life lately: porsha goes west
a case for intuitive living
When in doubt, vibes it out.
I should put that on a tote bag. It’s how I’m living these days. But I’m Type A, Aries Rising, and have an OCD-lite personality, so vibes-ing it out—listening to and TRUSTING my intuition—is a muscle I’m still strengthening.
I need to KNOW for SURE before I do the thing. My backup plans have backup plans—it’s called strategy.
Alas, I’m learning that living intuitively doesn’t exactly work like that. Turns out it’s more of a breadcrumbs/scavenger hunt situation, that, and having the nerve to trust you’re on the right track.
The makings of my California Gold Rush began with a 2023 meditation prompt: ask my heart what it wants.
My first thought—this is silly. But I also found it intriguing. Silly or not, I was curious what my heart had to tell me.
Breathe deep. Quiet the mind. Inquire.
The result felt significant, so I spelled it out in my journal.
January 27, 2023
I think I’m getting closer to what my next venture looks like. I’m thinking food, I’m thinking wellness, I’m thinking lifted experiences. I’m thinking a podcast (or something) featuring women chefs alongside women in wellness and cannabis.
This came up during meditation the other day. I asked my heart what it wants—corny. But, I saw mountains and those long, skinny-ass California trees (had to Google ‘em—Italian Cypress trees). And I guess, just in case the visuals weren’t clear enough, I actually heard the word “west.”
Of course, the nomad within me was like, “oh, we’re moving!?” But after sitting with the download a few more days, I was like, hold up—is it *time* to start my cannabis feminist business?
This little intuition exercise kicked off a series of gut-driven decisions (I talk about ‘em here, here, and here) that eventually landed me in Northern California this spring, cooking, writing, and indulging.
I Lewis and Clarked it (mostly solo, though not totally) through Sonoma, San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland. I connected—surprisingly serendipitously—with women chefs, women writers, and women working in the cannabis industry.
In unfamiliar territory, I caught a glimpse of myself in year 40—not fearless, just fearing less. Putting intention behind the gut feelings.
The catalyst for satisfying this subterranean desire was a one-day “finding voice in food writing” workshop at Silver Penny Farm in Sonoma County.
Full disclosure: I’ve been struh-guh-ling with what kind of food writer I want to be. It’s the reason my updates here are so sporadic. When I decided to “Substack” and launched cooking, writing, indulging, I thought, OK, I’m writing about food now—cooking to be exact—so, recipes…right?
Wellll, me as a recipe developer definitely gives me anxiety! And that’s OK. My NorCal excursion reminded me that my version of events is the important one (straight from my workshop notes!), and it set the tone for the stories I want to tell here (just like my heart told me).
So, let’s talk newsletter updates.
What can you expect from cooking, writing, indulging?
Simply put, more! Me in your inbox once a week sharing essays, interviews, un-recipes (measurement-free, Cook-It-Yourself recipes), and recommendations to indulge in my favorite things.
How it’s going down:
Eat This: Inspiration for your taste buds—foodie interviews, un-recipes, ingredient notes, product features, plus playlists to cook and dine to.
Usually Correct: Named for the way my mom legit described herself to me in 2003. This monthly column is memoir meets (biased) cultural commentary—because the apple didn’t fall far from the opinionated tree.
Indulge Me: From botanical Bloody Marys in Berkeley to Polpettone alla Ligure lessons in northern Italy, these are my most personal picks, unpacked.
Life Lately: A once-a-month dispatch of what I ate, cooked, and indulged in all month—plus occasional recs for anything I fell in love with.
Subscriber Chat Access: Chop it up with fellow home cooks, indulgers, and writing enthusiasts. Paid subscribers can participate in private threads.
Since we're just starting out, both paid and free subscribers will receive all updates—for now.
Post-honeymoon phase, free subscribers will continue to get full Life Lately dispatches, plus previews of Eat This, Usually Correct, and Indulge Me. Paid subscribers will get the full experience—every column, every detail—along with access to private chat threads.
Life Lately: NorCal Edition
What I Ate
Berkeley/Oakland
I popped into Damask Rose, a family-owned Syrian coffee shop perched on the edge of Berkeley and Oakland, for a breakfast work session. Think pastel pink walls, marble tabletops, watermelon-pink banquettes, and evergreen ivy and roses crawling across a pink ceiling.
I ordered the Muhammara Flatbread, which I fully plan to replicate. A warm, pillowy, pita-like bread smeared with muhammara, a paprika-red Syrian dip or spread. It was a little smoky, barely sweet, and—to my (pleasant) surprise—subtly tangy.
Its peppery aroma got the convo going between me and my banquette neighbors (who promptly ordered their own—look at me out here influencing).
I chased it with the cafe’s crowd-pleasing rose latte. If pretty were a flavor, this would be it.
Oakland
Just two minutes up the street from my Airbnb was Asu Mare—a low-slung, color-blocked building painted red, white, and green, with “Peruvian Restaurant” emblazoned above the entrance in hand-painted yellow lettering.
In my Texan experience, restaurants rocking hand-painted signs almost always deliver authenticity with a slice of deliciousness. I decided I’d stop in and grab something to-go for dinner.
To-go turned into a full sit-down with a plate of Pescado Frito: fried fish coated in a light, crunchy batter, with rice, salad, and roasted potatoes drizzled with ají amarillo sauce. Tasty, even with hurt feelings—I expected the whole fish, as per the menu, not the fillets I got instead. Still, a solid meal and a great experience. Whoever spoke English hadn’t started their shift yet, so I got to practice some junior high Spanish mixed with what I've picked up because, Texas.
My next walking-distance dinner date took me to Shewhat Cafe, an unassuming spot (definitely felt like it was something else in a past life) serving Ethiopian and Eritrean fare by chef Abby Dair. The entrance was through a fence tucked off to the side of the building, giving it that through-the-side-gate-to-a-backyard-party feeling.
I scooped berbere-spiced lamb tibs into tart injera and sipped house-made honey wine (an excellent pairing—solo, the honey wine was honestly giving MD 2020 vibes), sitting beneath a wood-beamed patio. I got dessert to-go: fresh-out-of-the-oven baklava, which I devoured immediately.
If I wasn’t walking somewhere to eat, I was Uber Eats-ing. That’s how I came across Todos, Homeroom, and Proposition Chicken.
At Todos, I ordered some of the best quesabirria tacos and elotes con queso I’ve ever tasted—this from a woman who loves Mexican food. At Homeroom, I ordered the Truffle Mac: gouda, pecorino, truffle oil, and sautéed mushrooms. With those ingredients, could it be anything other than satisfying?
And let’s talk about Proposition Chicken. The Entrée? On repeat. It came with my choice of fried or “flipped” (rotisserie) antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken, a tomato cucumber salad, and a sweet buttermilk biscuit. Frying intimidates me, so of course I let someone else do the heavy lifting—hence, discovering the crispiest fried chicken I've ever bitten into. Also, their house-made dipping sauce probably has crack in it.
San Francisco
While I spent most of my time between Oakland and Berkeley, I made a quick stop at Cantina Los Mayas in San Francisco’s Inner Richmond neighborhood. Earthen, low-lit, tucked beneath a Spanish Revival-style apartment building—this Mexican wine bar was the perfect spot for ribeye steak con huevos: grilled ribeye, eggs over-easy, refried black beans, and roasted potatoes. My bartender suggested I pair it with Pauta, a red blend with body-ody-ody from Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California.
Sonoma County
In Sonoma, my friend Aja and I hugged the curves of the jaw-droppingly scenic Highway 1 for a stop at The Marshall Store, a roadside oyster shop in Marshall, CA. We sipped rosé overlooking Tomales Bay, slurping oysters—fresh and barbecued—and spooning up a tomatoey fish stew loaded with chorizo, shrimp, cod, clams, plus okra and fennel for good measure.
Three words: Sweet Veneziana Brioche. That’s all you need to know going into Stellina Pronto. Aja and I stopped into this line-out-the-door Italian bakery in Petaluma, CA, on our way to the food writing workshop. I ordered the brioche (clearly, I liked it—I took a photo; it’s newsletter-worthy) and, not pictured, Deer Valley Daughters Cattle Company Mango Habanero Beef Sticks. Flash forward to me Googling Deer Valley Daughters stockists—they were that good.
What I Cooked
Airbnb cooking is always an adventure. The listing says fully equipped kitchen; reality says, “I thought they said there was olive oil in here?” What I’m working with—utensil- and appliance-wise—always determines what I make.
This trip, all of my cooking took place in a cozy little backyard cabin in Emeryville.
The Setup
Mini Fridge
Double Induction Cooktop
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer
Microwave
The Dishes
Scallion and Spinach Miso Noodles
I made miso butter spaghetti with garlic, parmesan, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and scallions. I love sourdough, so I toasted some on the side.
Garlic-Miso Spaghetti with Prosciutto
For round two, I did spaghetti in a garlic-miso sauce, finished with wilted spinach and prosciutto.
Tomato-Mushroom Flatbread with Spinach and Cottage Cheese
I toasted naan and topped it with cottage cheese, sautéed mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach. If I made this again, I’d use a silkier cheese. It wasn’t bad, just could’ve been better. At least it was pretty!
Tomato and Sweet Italian Sausage Flatbread
For my next flatbread, I ditched the cottage cheese for good old mozzarella and layered on tomatoes, spinach, and crumbled sweet Italian sausage.
Brothy Veggie Soup with Gold Potatoes and Sausage
Normally, I buy or make chicken broth for soup, but lately I’ve been loving Kettle & Fire’s vegetable broth. I made this one with carrots, mushrooms, scallions, garlic, lemon, baby gold potatoes, and some of that leftover Italian sausage. The toasted sourdough made a comeback, too, naturally.
What I Indulged In
I cruised the bay on a Red and White Fleet boat, taking in the views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
I wandered the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Signal Coffee cold brew in hand.
I sharpened my knife skills at Kitchen on Fire Berkeley during Chef Olive’s Intro to Knife Skills class.
I sipped lifted Bloody Marys and made new friends at the NorCal Women in Cannabis Berkeley meetup.
Overall, one of the best solo trips of my lifetime!
Up next? I’m chatting with Pooja “Ja” Aphale—tech industry leader and good-for-you food enthusiast—about rebranding the sad lunch salad with her hearty Green Bowls on Eat This. See you then!
“not fearless, just fearing less.” Is a whole sermon. Excited to follow along with your adventures!