The Covid Diaries

Jun 13, 2022

Hey everyone,

Well it happened. We were going along, minding our own business, when suddenly Covid marched right up to us and said: “Your turn.”

Craig and I both felt a little off last week. Low energy, a bit achy, almost like we were hungover. Then Craig started to get flu like symptoms: sore throat, headache, just totally off. Out came the Covid tests, and there were his two pink lines. I still felt okay — well enough to make this marvelous French Toast TikTok video.

@amateurgourmet Treated us to some sourdough French toast with crispy bacon this morning. I used four eggs, about 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup whole milk, a tablespoon of sugar, and a tablespoon of vanilla. Fried the French toast in a combination of grapeseed oil and butter and baked the bacon in a 375 degree oven. Better than a restaurant… and cheaper too! #frenchtoast #breakfast #fyp #sourdough #bacon #cooking #foodporn #food

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Then my two lines showed up and I was down for the count.

People: I had it really bad. Covid is no joke. Mine manifested in a razor-sharp sore throat, night sweats, a hacking cough, and — most shocking of all — very little appetite. So I haven’t cooked anything since the French Toast. But we did order lots of food.

Before I was truly sick, we ordered pizza from Cosa Buona. I got the Margherita and added anchovies to prove that I’m not a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

But then the symptoms settled in, and I needed soup. We’d never ordered Din Tai Fung soup dumplings delivered, but this seemed as good a time as any.

They held up remarkably well. (We also got shrimp and pork dumplings, garlic string beans, and the smashed cucumber salad.

On my worst day, angels from heaven (our friends Diana and Mark) sent us the greatest gift imaginable: chicken noodle soup + pastrami from Langer’s Deli.

This picture may not be worth a thousand words, but believe me when I tell you that this golden elixir truly healed my soul. (Those books aren’t kidding.)

Last night’s soup hit the spot in a different way. From Sticky Rice in Echo Park I ordered Tom Yum noodle soup…

Ever hear of fighting fire with fire? That’s what this soup was attempting. The chili heat combined with the fish sauce and the lime juice made this a powerful tonic — almost too intense for my weakened state.

But this morning? I felt so much better. I finally had a good night’s sleep — no waking up at two in the morning to frantically suck Halls cough drops so that I could swallow without wincing.

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So what did I do with all of my Covid time on the couch?

I watched a totally random Criterion movie: The Green Ray by Erich Rohmer…

It’s about a French woman whose summer vacation plans fall apart and she drifts around and experiences an existential crisis. It’s actually a really accessible and moving film… I really enjoyed it.

Much less impressively, I caught up on Selling Sunset and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. We also completely tore through Severence on Apple TV, adored The Worst Person in the World (now available to rent), and I’m halfway through The Staircase documentary… I wanted to watch it before watching the HBO show. It’s riveting.

Now for some links that caught my attention while I was sick:

Apricot limoncello mascarpone pudding? You had me at apricot limoncello (The Guardian);
The James Beard media awards were this weekend… all of the winners are here (Eater);
I appeared on TheTallMikeWine Podcast. Listen here! (Buzzsprout);
Season your sweets like salad (Taste).