Introducing Homebodies, a guide to theming your way through quarantine and beyond.

Homebodies is a monthly newsletter that delivers themed nights, weekends, or weeks directly to your inbox.

Welcome to Homebodies, a monthly newsletter that aims to help ease pandemic malaise, indecisiveness, and choice paralysis.

A little background: when I was nine, my mother had a party at our house for the opening day of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Friends, aunts, and neighbors brought over dolmades, spanakopita, and baklava. I didn’t get to go to the movie, but I remember being excited about the concept of a themed day—eating Greek food before a movie about Greek people and culture only made sense. 

Seventeen years later, I scrambled for two tickets to a morning showing of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite at Greenwich Village’s IFC Center. Snagging the last two spots for a 9:55 am showing, I texted my partner: Korea Day—let’s go! Following the movie, we subwayed up to Koreatown and ordered tofu kimchi hot pot, bibimbap, and pumpkin porridge—plus a healthy amount of soju— at Hangawi, a serene vegetarian spot a few blocks north of Madison Square Park. In between bragging to everyone in our phone books that yes, we already saw Parasite and yes, it was simply phenomenal, we shopped.

Now, after almost a year of being shut up inside the house, if my partner and I do not have a predetermined movie or show agreed upon, and dinner planned, I will remain motionless on my couch, scrolling into the void, eventually getting up to eat a can of black olives over the sink. Nothing is interesting! Nothing holds my attention for more than 20 minutes! I just want someone to tell me what to watch, read, and make for dinner, I moan, as I begrudgingly utilize the one tool that can do all of those things. 

And then, I thought about Korea Day. It was a plan that we agreed on before. We didn’t waffle about the lunch spot or aimlessly wander through SoHo. We themed it and god, it felt nice. 

In the spirit of Korea Day and MBFGW, I present Homebodies, a (now) monthly project stemming from the fact that I need to theme my quarantine to stay sane, curious, and excited about life for when “Covid is over.” Each newsletter will have accessible recommendations (think free or cheap) for a night, a weekend, or a week, depending on your level of malaise. There will be movies, books, longreads, recipes, cocktails, and bonus recos like podcasts, art, and cringe. 

Note: Not all newsletters will be centered around a place or culture (the next one will be focused on an artist). But of the ones that are, my intent is always appreciation, not appropriation. If any of my recos seem iffy, let me know! 

The first newsletter will arrive on Thursday. In the meantime, spread the word.