Happy President’s Day weekend! Whether you’re skiing, sunning or just hibernating for the mid-winter break, this week’s edition (as always) has something for everyone. As for us: we’re trying to plan some ski trips (and maybe a weekend away for Nicole’s upcoming birthday), Jill took a quick jaunt from MI to HI and Nicole finally made it to Printemps.

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What we’re covering: 

• Pantry Raid: all things ramen, including what not to do (per our Japanese friend), a bit of history, DIY recipes, ‘desk drawer ramen’ and how a Michelin star chef makes his late-night version

• Winter survival guide: hacks for bringing more light into your life this season, the scientific benefits of a hot bath, and why you need a body lotion stone 

• Love, love, love: it shouldn’t stop on Valentine’s Day, so we’re talking romance novels, chocolate, handwritten notes and how to extend the life of your bouquet

• Plus, Skicore extends into beauty, jiggly Jell-O molds are back, how to make a Picon Bière, the allure of retro Love Motels & an NYC department store bar crawl

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Pantry raid

All about ramen: from Japan to your desk drawer

The Skinny:  Ramen, that college hot pot staple turned Instagram darling, is something we know and love but…how much do you really know about ramen beyond 5-for-5-buck packs? Saveur took a look in this story, Behind Japan's (And America's) Ramen Obsession, but to learn more, this required consulting with friend and ramen enthusiast/long-time ramen eater, Phil Mimaki. 

First, some history. According to Phil, the ramen he knew while growing up was hardly the Michelin chef-inspired gourmet version that gets all the media attention. Ramen was traditionally fast food (“a ramen that is about ¥1,500, like $10 now, can be seen as egregious to some”) and he remembers it being often for blue-collar workers and students. “It was typical for ramen shops to have dirty magazines/comic books to peruse through while waiting for and while slurping ramen,” he says. “Now, 
there are now Michelin-star type fancy ramen shops everywhere in Japan, especially after the food gained international recognition, thanks to people like David Chang.” 

What are some fun ramen facts that might be surprising to Americans?

First, he says, 

ramen is usually considered more of a dinner food in America. But in Japan, it’s more of a lunch and late night food (except for some regions that eat ramen for breakfast; there are few breakfast ramen). 

Anything we should not do while eating ramen? 

His pet peeve, and for many Japanese people, is Americans who take a long time to eat ramen (sometimes while drinking wine and chatting with friends). “The noodle gets soggy — that's sacrilegious for noodle lovers,” he says. “It’s a fast food and you need to shut up, slurp, enjoy, and get the hell out so the ramen shop can circulate more customers.”  

What’s your favorite ramen? 

“When I was younger, I preferred heavy ramen with thick pork stocks. Similar to the popular Tonkotsu ramen, but less milky white but more shōyu-based. But as I get older, I prefer more clear chicken-broth based shio (salt) ramen. Probably the best bowl I’ve had so far is at a place called Mugi-nae, and I even had a bowl with just the noodle and the soup, no topping, and it was fantastic!”

More on ramen, below, courtesy of our The Skinny scrolling (aka research desk): 

At-work ramen: While many offices are “desk rental” now and without personal drawers, for those who DO still have the luxury of a desk drawer—let us introduce you to “desk drawer ramen.” Stock drawer with instant ramen (Wirecutter’s picks for best instant noodles here). Add hot water (ideally, to an instant-noodle specific covered mug like this). Enjoy lunch that is satisfying to your budget and taste buds. Because there’s no such thing as sad desk ramen—ramen is fun and hot and all umami joy. 

Late-night ramen: Here’s how a Michelin chef makes a simple ramen when he comes home from work. 

DIY ramen: This is of course infinitely easier to buy (or be served) than make from scratch, but for the real DIYers, try these: the best homemade ramen recipes.

Turn it up

Dead-of-winter hacks to emerge newly refreshed in spring

The Skinny: Winter survival guide: if you’re like us, the first step out of bed is a small yet powerful form of sensorial torture—starting with the bleak, gray light coming from the window down to the minute your foot hits an icy floor. Yet, while within struggle there is triumph, get ready to do it again the next a.m.. Fortunately,  you don’t need to go to Stanford to use their tips for better winter mornings—you just need these hacks (and ours) to emerge from winter alive, yes, but actually looking/feeling better. Stay with us here. 

Nicole’s winter fixes: 

One of the joys of winter is soaking in a screaming hot bath. Which, turns out, might be more beneficial than a sauna (more on saunas in one of our upcoming editions). Hydrating heat, vs. dry, reportedly

According to a recent study in OregonNews, a good soak in a hot tub might beat a sauna for health benefits as hot water immersion was more impactful in increasing core body temperature—which then increases blood flow. That is apparently what’s beneficial to vascular health and inflammation, and the study found that hot water immersion “helped lower blood pressure and boost the immune system” better than a sauna. That’s why, if you feel a sickness coming on, hop in the bath at least once a day to help kick it quickly (Nicole again, swearing by this technique, along with Alka-Seltzer for symptom relief/deep sleep and homemade chicken noodle soup). 

Body care: sudsy, sensorial and redefined as self care

Beyond the soak-and-relax, we can’t stop talking about body care, a category that continues to be hot with reports of 7.9% YoY growth. Again, the focus is on “emerging from winter” toned, hydrated and glowing as a hibernation endgame.  

What’s bubbling up in the category, based on what we’re seeing (and reading): 

• Luxury: Chanel No. 5 bar soap and body care from fragrance brands such as Byredo and Kilian Paris

• Lotion in bar form: For those who hate the jarring sensation of applying cold lotion after a hot shower, Kate McLeod’s viral body stone is a MUST (just rub on warm skin and the body heat melts the product into your skin) 

• Experiential: Cyklar, the brand founded by Claudia Sulewski, which positions itself primarily as sensorial self-care and a “full body experience” that recently rolled out to Sephora and that includes a Body Contour tool and Unisex Body Oil Balms (with names like Naked Neroli and Vanilla Verve)

Add to cart: Many of the products above, and more of our fave body care brands, can be shopped here with our curated list from Nordstrom.com).

Jill’s tips/tech: 

• A light therapy lamp. Turn on first thing, says the Mayo Clinic (this is the version Jill has used for years) 

• A sunrise alarm clock so waking up isn’t violent (also allows you to keep your phone away from you, as we have discussed here. Unscientific opinion: Nicole swears that she sleeps better when she hides the evil phone somewhere out of sight) 

• Vitamin D that “I actually remember to take, because it’s gummies” 

(Note: some of these links are affiliates—which means, at no cost to you, that we will be partially compensated if you shop through them. We are not getting paid to write this newsletter, so this serves as a small cash flow to keep the newsletter running:)

Love, love, love

Time for a dip in a Champagne Glass Jacuzzi

The Skinny: While many brush off Valentine’s Day as cheesy, commercial or a waste of time (including us, in the past), we are back to embracing it for its true and very simple essence: a tribute and celebration of the power of love. With that, our Valentine’s Day (weekend) round-up of must reads if you need a little love.

• Flowers bring a pop of much-needed color and joy to your winter interior, so it’s worth putting in the effort to extend their life. This writer put several “viral” methods to the test—and one stood out as the winner. 

• This writer wonders how the sometimes dreary, rural and industrial Poconos became the “Land of Love” back in the ’60s for honeymooners, but this Nat Geo piece on how to visit America’s historic love motels before it’s too late makes us want to book the Champagne Tower Suite. 

• The power of a handwritten note on Valentine’s Day (or whenever). 

• As for romance novels, we scoured several “best of” lists before landing on these, which we felt had the most cred: a) 2026 recommendations from NYPL librarians, and b) Cosmopolitan. Separately, the NYT looks into the demise of Cheap Books You Could Fit in Your Pocket (like romance novels). 

• Chocolate is good for you and can also help you sleep, but we love a fancy chocolate box anytime. Food & Wine has rounded up their best picks, but two that we’re partial to lately are Venchi and Milène Jardine (made right here in NYC).

Last licks

This week’s newsfeed

• With the Cortina Olympics, we (happily) are seeing a flurry of skicore, Slim Aarons images, Jacquemus’ après collection with Nike, and Italian Alps cuisine posts infiltrating our feed. And now, beauty brands are also hitting the slopes. 

• To sip: the “zesty simplicity” (per Picon) of a Picon Bière.

• Last edition’s most-clicked report: 1) caring for your winter coif, along with the best heat styling/protectants, masks, serums and air dry stylers; 2) a look back to our NA and alcohol free round up/taste test.

• Our hero: this guy, who spent the day bar-hopping through all of NYC’s department store drinking establishments. 

• BoF reported on what we shopped for in 2025, which included It Sweatshirts, Sleepwear as Athleisure, Offbeat Jewelry and Closet Sales. For 2026, here are fashion predictions via Elle, and we’ll see if any of our “What’s In/Out for 2026” come true (including the resurgence of body care, aka self-care for snowbound days, that you can shop here). 

• Hearing that “retro Jell-O desserts/dishes are back,” means a quick stroll through the socials and, for your gelatin pleasure, our findings: Negroni Jell-O Cake, Broken Glass Jell-O and Collagen Jell-O Bites. 

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