Meet the people who make your food.
Plus other cool things people wrote, recorded, and photographed.
Craving Croissants
— FOOD
Have you ever had a good—nay, a great—croissant? Flaky on the outside—flakes that scatter across the table, leaving a trail that shows you a great croissant was enjoyed here. Soft on the inside—you expect it, but it still leaves you amazed that these warm and buttery layers are hidden within. You want to savour each bite and devour the whole thing simultaneously. For a baked good that’s so universally loved, the croissant has inspired divisive opinions over the years. Tim Martin writes about the contentiousness of the croissant in this piece that has made me hungry.
Music on the Go
— MUSIC / TECH
Apple may have changed how we listen to music with the iPod, but it wasn’t the first company to innovate music technology. Do you remember your Walkman or Discman? There was even the MiniDisc player that never really took off. As fantastic as it was to be able to take your music with you, these players came with their own set of challenges.
Before leaving home, you had to think about what album, or what mixtape, you were in the mood for—and maybe carry at most a few extras. This was a curse: What if you got sick of the three tapes in your backpack?
I didn’t buy an iPod until 2004. Until then, I walked around campus with my silver Discman—a gift from my sister—and the limited amount of music a handful of CDs could hold. That Discman is long gone, but my CD collection remains, even if I have no occasion to use it. It’s so much harder to throw away your physical copies than just hit delete on a playlist.
The Cult of Manson
— CRIME
50 years on, the world continues to be captivated by the events of the night the Manson family (as the group was called) murdered Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, and Abigail Folger. So fascinated that we’re still making movies about a well-known story. As the latest in a long line of Manson-inspired movies takes over movie theatres, read this article by writer Ed Sanders, who spent considerable time with Manson’s followers for his 1971 book The Family and discovered a plot to break Manson out of prison, where he was on trial for the murders.
I Hear the Blues a-Callin’
— TELEVISION
A show about a grumpy radio talk show host doesn’t seem like it would make for a good show at all, let alone a good sitcom. But Frasier was exactly that—an intelligent comedy with complex characters you could relate to despite not having much in common with them.
Frasier has so many flaws: he’s vain, pompous, condescending. He’s an insecure snob, always trying to ascend to some new social pinnacle. But underneath that, there’s this incredibly decent guy who truly wants to help people. — David Lee, co-creator
Vanity Fair spoke with the show’s cast and creators to give us a look at the making of the show. From casting decisions (Allison Janney and Salma Hayek auditioned to play Roz) to behind-the-scenes photos, it’s a great look at one of the best sitcoms of our time.
Meet the Cooks
— PEOPLE / FOOD / PHOTOGRAPHY
It seems there’s a new restaurant popping up everywhere you turn in Mumbai. From fast food to fine dining, you’re spoilt for choice across every budget. And with the endless Instagram posts and new-opening reviews, these new eateries feel like they’re taking over the city. But holding their own are the restaurants that have been feeding Mumbai for decades in spaces that may lack the bells and whistles but never compromise on the quality of their food. Soup Magazine’s story does justice to these veterans of Mumbai’s culinary history.
Britpop at its finest.
— MUSIC
It’s been 24 years since Pulp released Common People, and I’ve spent the last few weeks being a little bit obsessed with it.
Beautiful/Anonymous brings you the lives of others.
— PODCASTS
The premise of Beautiful/Anonymous is intriguing—each episode is an hour-long phone call where the host, Chris Gethard, talks to the caller about anything under the sun. The rules: the caller cannot give their name or any identifying information, and Chris can’t hang up first, no matter what.
I can’t say whether it’s the anonymity the podcast offers or Chris’s judgment-free attitude, but callers open up to him about things they sometimes wouldn’t even tell loved ones, let alone a complete stranger. From past lives as drug dealers to becoming millionaires overnight (not the same person), each episode brings you a different person telling a different story. It’s a reminder that we all have our struggles and stories to tell. We just need to be open to listening to one another.
You can listen to more episodes of the podcast on Soundcloud, Spotify, Earwolf, Acast, and Stitcher.
Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash
Thanks for reading! I’m Shivani, a writer & editor, caffeine addict, and runner who loves tacos and has no hand-eye co-ordination. You can find me on Twitter at @wordsbyshivani.
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