Along with the 3-things-that-made-me-grateful-today that I text to my friend Lili before going to bed every night, I sometimes put together lists of all the amazing things that I’ve watched/read/listened/eaten. Here’s the three things that rocked my world this week:
- Watching the Black Museum episode of Black Mirror. While waiting for her car to charge at a remote charging location, Nish (played by the stunning and über-talented Letitia Wright), decides to visit the nearby Black museum, which houses “authentic criminological artefacts”. Being the only visitor, she is being shown around the museum by Rolo Haynes (Douglas Hodge), the proprietor of the Black Museum, who tells her the dramatic story behind three different exhibits. They all involve cutting-edge technological meddling with the human brain; memorabilia that Rolo collected during his career in this field. No spoiler alert here, I won’t reveal anything more. True to Black Mirror’s characteristic dystopian takes on society’s future existence, this episode will make you hold your breath (and the hand of the person next to you very tightly) until the end and wonder: when it comes to intervening on the human brain, how far is too far? [Black Mirror is available on Netflix.]
- Listening to The High Low My colleagues introduced me to it – right after proseccoism, Monzo and The Miniaturist, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Honest, hilarious and quintessentially millennial, The High Low is a weekly pop-culture/news podcast by Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes. They are both incredibly well-read and opinionated: their repertoire covers everything from pay gaps, UK politics and women’s reproductive rights to the Kardashians and Prince Harry’s upcoming wedding (they’re both royalty in some way, right?). Extra bonus if you live in the Greater London area, as they sometimes offer recommendations on what to do/see/eat in the ze big city. [Listen to The High Low on acast.]
- Drinking hot chocolate at Maison Bertaux. Hidden in plain sight on Greek Street, Soho, right next to the beautiful MinaLima store and just behind the Harry Potter theatre, Maison Bertaux is a French patisserie that goes against all New Age tides. Established in 1871, it looks like a bite of Paris in the heart of London. You order at the till before you get seated; there is a large window display of all the desserts they serve so you can choose – this is what lures most people inside. There is no place for gluten-, dairy-, fat- or sugar-free desserts here, everything is old-school, indulgent and tastes like childhood memories. Remember to bring cash, as they do not accept cards.
Excited (as always),
F.
