I’m a 45 year old woman and I am perhaps too old to take on the trends, phrases and pop culture things of kids these days.
However, the girl dinner trend (à la 2023?) took a very strong and real toehold in our house - and I’m glad for it.
If you’ve been completely under a rock and/or can’t think back to 2023 (mostly I can’t) girl dinner took the reigns as the girl trend of the season. Girl Dinner has two major definitions, or is adopted by two types of people. There’s the slightly more refined “I’m just going to make something charcuterie board-like from whatever is left in my fridge” group. But then the more feral “yes, eating a jar of olives while standing in front of the open fridge door definitely counts as dinner”. (I am in the latter category, obvs.)
In our house, the term basically means “you are on your own to find your own dinner”. Aka, a relief to the bane of every relationship, the every-day "What should we have for dinner” question.
Through winter (or when it’s too cold or gets dark too early for me to stay outside) we tend to dine together, making hearty meals that last for at least one round of leftovers. Beans, squash (still a few in the basement), broccoli, soups, stews.
But -
Midway through this very sunny and warm day - with a sunset bordering the 7pm hour, M asked me “Girl Dinner?”
The question was followed by something like because, you know, it’s sunny and warm and I am guessing you want to be outside doing your projects as long as possible.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
It’s absolutely ridiculous that my brain and body can absolutely forget the joy and energy of a long-stretched and sunny afternoon. And how much I want to be outside in it as long as possible. M, however, apparently did not forget.
Yes, after work today I put the stair parts on the sawhorses outside and sanded them and put on the first coat of finish. I was bopping, for sure. I put on the last bit of finish on as the sun was starting to wane. It was weird to be outside and feel the sun on my skin and then set on the almost 70-degree day, feel the dark and chill set in, and be able to see my own breath as I moved the almost-dry white oak and sawhorses inside after dark (and tried to move all my supplies onto the porch too).
And here we are - back in the long afternoon portion of the year. I forget how this feels. I forget the feeling of sun through my clothes. The energy knowing the day is just going to last longer - powered by daylight. The feeling of just trying to wrap things up before it’s too dark to see all my tools in the dark. The feeling of coming inside tired. Of settling down to (girl) dinner well after 7pm.
Tonight it was microwave nachos - mostly because I knew we had salsa verde in the fridge and because I had to run by the pharmacy and picked up chips. (FYI, in our house shredded cheese is called “confetti” or “cheese confetti” and the dog likes to celebrate with it.)
The world up here has the slightest tinge of green across the horizon. You have to squint a little to see it. So many of the migratory birds are back: robins and red-winged blackbirds. Greater white-fronted geese, new to me, flew through on their migratory path north to Alaska or Canada. The world is waking up again. I hope you are too.
Listening: Throughline, Who profits from migrant detention?
Reading: What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds by Jennifer Ackerman. Thanks for the rec T!
Watching: It Couldn’t Happen Here
Noticing: This Friday is Get It Done Day and I am so excited I get to finally join again! (It’s been too long.) If you are looking for a virtual accountability buddy opportunity with some very fun social interactions you should totally sign up.
Tidbit: This absolutely fascinating analysis of how the migratory patterns of Greater White-Fronted Geese changed due to major rice production in the U.S. moving from Texas to the Mississippi Alluvial Valley states.
Look at me! Working until the sun drops and still gonna be in bed before 11pm! 2015 Vanessa could never see this future version of herself.
🥗vanessa
