COVID-19 Journal: Day 239

Because I have no ideas and too many ideas today I thought I'd look back, a bit like they do on TV shows like Family Ties or Golden Girls when the writers have no ideas or too many ideas. So, reader, we find ourselves back at Day 7. That's 232 days ago now, people. Anyway, back then, you may recall I was hypothesising about the tribes that may be about to form...

What tribes will form? Who will we become? Here are some early ideas:

  1. Stupid-not-Braves
  2. Braves
  3. Hacktivists
  4. Jokers
  5. The Timids
  6. Space Invaders
  7. Sticklers
  8. Darts
  9. Past Crushers
I will first state for the record that my hypotribes have been skewed somewhat by BLACK LIVES MATTER and #FUCKYOUTRUMP, but nevertheless, I think actually, it was a pretty good stab! I have some notes to follow up.
  1. Stupid-not-Braves: I guess I'd transform this category into Idiots. These are the people you see out and about doing that Dick thing with their masks. They manage to "wear" a mask in the most token way possible, attempting to obey the rule while simultaneously not protecting themselves, or anyone else. I always want to say, "hey you missed a bit" but fear I may spit as I say it, so remain seething.
  2. Braves: This tribe remains the humans who keep our cities running. I have now met Marvin, who works for Hermes. He always delivers my Hermes bits. Just yesterday, he delivered something when it was raining like Niagra outside, and I was just inside the door putting some recycling away until bin night. I was wearing a sports bra and a new pair of ridiculous lemon yellow sweatpants that are too big and I love them. I remember what it was like on rainy days when I was a bike courier, so said to Marvin, "ugh, it must suck today!" and he said, "no, it's great! there's nobody on the road, and that makes my life easier."
  3. Hacktivists: Well, Trump is currently being shucked out of the White House, so I'd say that was on point.
  4. Jokers: Let's just say that this pandemic has been a SHITLOAD more fun than the last pandemic, thanks to the Jokers. I think my favourite so far was shared just yesterday by Fiona in my secret society, but I'll share it with you here too since it's from the internet.


  5. The Timids: Some of us are doing the right thing. FACE! WASH! SPACE! or whatever our current dictum is. I'm not timid exactly, having been out and about quite a lot.
  6. Space Invaders: Just this morning, a friend reported a dickhead behind her in a crowded park's cafe said "shuffle up a bit" and she had a long conversation with the dickhead about how big two metres is.
  7. Sticklers: This is a tricky one, isn't it. I think I've become a centrist stickler. I am allowed to hate Stupid-not-Braves who do that Dick thing with their masks, and also scoff at Boris Johnson, even though I'm sure he's doing his best and it's only that he doesn't have terribly good emergency response skills because he's actually never experienced an emergency?
  8. Darts: I like to think I'm also something of a Dart, since, for example, I've now become like one of those snow foxes who waits and waits and listens and creeps and listens and waits and then POUNCES on the THING that she's been waiting for. For example, the Hainanese Chicken at Mei Mei.
  9. Past Crushers: What could we be? Amidst my intellectual consumption renaissance/sabbatical -- yes, I've begun thinking of this odd phase in my life as a sabbatical. Hell, Stefan Sagmeister does it and I'm just like him. He even claims time off has POWER -- I came across a podcast called Creative Conversations by Vogue International Editor, Suzy Menkes, and one episode she was interviewing curator, Victoria Steele. Ms. Steele was talking about how everything has an historic precedent, including things that become fashionable. But anyway, she also said that pandemics don't especially generate the new, but they do accelerate what would have been.
But, I have a True and Real Pandemic First, which is also a Lifetime First I want to tell you about. That  eloquent saucy cook, Nigella Lawson, has a new TV show. It came out this week. She sprinkled and bit her way threw a short list of things she likes making over and over again (apparently), one of which was a Lamb Soup. Lamb soup, you say?!?? Yes. The proper name is Wide noodles with lamb shank in aromatic broth, and I made it. 

After picking up a lamb shank and some cabbage etc at Borough Market, I continued on a big ride around the city like I used to, like on Day 7. After whizzing by Buckingham Palace etc, I swung by See Woo, a fab Chinese supermarket in Chinatown. I was practically ignored until I had to ask for help. I'd found the jar of crispy chilli, but still needed Gochujang paste. I asked the lady if she could help me find it. She took me so a post, but we didn't see Gochujang paste. That's because I'm a rude bitch because Gochujang paste is Korean, not Chinese. I was able to substitute one teaspoon of dried chilli as directed by Nigella through my shame.

The soup was delicious.

Wide noodles with lamb shank in aromatic broth

I tossed out a joke on Twitter:

SHE FAVOURITED IT.
I TOOK A SCREENSHOT FOR FOREVER.