What I Watched/Read in May 2021
May is one of my favorite months, because it marks the peak of spring.
Final project season is over and I’ve discovered some amazing goodies lately.
It’s slowly warming up in Baltimore day by day, and this month was filled with some exciting finds. I’m really, really excited to share some of these with you because of how I loved them so much, so let’s break down into my month by some iconic books, movies & television, and lifestyle finds I’ve dug up throughout the course of the month.
Film / Television
So, uh, I rewatched Chef’s Table. It’s literally my favorite show, okay? As someone whose dream is to be in food writing, it’s right up my alley.
The Final Table is another cooking competition that was on Netflix. I was like in love with the French guy’s intellectual vibes and watched it only for him to be honest.
Emma (2020) was on sale via iTunes and so I snatched it along with an Audrey Hepburn film, also on sale.
History documentaries. History has always been my favorite subject, so putting these on while I work have helped me learn while I get my job done.
Doom at Your Service. I did it for Seo In-guk and I have zero regrets.
Grace of Monaco. This was terrible. 2/10.
Eat, Pray, Love — Apparently I hate myself enough to have watched this.
iCarly — I put this on now when I’m bored. Solid background noise.
McQueen. I love Alexander McQueen, he’s my favorite designer besides Yves Saint Laurent and Dior. This was an excellent documentary I dug up on Hulu, providing insight about his life and character before his tragic suicide.
So I Married an Anti-Fan. I don’t know why I like this drama so much, but I’ve been eagerly waiting for each episode to drop.
Books
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Oh. My. God. You have to read this, trust me on that. It’s so freaking good.
The Hard Crowd by Rachel Kushner. Good for Rachel Kushner fans, as well as culture fans.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. A bit too condensed for my tastes, as in the third arc so many things happen all at once.
The Beautiful Summer by Cesare Pavere. My only comment is that I wish this went and become a full LGBT book.
Bukowski in a Sundress by Kim Addonizio. A memoir of Addonizio’s life as a writer.
DMZ Colony by Don Mee Choi. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
The Court Dancer by Shin Kyung-sook. An interest glimpse into Joseon Korea and relations between it and France via a single dancer’s story.
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee. This was a gem, highly recommend it.
Artful by Ali Smith. A strange blend of fiction, art, and literary criticism, but it works.
Lifestyle
Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania—this is a favorite place that my family always goes to visit once in awhile, and it never disappoints. If you’re a garden person and you’re in the area, this is your kind of place.
My garden! I started my own little intensive garden in my backyard, and right now I’m growing perilla leaves, parsley, oregano, basil, red potatoes, red onions, celery, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and raspberries. We also have a plum tree and a persimmon tree going on at opposite ends of the yard.
Gochujang. I made this awesome ginger-chicken-gochujang broth that was absolutely perfect with udon, and I was slurping this soup up like there was no tomorrow. Add in enoki mushrooms, Shanghai bok choy, and soy puffs and it was absolutely delicious. It was a quick, somewhat healthy meal.
Khachapuri! I made this with feta, an egg, and cayenne pepper. It’s so delicious.
I found several sites to practice my Bengali script with, and I’m so obsessed with Bengali and how it’s written. It’s! so! Poetic!
