Picnics All Year Long

Like many people, I developed an unexpected hobby-slash-obsession during the pandemic: picnics. What started with a mild fascination for cheese and charcuterie boards quickly spiraled into living room picnics, and eventually, full-on outdoor picnicking adventures of every kind.

In spring, you’ll find me sprawled out at Laurelhurst Park. By early summer, I’m perched near the Mt. Tabor reservoir. And come late summer, I’m basking on the sandy shores of Sauvie Island. Each season, each spot, has its own vibe — and I’m here for all of them.

Naturally, my picnic gear has grown to match my enthusiasm. I now own four picnic baskets: one shaped like a watermelon (because why not?), two classic rectangular ones, and one charmingly round. My blanket collection is just as curated: two cozy wool blankets for parks and two beach-friendly options. And let’s not forget my arsenal of containers — at least four — for cheese, charcuterie, and whatever else the picnic gods inspire me to bring.

When it comes to picnic provisions, my go-to is Providore Fine Foods Market. Their sandwiches, cheeses, charcuterie, and sweets never disappoint. Lately, though, I’ve been mixing it up: sampling treats from other bakeries, experimenting with tin fish boards (a whole vibe of their own), and even attempting to craft my own sandwiches.

This post is a celebration of these post-pandemic years of picnicking — and the pure joy of embracing a simple, delicious, outdoor tradition. Here's to more baskets, more blankets, and many more perfect bites shared under open skies.

All kinds of Providore sandwiches

Backyard picnic

Japanese sandwich and musubi picnic

Typical basket on a solor trip

Bakery haul for the picnic

The round table in action

Russian caviar picnic

Providore's cheese and meat board

Typical set up

New Normal: Cocktails in Quarantine

 I didn't go out at all for the first 6 months of quarantine. 

I had been prepared for two weeks. That's what I thought "quarantine" meant. But then two weeks became months and months became infinity, and when I heard about a new outdoor cocktail bar opening up that serves Pina Coladas in whole pineapples, I went right for it!

I got together we a good friend I had not seen since December. We were supposed to meet at our favorite bar in March to catch up on my recent trip to Ethiopia, but the bars shut down one week before our scheduled date. We waited and waited and waited for some kind of re-emergence, and our opportunity finally came when we met at Tropicale in August.

It was a glorious summer day, the kind of Portland summers one looks forward to all year. And when we arrived at the bar it was 4:00pm on a Thursday and there was hardly anyone in line and plenty of tables open. (The same could not be said when we left at 6:00pm - the line of 30+ people stretched around the block and folks had to drink their cocktails standing for lack of seating). 

Of course I had to order the Pina Colada in the whole pineapple, which was amazing and thankfully not too strong. I also ordered a spicy margarita which is my new favorite drink in the whole world. When I decided I still had not drank enough, I went back in line and ordered a Negrete - which is basically a Negroni with Mezcal, two of my other favorite things. 

This was the first time since the pandemic started that I ate in public, drank in public, saw something who I wasn't related to, and otherwise felt like a normal human being. I will forever remember this glorious day for the feeling of freedom and gratitude it inspired. 

Waiting in line to order

the seating area

More seating area

My new "Look"

Drinking their excellent margarita

The whole pina

the spicy margarita

the beautiful pair of cocktails

tacos and chips with guac

second drink: negrete

New Normal: Coffee in the Quarentine

Heart on East Burnside was always one of my favorite cafes. They had a large table against the wall that was always my favorite spot to sit if I was going there with my laptop. 

They closed down for months when the pandemic came, and when they reopened it was a totally different experience. Heart was the first cafe I went to in June after the Governor of Oregon allowed us to reopen in Phase 1, and I was pretty shocked by how empty and sterile it felt. I have since been to numerous cafes that still managed to maintain a cozy and relaxed atmosphere while adhering to sanitation guidelines, but documenting the vibe at Heart will serve to remind me fo this strange time we are living in. 

Markings for the line to stand 6 ft apart

Waiting in line

No bathroom and masks required

Waiting in line

Plexi glass between the counter and patrons

No sitting sign

Favorite table is gone

Iced latte and hot latte - at least the drinks were still good!

New Normal: French Patisserie Vending Machines

The famous Pix sign, a cow, now with a mask on

 When businesses began to shut down in the USA in March of 2020, I had no idea how long and how hard the road ahead would be. Now it is October, and already two seasons, spring and summer, have passed in semi-quarantine. Back in March it seemed that all of the world was on lockdown, but as the months passed it quickly became clear that each continent and country would take its own course. 

The USA has been the worst example of how to conduct itself during a pandemic. Because we never really went on lockdown the virus continued spreading, and we did not see a decline in cases such as was Europe and Asia experienced. 

But this is not a post about pandemics or politics. 

This is a post about patisseries. 

Specifically, how some Portland businesses have been able to shift, pivot, innovate, and thrive in the restrictions and limitations brought on by this new era. 

I almost never write about my daily life in Portland, Oregon. But this blog is about cataloging cultural experiences, what better time to write about Portland than 2020, when Portland is undergoing profound cultural shifts that even I cannot recognize. 

Patrons of the vending machine

Pix Patisserie is one of those Portland staples that has been around since I moved here 12 years ago. I loved dining alone in their original location and watching film screenings on Friday nights. But as Pix grew, then consolidated into one location that was half Spanish tapas bar and half French patisserie. The vibe of the new location felt too pretentious for me, and so I stopped going to Pix.  

But once the pandemic shut down most restaurants and bars in Portland, Pix decided to get creative with its sales. 

The selection of cakes and goodies

Many of this scrumptious cakes, macaroons, and treats are now served through a self-service vending machine. 

The machine is card-only and the prices are not any cheaper than in store, but I enjoyed being able to get Pix cakes without dealing with the pretentious vibe and enjoy them in my own home. 

Packaging not super fancy

But still delicious if you plate it!

3 Months Inside: The Coronavirus Edition

As soon as I realized the pandemic was here to stay - and that it would mean all my trips for 2020 would be cancelled - I knew I had to say something about it in this blog.

At first the quarantine reminded me all too much of a different quarantine - Zuo Yuezi – the month in confinement that I spent at home after my daughter was born. But unlike that first month of caring for a newborn, I now have rambunctious toddler and a business to run, so these months in confinement have been busier than ever for me.

Of course, like everyone else in the world I am concerned for the future of our societies, the looming unemployment, the death toll, the massive rippling effect this is having on people across the globe. But I’m not going to talk about any of that in this post. I’m not going to talk about my theories or projections – you have enough peoples’ theories and projections to read on the internet. This post is going to talk about how the pandemic has affected my life, what has changed in the last two month, and what it means.

This list was written on day 74 of lockdown. I began counting from the day the restaurants were closed and the shelter-in-place order took effect. When it began, I could not conceive how this could last more than 30 days. But here we are. Day 74 and we may only start to open back up in 13 more days. Maybe. 

What has changed since the Quarantine took effect?

Now I make cocktails at home: Lychee-rita mix from Nong's with Mezcal

Work

I have worked from my home office for the last two years, so I am already used to that, but it has changed because now my husband is working from home too, and that adds distractions. Also, I am on so many video conference calls, more than ever, and so I have rearranged my office to better be able to take such calls in succession.

In the last two months my business has had to transform dramatically, and I am now doing things I did not envision doing only a few months ago. All this transformation had required a tremendous amount of energy in learning and creating new things. It is wonderful and exciting, and I am happy to have this opportunity to learn and create, but it is also exhausting.

My Good Coffee stash lasted only 2 months

Coffee

I am drinking more coffee now than I ever have had to in my life. Maybe the stress of the pandemic and added workload have warranted deepening my caffeine addiction, but now I am drinking about 3 cups a day until as late as 4:00pm. The day before it was announced that restaurants would close (March 17^th), I went to my favorite cafe Good Coffee and bought 6 bags of beans. I thought that would last me through the entire quarantine, but by mid-April I ordered 3 more bags online, and my late May the cafe reopened for takeout and I walked in and bought 3 more bags. I missed lattes terribly about one month into the pandemic, but since most cafes have reopened now for takeout, I can get all the lattes I want if I am willing to walk there and wear a mask.

Dalgona (whipped coffee and milk), yes I made it too

Cocktails

Again, the night before the shelter-in-place order was to go into effect, I rushed to the liquor store to stock up on booze. I knew I would not be able to go to the bar and drink cocktails, and that I would need the liquor to deal with the stress of the pandemic. It was crowded and the shelves were almost empty by the time I got there. I bought a bottle of Kalua, Campari, Mezcal, and two different kinds of gin. Based on my home-drinking patters of prior months and years, I assumed such a quantity of liquor would last me until 2021. Now, two months into the pandemic, my supply has been depleted by 70% and I have never drank so much from home in my life. This does not even include the 4 bottles of wine I have bought in grocery stores since the pandemic started.

Shopping

All shopping is online now, except for groceries, which I hate to order online because they never have the specific products and brands I am looking for. I got to the grocery store once a week and hate it. I have to wear a mask (I used to wear gloves too but have since stopped that). The aisles are all one-way and its annoying to pay attention to the directions you are walking and to how close you happen to stand next to someone. There is hand sanitizer and wipes at every entrance so you can sanitize your hands and cart. By now all the staff wear masks and there are plexiglass barriers between customers and cashiers in the checkout.

Mt. Tabor, one of five places I go for my daily walks

Nature

I have gone on a walk, either to a park or around my neighborhood every single day, sometimes multiple walks a day. I have enjoyed exploring new areas of my neighborhood, news routes in Mt. Tabor and Laurelhurst park, and new places like Franklin high school’s track.

Food Delivery

I never used to have food delivered, even when I had a young infant at home and going out to a restaurant was impossible. Delivery seemed overpriced and exorbitant, but now it is a necessity. We have food delivered from our favorite restaurants 2-3 times per week. I love it now. I get all the joy of enjoying my favorite meals, discovering new ones, and none of the stress of finding a baby-sitter, getting dressed up, driving, parking, waiting at some table, etc. I think I will always have delivery now even when restaurants can reopen to customers.

Night

I no longer experience the night. I do not go out after dark. Everything is closed. The baby is asleep. There is no need to go out at night and nothing to do. But I miss that darkness.

Because my trip to Japan was cancelled this year (along with my trips to Ireland, DC, and Santa Fe), I am been spending many moments reflecting on past memories, most of which took place at night. The late dinners, bars, clubs, night walks, and night runs are all such a part of my Japan memories of the last 15 years. Now in Portland when the night comes, I am shut inside, experiencing the night only through memories.

The End of An Era

2017: My last cafe trip with Nylon; also pictured, my 2017 agenda, and Tote from Athens

I am writing this from a café which is both old and new to me. I was first introduced to Insomnia Coffee mere weeks after I moved to Portland in 2009. At the time, there was only one location off of Baseline road in Beaverton and I loved their ice chai so much I made the 20+ minute drive from my house every weekend. Naturally, Insomnia was the perfect setting for my ritual of reading Nylon magazine at a café. What began as a simple weekend amusement in boring Orange County, turned into an obsession over time which lead me to reading this magazine in cafes all over the world.

Alas, after a ten-year subscription to Nylon (which was transferred from Kinokuniya in Costa Mesa, California to Portland, Oregon to Oda, Japan, back to Portland, Oregon) I have decided to end my ritual. My reasons are many, and considered how long I have maintained this ritual, the extent to which it has followed me around the world (Japan, South Korea, Thailand), and how beloved it was to me, I feel I owe myself en explanation.

2015: A photo I took after moving back to Portland. Also pictured are my 2015 agenda, and Tote from Seoul. 

1. Nylon Magazine Changed

Nylon magazine changed for the worse in April of 2016. The magazine became significantly thinner, the paper became more light weight and shiny, like a cheap tabloid periodical. The back half of the magazine felt like it was made out of newsprint. The one provocative covers were replaced by close-ups of heavily made-up models. The visual aesthetic changed significantly as well. Instead of edgy contemporary styles, every model looks like she could have been pulled right out of a Nirvana concert. I don’t mean I just dislike the current season. I have had a subscription for over a decade; I have been loyal to this magazine even when the mainstream trends don’t appeal to me. I have help on through good and bad seasons. What I am seeing now is not a new season. It is a new direction for the magazine. And I dislike it. In fact, I dislike it so much that I recycled the new Nylon issues, something shocking considered how well-preserved my collection is from 2005 and on. 

Left: last issue of good Nylon; Right: first issue of bad Nylon. See the difference? 

2. Insomnia Café Changed

After building a new location 10 minutes further on Amberbrook Road, I began frequenting that store. It was great for a while. I also got a good seat. Customers where quiet and courteous, but the neighborhood has grown considerably in the last few years, and last few times I went there were not positive. It has now become so crowded that it is nearly impossible to find an open seat at any time during the weekend. This has become the de facto hangout for high school sports teams, coming in ground of ten or fifteen at once. Parents have started taking their tiny children there; not just one or two, but I once saw a father drag in a wheelbarrow of six toddlers. Barista have taken to playing 90s hits like the Backstreet Boys. It is no longer a place where I can read my magazine in peace. It does not create the ambiance I prefer.

Nylons from all over the world, read in cafes all over the world

3. I Changed

I made several lifestyle changes recently which seem incompatible with this ritual. First, I am no longer eating or drinking sugar. This means I cannot order my once favorite Iced Chai Latte, and if I can’t order that, there is no point going to Insomnia because I can get much better lattes in cafes closer to my home in Portland. Second, I no longer find joy in the long drive to the café, preferring instead to walk 30-40 minutes to cafes in SE Portland. Walking is healthier as well. Third, I am no longer reading fashion magazines. I realize now that one of the biggest contributors to my poor self-esteem and self-image is the fact that I have been constantly reading fashion magazines which, insist on showing me nothing but bone-thin beauty. I will never look like these women, so why should I keep looking at them. From now on, I will seek out new fashion ideas from bloggers who not only share my aesthetic, but also my body type.

My tradition of reading Nylon at cafes brought me much joy and stability for many years. I am a creature of habit, but this habit has seen its last days. I celebrate the end of an era at Insomnia’s newest location in downtown Hillsboro, where I have come for the first and last time.

Goodbye Nylon.

Goodbye Insomnia.