Dada Dish Vol. 21
how i get out of a funk + faves of the week
Hi everyoneeeee!! Happy Friday (yayayay). I am currently writing this from JFK as I wait to board my flight to LAX. I’m going home to California to spend some time with my parents, and I have to say… I am SO ready. This will be my first non-work trip of the year and I can’t wait to work from there and go to the Farmers market tomorrow lol
I know it’s kind of an eye roll sometimes when people incessantly talk about how grateful they are for their community but I have to say, I am feeling so supported by you guys here, and am truly TRULY appreciative for you for being here. I love you and hope you’ve been enjoying the recipes, I’ve been testing a lot this month! So, thank you.
I’m not sure what’s in the air, but I feel like everyone I know is going through it in some way. I have been in manyyy a funk in my day - sometimes I think it’s exacerbated by the fact that I work solo and at home a lot, which means that I consequently spend a lot of time in my own head. Maybe you relate to this if you work from home, or don’t have / interact with coworkers on a day to day basis.
Accepting the fact that my days are not going to look the same, my moods are not going to feel the same, and that I simply cannot be the same person day over day has freed me from the self-judgment or guilt that I feel for “wasting” a day in a bad mood. It just is! Like, am I really going to add fuel to the fire by being in a bad mood about being in a bad mood? Been there. But at the end of the day, we are not the same person we were yesterday or the day before, consistently growing and adding to who we are - a sum of the amalgam of experiences we continue to encounter minute to minute. Having grace and acceptance for ourselves through all of life’s highs and lows is probably the hardest skill or trait to ever learn to hone but I think we could all use a little more of it.
Here are some things that have helped me through a recent funk.
Decenter yourself. Go outside, go grab a coffee, ask your barista how their day is, give a compliment to someone that you actually mean. Life sometimes feels like it’s all about us, but it’s not. Removing the thought pattern from centering around whatever you’re negatively focused on can snap you back into the perspective of there being more out there.
Environment shift. Literally get out of your home, office, wherever you are, go look at the sky, feel the rain on your face, and your feet on the ground. Ground yourself, get fresh air, and move the feelings out of your body by moving. Have you ever felt worse after a walk than before it?
Call someone. I often carry some guilt about being a burden to friends, but your real ones will always be there for you - just like you are for them. Send a voice note to someone, call a family member, and get the feelings you’re feeling out of your head and verbalized. Most often, it loses a little of its grip and power when you free the rumination spiral from your brain.
Stop the comparison trap IN ITS TRACKS. My lowest moments in life have always been directly correlated to how much I’m comparing myself to others. Personally, professionally, any and all of it. When you remind yourself and REALLY believe that you can have everything you want but maybe just on a different timeline or in a different way than you expect.. life gets easier. Plus, what a waste of time to focus your energy on what you don’t have versus what you do.
Eat a delicious snack, hehe. And you know I can help with this. Also your blood sugar might be low. Nothing a date or little sweet can’t help.
Hope these things remind you that you’re not alone if you’re going through it - and even the people who have the most perfect lives on paper (or social media) are going through their own trials. No matter where we are and who we are….we are nottt exempt from the human experience! I love you and here for you - messages always open if you need an ear. And now, onto the dish!
Dada Dish
OMG these “jeans.” Okay, so normally and historically, my outfit is not giving on a plane, usually for these long haul flights I just want to be comfy and put on a matching sweatsuit. However, I got these Rag & Bone jeans that feel like sweatpants years ago, kind of grew out of them, but now I’m so BACK with these wide-leg ones because THEY ARE THE PERFECT PLANE PANT. Why did I never think of this before. They make you look put together but still feel like (and literally are) sweats. I love them - got the dark wash - and they’re on sale right now on the RB site - so I am def going in for another pair.
My favorite food combination right now is tahini, hot honey, and flaky salt. It’s the most delicious thing ever and I’ve been mixing it up and using it as a dip for my sweet potato fries, smashing avocado on toast and spreading that combo on top, dipping crackers into it, etc etc - and I just feel like I had to share. Is that the weirdest thing ever? I don’t care. If you try it .. let me know. So good
If you’re looking to splurge on a tote, I’m obsessed with this one from Strathberry. The color is literal perfection - this taupe is such a gorgeous color that works with just about everything. I have about 100 black bags, so I thought this was the perfect new addition. It fits so much, including my laptop, and the strap is the perfect length for walking around the city all day.
A new find…the perfect post-meal digestive. If you guys are familiar with Indian cuisine + practices, it’s very common for Indian restaurants to have a bowl of candied + regular fennel seeds for guests to grab a spoonfull post meal as a digestive. Fennel is super supportive of your digestion, and I’ve been crunching on these fennel seeds for as long as I can remember, and my dad eats some after dinner pretty much everyday. Usually they’re candied and made with random dyes and sugars, but I found this brand Chikka Chikka at Happier Grocery that makes a version with no refined sugar (just sweetened with maple) and it’s soooooo good. Highly recommend!
Attention New York friends…I just found out you can order my dates at Matchaful via DoorDash and this is now a very dangerous discovery. How am I the last person to know this??? Hope you love them, I grabbed a bunch to take back to California per my mom’s request.
OKAYYY gotta go board my flight!! love you guys! see you next week from California. Thanks for your love and support always, sending it back to you everyday
xx Samah