The Marathon I Might Skip and The Meal I’ll Never Skip
Comfort Season y'all.
Wow, we’ve officially entered fall. Or at least the temperature finally says so. Yesterday was the first real crisp day in NYC — the kind that calls for a light jacket, maybe even a scarf if you’re out early. The air smelled like cinnamon and concrete after rain. Everyone’s talking about the great lock-in, that collective hunkering down until the year’s end. It’s the season of Fall produce, marathons, meal prep, and making good on all those January promises. The city shifts gears: goals are reapplied, calendars fill up, and suddenly everyone’s “getting serious” again.
My favorite part, though, is watching the marathoners push through these final weeks of training. The city fills with that focused energy — people running with purpose, strides confident. I should’ve been one of them.
The NYC Marathon has been my North Star for months, the thing tethering my routine, my motivation, even my meals (sometimes). And then my knee gave out. At first, I brushed it off. Then it became impossible to ignore. Now I’m somewhere between two equally unsatisfying choices: push through and risk making it worse, or stop and feel like I’ve failed.
There’s something quietly brutal about that kind of uncertainty, when your body says one thing and your brain says another. You start negotiating with yourself, redefining “fine.” You ice, stretch, acupuncture, searched every version of “runner’s knee miracle recovery.” You start asking what you’re really trying to prove, and to whom.
The truth is, I still don’t know what I’ll do. Maybe I’ll line up on race day, knee taped, adrenaline high, and finish slower than I hoped. Perhaps I’ll get halfway and have to call it. Or maybe I’ll be on the sidelines with a coffee, cheering for everyone else chasing their version of the thing.
Either way, I’m learning to make peace with both possibilities: the running and the not-running, the doing and the resting. Because maybe the real endurance — the real work — is in learning to pause without punishment. To let the plan change without assuming the story has to.
This issue is for that space — the in-between. The long exhale before whatever comes next.
Meal In:
Now, comfort comes in all shapes and sizes. There’s the sweet tooth kind — the pie and cookie dough crowd. I see you. I don’t understand you, but I see you.
Then there’s my kind of comfort: the savory, stay-in-pajamas-all-day kind. The kind where you make something that takes forever, fills the house with smells of butter and garlic, and becomes the only thing you eat for the next two days. That’s my version of bliss. And within that, I have two moods.
Mood 1: LFE — LETS FUCKING EAT
This mood wants restaurant-level drama. Something meaty, rich, and worth the effort. For me, that’s Beef Wellington. It’s not easy. It takes patience, love, and way too many steps. But I love every second of it. I linked the recipe i use! There is a super helpful video to see the technique.
Mood 2: lfe — let’s fucking eat.
Same energy, less effort. It’s the cozy, thoughtless kind of cooking that simmers all day and somehow never makes it into a container because I eat the entire pot straight from the stove. That dish? Creamy Coconut Curry Chicken Soup with Sweet Potatoes & Charred Lime - download my recipe !!
Meal Out
Place: S&P Diner, Flatiron
Talk about Jewish deli comfort. If you don’t know S&P’s, you might remember Eisenberg’s — the lunch counter that lived on Fifth Avenue since 1929, slinging classic Jewish-style comfort food long before it was cool. Eisenberg’s is gone, but in 2022 Eric Finkelstein and Matt Ross of Court Street Grocers took over the space and brought it back to life as S&P.
They didn’t change much — and that’s the beauty of it. The same taped-up barstool still stands, the menu only slightly refreshed. The food is simple, salty, generous, and exactly what you crave when comfort calls.
My order: potato latkes, matzo ball soup, turkey club, and coleslaw.
High Chair Talk
My child is obsessed with pizza and honestly, I’m here for it. She had her first bite on her first birthday, and it’s been a full-blown love affair ever since.
If you know me, you know I’m all about ingredients and balance, especially when it comes to Mars. Sure, pizza isn’t exactly a health food, but I hunt down the good stuff — sourdough pies, quality toppings, clean ingredients.
There’s nothing better than watching your kid fall in love with food, and really get that food-love connection.
Side Plate
What’s catching my eye (and palate) this week:
Food:
This restaurant deserves a whole Substack piece of its own. I’m dropping it here as a teaser because there might just be a Campers debrief with this chef and restaurant soon… we’ll see. The chef is Alexia Duchêne, Executive Chef & Co-Owner of Le Chêne.
Date Night:
Two martinis, a medium-rare burger, way too many fries, and those perfect red booths at Minetta Tavern.
Disappointment:
Aside from my throbbing knee? None this week. So instead, I’ll share the opposite — a photo of my child in a slide.
Style:
My incredible friend Dwarmis and her brand. I’ll be wearing a look from her latest collection next week for a panel at the Ceres Film Festival on October 18. Outfit recap coming soon.
SOUND BITE OCTOBER PLAYLIST
She’s tasty this month..
Fall always brings a bit of reckoning, doesn’t it? You start to realize how fast you’ve been moving, how much you’ve demanded of yourself, and how many little things you’ve brushed off along the way.
I’m trying to see this moment not as a setback, but a reset — a chance to slow down, breathe, and remember that growth isn’t always a straight line. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is rest.
Here’s to running when we can, resting when we need, making that Beef Wellington, and letting the story do its thing.
xx
Gina
I just found you and I love it! Love your writting but more you cooking and food related views. Hugs from Spain!
Hope you feel better soon!