Edition #91: Stains Are a Sign of a Well-Lived Life

Introducing the first installment of my new interview series, Worth Knowing, featuring the self-proclaimed Italian Meatball Dan 'Grossy' Pelosi

Nov 18, 2021

Questions + Answers With: @grossypelosi — emmasthing

A Note From the Editor

I’ve loved eating since I was a little girl. I was never a picky eater, save for a time in elementary school when I tried orange chicken at the mall food court and spit it out in a napkin (I still stand by this reaction, sugary-glazed meat is not my jam). Though there was little I wouldn’t eat as a child, I wasn’t raised in a culinary-centric household. My parents had seven children and were Irish catholic, which meant neither of them grew up eating adventurously. Mealtimes at our house were all about efficiency, the only qualifiers being what was cheap and what was quick.

Where many of my childhood friends had parents who made complex recipes that I loved to try during sleepovers—stewed oxtail and Spanish rice, warm bowls of Sinigang and Hungarian stuffed cabbage—our plates at home were simple. Rice A Roni, canned string beans, meatloaf. Cereal for breakfast, a lunch that I proudly deemed ‘Meghan’s Special Pepperoni Sandwich’, in which I would layer handfuls of Hormel between two slices of white bread and smush it all together until the whole thing was suspiciously flat. A pepperoni sandwich, a pack of Gushers, and a Capri Sun were all I needed to fuel my little body.

As an adult, my relationship with the food I ate growing up has changed. I cringe a little when I think about the slabs of London Broil I was made to eat for dinner, remembering how the cut of meat was so dry that I would melt margarine on it in the microwave just to make it more palatable. At the same time, I also feel overwhelmingly tender towards my parents, who had the impossible task of feeding a small army. Some days, figuring what to feed my adult self for lunch feels like an impossible task—and then I think of my mother, who between getting us ready for school and chauffeuring us around town for dance and football and wrestling would manage to make a hot meal every night. How on Sundays, she and I would bake Nestle chocolate chip cookies because they were my older brother’s favorite. How she would make cream puffs from scratch for every school function, and how people would constantly rave about them.

I think of my father, who would take over on the weekends. Some of my favorite memories are those Sunday mornings when I would wake up to the smell of salty, sizzling pork wafting from downstairs, the sounds of my family gathered below. My dad would be cooking scrambled eggs on the electric skillet we got him for Christmas one year, while my mom would be spreading an ungodly amount of butter on slices of toast. At night, he would grill burgers and blend margaritas that called for a can of beer and a can of frozen lime juice. On special occasions, he would buy frozen mussels, which would defrost and cook in their own broth. When they were ready, my two older brothers and I would stand straight over the pot and eat the mussels with our fingers, racing to get our fair share like a trio of competitive eaters. I would be sandwiched between them, two boys more than double my size, and we would be giggling and shoving eachother like a bunch of school children. The tips of my fingers would be slightly scalded afterward, but I never minded.

Food has always been special, holding a myriad of memories and stories from our past. I was brought back to these moments when I had the pleasure of talking to Dan “Grossy” Pelosi for an interview series I’m launching today called Worth Knowing. Every month-ish, I’ll be talking to a different person whose ideas are worth sharing. Kicking things off with a foodie like Dan the week before Thanksgiving felt like perfect timing.

Dan’s been cooking, and eating, with his big Italian family since he was a little boy. At the start of the pandemic he had 8k followers on Instagram, and today he’s nearing 90k. One look at this page and it’ll become clear how and why this happened virtually overnight—his recipes are the epitome of comfort and his colorful, warm energy makes you want to be his friend. There are few people whose million slide stories I’ll watch through to the end every time, but Dan is unequivocally one of them.

Our conversation was fun and light, but it also brought so many things to the surface that I hadn’t thought about before—the inherent intimidation that comes with cooking, especially in our ultra-curated digital world, the necessity of dismantling expectations so we can just enjoy our food (and by extension, our lives), the idea that stains, like laugh lines, are the sign of a well-lived life. We also covered things like what to cook for your crush for the first time and how to host a dinner party without driving yourself insane. I didn’t know how badly I needed to hear so much of what Dan said, and maybe you need to hear it too. Or maybe you just need a new recipe. Either way, I think you’ll love what Dan has to say.

Watch Worth Knowing with Dan Pelosi

Cheers, my dears, and as always thank you for reading (and watching). Stay tuned on Instagram for more video snippets coming later today. I’d love to hear what you think about my talk with Dan and which of his recipes you plan to try. I recently made his vodka sauce for a very low-stakes, I Quit My Job dinner party and it was an absolute hit. And as always, if you liked today’s edition please consider sharing it with a friend.

Three Pieces of Content Worth Consuming

Thanksgiving Traditions. This one is a throwback, but aptly so. Cupcakes and Cashmere was one of my favorite OG blogs back in the blogging heyday, and I always loved these roundups she would publish aggregating Thanksgiving traditions from her readers. A tradition I started a few years back, inspired by content like this: if you’re not into football but you want something on TV while you cook, alternate between Thanksgiving-themed episodes of Friends and Gossip Girl instead. 10/10 would recommend.
Enough Music (A Poem). A perfectly short, perfectly powerful poem that proves poetry is a supreme art form. To pack such a punch in such few words requires talent that I almost cannot comprehend, and Dorianne Laux is quickly becoming one of my favorite poets. For another crazy short, crazy powerful piece of writing, check out this flash fiction story by Etgar Keret.
Dating Apps Were ‘Getting Old.’ Why Not Try Something Older? Anyone who currently is or has ever been on the dating apps knows what an exhausting cycle swiping on strangers can become. I love this article, introducing a zany newsletter alternative to dating apps called Hot Singles. I’ve subscribed to the newsletter since reading this piece, and though the hotties featured seem to skew closer to the young 20's crowd, I’m still obsessed with this idea.

Perhaps You Should…Go See a Show

A black woman in 19th-century clothes leans against a mirrored wall while a white man grasps her dress.

It’s been a minute, but live theatre is back, baby. If you’re anything like me, you probably didn’t take full advantage of theatre in the before times, but it’s high time to change that. Shows are opening left and right in New York, and there are a bunch of great shows on tour around the US, too. Swap out a typical holiday gift for tickets to a show and make going to the theatre a regular part of your life. I bought tickets to this show the minute they went on sale and I cannot wait to see it in a few weeks.

Bonus Content (The Perfect Outfit)

ellefanning

A post shared by Elle Fanning (@ellefanning)

Oh, just Elle Fanning wearing my dream outfit. What I wouldn’t do to get my hands on a pair of those beautiful, beautiful pants.

A Quote From A Book You Should Read:

“This bag is filled with nourishment for the mind and soul. What I have here, Tangy, are promises and hopes, as well as scattered disillusionments. It’s like filling your plate with ham, green beans, and potato salad, only to have someone come along and spoon lumpy, dried-out oatmeal on the side. Wouldn’t that spoil your appetite?”

-The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips

This newsletter is best served with a side of conversation, so drop your opinions, reflections, and thoughts in the comments below and let’s get to talking.

that's so interesting

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