The Week In Recommendations 3.27.24

Catching up on Bravo, a look back at "Felicity," that Andrew Huberman exposé, and two Quince faves.

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Mar 27, 2024

This is the free edition of Rich Text, a newsletter about cultural obsessions from your Internet BFFs Emma and Claire. If you like what you see and hear, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Our latest podcast was about Kate Middleton conspiracy theories. (Next week, we’ll be chatting about “Irish Wish”!) Rich Text is a completely reader-supported project — no ads or sponsors!

Claire has been reading… 📖

New York Magazine’s long-read banger of the week: “Andrew Huberman’s Mechanisms of Control.“ It’s about a famous podcaster I had never heard of, who (apparently) built a pop science podcasting juggernaut on the back of his reputation as a buff, self-actualized, unimpeachably credentialed neuroscientist at Stanford. This piece details how Huberman’s uber-optimized, uber-healthy public persona helped him cover up a web of overlapping long-term, purportedly monogamous relationships with at least five women. Why did I read this, even though I don’t know who he is? Well, everyone I follow on social media was. Plus, I’m a sucker for salacious gossip.

Kerry Howley is a master of the reported feature, and it is truly a gripping read. What perhaps fascinated me most, however, was watching people on Twitter try to digest the piece. Men joked, in a backslapping sort of way, that this revelation only proved how effective Huberman’s efficiency and optimization techniques must be. Women debated whether cheating could ever be considered abuse — and if not, why this sort of exposé had any value beyond puritanical policing of private behavior. And yet the most surprising parts of the piece, in a way, were not about the cheating at all. At least one of the women interviewed describes verbally and emotionally abusive behavior beyond infidelity, and a former friend went on record to describe what a colossal flake Huberman actually is. Rather than being superhumanly efficient, he would lean on his reputation as a super-busy academic and media personality to justify ghosting on commitments with seemingly no hesitation or apology. And his lab at Stanford? Howley’s sources question whether it still exists at all.

Emma has been reading… 📖

It’s stating the obvious to say that the ongoing war in Gaza has been devastating beyond all comprehension on every level. One of the secondary impacts of this war has been the painful political cleaving of my own community — the American Jewish community — in a way that I have never before witnessed. I didn’t really have words to put to it until I read Peter Beinhart’s New York Times op-ed, “The Great Rupture In American Jewish Life.” In the piece, which truly requires a thorough reading, not just a skimming of a paragraph or the headline and then deciding you don’t agree, Beinhart outlines the rising tension between two long-dominant tenets of American Jewish life: liberalism and Zionism. He posits that the “emerging rupture between American liberalism and American Zionism constitutes the greatest transformation in American Jewish politics in half a century,” and that this tension “will redefine American Jewish life for decades to come.”

In so many ways, this was the piece I needed to read on this subject. Beinhart resists easy conclusions or extremes, while being honest about the ways in which this divide is growing. He draws on history to contextualize the way these tenets of American Jewish life were cemented and how they are now pulling apart. He writes about the way that certain mainstream Jewish organizations have begun to darkly align with the decidedly illiberal (and antisemitic) Trumpist right, and the way that in many pro-Palestine activist circles “coexistence has receded as a theme.” As Beinhart points out: “Palestinians aren’t a monolith, and progressive Jews aren’t merely allies. They are members of a small and long-persecuted people who have not only the right but also the obligation to care about Jews in Israel, and to push the Palestine solidarity movement to more explicitly include them in its vision of liberation.” American Jews may, as Beinhart suggests, be forced to untangle the “contradiction” our political identities have been built on, and the only way to do it is to have honest and difficult conversations.

Claire has been watching… 📺

The AI-esque fever dream (with costuming by Amazon) that is Netflix’s “Irish Wish”! Watch this space for our full coverage.

I also accidentally started watching “The Valley,” the new “VPR” spinoff featuring the (recently separated) Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright, their toddler, and all of their couple friends in the Valley. A fun surprise: Jasmine Goode, from season 21 of “The Bachelor,” is part of the friend group. Other than that, this show is extremely stressful. My entire body recoils from Jax’s very essence. Kristen Doute’s plotline is that she’s trying very hard to have a baby with her long-distance and largely silent boyfriend, Luke. At least one of the other couples is so unpleasant with each other that I sort of hope they have also broken up by now. [Note from Emma: I know which couple you’re referring to, and they have separated. Lol.] They all basically agree that they had kids because, IDK, they were bored at one time several years ago. It’s dark stuff.

Emma has been watching… 📺

After hearing from a bunch of people that I needed to watch this season of “Summer House,” I am finally caught up. (I tend to go in and out of Bravo shows. When they bum me out too much, I need breaks.) This season’s most potent through line is the deterioration of longtime cast members Carl Radke and Lindsay Hubbard’s romantic relationship. The news of the end of their engagement broke just a few months after Scandoval blew up, and it was widely reported that the final split had occurred on camera. But unlike Scandoval, which broke while “Vanderpump Rules” was airing, fans knew they’d have to wait the better part of a year to see how things unfolded on “Summer House.” My main takeaway is that this season is… fairly dark! Longterm relationships tend to feel pretty depressing on reality TV — the alternative is boring and in the background unless a couple is getting married or having a baby — and Carl and Lindsay’s is especially depressing. Watching people who claim to love each other deeply treat their partner or be treated by their partner poorly is pretty rough. It’s also, unfortunately, compelling television.

Claire has been listening to… 🎧

One of my favorite writers appearing on one of my favorite podcasts! Our “One Great Thing” guest last week, B.D. McClay, brought her Taylor Swift analysis to “Know Your Enemy” for a conversation about why the pop star has become such a magnet for unhinged rightwing commentary. I never miss a

BDM

post about Taylor, and I never miss a KYE episode, so I dropped everything I could feasibly drop to listen immediately.

Emma has been listening to… 🎧

The Dear Felicity podcast, a look back at the WB classic, “Felicity,” which aired from 1998-2002. “Felicity” is one of those deeply important, personality-defining shows for me. It made me fall in love with Keri Russell and Scott Speedman and Scott Foley, and the idea of being a young adult in New York City (even though the show filmed in Los Angeles). Dear Felicity situates the show within its time, bringing on Russell, Speedman and Foley for interviews, as well creators J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves. Plus, it’s co-hosted by our friend Juliet Litman, alongside “Felicity” stars Greg Grunberg and Amanda Foreman! If you, like me, were a child raised on the WB network, this pod is for you. It’s funny and thoughtful and nostalgic and sweet, and will make you want to rewatch the episode where Ben brings Felicity the film canister.

Claire has been buying… 🛍️

This month’s cutting-back has been going pretty well! I’ve been relying on our family Rocket Money app budget to keep our budgeting plan in mind, and to remind myself that the money I spend on lil treats affects my whole family’s finances. And it does help! I almost wobbled on the latest restocks of Beyond Nine’s linen pant sets (I adore my khaki Mabel pants and I really want a full set in a fun print one day) but I held firm.

One new arrival I’m happy with: This Quince sling bag in pebbled cognac leather. I’ve been trying to find a sleek but practical brown leather bag to wear across my chest for days out in the city and on the playground, and I love the shape and look of this bag. It falls perfectly across my chest, thanks in part to the lobster clasp on one side that allows the strap to drape over my shoulder. And it’s big enough for a proper wallet and a phone!

Emma has been buying… 🛍️

I’ve been in a real Canadian Tuxedo mood lately, especially since I saw these photos of Julianne Moore in an all-denim Alaia (a totally important designer!) ensemble. I have been wearing jeans often lately, thanks to my now TWO pairs of Nelle Atelier short girl jeans, but I only have one denim top and it’s very oversized. I was on the hunt for an inexpensive but good quality, thinner denim shirt that I could tuck in, and Quince delivered! I got their Distressed Denim Shirt in Blue, and it’s quickly become a new wardrobe staple.

Claire has been making… 🧶

An attempt at a sesame tofu bake with asparagus — a classic “what do we have in the fridge” weeknight dinner. The sauce came out… not quite right, so I won’t share the recipe I used, but conceptually I liked it: baked tofu cubes and chopped asparagus, roasted in a hot oven and then tossed with a soy-sesame stir-fry sauce. The glaze came out exceptionally thick and gelatinous, and so oily that it seemed to slide off the tofu and asparagus alike. Also saltier than the sea, because it called for an eye-popping amount of soy sauce. I will look for a better version of this recipe soon, because even the bad first try was pretty edible and I can tell a well-executed version would be fantastic.

I’ve had a lot of success with this sausage and tomato pasta, which I recommended a while back, as a jumping off point for quick pasta dinners. Sometimes I go with the prescribed cumin; other times I go with oregano and garlic for a more traditional Italian flavor profile. Sometimes I skip the spinach. Sometimes I cook the pasta separately, and other times I do it all in one pot, per the recipe. It’s always a winner.

Emma has been making… 🧶

The last week has been so jam-packed with work and plans that I’ve barely cooked at all, or done anything other than stare at my laptop and tell people I’m exhausted and then run out the door. However, I was served a video of this delicious-looking kale salad with parmesan and lemon basil dressing, which I have BIG PLANS to make as soon as I have time to do another small grocery shop.

kalejunkie