The Sunday Digest 036
Leftover pasta, scented candles, and beef bourguignon.
Welcome to The Sunday Digest — a free Sunday newsletter featuring long (and some short) reads, original columns, things I’ve saved over the last week, relaxing playlists, episodes releases, exclusive product drops, and more. Yes, you can reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you. Or, if podcasts are more your speed on Sundays, we’ve got that too.
Sunday Read: Candle Names Have Gotten Out of Control
by Danielle Cohen for The Cut
What kind of idiot would trademark “Sunday Scaries” for scented candles? I’m hoping someone in the world has asked that question, but I’m going to assume they haven’t.
Regular listeners of The Sunday Scaries Podcast know the place that scented candles hold in my heart, which is why this week’s Sunday Read is dedicated to just that. While I don’t think New York In The Fall deserves to be part of this column, I’m now determined to create a candle that could.
Here’s an excerpt.
However, my recent candle browsing has led me to conclude that we have strayed too far. As candle names have drifted further from their actual scents, some have taken on a meme-like quality; others have gone political. Have you been candle shopping recently? I went looking for some aromatherapy (read: $60 hunks of scented wax) to hunker down for winter, and let me tell you: The names of these things are getting absolutely bonkers.
I am not just talking of Gwyneth Paltrow’s vagina candle, though I believe it’s partly to blame. As you may recall, early in 2020, Paltrow and the perfume brand Heretic collaborated on a line of profoundly confusing candles, each more nonsensical than the last. THIS SMELLS LIKE MY VAGINA was soon joined by THIS SMELLS LIKE MY PRENUP, THIS SMELLS LIKE MY ORGASM, and, later, HANDS OFF MY VAGINA. On top of causing several explosions, Paltrow and her polarizing candles spawned a new generation of out-of-control candle names.
Read in full here.
The Sunday Haiku
Uh, wait, what’s that smell?
Pot Roast? Chili? I give up.
Ah, beef bourguignon.
New Episode: The Ideal Fall Outfit, Finding Your Style, Excessive Birthdays, and More Listener Questions
This month's listener questions include excessive birthday celebrations, waxed jacket recommendations that aren't Barbour, weather's affect on hangovers, splurging vs. saving, the shelf-life of espresso martinis, finding your personal style or aesthetic, the ideal fall outfit, balancing a degenerate weekend with a healthy week, what I'd be doing if I didn't start my own brand or company, and many more.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and anywhere else podcasts are found.
Things I Saved This Week
Sunday Recipe: Pasta Frittata
by Mark Bittman for The New York Times
An admission: I actually don’t even like frittatas. But a frittata recipe that includes leftover pasta from the night before? Well, that’s right in our wheelhouse here. It says:
This dish is one recipe calling for leftover pasta that is actually worth planning for. It's portable, it's endlessly versatile, and it's practically foolproof. Substitute almost any cheese for the Parmesan (or leave it out altogether) and toss in any cooked vegetable or meat. Make it your own.
Let’s get wild this week. 40 minutes yields 4-6 servings, so invite all your hungover friends over for some. They can bring the champagne for the color-the-water mimosas.
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