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Welcome back to Insta Stories, a column examining the London restaurant scene through the often-problematic medium of Instagram. This week’s filter is sad because it’s true.
News of the week
On the one hand, the results of the recent U.S. presidential election would seem to afford the perfect opportunity to begin the process of healing and reconciliation to which president-elect Joe Biden appears so passionately committed. On the other hand: Fuck that. Donald Trump spent his entire presidency trampling over other people’s feelings; it is only right and proper that he should be expected to take as much as he dishes out. And so, to reiterate: the man who once promised his supporters that they were going to win so much they’d be sick and tired of winning has now lost two consecutive popular votes and got his ass handed to him by a candidate who was a few bad days away from pulling out of the race for the Democratic nomination entirely. Last Saturday only confirmed what everyone has known for years: Donald Trump is a loser. Is it fair game to celebrate the success of the Biden-Harris ticket? Of course. Is it a little puerile to taunt the guy who came second and his acolytes at every opportunity? Absolutely. Does it make indulging in both any less satisfying? Hell no.
Incoming pivot of the week
Pity the fools who, at the end of the twenty-teens, penned sincere navel-gazey op-eds on “the future of food delivery”. They could probably have predicted plenty of things coming down the pipe, but it’s hard to imagine anyone nailing the forecast that 2020 would be the year in which home delivery of a full Louisiana-style shrimp boil became entirely normalised.
Upcoming pivot of the week
Not to play favourites in the increasingly cluttered world of restaurants pirouetting on a sixpence, but 28 November can’t come soon enough.
Upside of the week
Is the real story of COVID-19 the amusing Instagram handles we made along the way? First the impeccable @domssubs, and now these jokers:
Premature jubilation of the week
Downside: already well into the dreaded Christmas Window, people are endlessly posting pictures of mince pies.
Upside: charcuterie Christmas cards are a thing now.
Dish of the week
Crunchier than most versions.
Shot of the week
Beats lunch from Itsu.