Lounge Loves: Kashmiri bread, Eugene Healey and more

White Lotus on White House

In Season 3, episode 3 of The White Lotus, longtime friends Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie—played by Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb and Carrie Coon, respectively—are discussing spirituality over dinner when the conversation veers into politics. Kate reveals she’s been going to church, doesn’t explicitly distance herself from Donald Trump supporters, and then dodges a direct question about whether she voted for him. This was quite clairvoyant of show creator Mike White as he reportedly wrote the scene in 2022. Anyway, a tense silence takes over the table, leaving Jaclyn and Laurie wondering if they even know their longtime friend at all. An amusing portrayal of how politics has entered, and in some cases ruptured, long-standing relationships in these times. And it felt all too familiar and satisfying to watch.

—Shephali Bhatt

Culture Vulture

Brand strategist Eugene Healey’s bite-sized reels on his Instagram account (@eugbrandstart) are addictive. He goes through reams of research to break down Gen-Z trends and modern culture symbols and talks about brands that are empathetic to a dynamic young cohort. In one video, he speaks about the Australian digital bank Up that has built music into its app and accentuated it with neon-hued icons to make money management more fun and engaging for young people. In his latest reel, he decodes the ironic and unabashed celebration of wealth in the face of a potential global recession. He supplements this observation with examples, such as the return of fur in fashion, signalling that extravagance is back. For me, going through his Instagram content qualifies as educative—a far cry from doomscrolling.

—Jahnabee Borah

Also read: Book review: Behind the Bishnoi's fight for wildlife and nature

Soap Opera 

I am a sucker for multi-tasking skincare products—not for me the 10-step routines so beloved of “skinfluencers”—and I am happy to report that the Conscious Chemist Moisture Melt Multi-Oil Nourishing Body Wash cleanses and moisturises, all in the shower, in less time than it takes to tell you the name of the product. It’s a lightly scented cleanser with rosehip, gojiberry, grapeseed and olive oils that feels silky smooth on the skin and washes off quickly, and is perfect for the summer months when I hate the feel of gooey lotions and creams but still need to moisturise my super-dry skin. It claims to not strip the skin of its natural oils, and although it feels a bit pricey at ₹599 for a 300ml bottle, you just need a dollop every day.

—Shrabonti Bagchi

For Old Time's Sake 

A couple of weekends ago I was at Kashmir Education Culture & Science Society in Pamposh Enclave in Delhi, where a visit to the corner shop that makes and sells Kashmiri breads is a must. The smell and display of breads is an instant pick-me-up: sesame-seed encrusted telvor, girda with its honeycomb pattern, flaky katlam, crusty kulcha, dry fruit and ghee-rich roth and much more. When you bite into a telvor, generously slathered with butter, with a cup of sheerchai (pink-hued salty tea) on the side, you are trying to keep old memories alive. Of course, a part of your brain is screaming “carb overload”. But you say shhh, this is for old times’ sake.

—Nipa Charagi

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