Friday is here and it’s the 4th of July weekend. This holiday promises BBQ, loud fireworks and alcohol! But that’s all planned for Saturday. On Friday, it’s all about you. While everyone is out of town, you are going to chill. In the apartment, with the AC turnt up to keep the bugs at bay. And to help you relax, we’ve got just the right combination of noms, tunes and Netflix so you can bask in having that 4th-eve all to yourself.
WHAT TO EAT
There is no wrong way to make tabbouleh. There are certainly traditional ways of making it, passed down by generations of mothers and fathers to their children (and those children probably made tabbouleh a lot in college, when they needed something filling for cheap). But generally speaking, it’s just an easy mixture of cold things. And yes, it’s summer, so leaving the stove off for a few days is better for everyone. This particular tabbouleh recipe has fruit! It’s hearty, so you’re want to use a big bowl. Best served cold—which also means you can store it in the fridge for instant afternoon snacks all weekend long.
WHAT TO DRINK
A little juju is just what the doctor ordered. So while you were busying stuffing your face with tabbouleh and arguing with your spouse about what to watch tonight, we picked out this spicy and sweet Good Juju ale to get you started on what’s sure to be a weekend of pure endurance, alcohol-wise. Left Hand Brewery is stocked on bodegas shelves and supermarkets all around Brooklyn, so this shouldn’t be hard to find.
WHAT TO LISTEN TO
Tabbouleh doesn’t take too long to make—one of the reasons it’s so good to have in the summer, when time just seems to be flying by. Lucky for you, Thundercat’s newest album The Beyond/Where The Giants Roam is on the short side, clocking in at a little under 2o minutes. You might get a full listen or two of the album before your first bite, but it’s so atmospheric and soothing that might even find yourself going back to the beginning a third time while you wrap up dinner and pop open your first beer. You can listen to it on Spotify.
Now, if you browse Netflix as often as we do, you’ve probably seen something called Scrotal Recall and thought to yourself, “What a stupid title for a TV show.” And you’re right, it’s really terrible for a title. The showrunner should be embarrassed. But once you get over the title, you can delve into one of the funniest shows about someone’s sex life we’ve seen in a while. The genial Dylan (right) is diagnosed with chlamydia, and has to get back into contact with all the women he’s slept with over the past few years.
Accompanying him on his journey is his roommate Luke (left), who brings the kind of comedy and sexual deviancy you would expect from a sidekick. But he’s got enough charm that you can’t help but love him. Then there’s Evie, and she is in love with one of the boys. No, we won’t tell you which. It smacks of Wes Anderson and that dry, British humor so many of us crave in American sitcoms.
Speaking of the Brits, you might like to check out some UK comedies before you go gallivanting all rah-rah America. For those who hate The Big Bang Theory, but like to see nerds do funny things, check out The IT Crowd. For folks who think Freaks and Geeks could have used more laughs, watch The Inbetweeners. And if you want to see how the American Office pales in comparison to its British original, you can swap out Steve Carrell for Ricky Gervais. Each of these series has only a handful of episodes, so you can binge-watch the entire thing in one night.
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