Can you eat mussels on Metro North?
I interviewed a 22-year-old woman who says you can and should.
Hello everyone. I hope you all have plans during for the long weekend, and that there is some span of time today in a car, train, plane, boat, tram, or quiet living room when you can read everything in today’s newsletter.
Today’s letter includes: a woman who makes the case for eating mussels on Metro North,
’s explainer on what’s happening to SSENSE, Marie Claire’s new contributing editors, Substack newsletters expanding into print, and Americans dying from flesh-eating bacteria in raw oysters.
Earlier this week, I was scrolling on TikTok and I saw a video of an influencer named Tara Moni taking the train from New York to Connecticut. In the video, she asks her followers if she can eat a brie and turkey sandwich on the train. To me? Not a problem.
Then, in the comments, I saw something far braver and more vulnerable: “My friend ate mussels on Metro-North.” The comment had racked up 3,400 likes, two replies demanding “jail,” and one lone “support.”
I spent a few minutes zooming in on the photo. The side of miso soup-looking broth seemed extreme, but one of the great joys of eating mussels is dipping bread in broth. The bread looked fancy. It was covered with a small pile of parsley, and appeared to be carefully grilled. I decided this woman had swag, and I needed to get in touch.
After a few DMs, emails, and texts, I finally got in touch with our girl. She wanted to stay anonymous, but I can tell you that she is 22 and was on her way from Katonah, a Westchester County town often associated with “horse country.” Famous homeowners in the town include Ralph Lauren and George Soros.
The mussels are from a place called The Whitlock, and are cooked with garlic, white wine, shallots, and of course, grilled bread. According to the restaurant’s website, the chef Eric Lapkin has cooked alongside Mario Batali, Massimo Bottura and Alain Ducasse, as well as privately for Carl Icahn, Ted Sorensen, and Stone Gossard. Someone get this guy a book deal.
So that’s the scene I’m trying to set.
I will now kick off your Labor Day Weekend with a question that’s been haunting me all week: is it acceptable to eat mussels on Metro North? Here’s what our anonymous shellfish-eater had to say:
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