Han’s 2023 Favorites
comfort (doordash, music, spaces) in yet another year of change
top 4 doordash meals
this summer, i ordered more doordash than i’d like to admit. yes, i was coping, and yes, i regret it (a little). but you should have seen how tiny my kitchen was!! here are my top 5 restaurants/orders:
rosie pizza bar (ordered 8 times) : 14" fancy — tomato sauce, basil, burrata cheese, extra virgin olive oil
queen (ordered 6 times) : little gem salad — fresh herbs, cashews, feta, lemon vinaigrette, served with za’tar pita chips
cruz del sur (ordered 5 times) : 3 steak tacos (new york strip steak, grilled onions, chile de arbol salsa)
nenes taqueria (ordered 4 times) : 3 birria tacos & 1 consome, tacos come with cheese, cilantro & onions
top 5 musical albums
i’ve always been a music lover, but this year singlehandedly took it to a new level. i’ll just let the 72,185 minutes i listened on spotify speak for itself. below you’ll find the 5 albums which reigned supreme (and a meme which is literally me):
- the japanese house — “in the end it always does”
2. fred again… — “actual life (april 14-december 17 2020)”
3. donna missal — “revel”
4. boygenius — “the record”
5. oklou — “galore”
top 3 places of comfort
in addition to the playlists and the food^, i’ve also found comfort in a few physical places. i’ve spent more time alone this year than i ever have before. albeit difficult, what’s come out of this has been beautiful, still. i’ve learned to trust myself more, to cradle my feelings with tenderness and hold myself through waves of difficult emotions. this season of sitting with myself has taken me places. solitude is a teacher i have become (more) fond of. these are spaces of comfort i have found respite in:
- my bedroom(s)
i‘ve lived in three bedrooms this year and each marks a different chapter in the book of this year. i’ve appreciated each for their nice morning light, a cozy bed to keep me warm, and the consistency of the same ol’ trusty ikea duvet cover.
2. rockaway beach
the hour+ train to rockaway felt quicker and quicker as i frequented this route nearly twice weekly as soon as it was warm enough this summer. one of my favorite moments was making the commute there for sunrise in august. i watched the sun show its face, jumped in the water and then sealed the deal with some dunkin donuts. what’s that quote, again? “the cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea. plus donuts.”
3. farren road
in november, i moved in with my parents to take some time to recalibrate. i’ve started a daily ritual ~4pm when i drive over to farren road to sit in my car during golden hour. i queue up a playlist, ponder the past/present/future, maybe drink an ipa. to my right, the sun sinks below the ocean and to my left, the orange light ignites the hoards of nopales alongside the road. i look forward to this every day.
*bonus* favorite quote of 2023 — if there was one to sum up my year ❤
thank you for reading!
— han
