Hello! I’m sorry it’s been so long since I last wrote to you, it’s been a busy few weeks. Wherever you are in the world, I hope that you’re staying safe and finding time to rest and relax when you can!
I’ve got some exciting news to share! I am - drumroll please - launching a crowdfunding campaign! I won’t get into the details here, but in short, I’m trying to raise enough money to hire a legal team so that I can sue Apple for sending me these truly offensive “weekly screen time reports”:
“Your screen time was up 567% last week, for an average of 3 million hours, 17 minutes a day.”
It feels like a personal attack. It’s basically saying, “Hey Arielle, last week you were a shell of a human for an average of 3 hours, 48 minutes a day and you should probably get off your phone and consider getting out more”. The report sails through every Monday like clockwork, but I don’t need to look at the time to know when it’s about to bulldoze me over. Instinctively, my body knows when it’s coming. My hands get clammy. The telltale anxiety-sweat (coining this term??) breaks out across my forehead. My eyes start stinging and I wince in anticipation for the metaphorical punch to the stomach I’m about to absorb. It’s rough.
For those of you devil’s advocate types reading this: yeah, you're right, it probably is a good reminder that I need to curb my online activity. If I’m being honest, I’m in desperate need of a detox because at this point I don’t even have a neck; my chin is surgically fused to my chest from looking down at my phone all the time. This whole no-neck thing is not my best look, though admittedly not my worst, either (my worst being the hot pink t-shirt featuring a turtle and the slogan “Dare to be Different” that I wore from ages 8 through 10). From a solutions perspective, I guess I could turn off the notification, or better yet, reduce my screen time. But the former would require effort and the latter would also require effort. So, here we are. A stalemate. And that means all that’s left to do is sue! I’ll send over the link with the information about my crowdfunding campaign. I’ve named it, “Let’s Sue Apple for Arielle’s Utter Lack of Impulse Control and Chronic Inability to Hold Herself Accountable for Her Own Actions”. Minimum of $10 donation. Tax deductible.
PODCASTS
If you have a Spotify account, you’ll know that at the end of each year the company shares a personalized summary of your activity on the app. Generally this is great fun, and it had previously been an enjoyable experience for me until I saw the hours I clocked listening to podcasts in 2020. Let’s just say I am not comfortable disclosing this number publicly. I have some urgent life re-evaluating to do. But as they say, one man’s trash(y lifestyle choice) is another man’s treasure. And I have no doubt that you will benefit from my obsession. So, here you go, some final podcast recommendations to see you through the rest of the year! I’ve added more than usual this time because I want to leave you with plenty of material to keep you entertained during this holiday season!
1. Floodlines
Earlier this year I wrote in an article that the podcast Floodlines by The Atlantic was one of the best shows I’d heard in years. Back in March, I predicted it would be the top podcast of 2020 and as the year draws to a close, I personally think this still holds true. Floodlines is an 8-part series about Hurricane Katrina and the disaster it left in its wake. Hosted by the extraordinarily talented journalist Vann R. Newkirk II, the show seeks to tell a very different story about this tragedy. A story that holds the government to account for its colossal failure to address the crisis. A story that unpacks the role the media played in vilifying the people of New Orleans. A story that centres the voices of those who actually lived through the catastrophe themselves. This show is remarkable. Harrowing, but remarkable. If you only listen to one podcast for the rest of your life, please, please, please let it be this.
2. Bear Brook
Despite it being one of the most popular podcast genres, I have next to no interest in true crime. I have written about this at length (why are you surprised), but the short answer is that it makes me feel a bit queasy. It’s the voyeuristic aspect of it that I find so off-putting. How quickly we succumb to the drama and suspense and forget that we are talking about real people, who lived and breathed and loved and hurt. The complexity and indeed humanity of people’s lives is flattened when it becomes a juicy, thrilling story that you can listen to as you wash your dishes or sit on the tube. So, suffice to say I’ve got a lot of discomfort and unresolved feelings there, and for that reason I tend to avoid the genre, unless I can be persuaded otherwise. Enter Bear Brook. I was listening to Servant of Pod with Nick Quah, a podcast that provides commentary about the world of podcasting (why are you surprised, part 2), and Bear Brook was mentioned. They hailed the show for its inexplicable ability to successfully flip the script on the traditional true crime format, all while keeping listeners engaged. The first three episodes of Bear Brook give you virtually nothing: no information about the victims or the perpetrator, just vague details and lots of questions. I’m sure every story editor listening to it was ripping their hair out in sheer confusion. The structure of the show is implausible. It breaks every rule about how to make a true crime podcast, yet somehow they pulled it off.
Now, I won’t get too deep into it here, but in brief the show is a look at the unsolved case of four people whose bodies were found in Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire. What’s unique about this cold case is that it would eventually lead to insights that would forever change how murders are investigated. And while it’s a really powerful story that I think host Jason Moon approaches with sensitivity, I’m still torn about the genre at large. Don’t get me wrong, some of these cases can hold such influence that they deserve to be told and there is a way to do this with empathy. But, I still worry that many of us listeners treat it as a Netflix binge to spice up their day. I clearly don’t have the answers here, and I certainly don’t know what it means to “appropriately” engage in a true crime podcast. But for now, what I can do is personally commit to listening to these kinds of shows mindfully: not turning my brain on autopilot or treating it as an abstract work of fiction. Instead, I will listen with an attentiveness and care that I hope respects the dignity and humanity of the victims and their families.
3. Home Cooking
Back in March, I mentioned this podcast in my Quarantine Care Package newsletter, but I’m writing about it again because I think Home Cooking is one of the best shows to come out of this year. Chef and author Samin Nosrat and podcaster extraordinaire Hrishikesh Hirway team up to answer listeners’ quarantine cooking questions and it is just delightful. The final episode dropped this week, but I’d definitely recommend you go back and listen to all of it. The show is heartfelt, practical and was truly my #1 comfort listen of 2020.
4. “Max La Manna on Food Waste” - Good Influence with Gemma Styles
This podcast is not revolutionary by any stretch, but I did listen to one of its recent episodes discussing food waste and I found it useful! Each week, host Gemma Styles (yes, that’s Harry Styles’ sister), chats to a guest who will “help us pay attention to something we should know about, but maybe don’t”. In this episode, Gemma speaks with Max La Manna, an American author and zero-waste chef who shares wildly inventive recipes on his Instagram page (he made a vegan pulled pork out of a banana peel that shook me to my core). In the second half of this episode, Max offers useful tips and tricks about how we can reduce food waste in our own life, which I think is especially important as the holiday season approaches.
5. “Charities Shouldering Burden as Food Insecurity Grows” - The Current
Okay, I need something from you. I need 18 minutes of your time. That’s it, just 18 minutes, maybe while you’re taking a coffee break or folding laundry. This is a brief interview about food insecurity that is enormously important for us to listen to. It gave me so much to think about that I ended up listening to it twice and taking notes. And while the focus of this discussion is on Canada (the segment is from the CBC radio program, The Current), the overarching themes are without question applicable to the UK, and to America as well, I suspect.
In this segment, University of Toronto professor Valerie Tarasuk and FoodShare Toronto’s Executive Director Paul Taylor discuss the state of food insecurity in Canada. They explain that the Government’s reliance on a voluntary, community-based charity system is a flawed response that is not meaningfully tackling the problem. As they note, the root issue of food insecurity is not actually food, it’s poverty. And poverty is tackled through effective public policy (such as income security policies, like a living wage or basic income, as Taylor suggests). These charities are on-the-ground operations doing what they can with the limited resources available to them. But, as Tarasuk shares, there’s evidence to suggest that what these charities can provide to clients just isn’t enough, and given the scale of this issue, they can’t meet the needs of all 4 million food insecure Canadians. A really crucial moment that I went back and listened to multiple times was the answer to the host’s question: “don’t we need those charities to keep doing what they’re doing until something else larger is in place?” And in truth, as I listened to the podcast that was my question as well: what about the meantime? I found Tarasuk and Taylor’s respective responses hugely enlightening and it’s given me much to consider. As Tarasuk says,
We have to stop saying that. This idea that we’re all working in the meantime - when is the meantime ever going to change? Next year we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of food banks in Canada. We have living proof in Canada that this response doesn’t take us anywhere... But the “meantime” is still such a toxic thinking in Canada because nobody is doing anything else.
With the holiday season upon us, there’s a chance you’ll be donating to a food drive. Tarasuk asks listeners who are planning to do this - which is undoubtedly a generous act of service - to also take a few minutes to write to your MP. She asks us to demand that the Government step in and take responsibility for tackling food insecurity, so that no one living in such a wealthy and plentiful country ever goes hungry.
6. Articles of Interest
Fashion lovers / anyone who enjoys obscure facts will adore this spin-off from the hugely popular podcast, 99% Invisible. Articles of Interest is a show about what we wear, though don’t let this deceptively simple premise fool you - you’re in for an unexpected treat.
7. This Day in Esoteric Political History
History nerds? I found your next obsession! It’s extremely niche. It’s very thorough. You’re gonna like it.
FOOD
I know I’ve just inundated you with podcast recommendations, but here’s a few more. This week I wrote an article for Discover Pods titled “10 Food Podcasts To Sink Your Teeth Into.” There’s a good mix of shows in there that capture the joys of food but also the intense pressures and issues it causes. I love every podcast on the list, but I’d particularly recommend Point of Origin, a project from Whetstone Magazine that is pure gold.
The BEST Ginger Molasses Cookies
I made these cookies a few Christmases ago with my very talented baker friend, Maya, and I have been in love with them ever since. The recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook, and while she has a similar version available on her website, the one from her book has a few tweaks - including a grating of fresh ginger and a twist of black pepper - that I think makes it a little bit more special. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I have gone to great lengths trying to find unsulphured molasses here in the UK, and let’s just say the experience has caused a lot of anxiety-sweat (really must look into coining this term) and a few tears. It seems the closest substitute I can find in the UK is black treacle (which is similar but does have some slight differences). Regardless of where you are in the world, this is the perfect treat. It’s festive, delicious and pairs well with a cup of tea (or coffee. Or water. Or even without liquid. Like, if it’s the middle of the night and you're hungry you can definitely eat them standing over the sink. They pair well with that, too).
If spice isn’t you’re thing, then why not try making these tasty sugar cookies? I am baking them as I write this (honestly).
Ingredients:
250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ tsp salt
180g (¾ cup) unsalted butter at room temperature
275g (1 ¼ cups) packed dark brown sugar
60 ml (¼ cup / 3oz) unsulphured molasses (or black treacle if in the UK)
1 ½ tbsp (about one 3-inch piece) of finely grated ginger (I usually reduce it to 1 tbsp)
1 large egg
50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
Method:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, pepper and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer [if you have one] fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, molasses and ginger on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Transfer dough to a bowl and wrap in plastic; refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C), with racks in the centre and lower third. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
Place granulated sugar in a shallow bowl; roll balls in sugar to coat completely, and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are deep golden all over and centres are firm, 15 to 18 minutes [I took mine out a few minutes earlier than this as I like them softer]. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temp for up to 4 days [or just eat them all on the first day, so they don’t risk, you know, “spoiling”].
There you have it, the final Spilt Milk of 2020! I’m not sure what the next year will bring for me, but I’m hoping to scale up (perhaps a Spilt Milk podcast is in order?) and see where it goes! As ever, I would be so, so grateful if you could tell a friend (or enemy) about this newsletter; every subscription helps. But most importantly, I wanted to thank all of you for the love you’ve shown me this year! I am very grateful to everyone who has subscribed and taken the time to send in a message - I truly have been blown away by your support. I know this year has been profoundly painful and has brought such chaos and uncertainty into all of our lives. I hope that during these final weeks you can rest if you’re able to and find comfort and relief where you can, whether that be by reading a good book, cooking something tasty, or just going for a morning walk when the world feels quiet. Stay safe, think critically and keep eating carbs, cause life is too damn short to do otherwise and also - as I have previously mentioned - “zoodles” are a crime against humanity.
Thinking of you and sending so much love,
Arielle