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The Secret History of Home Economics by Danielle Dreilinger is a fantastic book which makes a compelling argument for the revival of home economics (or āfamily and consumer sciencesā as it was later called in a flop rebranding attempt). I now feel very passionate about improving home life through art and science, and thus improving society. I had a lot of fun taking these archived home economics high school exams from the 1950s and 60s, which really give you a sense of how the field encompassed so many areas of expertise: fashion and interior design, medicine, child psychology, chemistry, etiquette, and more. From identifying period furniture styles to caring for a bedridden person, the test questions are a good measure for general well-roundedness and can be an entertaining group activity for a dinner party or pregame.
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Iām still on a big Kenji Lopez-Alt binge, but for the last few weeks Iāve spent every few minutes Iāve had reading The Food Lab. It has changed the way I think about cooking. It feels really good to understand the science behind cooking, but more importantly why Iāve f**ked up a so many dishes Iāve cooked in the past. This isnāt a traditional recipe book, it dives deep into the science behind temperature, heat, acid, and even the materials that make the best pots and pans and I am hooked.
Feb 1, 2022
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not an educational documentary so might not be what youāre looking for, BUT- it follows this high school culinary class and all the students have different stories of why they want to become chefs and the teacher is a very intense tough-love kinda gal. and theyāre all preparing for this competition that awards really big scholarships and itās just so heartwarming. make me cry like a baby. so so good.
Feb 6, 2025
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A book critic friend of mineās husbandās parents live in Boulder, and they have all these great intellectual boomer friends who make art but donāt have to make money. Or so it seems. I may be wrong... Anyway, one of them is Barbara Shark. This is like Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin, but no one has ever heard of it. I think itās out of print because it wasnāt ever really in print. I donāt even cook, for the record.
Oct 21, 2021
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Invented by Japanese graphics editor Non Ishida in 1987, Nonograms are addictively elegant visual logic puzzles and IMO the perfect bedtime wind-down activity. Theyāre kind of like a cross between Sudoku and a paint-by-number. I do them every night on my Nintendo Switch via a game called āPic-a-Pix Deluxe,ā but nonograms.org is also a good entry point. Start small and work your way upā you can even print them out or hand-copy them onto grid paper if you want to go really trad.
Mar 27, 2023
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A very special app, kind of like Co-Star but with personality tests instead of astrology. The last personality test youāll ever have to take! Iām very much a skeptic and usually highly resistant to downloading new apps, but Dimensionalās stylish approach to psychometrics is deeply satisfying, and Iām always stimulated by their insights. Using this has actually improved my understanding of myself and othersā itās more fun with friends!
Mar 27, 2023
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A dietary program I invented to get me through inexplicable phases during which I lose my appetite. Instead of not eating (BAD), I will eat:This is designed to be the gustatory equivalent of a sensory deprivation chamber. Eventually youāll begin to crave all kinds of complex and rich foods, duck and octopus and mushrooms and horseradish and finally having them will be like going from black and white to Technicolor. Going through this process always makes me so grateful for the insane variety of foods we have available to us in our modern world, like it actually makes me want to cry just thinking about how we live in the yummiest time in human history. Works best if you prepare all the white noise elements in advance and just kind of graze mindlessly between them like a cow in a pasture.
Mar 27, 2023