Issue #254: theme songs, secret talents, favorite recipes 🎵

Editor's Note

Oh, hello there!

A behind-the-scenes look at the people behind the newsletter.

We’ve been making this newsletter for nearly five years now (more on that next week!). You’ve probably seen our names popping up in various ed notes and in the weekly picks section, but we realized we haven’t properly introduced ourselves recently. So here’s a little bit about the three people who are regularly producing this newsletter (and any other newsletter from us you receive), week after week:

How would you describe what you do at GNI? I wear many hats. Depending on the day, I write the newsletter, review content and share feedback, do some HR bits here and there (this can mean anything from taxes, to running our reviews cycle, running payroll, to hiring/recruiting), strategize with our team on our plans and roadmap, and generally make sure we’re creating the best content and products possible.

Favorite recipe ever? Right now it’s this Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta. Super comforting for cold days, and incredibly luscious.

Favorite book ever? Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Her writing is so vivid and I find myself underlining so many sentences.

Something most people don’t know about you? I’m multiracial: Korean and Dominican. I’m fluent in Korean!

If you had a theme song that followed you as you walked down the street, what would it be? I hope it’s something upbeat like Uptown Girl by Billy Joel?!? But my inner sad girl says probably something like exile by Taylor Swift.

Question from Carey: What’s something that used to be really important to you and now you’re like "thank you, next"? It used to be really important to me to be on the “up and up” on all the latest trends (design, fashion, tech, everything), stuff going viral on the internet and just generally understanding what people are buzzing about on social media. Now I find it really exhausting so I just like what I like: TV shows and books that are no longer the “hot topic,” clothing that fits me well, etc. 

How would you describe what you do at GNI? I keep the trains running on time, oversee the editorial calendar, and generally make sure that quality content keeps on keeping on. 

Favorite recipe ever? I’ve made the tomato-za’atar salad from Ripe Figs a zillion times last year and still am not sick of it. Also, mac & cheese. Oh, and these snip doodles for a simple dessert.

Favorite book ever? I re-read An Everlasting Meal every few years and learn something new each time.

Something most people don’t know about you? I’m weirdly obsessed with tracking packages online. I love seeing how they get to point A to B to C. So many items go through Groveport, OH—who knew?!

If you had a theme song that followed you as you walked down the street, what would it be? Hold On by Wilson Phillips, which is definitely also my road trip song. Uplifting, cathartic, and a little cheesy.

Question from Mary Anne: What is the weirdest thing that can be found on a shelf in your house, and what's the backstory? We have a framed picture of Shirley Temple as a little kid. My late grandmother was obsessed with her—her entire bathroom was covered with dozens of pictures of Shirley! When she passed away two years ago, my mother gathered all the frames and distributed them to the extended family around the country. Now we all have a picture of Shirley somewhere in our respective houses :)

How would you describe what you do at GNI? I write and edit Downtime Dilemma and produce some of our other newsletters. I also work with our audience projects, which I’d broadly describe as making sure that our readers know all of what we have to offer and how to access it.


Favorite recipe ever? 
All of my mom’s recipes, which are not really written down anywhere, but I will take this opportunity to say that my favorite, pancit palabok, is underrepresented in American food media!! Lots of love for other pancits, but this one is better.

Favorite book ever? A teacher gave me The Empathy Exams when it first came out, and above all, it made the fact that I felt skeptical about a lot of things feel valid. Are Prisons Obsolete by Angela Davis and The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins helped me realize that oppression is all interconnected. 

Something most people don’t know about you? I’m randomly very good at painting my nails. By which I mean, I never paint “outside the lines” of a nail, not, like, I can do elaborate at-home manicures. 

If you had a theme song that followed you as you walked down the street, what would it be? Everything is Embarrassing by Sky Ferreira.


Question from Alisha: What movie(s) can you watch over and over?  Fame (2009, not the original, is for some reason my comfort movie), this Seth Rogen rom-com that not enough people talk about but is great, the Before trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight), Booksmart, A Goofy Movie.
 

It's nice to meet you! Keep reading for the things we've been loving lately. —The GNI team

P.S. We’ve been thinking a lot about soup lately. What are your favorite recipes (send links!)? Any tips that make a “meh” soup turn into a great soup? A store-bought soup that really outshines the rest? We’d love to hear all your soup opinions. Send them here for an upcoming newsletter. 🍲
 

weekly picks

• The book that ended the rut: The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. There’s love, there’s war, there’s a sentient tree.

• Strong agree: we should all be wearing house shoes. (The Cut)