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.// “Very few Americans will directly proclaim that they are in favor of Black people being left to the streets. But a very large number of Americans will do all they can to preserve the Dream.” Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me, written as a letter to his son, offers a framework to explain America’s idea of “race” and history, and ultimately to understand the present. It’s a beautiful piece of writing, and Coates shares his life experiences, weaving in lessons and fears that are heartbreaking to name.
LOOK.// This piece in the New York Times by Roff Smith gives a peek into the workshops of the finest Panama hat artisans in Ecuador. “You cannot allow your mind to wander even for a second,” says Simón Espinal, a modest, soft-spoken man who is regarded by his peers as the greatest living weaver of Panama hats, possibly the greatest ever. “When you are weaving it is just you and the straw.” I always notice how photographers use darkness and light in their images, and scrolling peacefully through them, you can appreciate the patience, dedication, and stamina required to create even one hat.
DRINK.// Athletic Brewing Company’s Upside Dawn Golden Ale
I’ve been vacationing this week, which means enjoying my fair share of beer, cocktails, and wine. As research for the story I wrote on Athletic Brewing Company, I’ve also been regularly ordering from their site and tasting my way through their non-alcoholic offerings. Upside Dawn, their Golden Ale, has quickly emerged as my favorite. It’s crisp, refreshing, and not at all heavy at 50 calories; tossing a few in my backpack before heading to the beach has become part of my routine. It’s a new experience to down a couple cans and then still be able to head home with a clear head.
READ.// “I hear fans saying to us: ‘When I come to the field, I feel something opening. It’s the only time I can scream out my stress and open up and raise my voice.’” In the ongoing days of COVID-19, I find myself seeking out words and imagery that tell stories of joy. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, this cross-cultural exploration reminds you of the fun we’re supposed to find in sport.
LOOK.// “Toilet bong.” “A chicken is blown into a wall.” Head on over to Twitter for the joy that is reality but seems like parody: Science Diagrams that Look Like Shitposts.
DRINK.// Botanist & Barrel Cidery & Winery’s Seriously Dry Farmhouse Cider
Sometimes you just gotta switch it up, and as summer goes “bye,” cider starts to feel right. Especially this unfiltered, unpasteurized version with a slight twang. I don’t care for overt sweetness from eating apples or when they get cider’d, so bring on the funk and the fall.
READ.// “I see this tiny dog just standing there, looking around. And I went, ‘Look how little he is. Twenty million dollars is being spent on that?’” You know what I needed in these trying times? An oral history of the mid-’90’s PBS kids’ show, “Wishbone.” Thank you, Texas Monthly. (Trivia nugget if you don’t want to read the entire thing: Mo Rocca was a writer on the show.)
LOOK.// Caterina Fabrizio and her brother run Dedar, an Italian textile company their parents founded. Normally, I am not one for design profiles of rich people’s homes, but I’ll make an exception for Fabrizio’s, which is a riotous yet somehow still serene assemblage of texture, color, and shape.
DRINK.// Stem Ciders’ Chile Guava
I love mango salsa, and I get a similar sweet-heat interplay from ciders with chile peppers in them. (See also: Seattle Cider Company’s Three Pepper). Stem Ciders’ Chile Guava focuses more on the fresh, verdant chile flavor than the heat, making it a killer pairing with tacos al pastor.
Curated by The GBH Collective
