Looking for Some Help Making It Through Election Day?
Election day is upon us. Deep breaths, y’all. Like many of us around the country and in this city (and in this magazine, TBH), you may be feeling anxious, on edge, a teensy bit overwhelmed. Well, hugging is out this year, but we did put together this locally sourced care package to help you get through the next 24 hours. Stay well, Portland.
Carbs With a Side of Old Fashioned
Comfort eating? Our Food Editor Katherine Chew Hamilton has you covered:
"Now is the time to sink your teeth into the carbiest, cheesiest foods, because we might as well live as though there’s no tomorrow. I kicked off my day of comfort food early today with a couple of donuts from Doe Donuts: an apple cider cake donut encrusted with cinnamon sugar, and a sticky toffee bearclaw topped with slivered almonds. Pillowy dumplings from Chin’s Kitchen always make me feel better—I recommend the ones filled with pork and Chinese sauerkraut; the pork, shrimp and egg dumplings; or the vegetarian ones filled with veggies and egg. So do the restaurant’s casseroles, particularly the fatty, almost buttery pork with tangy Chinese sauerkraut and a generous helping of clear, silky sweet potato noodles.
"On the cheesier side, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Ranch Pizza lately, with its unapologetically thick, crunchy-bottomed crust. The #4 is my current favorite, sausage crumbled atop tomato sauce and mozzarella with smatterings of ricotta. And though I’m not usually a proponent of ranch on pizza, I’ll make an exception here—be sure to order extra ranch to drizzle (or drench) your pizza. I ordered four sides of ranch, not realizing I’d end up with two plastic containers of ranch for each side (and that the pizza came with two containers already). At least you’ll be stocked up on ranch if tonight turns out to be the doomsday we’ve been dreading."
Need a little something to wash it all down with? Associate Art Director Brian Breneman recommends one of Straightaway's delicious and beautifully designed cocktails in a bottle, specifically the Oregon Old Fashioned, which he says is “for when you want to enjoy the rugged bite of a delicious old fashioned but lack the motivation to be rugged, or to bite."
Soaks and Serum and CBD
Style Editor Eden Dawn recommends a warm soak in the bath with some freshly-made, garden-infused delights.
"A good ol' tub soak can chill out the muscles and the brain every time. You can throw anything into the water to jazz it up from Epsom salts to a drop of peppermint oil to rosemary you yank from the yard. Then cuddle up with some hot tea in a blanket and face the news from a swaddle. If you want to stock up for the coming months on local faves to keep around in a pinch, give Blendily's Eucalyptus Spearmint Bath Melt a go with its happy smells. Follow it up with some cannabis-essential-oil inhalers from Make and Mary for instant respite, or a CBD serum alongside a face cupping set for serious at-home spa pampering. On the blanket front, get one of these beauties from Seek and Swoon, and curl on up."
Summer on the Small Screen
If you need an escape from doomscrolling and obsessively refreshing live results pages, Arts Editor Conner Reed has some prime suggestions.
"I have a lot of nice things to say about Shrill, Hulu’s loose adaptation of Lindy West’s popular memoir, but as a pressure release valve, the best thing it has going for it is the fact that it’s a showcase for Portland in summertime. The show exists in a fairytale Portland that’s always sunny, and while it doesn’t skimp on conflict or adversity, the tone is warm and triumphant. If the idea of processing visual information sounds stressful (I feel you), an eyes-closed spin of Limbo, Aminé’s latest album, should do the trick. It’s sunny too, steeped in late summer vibes, and bouncy enough to make your feet tap but not loaded with bangers that might spike your blood pressure. If nostalgia is your idea of an escape, there’s always Stand by Me, that holy grail of Oregon-made cinema, whose central pack of middle schoolers feel like old friends for most of us. Sure, yes, it’s a movie about a dead body, but it’s also about nurturing innocence and a sense of adventure. Easy to pop in and watch the world fall away."
You Do You
You're gonna get a lot of advice today about what you should and should not do, including the above. Feel free to ignore it all. We're the last ones to tell you to stay off social media—we’ll be doomscrolling all day and night with the best of them. Do what you need to do today, Portland. You'll get no judgment from us.
