Ann Mah's newsletter / Oct 2019
October 2019 newsletter
Hello!
All month I've been waiting for fall, but what I've gotten is extended summer. The heat was at its most glorious in North Carolina where I visited the lush paradise of Duke Gardens and snapped this photo of lily pads looking like mosaic tiles.
I had a wonderful trip down south – thank you for your recommendations! – and even returned home with three buttermilk biscuits for my freezer.
I've got lots of news to share below, including a giveaway of a new book, Ribbons of Scarlet, to one of you lucky newsletter subscribers! If you love historical fiction and France, you will love this story of the French Revolution. I'll be doing more giveaways in the months to come, so please stay tuned!
Here's what else I've been up to...
What I've been eating
–When not one, not two, but THREE new falafel places open in Georgetown, the only response is to buy platters from all three and have a taste test. New York transplant Taïm was my favorite.
–Summer just can't quit us in Washington DC where we've had a month of 90ºF days. Chilled soups and salads are still in my dinner rotation and lately I've been loving panzanella – a bread salad with tomatoes. I can never choose between Felicity Cloake's assiduously traditional recipe or Dorie Greenspan's modern spin (she throws in ripe peaches) and usually end up combining the two.
–Do you ever feel like the effort to buy and make food might crush you? It just NEVER ENDS. Anyway this article from the New York Times, How to Cook for Every Back-to-School Meal, has some innovative suggestions like pancake sandwiches in the lunchbox, or rice bowl dinners with toppings like avocado and brussels sprouts, steamed broccoli and peanut sauce, or sushi rice and Japanese omelet.
What I've been reading
–A French journalist made a chilling discovery in the basement of the French Senate: a Hitler bust, Nazi flag, and other documents and items from the Occupation. Read more at the BBC.
–There's a new film adaptation of Little Women coming out this Christmas (check out the trailer!), but in the meantime, enjoy this behind-the-scenes oral history of the 1994 version from the New York Times.
–Last year, a cheating scandal at the Court of Master Sommeliers stripped 23 candidates of their title. One of them, Jane Lopes, shares her tale of heartbreak at Good Food.
–Do you secretly loathe kale? If so, you're not alone. Is it America's saddest leafy green? The Atlantic thinks so. (Personally I love it.)
–In Paris this month? In honor of their patron, French president Jacques Chirac, who died last week, the Musée du Quai Branly is offering free entry until October 11.
–Or if you're in Washington DC on November 8, Solid State Books will host author Maylis de Kerangal in a discussion of new novel The Cook, a dissection of the world of a young Parisian chef. Details here.
–Finally, for new writers – my friends Jacki Lyden and Eric Weiner, both bestselling authors and former NPR correspondents, are hosting a writers retreat from October 29 to November 3 at Colton House, a historic arts and crafts home and retreat in Flagstaff, Arizona. There are only a few spots left and a 20% discount for newsletter subscribers. (Mention me if you apply!) Details here.
Books from friends
I love helping my writer pals spread the word about their new books. Here's what's new in stores this month:
–Ribbons of Scarlet – Six bestselling and award-winning authors create the stories of six unforgettable women in this book about the French Revolution – and I'm currently giving away a copy to newsletter subscribers! If you subscribe, you're already entered to win. Otherwise, sign up here before the contest ends tomorrow, October 4.
–A million years ago, Zoe Fishman and I were editorial assistants together at Random House. Now she's the author of five books, including a new novel, Invisible as Air, about a perfectly normal young mother's descent into opioid addiction, which I can't wait to read.
–In The Last Train to London, Meg Waite Clayton recounts the true story of the Kindertransports, the network of that carried thousands of children out of Nazi-occupied Europe.
A bientôt
Guess what? I am writing to you from Paris! I was asked to write a couple of late-breaking articles, so I hopped on a plane and arrived this morning. My brain is so completely addled by jet lag, I'm not sure if anything I've written in this newsletter makes sense. Three things I know for sure: I'm so happy to be back; I'm also missing my family very much; and, most importantly, currently suffering from serious sleep deprivation.
Thanks for reading and if you're curious about my upcoming trip to Germany next week, please follow along on Instagram and say hello!
See you soon,
Ann