The Docket

What quarantine takes away, Netflix gives back. When you can no longer summer abroad, visit relatives or strangers in far-off places, or plan to tick that bucket list, virtual sustenance is just a click away. I pace myself.

Sometimes, the stories from a late-night binge spill its longings into the morning, and it seems best to return to an unfolding tale at breakfast, if but for a fraction of an hour, to inspire the day. At other times, it is a token trophy for moving life forward by a sliver, while walking underwater in opposing currents that don’t follow moon cycles like everybody else. You can go there anytime quickly and safely to feed your soul.

This is how I stumbled upon the saga of a tight-knit group of friends and lovers in Istanbul. Love Me As I Am seduced me into wanting connection, cozy slippers, black seeded bread, and savory köfte, which would be sizzling in my kitchen right now if I could just find some sumac.

— Julie Stermasi, What I Learned About Life and Love from a Turkish Telenovella