London 2022 - Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert & What I Ate

And my TikTok fame

Hi friends. I’m back from London and catching up on life/work/content. September is here and that means it’s almost my favorite season: Fall. I’m the most basic bitch when it comes to Fall and I have no shame.

Before I get into London stuff, I have ONE favor to ask of you guys! If you like these emails (or my IG posts) and have something to say, PLEASE drop a comment or a “like” on the actual post. You can leave comments here on Substack too! I hate asking this but I had to, because aside from the fact that I don’t DM as much as I used to (thanks to my insane thumb/wrist issues), it’s just much more helpful to me as a creator to be able to show the engagement. I can’t show a bunch of DM’s to a client, ya know? So anyway, you do not have to do these things, but if you do, I thank you for your support!

OK now onto London…

First things first, the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert was probably the best show I’ve ever been to. I mean, the lineup alone was reason enough for me to go (Lars Ulrich from Metallica, Brian May from Queen, Paul McCartney, Dave Chappelle, Jason Sudeikis), but I have never been to Wembley Stadium either, and that was a huge bucket list item for me. So, to see some of my favorite artists under one roof across the pond…

Core memory = created.

Here’s my IG post with one of my favorite clips from the show. I still get teary-eyed watching it. And Shane Hawkins, Taylor’s 16 year old son, absolutely ripped it on the drums. It was amazing.

darapollak

A post shared by DARA • Creator (@darapollak)

Watching Brian May from Queen sing Love of My Life also led to a burst of creative writing about the loves of my own life (music, food, and dance), which then turned into a little bit about life and death, and how we don’t always appreciate people and their talents until they’re no longer with us. There was a bit to unpack on the blog, and it got a little dark, but here’s a couple blurbs:

There’s just something about music, as it pertains to the experience, that feels like a very different art form than food or cooking, or anything else.

Music, I think, has the ability to transport you to a different time and a different place. Food, I’m not so sure that’s what it does. It’s special in it’s own right, but it’s very grounded in the now. Music can take you back in time to a very specific place in your life and make you feel something. There’s a reason why people cry when they hear certain songs. I don’t think people cry when they eat. We smile, we feel joy, but it’s different. It’s not a release. And to me, I think it’s because there’s a difference between joy that you feel in the present, and joy that you felt in the past that you get to relive. THAT’S what music does. And it’s not always joy, obviously, but it hits on this nostalgia in a way that nothing else really can, and there’s a bit of melancholy that comes with that. Hence the tears.

Click here to read the full piece.

And, of course, there was also the food & drink aspect, which I just finished writing yesterday.

Dishoom still holds up as one of my favorite Indian restaurants ever, and do NOT skip Padella for their Pici Cacio e Pepe if you’re out that way anytime soon. Fallow was a sleeper hit as well - the corn “ribs” were one of the most unique things I ate this year.

There will be more to come probably on the social media front, but in the meantime, you can peep the whole list below on the blog.

Click here to read that and save it for any upcoming London trips!

I also did a little vid on TikTok for Padella - not to brag but it has a whopping 300 views and I posted it yesterday so…yea I crush TikTok, what can I say.

@darapollakDef lives up to the hype 💯 #padellalondon #pasta #londontown #londontravel #boroughmarketlondon #cacioepepe #padellapasta #foodphotographer

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That’s all for now. Til next time…