SUPER enthusiastic about this.

I know this is super late but I thought nevertheless I should share my solitary meal recipe of choice. Super cheap and super indulgent. Buy a pot of lumpfish caviar. It's usually around £2.50 ($4) in UK, probably around same in US and it tastes very similar to proper caviar. Make capellini pasta (or spaghetti is fine too but I find it goes better with thinner pasta). Add some salted butter while it's hot. Then spoon generous amounts of lumpfish caviar. One pot usually makes around 4 or 5 portions. I've been eating that a lot recently, esp since money is a bit tight before I start my job. I mentioned this to a friend and...

"So what you're telling me is that you eat butter and caviar to save money?"

But like seriously it's about a fiver for five portions.

My god I'm so sorry. I really admire people like you and Nikki who publish things about such personal (and often painful) experiences, because while people are perfectly capable of being horrible in real life, there really does seem to be something about the disconnection of the internet that makes some people feel like they can use people as repositories for their anger and insecurities. So thank you for sharing such experiences despite that.

As an East Asian British woman, this was difficult but very rewarding reading -- thank you.

I've had discussions before about how hard it can be for many Asian-looking men in predominantly white cultures in terms of the dating scene and negotiating standards of beauty/attractiveness. It's very depressing how much misogyny springs up from a toxic combination of inferiority complex and sense of male entitlement to female attention. (That's obviously something you can see in many misogynistic men actually, regardless of race.)

This article naturally makes me think about my own dating history. I've only been out with a few people in my life (due to one relationship lasting ages) so I don't think it's particularly statistically significant but I've never been out with an East Asian man. I've asked myself why that is and I think the main reason is just circumstance -- I grew up in very white area and actually I don't meet that many Asian men or women.

But I wonder if it might also partly be to do with growing up feeling frustrated at how often I was treated like I'm Japanese, rather than British, despite speaking and acting in ways no different from my (mostly white) peers. Not that I don't think I am Japanese -- I feel Japanese too, though that identity is less strong since I grew up in Britain. But many people act like if you're East Asian, you can't be British. I wonder if being constantly asked where I'm from, constantly treated like an outsider might have made me sub-consciously reject my ethnicity. It's very sad to feel that could be the case, since I'm not at all ashamed of being an immigrant and I enjoy talking about Japanese culture and language with people. My ethnic identity is definitely not something I consciously wish to reject.

Book: Lords of the Atlas -- a book about the role of the Glaoui brothers just before and during the colonization of Morocco by the French. V absorbing + fascinating. Surprisingly little cringe-inducing orientalist crap despite being published in 1966, though I warn you there remain some of course. (You get the general sense that life was often pretty terrible before the French came but far, far worse after.)

Blue. Partly because my friend has been reading Bluets by Maggie Nelson, which looks amazing. Partly because my amazing photographer friend did art direction for this series of photos: http://olgalipska.co.uk/blue/ Partly because I started using 'Eau de Bleuet' as a toner some months ago.
And partly because I'm feeling a tiny bit weird about all the above because found out fairly recently that my boyfriend's ex was apparently obsessed with the colour blue and that is why the walls of the bedroom in the apartment are painted blue.

That's beautiful. Thank you.

Sad toast. Sigh.
Rather late to this thread but a while ago I posted some funny things my French boyfriend did/said which seemed to tickle people. So here are some more:

Him: I sink we should go on a day trip to zis centre where zere are wolves and eagles.
Me: Oh yes! That sounds amazing! Is it far?
Him: No. (pause) Actually I sink zey are orcs not eagles.
Me: Orcs?
Him: Yes.
Me: What's an 'orc'?
Him: You know, orcs. Like eagles.
Me: Erm...no...How do you spell it?
Him: H-A-W-K-S
(I mean, I should have got that straight away but visions of Lord of the Rings were hard to dispel.)

[in France, at house party where everybody was French except me]
Me: Just to warn you, when we go to London, none of my friends will be able to pronounce your name.
Him: That is okay. They can call me 'Sexyyy Frrrench Guy'.
Me: Hahaha. Actually I did call you 'the French guy' when you weren't yet important enough to have a name.
Him: (sadly) Where did the 'sexy' go?
His friend: I will call you that from now on. 'Sexyyy Frrrench Guy'.
Me: You're all French here!
His friend: Yes but he is 'Sexyyy Frrrench Guy'.
Him: Yes. He appreciates me. Thank you.
His friend: That's ok, Sexyyy Frrrench Guy.
(Apparently he used to refer to me as 'La Petite Anglaise' when I was not yet important enough to have a name.)

[in England]
Him: Where is it?
Me: Worcestershire
Him: Wu---Wuss-- How do you spell it?
Me: Um...I don't think that would help.

Him: I was at his...how do you say...Rooster evening.
Me: ....Do you mean Stag night?
Him: Yes.
[Note - Bachelorette parties are called 'hen nights' and Bachelor parties are called 'stag nights' in UK.]

I feel like this is a good place to post one of my favourite images ever:

I have a spotify playlist called 'Misandry Classics'! I will send it to you if you have an account too and you give me your username.

Ooh that looks really useful thanks!