Pleasures, Curated Q&A: Emily Wilson of The Angel
Pleasures, Curated by L.A. food writer, Emily Wilson
We’re back with another installment of
: Pleasures, Curated.I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy getting to know members of the Pleasure Lists community and what makes their Pleasures tick.
This week’s Pleasure-seeker is
, the food and restaurant writer behind on Substack. Emily has bylines in the Los Angeles Times, Bon Appétit, Eater, New York Magazine, TASTE, the San Francisco Chronicle, Resy, and Vogue.Social: @emilyjwils
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Pleasures, Curated by of
Pleasures —
Shopping in my mom's closet. On a recent trip home to New York, I was feeling stressed over what to wear for a wedding the following weekend. I used to shop all the time, in-store and online, for clothing, kitchen goods, furniture, and especially shoes. In the last year or so, though, I've made a concerted effort to buy less and buy only things that I really love. It's been nice. Except when I feel like I need something new, like for a special occasion, and I don't even know where to begin. A light went off when I realized I could borrow something from my mom. We spent an hour in her closet as I tried on dress after dress (including a particularly chic Prada number), a few skirts, a silk polka dot Dolce & Gabbana top, and a black-and-white leather clutch, all items she's kept in excellent condition and that she was happy to let me have (or at least borrow). Old clothes, especially hand-me-downs from loved ones, are more meaningful and look better on, too.
My own bed. I've been traveling constantly for the last month, and now, I'm finally back in Los Angeles. Sleeping in my own bed is the ultimate pleasure of all. This is not a novel idea, I know. I'd recommend my Saatva mattress and sheets to anyone. Parachute's sateen sheets are nice, too. All white, always. I'd be remiss not to mention my sofa, too; the Sixpenny Neva is the platonic ideal of everything I want in a couch.
Japanese sweet potatoes. I can't get enough of Japanese sweet potatoes. I love their nutty, subtly sweet flavor, and they have the most luscious texture, especially when you roast them at a low temperature for several hours. When I return from the store, I'll immediately scrub them, rub them in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and put them in the oven—on a baking sheet covered with tinfoil—at 275 degrees for 2.5 hours. Then, I keep them in my fridge to snack on all week.
A perfect cappuccino at 8 a.m. Easier desired than accomplished, but a perfect cappuccino is the perfect start to a day. Maru's are generally perfect. So are La Cabra's in New York City. I take mine with whole milk.
Fig-scented anything. Los Angeles is covered in fig trees. Most of them don't fruit, but the excess of fig leaves creates an earthy, coconut-vanilla scent that's especially pronounced in the summer and fall, and I find it intoxicating. Fig leaves can be used to wrap fish and meat or—my favorite—to make ice cream. I love Diptyque's figuier candle, I keep A.P.C.'s Feuille de Figuier room spray in my car, and my boyfriend recently bought me Perfumer H's fig eau de parfum in London.
A greasy spoon. Whenever I go to a new town or city in the states, I try to seek out a great local diner. The people-watching is generally excellent, the service is as it should be, and the food is what you can expect. Even in cities not known for their food scene, there ought to be a reliable greasy spoon, charming in its own way. This morning, after my friends' wedding in Cincinnati last night, we ate at a place called Anchor Grill in Covington, Kentucky. The man next to us at the counter was chain-smoking Marlboro Blacks. My all-time favorite greasy spoon is Al's Breakfast in Minneapolis.
What does Pleasure mean to you? The feelings, tastes, sights, sounds, and scents that make you happy from the inside out.
Who do you want to see next? Send me suggestions for who to feature in the next installment!
What Is “Pleasures, Curated”?
Each week, a new Pleasure-seeker will document their personal Pleasures and ruminate a bit on what Pleasure means to them. True to
style, I keep the list-maker’s je ne sais quoi in as much as I can — only minor editorial changes are made when necessary. I do this intentionally so that the writer’s inner world really comes through. The style of the list says as much about the writer as the list itself.Read Last Week’s Q&A:
Why submit a list?
Pleasure Lists are a summary of what you need, want, or have, or see at a particular moment in time. They are a survey, an overview, a summary of the crucial facts of the state of one aspect of your life. It’s a kind of blueprint that can be a guide to the future.
Mull it over and if you’re moved to, send me a list.
Questions? Comments? Send any recommendations or suggestions for what you’d like to see in these newsletters my way. I’d love to hear more about what you’re currently finding pleasure in.
Join the chat below to connect with other members of the Pleasure List community:
Please share this newsletter! The Pleasure Lists is meant to be a collaborative project that calls people from all over to write, read, and share their pleasures — a global community of artists, writers, and pondering minds alike.
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