An Ice Cream Tee, Many Canvas Bags, and More Things to Buy This Week

This post originally appeared on July 9, 2019, in Add to Cart — the weekly newsletter for people who love shopping (almost) as much as they love eating. Subscribe now.

You will be extremely unsurprised to know I am a serious canvas tote bag enthusiast — or perhaps “hoarder” is more accurate. I’m in possession of not one but two New Yorker totes (from that time I accidentally re-subscribed to the magazine while trying to renew); this “Mediocre White Man” tote, that I have gifted to more women than I can count; a “Yes Way Rosé” tote I got for free and grab when I’m in a give-no-shits, judge-me-see-if-I-care mood; that Jewish Food Society tote, with its unmistakable “Schmaltz, Latke, Sabich...” slogan; a ratty old Whole Foods one (with handles, so I can’t throw it out!); and at least four from places I used to work at. Oh, and all the food ones, from companies like Justin’s, Kind, Chobani, and a slew more, all obtained at events.

And yet I still want to add a few restaurant totes to the mix, like this Four Horsemen bag or the Russ & Daughters one I wish wasn’t sold out. Because canvas totes are the best kind of merch, it is impossible to own too many, and I will hear no other arguments. They pack flat, you can jam twenty onto a single hook or roll them into a ball, and they’re machine-washable (just don’t put them in the dryer). And let’s be honest, tote bag virtue signaling is the best kind of virtue signaling: Broadcasting your loyalties with a canvas bag is subtler and less deliberate than a T-shirt, but more immediately effective than, say, a restaurant pen or matchbook. Not to mention they help you feel environmentally-friendly when grocery shopping.

Now send me all your favorites so I can go buy some more.

Things to buy

• If you’re one of the few people who are still curious about the Instant Pot but don’t own one (or bought one and given it away) yet, you can get the Duo 6-Quart for $50 right now from Macy’s when you apply the code DEAL. (H/t to the intrepid shopping reporters over at Wirecutter).
• I haven’t yet tried the Snowflake, Cream Puff, or Gooey Butter Cake flavors, but this limited edition “Snowflake pack” from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, a collab with Tyler, the Creator, comes with a rather excellent ice cream T-shirt.
• Of course Antoni from Queer Eye loves Heath Ceramics, which are expensive and fancy but also very pretty and solid. His recent rec has me re-lusting after this deep Heath Ceramic serving bowl from the 2018 Eater Gift Guide.
• An idea for home pizza bakers: Replace your pizza stone with this bendy, shockingly cheap copper grill mat.

Things to know

• Most print journalism is struggling to hang on, but there is one bright spot: zines — specifically, zines brought to you by coffee brands.
• Stranger Things is back, and so are the show’s many, many product tie-ins.
• Reminder that green is still very much a restaurant design power color.

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