Sunday smörgåsbord #035 - 11.2
This week: Difficult conversations, dissecting nineties rom-coms, and Filipino fare. Plus experimental Indian music and 'all that jazz'.
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Features & Podcasts
‘Dining across the divide goes to Spain: ‘I wasn’t aware of that enduring sense of sexism until she told me about it’, The Guardian. I’m quite drawn to anything that brings people with different viewpoints together for a good old-fashioned civilised debate, an activity that feels more and more difficult to achieve. This article takes the Guardian’s UK series and transports it to Spain, where I currently live. I’m always keen to learn more about what real people on the street here think about politics, and especially the Civil War which of course isn’t much talked about in polite passing conversation. And it was heartening to see the desire for both to find common ground despite their differences. I believe if more of us could have these honest conversations, we’d not be so polarised.
‘A Teen’s Fatal Plunge Into the London Underworld’, The New Yorker. An intriguing long read about an incident I’d never heard of, expertly pieced together by Patrick Radden Keefe. On starting to read I knew Keefe had written Empire of Pain, which I started a few summers ago and never finished (thanks to my own laziness). Yet I hadn’t put two and two together that he also wrote Say Nothing, a book about The Troubles which I just started a couple of weeks ago and am already tearing through. Keefe has an impressive way of conveying the human beings behind these incredible true stories without you realising it’s happening. I finished reading with a strong sense of who all the key players were as people, even if it were only the side they wanted me, or rather Keefe, to see.
‘While You Were Sleeping with Sam Sedgman’, Sentimental Garbage [podcast]. I think While you were Sleeping is one of the most underrated 90s rom-coms, so much so that it often slips under the radar completely - I’ve met plenty of people the same age as me who’ve never heard of it. It was one of my Mum’s favourites when it came out so we used to watch it together, and it was probably also my introduction to the word ‘testicle’ (if you haven’t watched it - you’ll see). Listening to this podcast is a bit like dissecting the film with your best friend: fun, funny and you get to feel vaguely intellectual sharing all your insights and theories.
'Joe Wicks on addiction, homeschooling and body image’, How to Fail with Elizabeth Day [podcast]. Can higher praise can be given than ‘I chose to listen to this whilst having my wisdom tooth out’, really? I was looking for the kind of uplifting, heartrending story that would take my mind off the dentist lurching over my gurning face and remind me that yes, this really could be worse. Though it was a great listen it turns out no rags to riches, Everyman story was going to ever going to fully distract me from the sound of my third right molar snapping in half.
Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Chicago, dir. Rob Marshall (2002). It’s been an age since I last watched this Oscar-winning film and yet as soon as the curtain rises on Velma Kelly I remembered every word. Jukebox musicals pale in comparison to this masterpiece: of course partly as it’s based on original material, but nonetheless it’s one of those pictures where you feel like every decision was not only the right one but supported every other decision made. Every number is a hit and the acting talent on show makes it feel like you’re watching something from the golden era of Hollywood. Though Renee Zellweger is impressive as Roxy Hart, I’m bowled over by Catherine Zeta-Jones' Velma Kelly every time, not to mention Richard Gere as the dastardly lawyer we hate to love and love to hate. A deserved Best Picture winner.
Killers of the Flower Moon, dir. Scorsese (2023). The only movie I’ve ever been to which justified buying the XXL bucket of popcorn. When Andy looked at me questioningly for declining another handful only a quarter into our snack, I protested: ‘We still have another three hours to go!’ It did feel a little too long, by maybe thirty minutes or so, but that said, the length did allow you to get deeper into the stories, feel the slow impending dread, and gave a sense of how slow-but-suddenly the decimation of the indigenous population was. It was fascinating to learn about such an overlooked period of North American history, and particularly a brief moment post-colonisation where it seemed like the indigenous population had power over the colonisers. But despite all these pluses I couldn’t help walking away feeling like this was Scorsese’s story, and that of the incomers, rather than the indigenous community. The cast were fantastic, DiCaprio was as brilliant as ever, as was Lily Gladstone as his wife, Mollie, but yet there are just so many white, old, men - headliners too, that in my mind their presence became the overall impression I was left with. It seemed a lost opportunity given the subject matter: I wanted to learn more about Mollie and her sisters! Maybe it’s also that I can no longer take De Niro seriously anymore, I keep expecting him to break into wisecracks after so many terrible comedies.
La Ratonera, Teatro Talia, Valencia. Andy treated me to a birthday trip to the theatre to see The Mousetrap, the famous Agatha Christie play which is so in-demand that it’s been going for 72 years in the West End. Though I’d seen it years ago in London, I couldn’t have told you whodunnit, and given this version would be in Spanish, I was pretty worried I may not be able to for this one either. In the end, I thought I did alright, especially nursing a bit of a hangover after my birthday party the night before. Let’s just say the whodunnit was all fine, the whydunnit… well that definitely needed a little longer. What stood out to me watching this version was how all the character and place names were still English, which threw me off no end when listening for Spanish words, though Andy made the point that that’s why people would go and watch an Agatha Christie play in the first place - for that sense of ‘Englishness’. And at the end, when one of the characters reminds the audience never to give away the ending, I felt a little surge at the power theatre can have connecting people across time, place, and vowel pronunciations.
Jonathan Creek, BBC iPlayer. I don’t usually watch long-running series (I suffer from ‘productivitis’ which means every episode of any long-running TV show tends to flash in my mind as an hour I could have used differently). But every so often I go through periods in my life where I just need to put on some classic telly to veg out in front of. I don’t know what suddenly made me think of this BBC classic which was a mainstay of Saturday nights when I was probably about eleven or twelve. Watching them back I’m struck firstly by how silly the solutions are, but also by how well the writing has stood the test of time. I mean, there’s a lot of 90s ‘laddish’ style humour and a few subplots that would not be repeated today, but the script makes it clear that these opinions are the butt of the joke, and already pretty outdated. The ‘will-they-won’t-they’ friendship/romance between Jonathan and Maddie feels real to life, and both characters are so well-written: flaws, quirks, and all.
Lifestyle
Donia, Kingly Court, London. Run don’t walk to grab a table at this tasty new Filipino restaurant in Soho, London. Pretty much every dish was delicious, with standouts including the lamb shoulder caldereta pie, lechon with liver peppercorn sauce, and prawn & pork dumplings. Even the pandesal, a sweet fluffy pillow of a bread roll (and served with chive butter) was heavenly. We rounded it off with their signature dessert, Ube Choux, a giant profiterole filled with ice cream and sweet, creamed purple yam. It’s delicious.
Ivy Asia, Mayfair, London. Big, brash, and instagrammable, the newish brand from the popular Ivy brasserie chain is a chaotic clash of Asian flavours and Western consumerism. It’s A Lot: decoration, music, service, and guest attire was turned up to eleven even on a damp Tuesday night, but I guess that sense of occasion is what you go for (case in point, we went for my birthday). And most importantly the food was tasty - though when they say Asia, they really cover a lot of ground: expect Japanese, Thai, Korean, and more Western-style Chinese food.
Harlow’s bar, C/ de Lepant, 4, Valencia. Another new cocktail joint I’ve been meaning to try, we made it here finally to celebrate a friend’s birthday in the beginning of January. They serve pretty much any classic you can think of and a few more, and there’s plenty of space to make the place your home for the evening. The only downside is it’s pretty understaffed - there seemed to be only one bartender the night we were there, for about twenty covers. Of course we planned for this the best way we could, by ordering our next round almost as soon as we’d received our first.
Defecto, C/ del Túria, 36, Valencia. The natural wine trend has finally made it to VLC and it’s making up for lost time: heaps of cute little bars have been popping up all around the city the last six months. This one is a coffee bar by day and wine bar by night (OK, who are we kidding, post 12pm), with a lovely breakfast menu and savoury snacks to accompany your wine order. The staff and owners are super friendly (to the point of coming up to you to introduce themselves and ask how you’re liking the place), the vibe is welcoming, and - and this is a huge one - they are one of the few Valencian bars who have nailed that invitingly cosy evening lighting that is in short supply here. Come for the granola, stay for the pet nat - you wouldn’t be the first.
Grilled endives with garlic and balsamic vinegar. I’ve been gravitating towards some different veggies in my life lately, trying desperately to mix it up from my usual steamed broccoli side (I do love broccoli though). I grabbed some endives last minute last week and in a brief fifteen minute break from a busy work day made the most of them with this quick and super-simple store-cupboard dressing. The garlicky marinade contrasted nicely with the close-to-caramelised tips of my grilled greens. A tasty, healthy last supper before my post-wisdom teeth soup diet (admittedly I later regretted not ordering pizza instead).
Substacks
‘Lullaby’ - Beyond with Jane Ratcliffe
Beautiful, memorable writing from
on her divorce, but also life’s ‘cab handle moments’. When you just know, even if you wish you didn’t. I’m sure we’ve all had some of those.
‘A new identity in Electronic India’ - Bluejeans & Moonbeams
One of the reasons I love Substack is how it exposes us to so many deep dives into areas we’d never think to seek out - not out of disinterest but just because, well, time! For that reason I loved
’s journey down the rabbit hole of Indian experimental music. I’d also never heard of the Sarabhai family despite the immense cultural impact they had. Maybe the patronage model isn’t always the best but it surely has created so many pockets of cultural and social innovation along the centuries. Thanks for lifting the lid on this one, Amar.
That’s it for this week. I hope you find something in this list that sparks joy or curiosity.
If you’ve got any recommendations on articles, podcasts, Substacks or shows for me to dive into, please drop them in the comments. Until next time!
❤️ If you liked this post don’t forget to hit the heart to let me know and help others find my writing.
📮 And if you’re not yet subscribed, all editions of Sunday smörgåsbord are free forever. Sign up for free and get next week’s in your inbox.