feed me's emily sundberg on her favorite nyff film and our founder on nyc's best fried chicken and more
monthly recs #43
Each month, we ask a writer to share what’s on their minds and in their open tabs for our monthly recommendations. This October’s guest editor,
is a writer and director based in New York. She is the founder of , a daily business newsletter that’s a must-read even for those who don’t think they care about business. She’s written for New York Magazine, HighSnobiety, GQ, and more, and she directed and produced THE END, a film about the oldest privately owned island in America.My life has changed a lot over the past year while building Feed Me, and these days if my eyes are open, I’m working. Most of my mornings have a similar schedule to them: wake up early, make a pot of coffee, write my newsletter. But in the last few weeks I’ve been adding in a walk around the perimeter of Prospect Park and calling friends for short phone calls. I realized over the summer that I was getting really lonely working alone all day, and that has been a revitalizing addition to my day. Over the summer, living 40 minutes from Manhattan became a constant nuisance and I was always late for drinks and parties. But Manhattan doesn’t have the scarlet trees and familiar couples of swans of Prospect Park.
I’ve also been going to the movies a lot. GQ had me write Sunday night recaps for the most recent season of Industry, and it started fine-tuning a new skill of watching media with the intention of writing about it. I like to bring a notebook to the movies (something I made fun of an ex for when he did it on an early date) or use the paper and pencils that Nitehawk has at every seat. Whenever I re-read my notes afterward, it helps form a better breakdown and consensus of the film. I made a movie called THE END a few years ago, and I’m thinking about making another soon.
I’m having a lot of fun right now. The discourse, the club sandwich lunch meetings, the stories I get to tell and that people tell me. I’m learning every day about how wildly differently people view what “news” should and shouldn’t be, and what my readers view as “good media.” This month I’m just about hitting a point where I know I should log off for a few days and let truly new ideas percolate back into my system — I’m my marketer, editor, manager, and HR person, and all of those versions of myself get tired. Last time I took a few weeks off, I came back to Substack and wrote Machine in the Garden. We’ll see what happens after I go upstate this weekend.
’s
1. Last night I saw Sean Baker’s Anora at the New York Film Festival. It was unbelievably wonderful, a total love letter to Brooklyn, and surprisingly heavy on comedy. I’m going to write about it at some point but the emotional impact is still settling in. ed. note: we’ve partnered with NYFF to offer passerby club members discounted tickets to NYFF screenings — see here for info
2. Anora’s character in Anora wore a very Gloria Trillo fur coat in many of the scenes, and even though the temperature is dropping very slowly in New York, I know eventually that kind of coat could play a very important role in my winter wardrobe.
3. I just ordered a copy of Molly by Blake Butler.
wrote an interesting review of it in her newsletter this month, and now I’m curious.4. I’m planning a reporting trip to DC ahead of the election, so if anyone has plugs for that city, let me know. My tabs are currently hotels, bars, and hair salons.
5. My favorite placebo is drinking a huge bottle of electrolytes in my water every morning. I don’t know if they work, but it forces me to hydrate for the first half of my day and then I don’t need to think about it until around 4 pm.
paid subscribers can scroll down for more recs from Emily, including the musician she has a weird soft spot for and the East Village restaurant she’s still dreaming about.
more from us
6. For those chasing those last sunny moments of the year, JveuxDeSoleil helps you find sunny café terraces in Paris, Marseille, or Nantes, and Sunlitt tracks the sun and shadows in a more precise matter (great tool if you’re a photographer or trying to pick up the hobby).
7. The Jeu de Paume in Paris has great programming right now. The Tina Barney retrospective which includes Barney’s complex, carefully staged, and closely observed photographs of family life and domestic ritual alongside her editorial work, is on until January 19th. And a Chantal Akerman exhibition, also on until January 19th. If you’re not in Paris, Tina Barney’s book makes a great alternative to the show, as does the Jeu de Paume’s book on Akerman (Akerman’s first feature, Je Tu Il Elle, is also showing at Metrograph in New York on Friday).
8. Transitioning into fallware and adding some comfortable slacks to our wardrobe. Our favorites include Studio Nicholson’s flowy Baier Trousers; these from Margaret Howell, who always make a great classic; and our favorite new designer, Sera Studio, has cotton trousers in a beautiful shade of brown. You also can’t go wrong with vintage Giorgio Armani or Jil Sander.
9. Public Work, a search engine for public domain images pulling from the Met, NYPL, and more, is a great visual research addition to Tumblr, Pinterest, and Are.na.
10. For a sound setup that’s ready for any upcoming gatherings you might be hosting, we love SONOS’ new Era 300 speakers and for playlists, this hour of Khan Jamal jazz is a great option; alternatively, we recently discovered that Bologna UNESCO City of Music has a surprisingly great selection (courtesy of Clémence’s recent trip to northern Italy). Their 90s playlist is fantastic and features some really deep cuts. We have more hosting advice from expert-level hosts here.
paid subscribers receive access to our Discord — a community of like-minded readers ready to recommend a hotel in Marseille and a restaurant in Buenos Aires, help you pick a wedding dress, debate the new Shelia Heti, or find an apartment. join our private discord server through our passerby club membership here.
#films “Recommend Touch for a really tender, sweet film regarding long lost love – beautiful acting and direction.”
#music “I’ve been enjoying this new found discovery. Italian rap/hip hop. Lungolinea. by Frah Quintale”
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One of the things I’ve been looking forward to upon my return to New York City has been… fried chicken sandwiches (I mean it’s there in my
). It’s not so much a thing back in Paris. I mean, Gumbo Yaya is excellent, and so is the recently opened Buck, although I’m not into any of their sides, New York City is just on another level. With that, sharing my favorite fried chicken spots here, in no particular order: | A guest post by
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