nunc est legendum quod internet

So Le Guide Michelin has returned, not to Los Angeles, but to California broadly, and I am… skeptical. There’s a lot to be said about the Guide’s views of Los Angeles cuisine in particular, and the late great Jonathan Gold of the Los Angeles Times sums it up better than I could:

But here’s the real thing—I did not realize Bibendum (the given name of the Michelin Man, FYI) would be at the award ceremony in Los Angeles. I cannot stop looking at these photos.

As I was regaling my fascinating with these photos to my sister (which was mostly me shouting the word “Bibendum”) I realized not everyone is as familiar with the delightful old Michelin advertisements. This one, for example, quotes Ovid (“nunc est bibendum” aka “now is the time for drinking”) and then says “That is to say: to your health! Michelin tires drink up obstacles.” Please note the coupe glass filled with nails, glass shards, and the other gentlemen at the table labeled as other tire brands (!)

I will be in London next month, so might just have to make a pilgrimage to the restaurant now in the old Michelin building, which has stained glass windows of Bibendum, and also—though one suspects this is a conflict of interest—two Michelin stars.

A café that I will not make it too, which saddens me greatly, is this Korean café designed to look like a black and white pen drawing:

Here's a longish read about the Frankfurt kitchen and how it completely changed how we think about kitchens, and it’s astonishing to see how modern it looks, even today, despite dating from the 1920s (this was it installed at the Met, which is why there are people in the window)

There’s been a weird slice of the internet about the idea of “Wife Guys” — men that mention their wives in weird, performative ways. It’s turned into a meme, and Jia Tolentino beautifully deconstructs it, drawing on a deep history of creating families in marginalized communities and—well—Borat. It’s really, really worth a read.

I am obviously INCREDIBLY DELIGHTED BY THIS HEADLINE. Here is the photo that made him (understandably!) infamous, he was stealing a knife from a crime scene. He’s also had an art exhibition.

etcetera: Please go watch Fleabag, particularly season 2, but the whole show is an incredible meditation on grief, existing in the modern world, love, faith, and family. Please go watch it (caveat for The Grown Ups: it is very racy) and then read the following: The Agony and the Ecstasy of Fleabag, this piece breaking down the pilot from an editing / cinematography / writing perspective and a great interview with Andrew Scott, who plays the "Hot Priest" (technically his character is just named The Priest, but, well...)