Welcome to the first edition of Culture Catch-Up! On the last Saturday of every month, I’ll be emptying out whatever pop-culture-related ephemera is rattling around in my brain in the hope that something I recommend might resonate with someone or at the very least provide a lol. I’m always open to new film/TV/book/podcast/etc recs so please leave them in the comments if you have any.
As January comes to a close and the ghost of Reality Von Tease hangs in the air, wearing out its welcome by the second, I can’t help but cackle at the absurdity of it all. This month has felt like a pop culture fever dream. The yassification of Gypsy Rose. The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City getting the Liane Moriarty treatment. Jacob Elordi babygirl discourse. The return of Parvati Shallow. If it’s any indication of how the rest of 2024 is going to look, I’d say we’re off to a good start.
Watching
Traitors US S2
As a lifelong Survivor fan, I will watch whatever Sandra Diaz-Twine does. Throw in Parvati Shallow and I am seated. So when I saw who’d been cast in season two of The Traitors, a show at the time I’d only heard about on a podcast, I knew I had to watch. For the uninitiated, The Traitors is a reality competition that pits the ‘faithful’ against the ‘traitors’ for $250,000. Their mission? Sniff out all the traitors so that, by the end of the game, none of them remain. If any traitors remain in the game by the end, they take home the whole pot. It’s peak reality TV and unquestionably required viewing for anyone concerned with keeping up with the culture.
And if you’re wondering if you need to watch season one before starting this new season, I highly recommend it. Not only will it get you up to speed on how the game is played but you’ll also witness a strong showing by another Survivor alum, Cirie Fields.
The Bachelor S28
S28 premiered this week, and, despite being a card-carrying member of Bachelor Nation (don’t worry, I’m cringing for the both of us), I’m often on-the-fence about the lead. They’re usually that same brand of bland midwestern white guy. But this time I’m all-in, Joey’s aversion to blinking notwithstanding. He just seems like a genuinely good guy that you can’t help but root for. Besides that, most of the fun of keeping up with a season are the recaps, particularly the ones that the podcast Game of Roses does.
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City
The moment I heard the name Reality Von Tease, I knew I had to go down the RHOSLC rabbit hole. It’s that perfect mix of stupidity and scandal that’s impossible to resist. For years, I’ve held off on the Housewives franchise because I knew that starting it would be a slippery slope, and I’m glad I put it off until recently. These women are a mirror!
Weekend
A few days ago, I watched Weekend, Andrew Haigh’s 2011 film about two men who meet and become romantically involved the weekend before one of them moves abroad. A good friend of mine recommended it to me after I told her I wanted to see All of Us Strangers, Haigh’s latest film with Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. She said it was one of her favorite films, and now I think it’s one of mine, too. It’s a quiet but deeply moving film about self-acceptance and the risks we take when we open ourselves up to someone new. It reminded me of another movie I watched recently (Past Lives) and about the often frustratingly tenuous grip we have on certain relationships.
Listening
New favorite pod alert. Subtle Urban Sex Appeal is hosted by Malik Saaka and Safy-Hallan Farah who provide biting cultural commentary cut with genuinely thoughtful conversations about race, body image, class, and culture. I’ve been a fan of Safy’s writing for a few years, so I’m thrilled that SUSA exists and that it’s introduced me to an equally fascinating mind in Malik Saaka. Equal parts laugh out loud funny and thought-provoking.
Reading
Internet Princess
This beautiful and heart-wrenching essay on grief by
. A must-read for anyone who’s endured loss.I’m nearly done with this book and I’m still not sure what to make of it. Getting through it has been a bit of a slog so I’m hoping for a satisfying ending. Initially, I enjoyed the stream of consciousness style of prose—sentences that would go on for more than a page, giving the reader a glimpse into characters’ spiraling thoughts—but halfway through, it all started to feel a bit overwrought. I’m hoping to finish it this weekend, I’ll share my thoughts in the next CC.
Eating
I first made this recipe with a friend we were visiting in Vienna who had the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen cookbook. I remember enjoying it so much that the memory stayed with me well past our trip, and I’ve thought a lot about it since. Last week, I finally found the time to make it and it was just as delicious as I remembered. This time, I used freekeh instead of rice and the grain’s nuttiness paired really well with the lemon and cumin dressing. But the stars of the show really are the blistered green peppers so make sure you get a nice char on them before adding the rice/grain of your choosing.
While making this I was reminded of the time Bon Appetit tried to cancel green bell peppers and got retroactively annoyed. If only
was around then!—
One more thing, I’ve just launched my Patreon. If you want to support my work, you can do so via this page. Since Stripe (Substack’s third party payment processor) isn’t available yet in the Philippines, Patreon’s my only option for going paid. I’ll be releasing bonus content (recipes, essays, videos, and possible a podcast) on there in the coming weeks, so hopefully you’ll consider becoming a patron.
As always, thanks for being here. 🖤
I hate Dan omg dont ruin parvatis game pls
I’m also a secret Survivor fan hehe