For my birthday this year, Michael asked me what I might like for a gift. In years past, this question would have thrilled me. A significant other ready to plunk down a significant amount on a substantial birthday gift? How generous and thoughtful! But this year, I gave a totally COVID response.
In no specific order I told him I was dreaming about: two French macarons from Laduree because damn, they are just so good (yes, one is for him); a fancy box of Puffs Plus tissues with the lotion (my winter allergies have been out of control this season), okay make that two boxes; a metal fish spatula with the slats from Williams Sonoma because I saw Alex Guarnaschelli make amazing scallops in a cast iron pan and she flipped them with this utensil that is sadly missing from my kitchen compound and I was thinking that if I have that spatula, my scallops will taste like hers (if I ever decide to make scallops).
I also told him about that gardenia soap I love from Anthropologie that I spent $8 on back in December as a Hanukkah present for myself but the bar is très slim already; a few scratch off lottery games because he has a dollar and I have a dream; a stretchy, beaded, seeing eye bracelet from Aaron Basha to ward off the evil spirits and bring me some much needed good luck, and Clorox Scentiva disinfecting spray because the smell of elegant lavender and jasmine petals with notes of berries, hyacinth and vanilla is just so unbelievably intoxicating, and sadly I’m down to my last bottle. This product is like the black truffle of the pandemic– in seriously high demand, seasonal and you have to know “a guy” on the inside (of Target) to get some. My list finished up with one big bottle of Ronnybrook Chocolate Milk because I usually buy the small guys and the feeling of simple abundance truly thrills me.
This seemed like a totally reasonable birthday wish list for a pandemic, right? (Oprah, are ya takin’ notes?) To end the day, my request was to order in those yummy burgers from The Smith that come with bacon shallot jam (ooooooooh), crispy onions (aaaah), extra pickle slices (mmmmm), and a hot mess of those completely addictive crispy fries (oh yeah).
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