Holiday Cheer [#14]
I couldn't pull it together to do a Christmas card this year. The thought of designing and ordering cards, getting them delivered on time, and then figuring out how to send them from Seoul was a bridge too far. But since you get this newsletter every week, you're pretty much caught up. Yay?
What I Read
Donald Trump is a bigot and a racist. But his failure to go away is exposing the media's twin idols of objectivity and influence as illusions. Tokyo's no longer the priciest city in Asia. People let each other fall asleep on their shoulders on Japanese subways. (Come to think of it, I totally let this happen on the Tokyo subway this spring.) As if Beijing's smog isn't enough to worry about, now the Chinese have to worry about counterfeit breathing masks. These days, children of parents with college degrees are spoken to 50 percent more than those without. There used to be no class difference there. I'm following these tips to read more books in 2016. Send me any recommendations!
What I Wrote
Still marveling over the karaoke bar concept we stumbled upon in Osaka. Answered '10 Questions' from Seoul's English-language magazine, 10, about life in Korea. Contributed to Earbud.fm, which is a guide to individual podcast episodes from across the spectrum (not just NPR podcasts!)
Recommendations
Looking for a last minute holiday gift? Shop for the perfect book with NPR's Book Concierge. It only comes out once a year and it's a quick way to find presents for the people you love. (Or yourself.)
I think I've already recommended this, but it bears another: Watch 'You're The Worst.' It was on FX, moved to FXX. It doesn't matter what network it was on since you'll watch it on your tablet or computer anyway, right?
If it's cold where you are, I recommend making an easy Korean soup we really enjoy around these parts. It's called doenjang jjigae, and it's made with an anchovy base, soybean paste, seafood (or beef) and you throw some zucchini, tofu and mushrooms in there as you wish. Great stuff. Recipes abound online.
Happy Festivus,
Elise