Growing up, I’ve only ever celebrated Christmas as a secular holiday, but it’s always been about spending time with loved ones (and maybe stressing about giving gifts).
Even if you aren’t able to see some family or friends as you normally would, I hope you’re able to take a breather for yourself and indulge in festivities—whatever they may be.
Happy Holidays, y’all!
—Connie, aka rampantasian
Hype hype, hooray! Discord server officially launches
I’m excited to announce that we officially launched the 🐏ram fam🐏 discord server this week! If you want a place to hang out, chat with some cool folx, and tap into a support network to get 💩 done, hop on in!
The legend: Nintendo’s Miyamoto wants "a kinder world"
The man who stood at the helm of Nintendo and steered the company to its fame and glory is a visionary as much as Steve Jobs was to Apple. Miyamoto, though known for being nitpicky and seemingly negative about people’s work, cares a lot about the impact his and his team’s work.
To be honest, I was surprised that The New Yorker ran the interview with Miyamoto. Video games are now mainstream, and media companies are catching onto that, so I suppose a profile like this was long overdue.
One of my favorite lines from the interview was his answer when asked about what he’d change in this world: "I wish I could make it so that people were more thoughtful and kind toward each other."
Same, Miyamoto-sensei.
Mind your rage: The trauma left by David Chang
Interestingly, after my comment about David Chang in the last newsletter as being “a good-natured guy who brings his good-natured personality to the culinary world”, I stumbled across this book-review-slash-exposé that revealed his seemingly uncontrollable rage when he was starting up Momofuku.
The article’s a long one, but the TL;DR of it is that he had the tendency to rage at his employees (yikes), and he never really apologized for it, even though he acknowledges that his anger hurt a lot of people in the past.
I’m optimistic that people can change, but it certainly doesn’t change the impact you’ve had in the past.
Remember, folks: mind yourselves and know that even the seemingly little things have the potential to impact others in lasting ways. Do your best to be the best version of yourself, and be willing to apologize when you do someone wrong.
So dense it’s a black hole: Would you make fruitcake?
If you know me, I enjoy baking. But never, ever, did I ever consider making fruitcake—one of the densest, strangest baked goods to grace my presence.
My parents love it though. They’re fans of the dried fruit and nuts peppered throughout. The only type I usually go for are the mini, single-serve chocolate ones you’d find, on sale at 10 for $10 in the supermarket.
But after reading this article, fruitcake is just a little less otherworldly to me. Apparently you’re supposed to bake the thing and then let it “mature” for weeks or months as you “feed” it liquor. The reference to fruitcake “like some kind of Christmas Tamagotchi” made me laugh.
I still probably won’t consider making fruitcake, but I think I’ve found a new appreciation for it being art as food.
Bring me home: Spam as a comfort food
Yes, we’re talking about the canned luncheon meat. And it’s delicious.
As someone who grew up having had Spam maybe once or twice in childhood, I was surprised to find that the salty, pink loaf was actually a normal protein that was enjoyed across various cultures: Filipinos with Spam and eggs breakfast, Koreans with budae jigae, Hawaiians with their musubi.
If I’m being honest, I’m a fiend for Spam these days. The pan-fried crispiness is melt-in-your-mouth good, and it’s truly a perfect accompaniment to white rice. *drools*
Other neat finds
This is probably THE cutest lil’ yule log video I’ve ever had the joy of coming across. I have no idea how I never knew about Lil Bub, but she’s a wonderful little kitty (who passed away in December 2019 at 8 years old 😭) with the best little purrs while enjoying a little toast in front of the fireplace. Highly recommended for those who need to grow their hearts three sizes too large.
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If cute isn’t what you’re aiming for, I give you permission to put up this LITERAL dumpster fire yule log video from now until the day after Christmas. Actually, scratch that, keep it on until New Year’s, because it’s totally on-brand for the entirety of 2020.
Find anything particularly interesting? Share them by leaving a comment here or head on over to the Discord server to share your thoughts!