Having spent a majority of 2020 in quarantine, everyone’s had enough time on their hands to become a master baker, handwrite their autobiographies and watch every show Netflix has to offer. It’s no surprise we’d have to find new ways to fill that dreadful quarantine void and help keep our sanity. Here are some quarantine hobbies the Culture Desk has picked up.
Cooking Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Paul Kim, Dining Editor
Every couple of months, I get deeply obsessed with cooking one dish. I repeat this dish over and over again until I’m happy with it. Then I move onto the next thing. Some dishes in the Paul Kim Cooking Hall of Fame include cajun spaghetti, grilled cheese sandwiches and jajangmyeon. At the start of the pandemic, I got deep into making spicy fried chicken sandwiches from scratch. The learning process was full of hot oil splashes and oily kitchen floors as I picked up the nuances of frying chicken breast. Though I burned the first few and undercooked a few more, that first perfect bite brought me back to a time when I could enjoy a meal with a couple of friends in some chicken joint in my hometown of Atlanta. It made me feel like a person again.
Roller Skating
Bella Gil, Culture Editor
While lockdown restrictions eased up around me and quickly tightened back up again, I did what was most comfortable for me since the start of the pandemic: I stayed home (unless I had to go out). I fell into a routine of going to work everyday, getting home late and doing it all again the next day. I felt really burnt out, especially as my summer job demanded more and more of me. So what did I do? I bought a pair of roller skates. I’ve always known how to skate and decided why not better my skills? My best friend received a pair pre-pandemic, and together we (socially distanced of course) took the streets of our neighborhoods by storm. I picked myself up from the obligatory scrapes, bruises and sunburns that came with learning, and found that my new hobby was to skate for a couple of hours everyday. You know how people go for a run to blow off some steam? I’ve never been much of a runner, but now I guess I can call myself a skater. So thank you, to both TikTok and the pandemic, for allowing me to find a new passion and outlet in the midst of what’s to come.
True Crime Podcasts
Dana Sun, Deputy Culture Editor
Hear me out on this one. True crime podcasts, or even podcasts in general, were one of those things that I always knew were there, but never really gave a second glance at. So what sparked this sudden interest? My quarantine breaking point came when I started getting sick of my Spotify playlist. It’s what I listened to when I would commute to my summer job, when I showered, when I was doing work on my computer. Simply put, I had the same songs on repeat for hours on end each day. There was an inkling of hatred that I was starting to grow for my playlist and so desperately wanted to go away. I craved something different. Luckily, inspiration hit when I was in the middle of a Criminal Minds marathon. This was it. True crime podcasts would be perfect to keep me occupied, and I did always love a good scary story that kept me on my toes. My usual go-to podcast is Serial, but my favorite podcast story is from Rotten Mango called The Dildo Submarine Murder. Yeah, you read that right.
Reading
Addison Aloian, Deputy Culture Editor
My favorite new hobby? Reading. It’s just so underrated. Even if you hate reading, when you find a book you love and can’t put it down, you have to admit it’s one of the best feelings in the whole wide world. It’s just magical. Speaking of magic, seven of the 15 books I read since the start of quarantine in March (yeah, flex) were none other than the Harry Potter stories, which I had never read before. Yes, I am ashamed — but a lot of people claim to be fans when they’ve never even read the books. They’ve only watched the movies, which were … fine, if I’m being honest. All of this is to say that books (and reading) are superior to movies. So crack open that dusty book that’s been sitting on your shelf for six months. You know you want to.
Divya Nelakonda, Beauty & Style Editor
I contemplated putting reading as my new hobby for a handful of reasons. Number one, is it not annoying to learn that someone has been reading while your personal accomplishment is putting on an actual outfit for the day? (Not to bash; I, for one, am ashamed to share how little motivation I had to get dressed for the past five months). Number two, there was a point in my life when reading truly was a hobby of mine. In fact, it was probably my only hobby. One summer I read over 50 books for a library contest, though, I should be clear, a good handful of these were from the “Magic Tree House” series, so I’m not sure that counts. I was also seven, so cut me some slack.
But, in any case, I am currently mourning all the reading time that I am now losing to academic reading assignments. Still, book recommendations would be deeply appreciated, and if you’re looking for a recommendation, I suggest “My Year of Rest and Relaxation.”
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