Layoffs & Dirty Lemon Tonics
when life gives you lemons 🍋
This is a Monthly Dinner Party post with all the vibes, a playlist, a menu and something juicy to talk about.
The first time I was laid off: I cried. The second time: I drank champagne.
I found myself wanting to talk to other people to really get into the full breadth of the layoff experience.
I thought, “let’s throw a dinner party.”
“You have a bit of a dinner party thing,” my friend recently said to me.
I’m not even sure he was aware that I made a resolution/goal/declaration/whatever-something-said-in-early-January-is-now-called to host a dinner party every month in 2025.
I get so much energy from dinner parties. My notes app fills up with interesting reflections, fun recommendations, crazy ideas and anecdotes to revisit later.
Truly, the best stuff comes out of conversations had at dinner parties.
And that’s what I want to foster more of here.
Welcome to Dinner Party Fodder.
Layoffs & Dirty Lemon Tonics
What I find super cool about dinner parties is that they are a singularly and collectively experienced and influenced by those in attendance.
Trying to bring that vibe into this space.
Let’s set the scene for this one.
It’s giving Italian islands. Sunny and warm. A bit of fresh air. Brightness.
Some dreamy, vacation-inspiring tunes in the background.
Let’s Drink Dirty Lemon Tonics
I came across Rebekah Peppler’s recipe for a Nonalcoholic Dirty Lemon Tonic and I immediately craved that dirty-tini-taste while in the throes of a “drinking less” phase. I never seem to have preserved lemons on hand (but now feel slighlty motivated to make some before citrust season ends) so I came up with a sort of shortcut version: splash of olive brine and squeeze of lemon topped with some sparkling Indian Tonic from Strongwater and a touch of bubbly water to balance it all out. Garnish with olives and lemon peel. Truly delightful, bright, briny and a wholly satisfying drink.
Let’s Eat Lemony Pasta
The epitome of feeling like I have my shit together is having a bowl of lemons in the kitchen. At-the-ready to add a zip and zest and delight to anything.
Even pasta. Especially pasta.
Things have been a bit heavy lately. What about something a little lighter? We can make a big batch of Alison Roman’s Lemon Pepper Pasta With Browned Butter and serve it with a crisp, green salad and have a great time with no regrets.
Let’s Talk About Life Giving Us Lemons
Note: In my opinion, the best dinner party convos don’t go excessively deep but they’re also not too shallow. Usually, one topic arises naturally and then the collective interest fuels it.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how many Formula 1 drivers got “laid-off” last year. Particularly Daniel Ricciardo.
If you have zero clue what I’m talking about and haven’t watched Drive to Survive on Netflix, let me give you a quick rundown.
There are only 20 Formula 1 drivers in the world. 10 teams. 2 cars on each team.
That’s it.
And it is cut-throat.
Heading into the 2025 season (which kicks off in Melbourne this weekend), there are 10 drivers racing for new teams. That’s half the field. Half. Talk about a shake-up.
There are 6 rookies on the grid - the most in more than 20 years - meaning these young kids replaced a handful of experienced drivers who are now jobless.
Inlcuding Daniel Ricciardo - the smiling, cheeky eight-time grand prix winning Aussie.
Without giving his whole lifestory, he had some success, moved teams a couple of times and after a tumultuous few years, found himself on the outs.
How does this even happen?
Pretend for a second that you’re an aspiring motorsports driver. You’ve worked your whole life for a chance to compete at the highest level. Someone gives you a shot. You get your dream job as one of 20 drivers in F1. You’ve made it. You make millions now. And get to live in Monaco. Yay, you!
Oh but wait. You’re going to have weekly performance reviews. And have to undergo grueling travel schedules and working environments. From one race to the next, you’re acutely aware that your job is always hanging in the balance due to any number of factors:
The driver’s performance doesn’t live up to the team’s expectations.
The internal team dynamics are bad or drivers don’t cooperate for the benefit of the team.
Team strategy and decisions outweigh what a driver can deliver.
The car’s performance doesn’t match the driver’s potential.
Factors outside of the driver’s control (tires, weather, mechanical issues) affect outcomes.
Starting to see some parallels?
Why am I going on and on about F1? Besides the fact that I am obssessed with the sport and have devoured season 7 of Drive to Survive…
I’ve been marinating on a theory: athletes, actors, musicians, etc. might just offer the best directional guidance on how to navigate a non-traditional career.
I can only imagine how hard it’s been for Ricciardo to walk away from the fast-paced F1 career he’s known. But maybe - just maybe - it was the right time for him to steer his life in a new direction.
He took a bit of time out of the spotlight. Did some traveling. Hung out with friends. Stoked his curiosity and chased his passions. He introduced his clothing brand Enchante. And now he makes wine. Translating his talents into other endeavors.
He was a race car driver but now he can do anything!
That’s a pretty appealing beacon right there.
Gettting laid off totally sucks. It is absolutely devastating to feel that you’re not wanted. To be rejected. That you, your skills and your experiences do not matter.
I call bullshit.
I celebrated my most recent layoff becasue I’ve found a different point of view: it was the wrong team. Hell, maybe even the wrong sport. And I’ve still got a lot of years left to play.
So when life gives us lemons, let’s just make wine instead. Or pasta. Or cake.
Let’s Delight In Lemon Olive Oil Cake
People in my dinner party orbit are extremely familiar with a cake that I make. And now, that includes you, too! So it’s only fitting that since I’m talking about lemons, we indlulge in “my” Lemon Olive Oil cake, aka my signature cake.
Questions for the Table
Other people on the internet are talking about this, too! Check out Aliza Sir’s story in her Platonic Love newsletter. Melanie Ehrenkranz also shares people’s experiences in her Laid Off newsletter.
If you’ve experienced a layoff, did you ever have a lemons-to-lemonade moment?