Brain Sofa • Thurs. May 11, 2023
A critical kitchen question, a fiddle-playing goblin, and Beatrix Potter
Welcome to Brain Sofa, your source for pleasant, slightly edifying content to give your brain a break you can feel good about.
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Do You Really Have to Preheat the Oven?
Mental Floss | Life | 2 min
Or more precisely: when can you get away with not preheating the oven?
This Norwegian Water Spirit Just Wants to Teach You How to Fiddle
Atlas Obscura | History | 3 min
Just a bit of Scandinavian folklore as your daily reminder that humans are weird and fanciful. (Side note, does anyone know where I can find a poorly supervised white goat? Asking for a friend.)
Beatrix Potter Was a Keen Observer of the Natural World
Smithsonian Magazine | Nature | 3 min
I didn’t know Potter was an aspiring scientist before she turned to children’s books — largely because the science world was still closed to women. It’s boggling to think of all of the insights and achievements we’ve missed out on throughout history because women were prescribed such a narrow lane.
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Cuba and the Carnivalesque Take Center Stage in Kehinde Wiley’s New Portrait Series ‘HAVANA’
Colossal | Art & Creativity | 4 min
Wiley painted President Obama’s memorable greenery-laden portrait, which immediately came to mind when I saw this series, featuring regally-posed subjects amid lush botanical backgrounds.
Serving Meals to Young Children or Working in an Upscale Restaurant?
McSweeney’s | Humor | 1 min
An unexpectedly challenging quiz!
This is Henry judging me for not catching my copy-and-paste typo in yesterday’s edition. Will it happen again? Probably!
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