Strawberry Pasta and Labubu Meals 👹
Welcome to Secret Breakfast / The best place to start eating like a champion and harvesting micro vegetables, while turning cities into selfie backdrops
Hi there!
How was your week?
Mine in one paragraph: due to a sudden water pipe issue my kitchen was dismantled, leaving me unable to cook for days; I've been reduced to making burritos with pre-packaged ham, assembling them directly inside the fridge.
I hope your home meals were better than mine.
Piero
✹Jonathan Lethem, The Fortress of Solitude, 2003. I'm lucky to have friends who remind me of good books.
Even a Polish tennis champion can teach you something about cooking, if you know how to listen
Wimbledon's winner, Iga Swiatek, and her love for Strawberry-Yogurt Pasta (★recipe) sparked debate. Then, every food creator on TikTok had to cook it, hoping for some hardcore engagement coming by horrified people (mostly Italian, I suppose).
Yet think about it: tomatoes have dominated our plates for centuries. Technically, they're fruit.
Fruit in savory dishes isn't madness—it's chemistry. Natural sugars balance acidity and saltiness. Umami meets sweet and - sometimes - magic happens.
Chefs have known this forever. Prosciutto embraces melon, pineapple meets pizza (whether you like it or not), and pears marry cheese.
I even remember an interesting dessert I had years ago: goat milk ice cream with frozen cucumber.
Maybe we should stop being surprised and start experimenting things like the following:
Strawberry and gorgonzola risotto (★recipe) - sweetness tames the cheese's bite
Curry chicken with green mango (★recipe) - fruit's acidity cuts through spicy creaminess
Pasta with basil pesto and peaches (★recipe) - sweetness enhances the herb
Grilled salmon with raspberry sauce - fatty fish loves acidity
Pizza with pears, gorgonzola and walnuts - perfect texture trio
Salad with avocado, grapefruit and shrimp (★recipe) - tropical freshness
Pineapple-glazed pork (★recipe) – Hawaiian classic that conquers
Crostini with ricotta, honey and figs - seductive appetizer
Apricot and lamb couscous (★recipe) - authentic Middle East
Octopus with oranges and olives - pure Sicily
Peach Gazpacho (★recipe)
Watermelon Tuna (★recipe) - a vegan substitute for tuna.
Pyongyang-style cold noodles with pear and beef (★recipe) - Korean surprise that works
PS: Do you know what’s in the trending restaurant desserts? Vegetables.
🥦 Michelin-style Labubu weight-loss meal (★recipe) 🍦How To Give Vegan ‘Ice Cream’ That Creamy Taste, Minus The Milk 🍯Wait, Now We Shouldn't Eat Honey 🍓This "Lazy" Crêpe is something (★recipe) 🫣These Are the Dirtiest Parts of a Hotel Room, According to Housekeeping 🍕These Are Officially the 50 Best Pizzerias in America, According to International Rankings 🎑Restaurants Are Still Printing Postcards? It Has Nothing to Do With Mail 🐟Air Frier Mayo Flounder (★recipe) 🍨DIY Ice Cream in Wartime (condensed milk at 33,00 ft, fun story)
Overtourism in Japan, and How it Hurts Small Businesses
Craig Mod / Ridgeline
It's disheartening to see the unique charm of cities and their small businesses, something Maggie James has witnessed in Kyoto, eroded by overtourism fueled by social media. These local hubs are overwhelmed, losing their essence. The article by Craig Mod highlights how algorithmic attention dehumanizes places, turning cities into selfie backdrops. Yet, hope remains with curious, respectful travelers seeking genuine connection, pointing to sustainable ways to experience the world's hidden gems. Remember: being popular is not the goal of most small businesses.
The Quiet Nights That Count
Dan O'Regan / Notes on a Napkin
What a slow service taught about success, connection, and why we stand there smiling: "Numbers aren’t everything. Two hundred covers, badly done, isn’t success. But twenty, done with care, with atmosphere, with heart — that’s where the magic lives. Those nights when the restaurant breathes a little".
