This is an interview done with Larisa Kliman of Eating Gilmore, read her story below! If you, or anyone you know, would like to be highlighted in The Zillennial Zine, shoot us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram!
Tell us your story! We loved your Eating Gilmore journey! Can you tell us how that idea came about?
Several months into covid lockdown, I was itching to find a project to work on. I wanted something to look forward to that would be a fun creative outlet. I was a big fan of @bradbakes who, at the time, was cooking his way through the Harry Potter books. I was inspired to do a similar project with my favorite TV show, Gilmore Girls. My friend Michaela was also encouraging me to start a food page, so I decided to document and share the whole journey!
The premise is pretty simple. I recreate a dish (food or drink) inspired by every episode of Gilmore Girls. Almost all my dishes were mentioned in the episode, with a few just taking inspiration from things that happened during the episode. I finished the original episodes back in November, and now I’m currently eating through A Year in the Life. And after that, I’ll be going back through some of the episodes for an encore series!
You started eating through Gilmore Girls in 2020! What was that entire process like?
It’s been such a fun experience! Because I was home a lot more, I originally started cooking two episodes a week, but after season 2, I slowed down to one episode a week because I didn’t want to finish the show too quickly. I also became a lot busier with having to go back to work in person. It allowed me to really savor (pun intended) this process.
My freezer is always full of Gilmore goodies, but in 2020 that was especially true since I wasn’t able to meet up with friends to share my dishes with them. So it’s been fun getting to share my food with loved ones.
Your Eating Gilmore account has over 100k followers! What has it been like to create an audience on your social media account?
I still can’t wrap my head around it! It’s been amazing getting to connect with people who love this show as much as I do. I’ve also been able to meet other creatives who are so inspiring and talented, and even a few in real life! I think sometimes people think it’s silly to be this obsessed with a TV show that came out over 20 years ago, but then I see how many of us there are that find this show to be comforting and really special and it’s not that silly at all!
Tell us about The Gilmore Girls Episode Reading Challenge!
This is my newest little project! I reconnected with my love for reading in 2022 when I really got into audiobooks and listening to them at a faster speed to keep my adhd brain engaged. I’ve done quite a few reading challenges over the last couple of years to motivate me to read more. I’ve seen the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge floating around online for years, but that one never really appealed to me, personally. I wanted to create a reading challenge that no matter what your reading preferences were, you could participate! There are 153 prompts, one inspired by every episode, but there is no time limit on finishing the challenge. You can take as long as you need to. You could also double-dip on prompts and use one book to fit multiple prompts. I wanted this to be just a fun (chill) challenge that connected Gilmore Girls readers!
What would you say is your biggest accomplishment lately?
Definitely finishing cooking through the original run of the show! Being able to complete my original goal feels amazing. And honestly, just starting this project. I get a lot of ideas in my head, so to see this one not only to fruition but to completion is something I’m super proud of!
What do you want our readers to know about you and your accounts?
That this is just a hobby! We’re in this age of social media where so many things are secretly ads or sponsorships, but my account really is just for me to share how much fun I’m having doing this project.
Anything else you would like to add?
Just to encourage you to go for it if you have an idea for something. I know it’s easy to get stuck in our heads and not think we’ll be good at something, but if you just try, you might surprise yourself along the way!
Go Check Out Larisa On Social Media!
Instagram: main- @Eating Gilmore & @literary.larisa
Website with recipes: EatingGilmore.com
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