes, ears, and nose to guide us to the good stuff. (And reader, there’s a lot of it in Japan, a country that uses sing-songy jingles for everything and stocks cheap, fresh onigiri in all its 7-11s.)
Below are some amazing new things I discovered by paying a little more attention to my surroundings. Some of them revealed themselves to me in unexpected places (although you don’t need to travel around the world to find those places). Others exemplify the kind of low-commitment, stress-free summer I would strive for myself. Go ahead with your phone in your pocket and discover something new for yourself!
I was at Larchmont Cookbook the other day — a curated L.A. market that, apparently, One of Dua Lipa’s sights??—When I saw the name of a peanut brand I didn’t recognize: The Englewood United Methodist Men’s Club of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. As I was reading the jars to learn more, a fellow customer looked at me and said in the low, reassuring voice of a man who has eaten hella peanuts in one sitting, “They’re so Well.” Turns out these guys from North Carolina have been running this deliciously delicious peanut campaign as a church fundraiser (and relationship exercise?) for almost 70 years, and they Restaurateur Danny Meyers is a fan of Marlow & Sons. Obviously, I tried very hard and bought them. They are possibly the best peanuts I have ever eaten.
Englewood United Methodist Church
Englewood United Methodist Peanuts
