Lounge Loves: Caramel popcorn matcha, the Doomscroll podcast and more
Also featured, learning ‘washi’-making in Asakusa and watching lac bangles take shape
Paper Souvenirs
I recently learnt about washi, Japanese handmade paper made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree. Last week, I found myself in a paper shop in Asakusa, Tokyo, making some of my own. Sunny, our host, had already prepared the pulp, but took us through a video of the painstaking process behind it and what happens afterwards. We did the wringing, dewatering and drying, then chose coloured washi to turn our sheets into postcards. It was deeply humbling to see the craft and labour that goes into making something as basic as paper. The experience became even more lovely because of Miori, a little kindergartener whose parents had brought her along for the washi-making exercise. Afterwards, she gave me an origami swan and heart. I left with the best kind of souvenirs: handmade by me and someone else for me. —Shephali Bhatt
Circles of Light
Exiting the metro station on a dull Tues-day, the lustrous colours of a bangle stall caught my eye. A craft fair had popped up, the highlight of which was the work of Salim, a lac bangle maker from Hyderabad. He had a selection of shinies, and was happy to chat as I chose, and suddenly said he’d make more right there. He warmed lac over coals and daubed on silver, gold and black (five natural colours combine into a host of shades). As he patiently dealt with my curious queries, he rolled, pinched and twisted to create the shapes and surface patterns. He added a metal spine before polishing each freshly rolled, warm bangle with a fine cloth. Watching his gentle, astonishing mastery in action is what I’ll remember every time I see the bangles in my drawer. —Shalini Umachandran
A Fresh Pour
Turtle Matcha was as busy as it could get on a Saturday afternoon with the spicy smell of Buldak sauce hanging in the air. It’s a house-turned-cafe tucked away in Bengaluru’s Indiranagar, and I had to weave past a line at the floor-length selfie mirror just to get inside. So I got everything to go: a popcorn caramel matcha and a Buldak chicken puff and they threw in a tiny side of chilli crisp, which was a surprisingly thoughtful, delicious touch.The drink was pure indulgence, layered nicely with milk, matcha, caramel syrup and popcorn on top. It was good enough that I’ll give the red velvet hojicha a shot next time—just on a weekday when the place isn’t bursting at the seams. —Ghazal Chengappa
Doomscrolling at Its Best
Recently, I discovered the Doomscroll podcast (available on multiple platforms) while on a research rabbit hole into political theory. Hosted by writer and artist Joshua Citarella, each episode features writers, scholars and thinkers, engaging in long conversations about politics, internet culture and contemporary media. If there is an obvious tilt to the left in these dialogues, every ideology is dissected and criticised, no holds barred. So far, scholars Catherine Liu and Vivek Chibber have been the most illuminating for me, each delivering the kind of masterclass—combining sharp analysis, erudition and humour—that one feels fortunate to have access to outside of elite academia. Such has been the appeal of these table talks that I have, of late, started dipping into Marx and Hegel in the original. —Somak Ghoshal
Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Wait for it…
Oops! Looks like you have exceeded the limit to bookmark the image. Remove some to bookmark this image.