This article is adapted from the October 26, 2024, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. Throughout my 20s, I hosted an annual birthday costume party with a different theme each year. The theme for my 21st was, of course, alcohol: I glued crystals to my face and went as Bombay Sapphire. But as my interest in food grew over time, the focus of my parties shifted from the costumes to the menu, and I stopped limiting myself to just my birthday. Last year, I…
