Long time no see. It’s been all finance in my world but I’m taking tonight to write about my other favorite “F”s. Food, family, friends, and feelings.
I used to love reading articles about 20-somethings, love, careers, finding the perfect apartment, the enviable relationship — generally anything idyllic. So what happens when you wake up one day and realize you have everything you ever hoped for? Something must go wrong, no?
I spent the greater part of the past 5 years always focusing on one aspect of my life. I had the perfect Pac Heights apartment but no job. I had a job but no boyfriend. I had the perfect boyfriend but didn’t like my job. And this was really the tale of most 20-somethings I knew.
Imagine my surprise when the trifecta fell into place. I’ve never been happier than I am right now and have nothing left to pine for so something has to go wrong, right?
It’s just like when Charlotte stops running when she gets pregnant in Sex and the City. She says something to the effect of, “I am so happy that I’m terrified something bad is going to happen.” I feel ya girlfriend. It’s not just me though. My go-to for deep chats, my gal pal Alina, said the same thing to me recently, “this is the happiest I’ve ever been but I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
Neither of us are by nature negative people so after much psychoanalysis we decided that this might be the next phase of your 20’s. Looking back, early 20’s are weird. You work your ass off, but to quote my sister are “poor as f**k”. You pay over 50% of your income to rent in San Francisco. You might date someone your dad wants to “run over in his Prius”. Woof. And then one day you wake up and you’ve crossed over, unknowingly so, which is why I find myself still looking for that “thing” to obsess over.
I certainly don’t expect my life to be only sunshine and rainbows, but there is something to be said for that moment when you find what you’ve been looking (and working) for. It’s a sort of crossing over, kind of like the Sunday brunch tradition from your early twenties to late. My younger-self brunched weekly, and paid exorbitant amounts for a breakfast sandwich, because it had aioli on it. Obviously. In my late 20’s brunch is less frequent and more about the company around your table rather than the food itself, especially when you are visiting your bestie on the other side of the country.
When I traveled to New York for work in April I was lucky to extend my trip on the front end to spend the weekend catching up with Lynsey. One of the many things I love about this girl is she’s always up for anything and entertains my long list of restaurants to try. With no persuasion necessary we were off to Brooklyn.
Roebling Tea Room is a dream for the senses. Green subway tile, reclaimed wood, brass and copper fixtures. A repurposed, almost industrial space with ceilings for days. Music playing on vinyl. Unique yet simple food like baked cheddar eggs. It’s a place that feels slow in a city that is always moving. It’s a place you can sit without being bothered, where the food is a delicious accompaniment to girl talk.
Baked Cheddar Eggs / Raison Fennel Toast with Apple Butter / Grits
Baked pancake / stewed fruit / honey butter
Yogurt with Fresh Fruit
Now that the food part of the post is over I can say this. In Sex and the City, Charlotte ends up shitting her pants in Mexico. The metaphorical shoe drops. I guess Alina and I better forgo spicy foods for a while.
Roebling Tea Room, 143 Roebling Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211, (718) 963-0760, http://www.roeblingtearoom.com/, Brunch – Saturday & Sunday 10:00am – 4:30pm
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