Rhubarb is Not Scary and Updates

Plus funny stories you may have missed

Hello everyone!

(Nothing super new to report but I am going to talk about my rhubarb awakening. If you’re here for just the story links then scroll to the end of this newsletter. Thanks!)

Somehow I’ve gone 31 years without ever eating rhubarb. This isn’t completely my fault. The stalks resemble celery and that green stalk is my enemy. No, well-meaning person trying to convince me that celery is delicious, it doesn’t taste better with spreads. It just ruins the hummus, peanut butter or whatever it touches. I make only one exception and that is when it’s sautéd into a soup. It gets lost in the onion and honestly that’s how I like it. Invisible. 

So it came as a surprise when I sporadically bought a few stalks of rhubarb. The broccoli and carrots had been cleaned out but the very nice grocery store worker was transferring newly arrived rhubarb to the shelves. The deep magenta color called to me and without a second thought it was in my cart. 

I washed them when I got home, deciding I’d bake them because the internet says they are sour and edible only when cooked. And YES, I removed the leaves, I knew they are toxic from reading pie books. What? You think I only like the classics? Give me a well-written cookbook or food memoir and I’ll devour it in a day. Food stories are one of my weaknesses. 

So before shoving this chopped rhubarb into the oven I took a spoonful and tasted it raw. It was mind-altering good. Why had no one forced me to try this before? The rhubarb was tangy and refreshing and a little sugar took the edge off the greener pieces, but I personally didn’t mind the flavor without any added sweetness. 

“Hey,” I shouted to my partner, “Come taste this!”

He obliged. His face immediately twisted with disgust.

“It tastes like someone pissed on my celery.”

I ignored his negativity. More rhubarb for me!

A bit of a catch-up:

What I’m reading: You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessie Klein
A large collection of essays by a funny writer. I’m in love with the Anthropology one. That store is scary in how curated it is.

What I’m listening to: Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast
I’m terrible at “marketing” myself or talking to readers. I don’t share my work nearly enough outside of Facebook groups where everyone shares. It took me two weeks to convince myself it’s OK to be myself in an email, especially since I’ve mostly been in one place. Do you all care about rhubarb? Maybe not. But the podcast has given me more guidance on how to grow as a writer and to stop fearing newsletter writing. 

What I’m eating: Nectarines!!!!!!!
We have no sugary food in the house unless I bake, so I’m dependent on fruit for that bit of sweetness. Nectarines are only here for a short time and I’m gorging before they go away. Or become astronomically expensive. Sometimes when I need a break I go into the kitchen and simply hold one up to my nose. Heaven.

What I’m drawing: “People”
I’m working on the technique where you capture the shape of someone then go in for more details later. I set a timer when doing this so I don’t cheat. Trusting my eyes to catch what I can during those first moments is a new challenge that Im not excelling at, but I’ll get there.

(Note: Sorry there are less illustrations this time. Working hard on little projects and pitching to earn rent while furloughed, all of which have been eating up my time over the last two weeks.) 

Story links

As I said, I love food blogs. So when I see people mocking those stories preceding the recipes on the blogs I get annoyed. My feelings inspired this rant from POV of a food blog.

You know how women go to the bathroom in packs? Wait, no, not packs. A TEAM. Here are some plausible things we might be doing in there.

Is your child (or anyone in your life) addicted to Jane Austen’s Books? Recognize the signs before they start wearing cravats and chemises.

You should never meet your heroes. And you should definitely never date your superhero if you’re a sidekick, since things get complicated fast.

She’s a woman in business who’s not afraid to make enemies. Maybe that’s why everyone calls her a witch. Though it may be because she is one.

This post was accepted into Tenderly! Which pets make the worst coworkers?

Shakespeare plays if they were titled like episodes of Friends.

Book humor-a comic showing the only time ghosting in a relationship is acceptable.

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow I’ll give you a peek at some process photos from a piece I worked on. Also tell me in the comments below which fairy tale you’d like to see me satirize next week.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting my work. Have a good evening!

Kyrie