042525: Things that made life special this week
Birkenstocks, Birkins, wildflowers, a shockingly good tuna sandwich, and more
Hello and welcome to Things That Made Life Special This Week, a celebration of the pursuits that add a little something extra to the everyday.
In case you missed Wednesday’s newsletter, it was all about Walker Slater, a small Scottish tailoring brand with a mission to provide super high quality at an attainable price point.
You can still use code JANE15 for 15% off the whole Roz Hair site—can’t be combined with other promos. Find all my favorite picks here.
This week’s recs
Wearing: My first Birkenstocks in a decade
I used to have the cutest white leather pair of Birkenstock Arizonas and I can’t remember why I ever got rid of them. I just bought another pair for this spring and summer, and went with suede, in the ever-classic taupe color.
Listening: ‘Hermès’ on the Acquired podcast
Ever wonder how a company can operate around two central products—the Kelly bag and the Birkin bag—that you can’t even see when you go into a store? This four-hour podcast delivers on every single minute of this fascinating company. Acquired is a business history podcast focusing mostly on technology companies, so you’ll get something from this show whether you’re into fashion, business, tech, or just hearing a great story. I learned so much, including how protective the family is of the brand and its ownership. And how Hermès doesn’t even have a marketing team. (When they decide to do some marketing, they just… throw an elite horse show. Casual.) And if you’ve ever wondered whether craftsmanship truly is at the center of Hermès’s business: it is.
Making: Leek and comté galette
This galette was so nice we made it twice in one week! We ate it for dinner with a green salad alongside, and had the leftovers for breakfast. I used store-bought crust because it’s fortunately easy to find in France (pâte brisé in case you’re curious). I couldn’t find mascarpone so I used crème fraîche, and I couldn’t find kale so I used sturdy, large-leaf, farmer’s market spinach. I bet the galette would be even better with homemade crust, though!
Trying: To learn the native plants and wildflowers of the region
The other day, a friend of the family asked if she could dig up a clump of wildflowers growing near our house to give to her friend. I thought it was so sweet that she asked, and realized I didn’t know the name of this cute, daisy-like species that grows all over our property. It’s Vitadinia, or Latin American Fleabane. I suppose, when one has a house someplace, the least one can do is bother to learn the names of the flora and fauna of the neighborhood!
Eating: An unexpectedly great tuna salad sandwich
I grabbed this sandwich at a boulangerie one day in a hurry, and I was skeptical because it wasn’t the typical safe baguette sandwich. But lo! It may have just usurped the #1 spot in lifetime tuna salad sandwiches for me. (Tuna melts excluded, which are a different category.) I don’t have an exact recipe, but let me approximate for you:
Bread: Olive oil-based, herby, foccaccia-like, but thin enough that the bread didn’t overwhelm the sandwich
Filling: Something like 1/3 tuna, 1/3 7-minute eggs (they weren’t fully hard-boiled), 1/3 shredded carrots in some kind of light vinaigrette
Garnishes: A crunchy lettuce like romaine, butterhead, or baby gem. Crucially NO ONIONS.
If you try this, let me know what you think!
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Have a great weekend!
xx Jane
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