🍰 What do we want? CAKE! (and other cool things)

July 12, 2024

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Happy Friday!

Here are some things I found interesting, inspiring, and just plain cool this week…

🍰 In my family, we get cake!

Why? Because we want cake! 😋

When? When we want cake! 🕓

And apparently that’s not “normal.”

Thank goodness, we’re not normal.

This week, my parents and I ordered a two-tier lemon cake because it sounded good. We ate it when we wanted it and last night, 🍴 my dad polished it off.

My family eats cake because we like it (actually I don’t much, but we’ve found a way to keep me in the cake celebrations all the same - I’ve had popcorn ‘cakes’ 🍿 for my birthday 🥳). But I remember telling a friend this and she was floored that we would just go and get cake. It was like she was waiting for permission from the special occasion gods to eat cake.

With the arrival of our lemon cake this week, I was thinking about how easy it is in our culture to save things.

Whether you are waiting to order takeout to cheer you up after a hypothetical shitty day in the future. Or a new outfit you are saving for a special occasion. Or even that notebook you are saving because you want perfect handwriting and the best ideas for.

I see a lot of self-care things in the social media world that seem to say, “Take care of yourself, eat a cookie to cheer you up.”

And I agree: Sometimes life feels heavy and you need treats.

But maybe we all have it the wrong way around: Maybe you need treats to keep life from feeling heavy.

🍋 It shouldn’t surprise you that I had a lemonade stand as a kid.

Being me, I also had iced tea, brownies, cookies, and if the city had only approved my liquor license, I woulda had that too!

(Kidding, but only about 🥃 the alcohol).

Because it is summer and I’ve been wandering out and about my new/old home, I feel like I am seeing so many lemonade stands! Which then got me thinking about when lemonade stands were invented and why kids seem to run the market (with the exception of some delicious companies). Here’s How Kids Cornered the Market on Lemonade.

🧬 How what you eat (and experience) impacts your lifespan

It’s no surprise that we use our senses to make decisions (🍕 eat yummy-smelling things, 💃🏽dance to the latest bop, and 🏃🏽‍♀️💨 run away from big scary 🦁 lions).

BUT did you know that 🔬 scientists are now looking at how those decisions and our senses can impact our longevity?

And it’s not just about what you eat. Or that you have the presence of mind to run away from said lion…

This 🎤 TED Talk got me thinking that a flavorless life might be a life less lived. In more ways than one.

Prefer a podcast? I got you.

🍽️  As I mentioned last week, I’ve been watching 🐻 The Bear on Hulu and having a grand ol’ time! While I was binging the show over the weekend (I’m now halfway through Season 3, so no spoilers please), I learned something new that has CAPTURED my brain for the last few days.

During Season 2, one of the main characters interns at a fine dining restaurant. While he’s there, he learns that the restaurant has a person who researches their guests!

Y’all, I might need a career change.

Why do they do this? So that the restaurant can be prepared for any 🤢 allergies or food preferences, but also so they know about 🍾 special occassions, 😋 gourmet foodies, and of course 🤬 The Problem Customers.

Maybe it’s just because I haven’t worked in fine dining or that I don’t frequent those places, but this 🤯 BLEW MY MIND!

Did you know this? Was it just me?

Looked into it and it wasn’t just a cool storytelling device for the show. Nope, it actually happens!

My advice: Next time you make a reservation at a super fancy restaurant, make sure your social media profile is up-to-date with your preferences of 🍇 high-end wine!!!

☀️ I’ve been finding it hard to cook in this 100 degree weather!

Not only because ugh 🔥 the heat of the stove, but also because I am just less motivated by food.

I know, prepare my fainting couch, please!

Do you feel less hungry in the summer months? 🥵 **Well, there’s actually a scientific reason for that! 👇🏽

(Thanks to my mom who pitched the idea when I was stuck writing this).

Also, why is this picture so funny to me?! Clearly too late to still be working…

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