So…I’ve been thinking about reviving Friday Bites for a solid month now, but does that mean I’ve planned or prepared to actually start it? No. Have I been cooking? Absolutely. Have I been documenting my efforts step-by-step? Not really. I’ve fallen out of the habits of documenting my cooking and baking adventures — taking photos, jotting down notes, etc.
Taking a break from Friday Bites for the past year or so has given me the experience of being present with my cooking and baking. It’s allowed me to take a step back and see how much I’ve learned over the years from cooking/baking while writing Friday Bites. It’s allowed me to recognize that I don’t need to follow recipes to the letter anymore, that I am honing more accurate instincts and gut feelings about food. It’s felt really good.
What I’m excited to think more about these days, along with the process of cooking/baking, is what happens alongside the food. The days we decide to dance while we prep our ingredients, or the nights we decide to belt out Britney Spears songs while we broth and stir our risotto in perfectly timed increments, or the times when we put on a podcast or try to catch up on The Bachelor while we try out a new recipe, or the days when silence is the only thing we want to hear. I’m excited to think about the food “studying” I’ve embarked on in the past year, and food genealogies and food memories and histories and stories, and making family recipes and honing my own dishes (!!!).
So anyway, that’s a very clunky way to tell you that this week, I’m going to come clean about what Spotify says I’ve been listening to the most while I’ve been away from Friday Bites, and I’ve spent a lot of that time listening to music while cooking. Also, January 2020 has felt 6 months long. Every time I log onto twitter dot com, I want to scream and rip my hair out while also rolling my eyes all the way back into my head and muttering, “Jesus fucking Christ.” I have to take a break from even my news podcasts because…well, you know why. I think we all need a dance break.
#10 - Sorry Not Sorry - Demi Lovato
As usual, I’m several years late to this party, and I honestly don’t care. This song is SO good. I have a Fuck ‘Em Up playlist that I’ve been adding to since 2008, and this is the latest addition. Do you need to an extra shot of ‘tude before you head in to a meeting where you’re going to have to do some stuff that gives you anxiety? Are you doubting a decision you made or are about to make? Do you just need to shake some shit off at the end of the day? Listen to this song. It will give you superpowers.
#9 - Cross Me - Ed Sheeran feat Chance The Rapper & PnB Rock
So look. Ed Sheeran is…Ed Sheeran. I feel like if you really love music, you won’t be afraid of a good pop song. Ed Sheeran is good at pop songs, and I love this one in particular because the speaker tells us that if “you cross her, then you cross me.” If you fuck with my girl, I’m going to fuck with you. I think it’s the pop love song we all need right now. And I’m not ashamed to say that it’s come in the form of Ed Sheeran.
#8 - Please Me - Cardi B. and Bruno Mars
Speaking of good pop songs, everything Bruno Mars touches turns to gold. And everything he touches with Cardi B turns into a glorious glowing ball of sweat and sex and ‘90s throwback vibes. Come for the jams, stay for the iconic Cardi B lines. You know the one I’m talking about.
#7 - Slow It Down - Charlie Puth
In 2016, Charlie Puth came out with the worst song I’ve ever heard in my life. It was called “Marvin Gaye,” and he did it with Meghan Trainor, and it was the most atrocious and sacrilegious thing I’ve heard in recent memory. The first and only time I heard it, I was still working in an office, and I fully stopped what I was working on to research the song and make sure that I never heard it again.
In 2018, Switched on Pop, one of my all-time favorite podcasts, analyzed a Charlie Puth song from his 2018 album, Voicenotes. It was a decent song, so I reluctantly dove into the album. It turns out that Charlie Puth can write a good fucking pop album when he’s not churning out garbage like “Marvin Gaye.”
#6 - The Way I Am - Charlie Puth
Even though Charlie Puth has a babyface and it feels like he’s constantly trying to look and act older, I do really love this song. You can go ahead and put this on the Fuck ‘Em Up playlist alongside Demi Lovato.
#5 - The Distance - Mariah Carey
I’ve loved Mariah since I could consciously love music. I had Daydream on cassette and I literally carried it around with me everywhere, just in case I had an opportunity to play it somewhere. I haven’t listened to a full Mariah Carey album after The Emancipation of Mimi, but I still love her and I love this song. (P.S. If you’re making a playlist of solid love songs, you can throw this one on there along side the Ed Sheeran song.)
#4 - Empty Cups - Charlie Puth
So here’s where I think Spotify is lying about my most-listened to tunes of the past year. I know there’s an algorithm and numbers don’t lie, but…three (3) whole Charlie Puth songs? I can think of at least 5 other songs that I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to more than these three (3) Charlie Puth songs. I thought about subbing out this one for an Ariana Grande song that I’m nearly positive I’ve listened to more, but in the interest of shining the light on guilt and shame, I GUESS I’VE LISTENED TO CHARLIE PUTH THIS MUCH.
#3 - Look What God Gave Her - Thomas Rhett
Spotify told me that I listened to like, 20 hours of Thomas Rhett’s music in 2019????? I also think that’s a lie, but here we are. For those of you who are not fans of country pop (I don’t blame you), Thomas Rhett is a baby-faced Georgia boy who writes pretty catchy pop songs and has some pretty terrible dance moves that will give you second-hand embarrassment for him. There are other songs of his that I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to more, but Spotify doesn’t think so.
#2 - Emotion - Carly Rae Jepsen
I’ve fallen in actual love with Carly Rae Jepsen over the past year and a half, thanks to my baker pals. I read a tweet some time ago (I can’t remember who said it, otherwise I’d give credit) that said Carly Rae Jepsen makes music for 30-somethings who were in fucked-up relationships in their teens/20s, and are now figuring out what good, healthy love looks and feels and sounds like. AMEN.
(Also, Hanif Abdurraqib wrote an amazing essay on Carly Rae Jepsen’s music. You can find it in his book of essays, They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. Highly recommend.)
#1 - Juice - Lizzo
If Spotify had told me anything different, I would have deleted my account. Honestly. I have loved Lizzo for a long time and I’m so happy that she has blown up over the past year. I don’t know if we deserve her, but we need her so much right now.
So, there it is. What I’ve apparently been bopping around to in my kitchen over the past 12 months. I hope you’ve found something new to dance around to, and I hope it’s gotten you excited about your own faves. And because I’m curious and always on the hunt for new music — dear reader, what are your favorite songs to dance around and cook to? Tell me! No guilt, no shame, no judgement. I really want to know. Tell me in the comment box below, tell me in a comment on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. Shoot me a DM, whatevs. Let’s dance and cook together.