What to Read: “I checked all the pilot lights and took out the garbage; I stopped swimming so hard against the mighty current and let it carry me out. I had spent 20 years in this place, beginning when I was a grad student fresh out of school, through marriage and children and divorce and remarriage, with funerals and first dates in between; I knew its walls and light switches and faucets as well I knew my own body … It would be nigh impossible for me, in the context of a pandemic, to argue for the necessity of my existence. Do my sweetbreads and my Parmesan omelet count as essential at this time?” There is some mystical relationship between great cooking and great writing. Gabrielle Hamilton taps into that magic in this piece about her pandemic experiences, and everything else. NYT Mag: My Restaurant Was My Life for 20 Years. Does the World Need It Anymore? (My compliments to the chef.)

+ What to Watch: Fauda has always been good. Season three could be the best so far.

+ What to Playlist: My wife Gina put together a great playlist of covers that I’ve been taking on my dog walks and enjoying greatly. (Now if I could just leave the dogs home). Check out Cloud Cover on Spotify.