These are the words, images, and beers that inspired the GBH Collective this week. Drinking alone just got better, because now you're drinking with all of us.
READ.// “It is now abundantly clear what happens when global disasters collide with historical negligence.” If someone asked you to explain the U.S.'s massive failure to contain the coronavirus, would you point to a broken healthcare system? Structural racism? A crisis of federal leadership? A culture of reckless individualism? Ed Yong's landmark piece for The Atlantic manages to weave together the disparate threads into one damning, must-read account.
LOOK.// “Plastic” was a dirty word—until the pandemic arrived. This series of photos compiled by The Guardian illustrates how people all over the world have welcomed plastic back into their lives, in close-up and intimate ways.
DRINK.// Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel
I'd been storing a bottle of Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel in my fridge, waiting for the right occasion. That occasion ended up being a recent steak dinner I cooked for myself and my husband: sous-vide tenderloins from Missoula's Oxbow Cattle Company, alongside green beans in a walnut and herb butter. Toasty, pumpernickel-bread malts connected with the steak's char; earthy hops played off the green beans and walnuts. Not to brag, but I nailed it.
READ.// “We could’ve kept this from happening. But instead, we’re blindly barreling toward reopening even though we know teachers and students will die.” An English teacher from Alabama writes a gut-punch reflection in McSweeney’s on the contents of an emergency bag, and what they really mean.
LOOK.// As college students return to campuses, COVID-19 isn’t the only topic that’s top-of-mind. Take a look at this collection of photos by Adraint Bereal, which captures what it means to be Black at the University of Texas-Austin.
DRINK.// Oskar Blues Brewery’s French’s Mustard Beer
Yes, it tastes like mustard. Not mustard seeds, which offer some spice, but the mustard you put on a hot dog (one of the few acceptable toppings for the encased meat, IMO). I don't know what to tell you. There are some underlying fruity flavors, but it tastes like mustard. Mileage may vary.
READ.// “‘This is an unprecedented disaster for most of us that is profound in its impact on our daily lives,’ says Masten. But it’s different from a hurricane or tornado where you can look outside and see the damage. The destruction is, for most people, invisible and ongoing. So many systems aren’t working as they normally do right now, which means radical shifts in work, school, and home life that almost none of us have experience with.” Of all the COVID-19 stories I’ve read over the past few months, this piece—by Tara Haelle in Medium—was one of the most helpful and illuminating. If, like me, you feel like you’ve been running on fumes for a while, this article invites psychologists to explain why that is—and makes it clear that you’re not alone.
LOOK.// I’m moving apartments next week, and my life over the last few months has involved a frenzy of Pinterest home decor research. Maybe that’s why I’m feeling more curious (read: nosy) than ever about others’ design choices. In the case of Gigi Hadid and Drake’s new “North American Maximalist” homes, as Kyle Chayka notes in The New Yorker, those decisions end up being … deliciously deranged.
DRINK.// Verdant Brewing Co’s Black Lager
Lager has made up the bulk of my quarantine drinking. But recently—as the first faint notes of autumn start to manifest in the evening air—I’ve been turning away from the Pilsners and Helles and towards more brooding styles. Verdant’s roasty Black Lager, which I enjoyed with a friend last weekend, fit the blustery weather to a tee.
Curated by The GBH Collective
