Plus mango, Maimoun, and The Migrant Chef.
MAY 13TH, 2023
I was introduced to these chewy Taiwanese fruit treats by my local bougie general store, Fort Defiance, where the manager described the dried green mangoes as a “totally natural sour gummy—chewy, bright, and sweet with an electric tanginess.” I actually went in thinking I’d grab a bag of their dried ripe Irwin mangoes (because how could unripe ones ever be better than those gorgeous golden beauties?), and threw the green ones in as an afterthought. I was 100% wrong. While the Irwin mangoes are fantastic, these little strips of sour-sweet, chewy green mango are ludicrously delicious and extremely addictive. I’m now torn between trying a sample pack of all their flavors and going all in on a 10-pack of the green mango. Much to the detriment of my bank account, I’ll probably just end up doing both. -VvP
I’m a big, big fan of husband and wife duo The Saxophones, so I was very excited to see that they dropped their new single “Boy Crazy” this week. I’ll have to sit with it a bit more to decide my full feelings, but I couldn’t miss a good excuse to promote a band I think everyone should know. A good place to start is with “Picture” from their 2018 album Songs of the Saxophones, which you can listen to here. -DW
If you didn’t have a chance to catch REVOLTED at the New Museum last summer, make sure to stop by JTT today for the closing day of their latest show from Doreen Lynette Garner, also known as KING COBRA. In White Meat, the sculptor and body modifier works with materials like silicone, crackers, hair, and paste to create fleshy, strikingly uncanny pieces—everything from a shark carcass suspended in a fluorescent beam box to the silicone head of J. Marion Sims being run through a deli slicer. Using whiteness as material, COBRA reckons with the pervasive concept itself, confronting the global legacy of colonialism and reality of systemic racism. It’s only on through today, so stop by before it closes! -PR
Maimoun, an online boutique that launched in 2016, has long been one of my go-tos for discovering new designers or even just new ways to wear things I already have (the styling has always been equal parts impeccable and unexpected). Earlier this week, founder Mina Alyeshmerni opened Maimoun’s first physical location in West Hollywood, just a stone’s throw from other L.A. mainstays like Polkadots and Moonbeams and Terminal 27. I’d love nothing more than to be able to peruse in person, but since I can’t, I’ll console myself with their online offerings. I highly recommend checking it out—and letting me know what you think. -VvP
The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García by Laura Tillman
Writer and journalist Laura Tillman is back with a new book, The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García. The story of García’s success is an incredible one, going from migrant worker picking fruits and vegetables to prison inmate to two-time deportee to the master chef behind Mexico City’s famed Máximo Bistrot. This book has been a five-year effort for Tillman, and I have no doubt you’ll be able to see that work on the page. Out May 23rd, I’m excited to dig in once I can. -DW
New York’s “only” sheep shearing festival, as they proudly state, is back at the Queens Farm today. Take your kids and/or an edible and go see some sheep get their summer cuts, do a scavenger hunt, and learn all about dyeing, weaving, and knitting. Plus there’s food and drink from East Coast Street Tacos, Tada Noodles, and SingleCut Beersmiths. Annoyed that you’re just finding out about this event now? Well, had you subscribed to our High in NYC newsletter, you’d have known days ago. -DW
My favorite purchase I’ve made in the last month is this Hello Kitty Macaroni. It’s by far the cutest pasta I’ve ever come across, and a great excuse for a Sunrise Mart grocery run. Their Industry City location in Sunset Park also has an adjacent Japanese food hall that smells like heaven and serves up delicious ramen, sushi, croquette snacks and more. Personally, I love the freshly made onigiri at Obentoyasan. -PR
This is less of a recommendation and more of an announcement, but the people at MTA Arts & Design are looking for artists’ work to feature in mosaic when renovations at the Borough Hall subway station are complete. I know many of you are artists of all stripes (and squiggles), so here’s hoping this information is useful. You have until May 19th to submit! -DW