Aesthetic Identity #1
A brief look into my week, plus some interesting conversations and threads.
Hello Friends!
I had originally intended to publish a longform post on scents this week, but I found distracted by my ADHD brain more than a few times. Fortunately, my procrastinations have some tangential relation to the concept of Aesthetic Identity so here’s a glimpse into what I’ve been up to in the past week.
Switching from pre-rolled cigarettes to rolling my own tobacco
Cigarettes had recently deteriorated something of a mindless habit for me that I use just to kill time. This is unfortunate, as I do very much enjoy the ritual of lighting up stick for a pause in the day or while shooting shit with friends. I decided to reclaim the ritual again and bought some premium rolling tobacco from Auld Kendal. It costs quite a lot more ounce for ounce but having to roll each stick myself each time means I also smoke a lot less. The Perrique blend is one of the best smokes I’ve had in recent memory. It’s also plenty of fun learning a new skill in the form of rolling (which I’ve always been terrible at). All in all, a gratifying change in my routine in the form of a much more considered ritual.
Dancing continues to be equally invigorating and frustrating
I’ve hit a point in my West Coast Swing journey where I’m no longer stepping on people’s feet and can sometimes string moves together without messing up. It feels incredibly liberating to be just let my body do what it wants but it’s also equally scary when my brain blanks and freezes. Nothing to do but push on, I suppose. It feels good to be a complete beginner again, and it does feel incredibly satisfying to improve in a field where I previously thought I was doomed to eternal failure.
I spent 3 hours doing social dancing on Saturday, which also drove home the point that the key to a good dance is just going with the flow even if you’re screwing up. Chances are, if you’re vibing with your partner you’ll both have a good time anyway!
What was even more fascinating was a dance I had with one of the school’s instructors. Even though I was nominally the lead, it felt like she was the one leading the dance with her improvisations and emotions. She was so good at conveying what she felt in the song and the direction she wanted to take the dance in that it took out most of the work of being a leader. Reverse-leading, almost, and synching up with her felt phenomenal.
The best beef that you’ll probably eat
I’m fortunate to have managed to build a substantial network since moving back to Singapore, at least when it comes to acquiring food and alcohol. One connection that I really appreciate is a friend who owns her own dry-aging fridge which allows her to experiment with meats and aging-periods that one wouldn’t be able to buy commercially outside otherwise. We’ve had many long conversations about novel ingredients and pushing boundaries. I’ve been able to taste the results of some of her more interesting experiments, among them 60-day dry aged iberico pork, and 42 day-dry aged salt marsh lamb.
This time, she aged Saga A5 wagyu beef for 100 days. The result was an extremely concentrated flavour of beef, a hint of mushroom and cheese in the fat, coupled with a ridiculously buttery texture. I made a simple tartare with it and reverse seared the remainder. It was so rich that each of us could manage maybe 3 mouthfuls of tartare and 3 slices of beef each. But boy were those mouthfuls amazing.
Twitter Threads and Conversations
Had an insightful conversation with @visakanv and @vaughn_tan about the culinary scene in Singapore, why it’s probably one of the best places for a young chef to fulfil his ambition, and why we don’t give *more* credit to local cuisine. There are multiple branching threads, but I think it’s definitely worth a read.
Wagyumafia is a fascinating look into how one builds such a strong aesthetic Instagram presence that you become associated with an entire sub-genre.
S.T. Dupont has always been the holy grail of lighters to me. Interestingly, their two most iconic features, the ‘clink’ when you flick open the lighter and the lacquered finish, were both borne out of complete accidents.
I’ve actually quite enjoyed writing this recap, and it helps remind of the things I’ve done, read, or written over the course of the week that have been nourishing in my life. Moving forward, I’ll probably continue doing this and hopefully post more long-form content on my musings on the subject. Let me know if you enjoyed this, or if there are other things you would like to see. Still figuring things out around here. As usual, comment below or drop me a DM on Twitter
Until next time,
Dio