Impractical Magic

And tips on throwing breakfast-for-dinner parties

There is nothing practical about jumping in the ocean when it’s 45 degrees outside, nothing practical about making tiramisu for dessert instead of thinking up dissertation topics, and nothing practical about staying out late to see the stars when you have a 9 a.m. the next day. But we don’t do things out of practicality, we do them out of love or curiosity, or else some more emotional affection that has completely bypassed communication with the left side of our brain.

St Andrews, or maybe just college in the fall, is filled with impractical magic. Dirty chais from Taste, cheap pints from Brewco, making the walk to Balgove knowing you have to dedicate an afternoon — all little luxuries that are not remotely pragmatic but that I choose to enjoy nonetheless. There’s woodsmoke in the air in the mornings and the light is crisp and perfect right before sunset at seven. My classes are tough this year, the essays longer, the committee meetings more frequent. Every conversation I have involves talk of post-graduation plans and I find I’m not ready to think about leaving, yet. Have I really had enough time here? Am I prepared to leave the self-proclaimed bubble armed with little more than a humanities degree and an affinity for the North Sea?

Impracticality at Starfields, beach reeling, a Kinkell Byre rainbow, and a Her Campus event.

I recently had to read this State of the Discipline Report for a Comparative Literature class and wanted to share it here because it’s less about comparatists and more about why the humanities and creativity are still essential in our society. I joke a lot about arts degrees in the era of STEM and finance, but this preservation of creativity and its effects on our empathy and worldview is something I find worthwhile to discuss. Impractical? Potentially, when put up against educating people on the merits of investing and how to 3D-print organs. But whether you like it or not, it is entirely necessary — for a population continuously spiraling towards pessimism and a glass-half-empty disposition, the arts are intrinsically necessary to preserving the core of the human spirit, as silly as it sounds.

“Pessimism has been intellectually gratifying in a world where, admittedly, disparities grow, wars multiply, and natural resources wane. It feels good to be right. But an optimism of the will, beyond the despair of reason, drives life toward social commitments and creative contributions.”

This quote and its message have been burned into my brain ever since I first read it. From the idea of “despair of reason” to the idea of intellectual gratification by way of recognizing the worst in everything, it rings true in so many ways, and is relevant beyond the immediate academic sphere, in my opinion. Pessimism is an easy trap to fall into, especially for people who love to be right and say “I told you so”. More than ever I feel the need for optimism; not a toxic overload of “everything will be fine!” but instead an outlook that reaches towards the inherent good in people and inspires confidence in the potential for good.

I recognize that it is perhaps easier for me, as a twenty-something not yet outside of her sheltered college sphere, to favor optimism and put it into practice. But the goal here is not to ignore the terrible realities we face daily, but to face them armed knowing that the potential for optimism exists, alongside our capacity to be creative and supportive and committed. Exercising this agency (the report’s paragraph on this is particularly well-put) is a call to action, where the size of the commitment matters much less than the legitimacy of the intention. “Art…has no obligation to be constructive” — but yet we continue to create, be inspired, seek out connection. That, I would say, is well worth the effort.

Especially considering how full my plate is this semester and how I’m slightly overwhelmed with work and the concept of it being my last fall in Scotland, I have to think practically about how to approach the final year in which my only job is ‘school’. I am required to sit in old buildings, listen to smart and passionate professors, read a lot, write a lot, and attempt to finally get the art of the thesis right. It’s not really a job — it’s a pretty sweet gig, the perfect combination of practical and magical.

Society and committee duties are back in full swing this year — continuing my time with Her Campus, I’m a Senior Editor this year, which I am so psyched about. We always joke that HC is the closest St Andrews gets to a sorority and the girls I’m working alongside on the Board are some of the most wonderful ladies in town. I’ll likely write a few pieces for them this year but will mostly be editing articles, which I love!!

I’m back on staff for Hearing Aid Magazine which is always exciting; print isn’t dead yet, at least in St Andrews, and it allows me to get pretty niche with album deep dives and artist profiles. I’m also back on staff for ST.ART Magazine, where I’m acting Head of Online Content and Creatives Editor, and hopefully penning a couple of fun Arts & Culture articles as well if I can properly budget my time.

I’m Head of Marketing for YogiSoc this year, which is fun because the committee is pretty much run by all of our friends and it forces me to get on my mat multiple times a week alongside emailing the St Andrews community about “moon stuff” and puppy yoga.

Lastly, this is a link to my byline for Town Topics on a book event happening in Princeton, which was on stands a couple of weeks ago.

The Opposite of Loneliness was an essay published in the Yale Daily News in 2012. Its author, Marina Keegan, wrote it for the class of 2012’s commencement but died tragically in a car accident only five days after she graduated. The piece is poignant and funny and cuts straight to the heart of what it means to be a college senior. I ended up reading the book, The Opposite of Loneliness, which is a posthumous compilation of Keegan’s writings, essays, and poetry — her work is amazing, and how much she achieved while just a college student is remarkable. Regardless of whether you pick up the book, the essay is a three-minute read and worth every second.

Hopped on the popularity train and finally read Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, which was a romp. Essentially Divergent but with dragons, this is a hefty fantasy novel with plenty of romance and tension between its characters. This style of fantasy is usually not my speed, but every single one of my friends who read this raved about it and I’m right there with them! The plot can be a little predictable at times but it’s super entertaining and will pull you right out of a reading slump.

I’m taking a Postmodernism course for English this semester, and so finished Another Country by James Baldwin, The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, and The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. I favor Baldwin’s essays over his fiction, but there is something operatic about Another Country, which kind of reads like an atmospheric play or character study in four parts. As for Lot 49, I genuinely only appreciated/understood/admired the book after I read the assigned secondary literature on it. It’s bizarre and full of satire and wordplay, but as someone on Goodreads announced next to their one-star review, “This an English-majors only book. This book is why people read and then decide never to pick up a book again. The Dispossessed was incredible — I’ve been really looking forward to it and it did not disappoint. It’s a 1970s science fiction/utopianism piece which is fascinating and expertly done. Le Guin is also simply a fascinating character; I did a deep dive for a presentation and particularly enjoyed this piece from The New Yorker about her life.

“Kitchen of the Week: Practical Magic in Phyllis Grant’s Berkeley Kitchen”: I loved this article from Remodelista about what’s now my dream kitchen, partially because of the title, and partially because I would genuinely kill for the bookshelf in the dining room and the pantry in its entirety.

Every time fall rolls around, I kind of pine for my high school job. I worked at a small cafe in my town for most of my four years and their baked goods were incredible — massive cookies, lemon bars, coffee cakes, etc. Every October I make their legendary pumpkin dark chocolate chip bars, but I was watching Gilmore Girls recently and came upon the episode where Sookie makes pecan bars, something else we made at the cafe. I found this recipe from the Instagram account EatingGilmore, where a lady goes through each GG episode and makes a recipe for something they eat in that episode!

The granola recipe to end all granola recipes, from the one and only Susan Branch. My mom has all of her cookbooks and I merely find her illustration style delightful, but I eat granola for breakfast practically every morning so I like to stock up and make my own! This is her recipe:

Sarah’s Granola

1 lb. (5 c) oats

1/3 lb. (1c.) raw sunflower seeds

1/4 c. sesame seeds

1/2 c. wheat germ (I‘ve never used this because I can’t ever find it)

1/2 c. unsalted cashews, chopped

1/2 c. sliced almonds (can also be replaced with pecans or walnuts)

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. honey

1/2 c. maple syrup

11/2 c. unsweetened coconut chips

3/4 c. raisins (or dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine the first 9 ingred. and spread on cookie sheets in one layer. Bake for 20-25 min., stirring occasionally. Add coconut chips for last 5 min. The granola should be a golden, toasted color. Remove from oven and cool. Add raisins. Store in an airtight container.

I made homemade cinnamon sugar pop tarts and they turned out so cute — nothing beats the original but these were just fun to make. The recipe is here.

The perfect fall snack is a date, and let me tell you the best way to make them. You take medjool dates, slice into them and remove the pit, put some peanut butter in the middle (could also add in a pretzel here for a vegan version of a Take 5), and then drizzle/drown them in dark chocolate. Then you put them in the freezer to set and BOOM. An easy snack and they are delectable.

I’ve been loving some of Half Baked Harvest’s and Bon Appetit’s weeknight dinners, like these Soba Noodles with Crispy Kale, these Chipotle Honey Salmon bowls, and these Ginger Sesame Meatballs. The reality of having an apartment in college, especially with roommates who eat together all the time, is that coming up with dinner ideas is a chore. I’m sure my mother is rolling her eyes knowing that she had to plan dinner every week for the entirety of my school years, but it’s really tricky to balance a budget, everyone’s food preferences, and carb intake every day for dinner. So, having a place to look to regularly for relatively simple or quick weeknight meals is helpful — though I will be honest, I do often have to simplify or “creatively adjust” some of HBH’s recipes because they’re super ingredient-heavy.

Seven fall classics.

Then She Appeared by XTC

Inside Out by The Mighty Lemon Drops

Crystal Blue Persuasion by Tommy James & The Shondells

Honey Don’t Think by Grant Lee Buffalo

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic by The Police

Stuck in the Middle with You by Stealers Wheel

Ooh La La by Faces

My current playlist rotations are the greats of the fall season: “College in the fall” and “October”. The former is one of my favorite playlists of all time; it is quintessential fall happiness in the form of pretty much every song that brings me deep, deep joy while I walk around campus.

Synth-pop in October. Sickly sweet, smoothly sinister — synth-pop is a hallmark of the ‘80s, and as an ‘80s music aficionado, I have opinions, mostly on the fact that synth-pop absolutely rocks. Cheesy? Sure, can be. Repetitive? Certainly. But it’s so damn catchy! Possibly I have been Pavloved into associating ‘80s synth with October because of shows like Stranger Things and movies like The Guest, but it seems to fit so naturally. This is a mix of new and old, but I’m always coming back to Tangerine Dream, Neon Indian, Survive, and New Order. Also, you can love or hate the Netflix Original, but the soundtrack for the first season of Stranger Things will remain one of my favorites of all time.

Mike Dean is primarily known as the producer behind some of rap’s most iconic albums from Travis Scott, Nav, Don Toliver, and Kanye, among others, and is one of the great producers of my generation, but beyond the music he’s touched, he has some pretty awesome inspirations. The article “Mike Dean’s Playlist is a Synth Voyage” by GQ gives a great overview of his picks and inspiration. Anyone who’s pulling production inspiration from the original Blade Runner is worth listening to, in my opinion, and I actually really enjoy a lot of Dean’s original work.

Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits have been on repeat because it is the season of the witch. And it would not be October without me mentioning my favorite song for this time of year: “Evil Woman” by Electric Light Orchestra.

Bialetti Moka Pot. In my first apartment, my tiny Bialetti moka pot was my favorite thing in my kitchen — nothing brought me more joy than brewing my single shot of espresso each morning alongside my oatmeal. Last year, I got a much larger version — perhaps too large. I feel like the Goldilocks of moka pots, because now I kind of want a medium-sized one, one that makes a single cup of coffee as opposed to three… but that’s a problem for another apartment. My coffee intake increases exponentially when I have access to my flatmate’s Nespresso, but the humble moka pot is still my favorite way to brew.

Harry’s Post-Shave Balm. Yes, it’s a men’s skincare brand, but I’ve always subscribed to the fact that men’s shaving products work 10x better than women’s because they’re designed for a demographic with facial hair. I secretly love Harry’s old branding more than their products, but I’ve been using this post-shave balm for a long time and kind of enjoy the fresh, boyish waft of bougie aftershave. Their shaving cream is also a really nice product, plus it looks sexy in your shower. I love coordinating branding efforts. P.S. Harry’s was founded by Partners & Spade, who founded Sleepy Jones, and the companies did a collaboration a long time ago that was so clever.

A black linen button-down. The style vibe of Jeffery Dean Morgan in this pap shot (please see below) is the ideal October look; perfect black linen shirt, battered brown leather belt, lived-in jeans, snarky graphic baseball cap, the bracelets… literally what’s not to love. While I am partial to my uniform of a white button-down, blacks and navies feel cozier and more pale-skin-and-red-hair-inclined. They’re significantly harder to find, however, but I’ve been eyeing this Irish linen piece from J.Crew, and this men’s version from Todd Snyder.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how little, hastily-planned dinner parties or celebrations are kind of their own impractical magic, and so if I had to throw one tomorrow, this is how I would do it.

1. Invitations are a must: I would hand-write details on some small squares of card stock, pen a couple of quick pajama illustrations, and voila

2. Set a dress code: ask that everyone kindly attend in pajama attire

3. Provide the proper drinks: mimosas, hot toddies, and Irish hot chocolate

4. Candles and star cutouts for the tablescape, over a white tablecloth

5. A handwritten menu, preferably in the style of Susan Branch, and name cards for each table setting

6. A buffet menu: buttermilk pancakes, fruit salad, cinnamon sugar brown butter popovers, oven-baked bacon, and chive-y cheddar-y scrambled eggs

7. Mood music: upbeat and indie-pop (pbagel playlist on tap)

8. A pre-dinner toast by way of a poetry reading

9. A movie aptly named, like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, While You Were Sleeping, The Breakfast Club; or one featuring a famous breakfast spread, like Pretty Woman or 27 Dresses, to play after dinner

10. Dessert in the form of a classic crepe cake: I would make this one from Bon Appetit or this one from Samatha Senevirante

Thank you for reading this month! I’m thrilled that it’s fall and that I’m here in St Andrews, and at this rate, I can predict these next couple of months are going to absolutely fly by. Hope everyone has a cozy October, and I’ll see you next month — after I do a lot of traveling. Catch you all then!

I sometimes post on Instagram @gracerobrts!

My Goodreads is here and I am always looking for reading recommendations.

My Apple Music is @gracecroberts, where my playlists are regularly updated and cared for.

If you should need to contact me for any other reason, or just want to say hi, my email is gracecroberts@gmail.com, and my inbox is always in need of some extra love.

See you next month!

Sincerely yours,

Grace