Hello! Writing this having settled back into our apartment in Brooklyn, our suitcases unpacked and two very happy cats curled up on the couch beside us (side note: we will NOT be traveling with them under ANY circumstances EVER again. Please hold us to this and thank god our cats don’t hold a grudge). It feels great to be back in New York, with that very specific, slightly frantic, a little unhinged spring time energy we missed so much (just in time from rampin’ season!) Last week, we spent five days at Lord’s, a lovely welcome home. Thank you to everyone who came/ will be attending Hart’s/ has eaten at any of our residencies within the last five months. What a whirlwind it!
Pop-ups, by nature, require a leap of faith. It’s a real “roll with the punches” mindset you have to adopt, especially when planning for something in an entirely different country. With every big decision like this that we’ve made, we’ve had to accept the reality that, before we get there, we won’t have seen the kitchen, laid eyes on our new apartment, met any of our coworkers, figured out which stores stock rau ram, and so on. There’s only so much preplanning that can be done, before you inevitably arrive and realize that the kitchen doesn’t have a functioning floor and won’t until one day before you begin and that somehow that hadn’t been mentioned in previous conversations. Adaptability is the name of the game. There’s also an understanding that, despite never having laid eyes on each other, you will now be spending nearly every waking moment together. Luckily, it turns out that you can really get a sense of someone, their ethos, their fairness, whether or not they are good company, from a few phone calls. We’ve gotten pretty good at sifting through the bullshit and, so far, have managed to not only enjoy the company of, but befriend, our pop-up hosts. A good host not only makes you feel welcome, but takes it upon themselves to show you a good time. Jasper, of Oranj, was no exception. He went above and beyond in making it his mission to show us London, which meant the three of us crammed in an ungodly amount of meals during the month of March.