Brisket, Brie, And The $800 Backpack

A favorite song spins up memories of the Cape Cod Coliseum and a first concert that still rings in the ears, then we slide into a sharp, funny look at holiday gifting: luxe leather backpacks, money clips no one uses, and the difference between spending to impress and giving to delight. Our own Hanukkah looks simpler—silk scrunchies, tongs, socks—and then very not simple: a three-day brisket marathon with onions, garlic, thyme, lemon, and nerves of steel. The verdict from the table is worth every hour, even as latkes, baked brie, and bacon-wrapped scallops blow past any semblance of kosher. It’s messy, generous, and real.

From the solstice’s first returning light to the odd trend of “quiet vacations,” we explore why so many of us hide escapes while broadcasting them online. Fake jet sets, AI-impossible apartments, and the pressure to look like we’re winning turn into a bigger question: what actually feels good? That leads us to restaurants ditching sprawling menus for a single, confident offering. Fewer choices can be freeing—for chefs who want to focus and for diners who want dinner to feel like a story. We share strategies for diner menus and a playful take on soup blends that make comfort food new again.

Finally, we talk attention. Flip phones and minimalist devices are surging because people want peace from pings and doomscrolls. Could you give up your most-used app? Would you trade convenience for calm? We don’t preach purity—we practice intention. Cook the long meal when it matters. Order the fixed menu and trust the kitchen. Blend your soup and surprise yourself. And as the days get a little brighter, put a light on for the people you love. If this conversation made you smile, nod, or argue with your speaker, tap follow, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. What would you give up for more peace?

Find our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/447251562357065/

Transcript

Opening Music And Station Welcome

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Will I never been to Spain? But I can't like the music. See the ladies all insane there and they show how to use it. They don't abuse it. They're gonna lose it.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Hello. Welcome to the Anne Levine Show. It's Tuesday, December twenty-third, two thousand and twenty-five.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Wow.

Cape Cod Coliseum And Concert Memories

SPEAKER_01 0:49

Yes. A week away from next year. From next year. I am coming to you with Michael over there.

SPEAKER_02 1:02

Hello.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

From W O M R. 92.1 FM in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

That's right, a 91.3 FM Orleans. WFMR. And we're streaming worldwide at W O M R dot O R G. And this is Three Dog Night singing in the background. Singing one of my very favorite songs. I believe at one time was also your favorite song. Am I not correct?

SPEAKER_01 1:37

It could have been, I mean, certainly among my favorite songs. Um, Three Dog Night is the first concert I ever went to.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

How about that?

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Yeah. And it was at the Cape Cod Coliseum.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Which which you young people out there won't know ever existed.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

Right, yeah, because uh there's no I mean, how long has it been?

SPEAKER_01 2:07

You know, I'm thinking it might have been over in the 70s, maybe, or late 70s? I don't know. I definitely have to look that up because I am in no way certain. I do miss it.

SPEAKER_02 2:26

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Um, I mean, it gave us I can't imagine how many seats were there. Maybe 10,000? I don't know. But uh, you know, we had an opportunity for some.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

It had like uh the most 6,500 people. Oh, really? Yeah, 5,000 to 6,500.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

And what were the years?

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Do you have it opened in 1972. Uh-huh. And its final event was in 1984, which was a uh World Wrestling Federation event.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Well, I think part of what happened to it is that it had a flat roof. And there were so it was 6,500 people, say 6,000 people.

SPEAKER_02 3:22

Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Well, that's a pretty big group for Cape Cod. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:27

Well, you know what? And they took advantage of it too because, I mean, who played there? I'll tell you.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Aerosmith? Yep, I was there.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

Right? Yep. The Clash wasn't there.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

Elvis Costello.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 3:41

The Jay Giles band played there ten times. Uh-huh. Um, Van Halen. Uh-huh. Santana. The Grateful Dead were the was there twice. Yep. In 1979. It just, yeah. No, that's true. Jim Croce, Black Sabbath, the Doobie Brothers. It's just crazy.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 4:03

That is some, you know, that's some top-tier entertainment right there.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Well, that was definitely my world. God, I loved it there. Todd Rundgren.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Yeah. Well, there you go.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Uh, I'll never forget that concert. I was with Mary Bowen, who was also a Todd Rundgren fanatic. And to this day, I'm envious because she ran up to the front after the show, and one of the roadies tossed a guitar pick to her.

SPEAKER_02 4:45

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

That Todd had been using.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

Very nice.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Well, and she took it to Eden to a local jeweler here.

SPEAKER_02 4:53

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

And they made a little silver bezel all the way around it. Oh, how fun. And she had the Todd Rundgren pick necklace. How I love that idea. Well, I'm still frothing. Yeah. Because I wanted that.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Yeah, you didn't you didn't have one of those.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

I didn't. I still don't.

SPEAKER_02 5:15

Yeah.

Gifts, Luxury Labels, And Holiday Expectations

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Um, put that on next year's Hanukkah list.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Oh, hey, good idea.

SPEAKER_01 5:21

We had the last night of Hanukkah on Sunday. And um, I have several Hanukkah moments to tell you about. But I'm gonna start with a friend of mine and Michael's who she's young. She's young, and she's got a young boyfriend, and they're both like oh, they look like the cover of the Ralph Lauren catalog.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Yeah, yeah. They're both little hard bodies, they're both and gorgeous by themselves and together. It's like stopping. Ridiculous.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Yeah. So truly two of the most attractive humans I've ever seen. Yeah. So um, and so this friend of ours, the woman, she was sitting here and telling me what she got her boyfriend for Christmas.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

So she's got a it's all polo, Ralph Lauren. It's a leather backpack.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

Yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

Right. I mean, just holy smokes.

SPEAKER_02 6:47

Yeah. And it's I can't even imagine. It's eight hundred dollars. Oh my god. And see, what good is a backpack you don't want to use because it was eight hundred dollars, right?

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Oh no, see, she'll make him she bought him the duffel bag, I think, last year.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

And she wants him to match when they travel.

SPEAKER_02 7:12

Uh huh.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

She wants him to have the matching backpack and duffel bag.

SPEAKER_02 7:17

I see.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Now, none of these things, right? None of these things have practical use. There are no wheels on anything. So this guy has to slap, you know, over his shoulder. This like, you know.

SPEAKER_02 7:36

Leather duffel bag and the backpack.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

And the leather backpack.

SPEAKER_02 7:41

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

Yep. How fun. Also, I just starting, she also got him the polo leather money clip.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

And she was showing it to me and how gorgeous it is, and it was like$150 for a money clip.

SPEAKER_02 8:03

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

And I said, Is I now I haven't seen a money clip in use in, I don't know, 40 years.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

Yeah, I don't really I I mean I never would have used one.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

And I said, Is he gonna use this? Does he walk around with that much cash? I mean, people don't even walk around with any cash anymore.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

And she said, Oh, well, we'll get to that. Then she got him.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

Um just right now, just now looking at a picture of it. Now it is very cool, though. It is really nice, but uh right.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

And then she got him two pairs of trousers from Polo.

SPEAKER_02 8:49

Polo, okay. And some of my favorite trousers. Yeah. They're great. No doubt.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

But I mean, here's this list.

SPEAKER_02 9:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

And then suede boots. Polo.

SPEAKER_02 9:06

Okay. Oh, you know, I got some suede boots too, though.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Yes, you did. So that's pretty nice. But different. Yeah. A little different. Yeah. Anyway, these suede boots had to be what two, three hundred bucks. Anyway, it's not about the. And then she's sitting here talking to me and telling me all this stuff. And she said, I'm worried that I don't have enough. Should I buy him more? And I said, Sweetheart, you're out of your mind. Get him more. And I said, and what's he getting you? And are you gonna like it?

SPEAKER_02 9:44

Okay, tell me about the boots again. What kind what c what do they look like?

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Suede, I think they're step boots.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

Like a Chelsea boot? Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Yeah, probably.

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Okay, yeah. Okay. I'm I'm looking at him now.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

So uh and what do you got?

SPEAKER_02 10:02

You know, they're a couple hundred bucks.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:05

Yeah, and until you go up to the next level, that's uh five and a half.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

So well, you never know. Right. Um and then so she's uh saying, what else can I get about? Yeah, what else? And I just said, I don't know what you're talking about. I have no concept. Now, these are not people who are married, these are people who've been dating for a little over a year.

SPEAKER_02 10:35

Right, about a year and a half.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

Right.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

And so, and anyhow, I I was just like, oh God, you know, let it give it a rest. Should be enough, folks. And then I know there's something I'm forgetting, but whatever. Then um she says to me, look, and she shows me a picture on her phone of a of a Christmas tree with a bunch of presents under it. And she said, This is Chatham's Christmas tree. Chatham is her dog. The golden retriever, yep. And I mean, there had to be 15 presents under this little tree. This separate tree from him. I absolutely believe it, yeah. And so a friend of the family came into that their house. This is all at her boyfriend's house, and saw this tree and said, What, are you guys Jewish? Now she's telling me this story. Yes. And I'm looking at her like, what? Are we famous for uh Christmas trees for our pets for dozens of toys on it?

SPEAKER_02 11:58

Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 11:59

So she says to me, Well, you guys get eight presents each.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:08

And I said, Whoa, slow your roll there. And um, I said, It's nothing like what you're talking about. Right.

Hanukkah Traditions And The Three-Day Brisket

SPEAKER_02 12:18

They're not, it's not leather backpacks.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Nothing.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

And this was sort of halfway through Hanukkah. Right. And she said, tell me what you got so far. And she's thinking I'm gonna say, Well, I got a new diamond ring. Right, yeah. And whatever.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

Michael bought me that ruby necklace. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

Oh, what? What?

SPEAKER_02 12:44

Huh?

SPEAKER_01 12:44

Yeah. So um she said, What did you get so far? I said, Well, I got blissy scrunchies.

SPEAKER_02 12:54

Yeah, some really finish hair ties.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

Yeah. I got scrunchies, you know, that won't pull my hair out because they've they're coated in that silky material.

SPEAKER_02 13:08

Yep. And uh you got some candy.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

And I got some sugar-free treats. Yeah. Delicious. Um, what else? Socks. I got some. I got socks. And I got socks tw I got double socks. I got a pair of cashmere.

SPEAKER_02 13:34

Because it's cute socks and then some.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

And then I got socks that look like animal paws. Yeah. Um, and I was like, yeah, so those are my first four nights. She was like, Well, what did you get more impressed? And I said, tongs. Yeah. She said, Tongs. I said, Yeah. He broke the tongs in the kitchen, so I got him new tongues. And he broke the spatula, so I got him a new spatula. And socks. Yeah. And and she was just like.

SPEAKER_02 14:08

Oh, and a and uh and a couple t-shirts. Yeah. Yeah. She was gobsmashed. I know, it's very funny what people think is going on. Yeah, exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

And I said, so yeah, so I'm gonna set you a price limit of you've got, oh, I got a new Dutch oven, a smaller one than what I've been using. Right, yeah. Um, you know, so like little things.

SPEAKER_02 14:38

Oh, and and you got your Hanukkah present from last year.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

What what are you what?

SPEAKER_02 14:44

The the mugs. We finally got them. Oh, right. Got those. I bought those last year, which finally got them.

SPEAKER_01 14:51

There were these mugs that a friend of ours made. Yeah. Um, she's a potter. And I wanted a different color anyway. I they we finally got them a year later, eight mugs. So m Michael was ingenious, and he got me one for each night. Um, so that was a great gift, although ended up having to wait a long time for the colors I wanted anyway.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

Um well it's become you know, it's because they're they're they uh fell apart physically.

SPEAKER_01 15:27

Yes, yes, yes, the potter fell apart, not the mugs. Anyhow, um it it was just she was looking at me like, are you people kidding? You give each other like tongs and hair ties. Yeah, you know, that's ridiculous. And I said, Yep, that's Hanukkah for you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

Um make sure there's gonna be some latkas around and you know, stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:59

Yeah. Or some amazing brisket. Well, I have to get to that. I know, I know. So just teasing it. Teasing the brisket. Yeah, teasing the brisket.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Oh my god. So we have our there are six of us. This year there were seven, um, but there are six of us who do most Jewish holidays together. Right. And so this year, same group, Hanukkah, and we're planning the menu, and different people bring different things, and I, like a yutz, said I'll bring the brisket this year. So the first thing is find a brisket. Now that may sound like an easy peasy move, but I could not find any brisket at any right, much less brisket for like seven or eight people. Right.

SPEAKER_02 17:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

So I call this fantastic loc local butcher and I order a six-pound brisket flat.

SPEAKER_02 17:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:22

And if you know what that is, you know. If you know, you know. Um, anyway, I get it going in my huge pot, my huge stew pot, soup pot, and it's not even fitting, it's not all fitting in the bottle to brown it. So we start I start with that, and that was on Friday. Then I put it in for like a five-hour cook. Then it has to sit and rest in the oven with the heat turned off. Right. Then it goes in the refrigerator. Then on Saturday, you take it out of the refrigerator and you skim all the fat which has risen to the top and solidified off of it, and then you test whether it's um too tough still.

SPEAKER_02 18:32

Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

Which it was. Yeah, so you so it had to go back in the oven.

SPEAKER_02 18:39

Yeah. You didn't mention, by the way, it's in there with a whole bag of onions and oh, there's tons, yeah. Yeah, and a bunch of other amazing stuff.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Yeah, there's garlic, there's a little red wine, there's um spices and all kinds of spices and beef broth and it's yeah, the whole thing is nuts. Um, so back in the oven, a long cook. Anyway, finally on Sunday, right? Sunday morning, I take it out of the pot, and it's the perfect duneness, the perfect everything. Yeah. And I start slicing it up to finally put it in, what we're gonna serve it in, and put all the onions and everything on top and the sauce. I just want to say that it was absolutely a three day cook. Yeah. And it was brutal.

unknown 19:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

And I was panicking the whole way through thinking, this isn't gonna come out right, this isn't gonna be good. Oh my God, this has to be amazing.

SPEAKER_02 19:59

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 20:00

It was so well it actually was.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:03

I mean people I've people were complimenting me on the darn brisket. Yeah. And thank the Lord because after three days of making brisket for the group, I was a mess. How much did we bring any home?

SPEAKER_02 20:22

Yeah, we brought uh we brought a little bit back. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

And some stayed there, right?

SPEAKER_02 20:28

No, nothing stayed. Because there wasn't much left. No.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

You're kidding me? Because that was a lot.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

I know, but there no, there's not that much left.

Solstice Light And Summer Christmas Down Under

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Wow. Well, anyhow, um, and we of course had latkas. Oh. We had three vegetables, which was really nice. Um, uh, and then the worst th the worst thing, the best thing, the worst thing is that our friend put out, now there's zero um, you know, attention paid to kosher anything at this household. And um, even though very Jewish, both of them, um, but so as the appetizers, they put out an apple-baked brie. Yeah. And rumaki, which is scallops wrapped in bacon.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

Now, if you want to talk about or chicken livers, because that's the original way to do it.

SPEAKER_01 21:42

If you want to talk about the most anti-kosher thing in the world, yeah. It's scallops wrapped wrapped in bacon bacon. Anyway, I sat down next to this damn baked bray and I ate like half of it.

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Yeah, well, not quite, but it's smelt that way.

SPEAKER_01 22:06

Yeah. It was a lot.

SPEAKER_02 22:08

But it's uh but it was so good. It was so good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

And so then we got to sit down at the table. I'm already so full.

SPEAKER_02 22:18

Basically, all done by the time we get there. Have a few vegetables for dessert.

SPEAKER_01 22:24

Exactly, which is what I did. Yeah. And it was funny because on the way home, I was like, oh, I don't remember eating this much. And Michael sort of looks at me like, meh. Um, because my plate looked empty in a way. There were only like three lockas on it, you know, and a couple of no, there were two. Oh two lockas on it. And yeah, and not even very big ones. Right.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:54

Um, and so our hostess was like, is aren't you getting more? And I said, No, I'm good. I'm gonna have a few vegetables. Anyway, so I said to Michael, oh my god, I haven't eaten that much in so long. And he kind of looks at me like, and I said, You're forgetting that I ate this entire baked.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

I forgot about the brie, yeah. Because I was just thinking about what you had on your plate, right?

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Which was a whole thing and two lakes.

SPEAKER_02 23:24

Yeah, so broccoli and some asparagus and then a carrot. Exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:32

It's all all very good. Yeah. Um it just didn't look like she's never eaten this much. Right. Well, exactly. Given what I eat these days, it was a lot. It felt like a very, very lot. Oh, and I should mention that I made this six-pound brisket, and I don't eat red meat.

SPEAKER_02 23:57

Right. So Well, neither does another one of the participants there. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Yeah. Um that's why I was so surprised that there was not, I thought there would be tons of leftovers. We'd leave plenty for them. They'd be eating brisket sandwiches today.

SPEAKER_02 24:17

Oh no, no, didn't work out like that.

SPEAKER_01 24:21

Wow. Okay. Well, anyway, um, I have sworn off brisket cook. Let's put it this way.

SPEAKER_02 24:33

If I ever that was a deal. Yeah, I agree.

Quiet Vacations And Social Media Posturing

SPEAKER_01 24:36

If I ever do a brisket again, it's gonna be like a three-pounder. Okay. And I know exactly what to do. And I'm not doing it. So, you know.

SPEAKER_02 24:50

Well, I mean, you don't have to do it the way that you did it. That's a very traditional way, you know, to do it. You could just you could just slow cook it one time, you know, and be good.

SPEAKER_01 25:04

Oh no, oh, you mean put it in a slow cooker. Yeah. Or, you know, yeah. As opposed to a Dutch oven. Right. Well, I had to, you know, yeah, do the traditional.

SPEAKER_02 25:17

And you did, and it and it's great, and it's absolutely fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

So and there was Ceylon in there, right? There was lemon. I'm forgetting some of the there was thyme. It was a major stuff deal. It was very good, so oh, and we took Sulk. Right. Did that stay there? It did. Oh, good, good. Because there was one participant that was crazy for that. Yeah.

unknown 25:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Yeah, I left it there for him. So anyway. Because we still we still have some here anyway. Yeah. No, I was happy to leave all of it there. Um, at any rate. Then, of course, there's like apple pie a la mode for dessert.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Oh boy, that was good too.

SPEAKER_01 26:08

Which which just cracks me up. Um, some of the food that we end up eating at some of these gatherings. At any rate, and then Well, come on, brisket and ice cream. Let's go. Exactly. Exactly. So there we were, all of us um eating our crazy Hanukkah meal. Um we were told no gifts over$2.50.

SPEAKER_02 26:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Which is ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02 26:45

Which is like impossible, really. I mean, what are you gonna do? Bring here, here's your Snickers bar.

SPEAKER_01 26:51

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 26:53

Here's your pack of gum and a Snickers bar. Oh no, oh no, not both of them. No, no, just one. I guess so. For$250, that's all you're getting is one of those. Wow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

Well, there was tons of candy also. Yeah. Um, they had tons of gelt. And then um the hostess made that bark, like a caramel bark.

SPEAKER_02 27:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:24

And um it's very good. But I mean, the amount of sugary, sweet treats was insane.

SPEAKER_02 27:33

Yeah, there was an aw an awful lot of that going on.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

And of course, I bought solid chocolate draidles from Dylan's candy bar. Anyway, whatever. It was um, it was quite a night.

SPEAKER_02 27:49

It was fun. It was and that's a great group. It really is.

SPEAKER_01 27:52

It is, yeah, it's kind of hilarious, this group. Um, ranging in age from 40 to 80. Yeah. Yeah. No, it w it was terrific. Um so anyway, like that. Yeah. If you want a recipe for a back breaking Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:18

If you want to commit to three days worth of uh nonsense for a great brisket, uh send in an email.

SPEAKER_01 28:26

Yeah, I'll tell you exactly what to do.

SPEAKER_02 28:31

Number one, don't. Yeah, exactly. Find another way. Although although it is so good, but and it's it's so much, it's so good for me, but I didn't have to do any of the work. Right. You know, so it's very different if you've got to do all of the work.

SPEAKER_01 28:53

I am physically and emotionally exhausted because in addition to doing all the work, I was panicking. Yeah. That it this isn't gonna come out well. This is not this is gonna be a disaster. Anyway, came out well, yeah. Um, so happy Hanukkah. That's another Hanukkah.

Fixed Menus, Waste, And Dining Philosophy

SPEAKER_02 29:16

Yeah, another one in the books. That's right. And um, and oh the sun. Oh yes. We have more sun today.

SPEAKER_01 29:31

That's right.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

Or than yesterday. Yeah, oh. So nice.

SPEAKER_01 29:37

It's starting to get lighter.

SPEAKER_02 29:39

Yeah, it's uh it's one of my favorite times of year, my fave very favorite days. It's still really dark out, but I know that it's now gonna start getting lighter.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

Well, this is that conundrum where the sun is the closest it ever is to Earth on the 21st, on the solstice. And it just doesn't feel like that.

SPEAKER_02 30:11

No, because we're tipped away from it.

SPEAKER_01 30:13

Yeah, yeah. We're way far away. Yeah, but our friends. Yeah, yeah. They have Christmas on the beach, which um is a bunch of people running around like in bikinis and Santa hats.

SPEAKER_02 30:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

Um, because they're Aussies.

SPEAKER_02 30:34

Uh there's a um I don't know if Christmas Island is a real place, but there's a song called Christmas Island. Do you know that song? Is that Jimmy Buffett?

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Jimmy Buffett's one of the people that did that song, yeah. Um well, I've never heard it, but it sounded like a Jimmy Buffett joint. Yep. Very good, by the way. There's a thing that's happening called the Quiet Vacation Trend. Now, see, I find this absolutely hilarious.

SPEAKER_02 31:09

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:10

And just okay, so this is people Quiet Vacation. People in their twenties and thirties are taking vacations and not telling their boss. So they kind of slip out for a quiet vacation, like take a couple of personal days and blah blah blah. Okay. But then, of course, what are they doing? What are they doing? They're putting up videos and selfies from hotel rooms, from cruise ships, national parks. Right. Now, some companies are tolerating this and others are cracking down hard. Yeah, okay. Well, that makes sense. I mean, I don't think my boss has to know, you know, what I'm doing with my personal days.

SPEAKER_02 32:17

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 32:19

But I think that But these aren't personal, these are days you're supposed to be working. Right. Except something's wrong or whatever. Right. Yeah. Or something needs attention.

SPEAKER_02 32:30

Right.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

You gotta go to court. Whatever. Yeah. Right. You know. Um, so anyhow, I just find this the whole thing of people needing to put their lives on Instagram, on TikTok, on whatever.

SPEAKER_02 32:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:55

I just mind blowing.

SPEAKER_02 32:58

I don't know. I don't I don't get it either. And the and the fact that they're so desperate to look uh a certain way. Uh you know there is an industry, right, that uh is fake jet interiors. Yes. For these people to rent and go and sit in and pretend that they're in a private jet so they can take pictures and post it on social media and look like they're living the life.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

It's crazy. Uh uh there's fake everything.

SPEAKER_02 33:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:38

I one of my favorites.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

It costs you anywhere from 50 to 300 bucks an hour, by the way, to sit in one of these fake airplanes. It's so stupid.

SPEAKER_01 33:50

One of one of my favorite AI deals where they create things are listings for apartments and houses online of places that are created by AI. So people put in, like, okay, I want a huge two-story loft with, you know, this and that, and you know, push button shades and all this stuff. And then if you look carefully, you see insane things that can't exist. Like, you know, you get to the second floor and there's uh whatchamacallit, stairs heading to nowhere.

SPEAKER_02 34:39

Oh, okay. Well that's sound now there is a real place like uh a couple of real places like that, but anyway.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

What do you mean?

SPEAKER_02 34:47

Um uh Hearst Mansion has stairs that go nowhere.

SPEAKER_01 34:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 34:53

Uh and so does uh the Winchester mansion. That's a very weird place. It's got hallways and and doors and stairs that go absolutely nowhere and stop in the middle of nothing. It's just it's really very weird, but obviously that's those are outliers. That's that's not normal.

SPEAKER_01 35:15

Well, uh, but see, that's a different thing. You know, you've got billionaires who are like, oh uh uh whatever. And and in this wing of this wing, right, you know, wings that have wings. Um, but these are apartments in New York City that um I'll have to show you a couple of them. They're incredible. Um because you have stair like suspended stairs. Okay, yeah. You know what I mean? Where well, and these have no railings on them.

SPEAKER_02 35:55

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 35:56

Yeah, and this is in a you know, 18 foot ceilings.

SPEAKER_02 36:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:01

And you're supposed to go up and down to the bedroom.

SPEAKER_02 36:05

Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:06

See, I wouldn't go up and down on those ever.

SPEAKER_02 36:11

No, I'd have to w go up 'em like a ladder.

SPEAKER_01 36:15

Oh, I'd have to be in a yeah, I'd have to be strapped in like I was, you know, base jumping. Absolutely. I'd need a suit, I'd need a helmet, I'd need carabiners hooked up to Oh yeah. Whatever.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

Yeah. Pythons.

SPEAKER_01 36:37

Yes. Yep. Crampons. The whole situation to go up and down. Exactly. Anyway.

SPEAKER_02 36:45

Um so Look at that. So someone said carabiners on the show. I don't know if I've ever remembered anyone saying that word on this show since I've been here.

SPEAKER_01 36:57

Well.

SPEAKER_02 36:57

So that's pretty good. It is? Yeah. Congratulations.

SPEAKER_01 37:01

Well, thank you. I didn't realize that you were waiting for me to come up with words.

SPEAKER_02 37:08

Well, I I wasn't, but when you said it, I'm like, that is so awesome.

Soup Blends And Being Soup Centric

SPEAKER_01 37:16

Yeah. Oh, yes, the applause. I live for the applause. Yeah. Um, so that's the old quiet. Now, do you think that it's a resourceful thing in some way to do or dishonest, the quiet vacations in quotes?

SPEAKER_02 37:41

Oh no, I uh I think I think it's dishonest. Yeah. I mean, if you're hiding it, if you're hiding the whole thing from your boss, it's obviously dishonest. If you're hiding it from anybody, there's something you feel guilty about. There's you know, there's something you as as a you're trying to explain it to somebody there you have a problem with it internally. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:10

Well, anyway, um, here's another current thing that the youngins are doing. Okay. Whew, good thing. More restaurants are offering, and by offering, I mean only giving no choice fixed menus.

SPEAKER_02 38:35

Ah.

SPEAKER_01 38:36

And there's these are not tasting menus. This is like this is dinner, trust us.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

Ah.

SPEAKER_01 38:47

And chefs say it cuts tons of waste and anxiety. Yep. Like you don't have to make brisket. Um, three days brisket.

SPEAKER_02 38:59

Unless it's on the menu. Right. Three days from now. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

Now, I find this, this sounds delightful to me.

SPEAKER_02 39:07

I think it uh I think it sounds amazing.

SPEAKER_01 39:11

Yep. Um, I'm sure that if you have an a food allergy or or whatever it is, you know, you could say if you have it, whatever.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

Well, you know what it sounds to me a little bit like is uh um as as we got on um moved on a a little bit in the bear when he just said, Okay, screw that old menu. This is what we're doing.

SPEAKER_01 39:40

Right.

SPEAKER_02 39:41

Right, and and we're doing it every night. Right, exactly. I I don't know. It's just there's is there's a similarity there that it just rang in my head.

SPEAKER_01 39:51

Well, I love the idea of okay, this place is fantastic, yeah. And let's just go and Let them make dinner for us or make lunch for us or whatever it is.

SPEAKER_02 40:06

I n I know I've heard of some really exclusive restaurant that that's that's always been their deal. It's like this is this is what is on the menu for this night, and you may have made your reservation three months ago, you know, expecting something different, but this is what we're having on the night you're coming, you know, kind of thing. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:31

No, I'm all for this.

SPEAKER_02 40:34

I I like the idea, I really do, because then you get to really the the people in the kitchen also get to really concentrate on this this dish, yeah. Right. As an experience for everybody. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 40:51

Yeah, I think that's wonderful. I do too. Um and there are there are a couple places, there's a restaurant very near here, um that sir has a very spare menu, and it changes periodically, but you have your choice of kind of five appetizers, five main courses, and two desserts. And so you get locked in pretty quick when your choices are narrowed down like that. Yeah. When you get handed a huge menu, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:30

I don't I don't want a menu with endless items. I really don't, because I don't think anybody's paying any attention to anyone in particular.

SPEAKER_01 41:39

Well, and you get hung up on should I have this or that?

SPEAKER_02 41:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:44

Or, well, let's see, how many carbs are in this or that?

SPEAKER_02 41:48

Or okay, I'm honey, I'm gonna get this one, you get that one, and then you can have some mine. I'll have some of yours. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah, just to try no.

SPEAKER_01 41:58

No.

SPEAKER_02 41:59

And you know, it's like I'm very ha I would be very happy with like uh five options. I think four is probably enough. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:08

Well, do you know what I'm talking about?

SPEAKER_02 42:11

I'm not sure. I I don't know.

The Return Of Dumb Phones And Attention

SPEAKER_01 42:13

The pheasant. Oh, okay, yeah. Just superb. Um and it's it's just particular. You know, it's like if you go to a friend's house, right, for a meal. They're not calling you with a menu. Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:33

What would you like to have when you come over?

SPEAKER_01 42:35

Exactly. You're going over there knowing that you're gonna have what they're serving, right? Like, come on, people, let's grow up. I really like this.

SPEAKER_02 42:45

I do too. I I think it's a good idea.

SPEAKER_01 42:47

I really do like this, and uh I I want more places to do to do that. Yeah, yeah, me too. You know, a long, long, long time ago, there was a very famous and very fabulous restaurant in New York City called La Grenouille. Oh yeah. And uh it oh yeah, you're thinking of it because of Matthew, right? Exactly, yeah. Um anyway, uh when it was really in its heyday. Obviously, I've never been there, but yeah, I in its heyday in the 80s, the early 80s, late 70s to mid eighties, I'm gonna say, were the best times for this place. You would go in if you they did have a menu, but you could also just go in and tell them what you want for dinner. And they would go and they would have to go okay, and then come back with it 15 minutes later.

SPEAKER_02 44:02

How about that? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:03

It was just the first time I was there for an event like that, and I was a kid, it blew my mind that such a thing was even possible.

SPEAKER_02 44:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:15

Now you paid a king's ransom for that.

SPEAKER_02 44:18

Uh-huh. Uh, but hey, if you had it well, it's a price of convenience, right?

SPEAKER_01 44:26

Well, yeah. Um, I had a I had a boyfriend that was obsessed with that place. And that was fine with me. I took I got to go there all the time. And also the palm, where you could go and sort of say, This is what I want. You know, and they would say, Well, we can do this or we can do that. But anyhow, yeah, um, certainly not now. There's a there's a flip side to this, which is a good old-fashioned diner in New York City. Oh, yeah, where you get like a 10-page laminated, you know, like full presentation folder of a menu.

SPEAKER_02 45:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:17

And there's everything on it from two tablespoons of cottage cheese with some cantaloupe, yeah, to lobster. Like a whole lobster.

SPEAKER_02 45:31

Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:32

And everything you can imagine is on this menu. Now, what you do, I'm gonna tell you when you go somewhere like this, is there's really one option, which is a sandwich, and keep it as kind of quotidian as you have. I said quotidium before?

SPEAKER_02 45:54

I don't believe so. No.

SPEAKER_01 45:56

Keep it as quotidium as you can. Oh no. But I mean, my order in that place, in one of these places, is a grilled cheese and fries.

SPEAKER_02 46:13

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 46:14

And a Dye Coke. All right. Yeah, I mean, and I'm talking, of course, a long, long time ago when I'd be in one of these places in New York.

SPEAKER_02 46:26

Um, there was one on 72nd Street that I was I'd have to I'd have to uh try the soup at whatever you know these places. Uh-huh. Yeah. That would be my thing.

SPEAKER_01 46:37

You would have your choice of one of six or seven kinds, probably. Yeah. Um, have you heard about this thing now, which I think is genius, um, and others have a problem with it, where you do soup blends. So soup blends. So say you're going somewhere that has um buffet, you know, okay, like steam tables, yeah. Stuff to take home.

SPEAKER_02 47:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 47:14

You know, say you go to Whole Foods.

SPEAKER_02 47:16

Right. I understand. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:18

And you want soup.

SPEAKER_02 47:21

Well Or the there's the fresh whatever the in New York, they're all over the place. You can just go in and get all kinds of salad y things.

SPEAKER_01 47:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 47:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:34

Yeah. Tons of places like that. Um anyhow, what people are doing now is going to the soup section and getting out their quart container or their pine container, whatever it is. Right. And they put in two or three different kinds.

SPEAKER_02 47:53

I see.

SPEAKER_01 47:54

Which I think sounds pretty fabulous.

SPEAKER_02 48:00

I mean, it I would try it. Um I would I would have to try it just to see, you know, what the combinations would be like. Well, I but I never would have thought of it on my own. Right. It's not something I I would go up, you know, as a kid, I'd go up to the soda machine and I'd be mixing all the different kinds of things. Exactly. But I never would have thought of doing that with soup.

SPEAKER_01 48:25

Well, it's exactly the same thing. Right. And but I and at first when I heard about this, I was like, ugh, that doesn't sound right to me. But then I thought about it, wait a second. If you get like, say, a turkey barley soup, and you put in a little tomato soup in there.

Closing Notes, Music, And Holiday Sign-Off

SPEAKER_02 48:51

I was thinking some um some kind uh butternut squash or something like that. Uh-huh. Yeah, something like that. And oh. And then something more savor. I think you've I think, yeah, I think you've just elevated your soup, probably. Exactly. Yeah. I think you probably have.

SPEAKER_01 49:08

And I think it could be virtually anything except you'd want to keep the clam chowder separate.

SPEAKER_02 49:14

Yeah, I would think so. Yeah. Yeah. Um unless you had some like consomme or something like that that was, you know.

SPEAKER_01 49:22

But you put some split pea in with the you know, it if you think about it, it can make some really delicious soups.

SPEAKER_02 49:34

Yeah, I just I just never in my life ever would have thought of doing that.

SPEAKER_01 49:39

I wouldn't either if I hadn't heard about it. Yeah. So, and you if you think about it in terms of a meal, like I want some meat, I want some vegetables, I want some starch. Right. Okay, now I'm gonna go create that in my soup container.

SPEAKER_02 49:57

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 49:58

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 49:58

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 49:59

I like it.

SPEAKER_02 50:00

I mean, yeah, and it's now if I ever end up in that situation, I'm gonna have to do this.

SPEAKER_01 50:06

Well, I think so too. Yeah. I was thinking of you when I heard about it.

SPEAKER_02 50:11

Yeah, I will have to, yeah, I'm very you're a soup fanatic. Yeah, I'm a soup centric person.

SPEAKER_01 50:16

You are soup centric.

SPEAKER_02 50:18

And I have the t-shirt.

SPEAKER_01 50:20

Which well, you've got a couple of soup t-shirts now.

SPEAKER_02 50:23

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 50:24

What's the second one you have?

SPEAKER_02 50:25

Hanukkah, the Hanukkah one.

SPEAKER_01 50:27

Yeah, the Hanukkah one is easily distracted by soup.

SPEAKER_02 50:34

Yeah, I think that's what it is. Yeah. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 50:37

And that is true. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:39

And then the other one that just actually says soup centric. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:43

I'm sitting here like having little fantasies. I'm thinking, okay, chicken noodle with the tomato. For some reason, now I'm not a person who has ever wanted to sit down with tomato soup unless there was a huge grilled cheese.

SPEAKER_02 51:00

Yeah, see, that's right. Oh, oh yeah. But otherwise, those two things really should always have to go together.

SPEAKER_01 51:10

Right. But when you when I think of tomato soup as like, okay, let's let's jazz this up, you know, like this chicken noodle soup. Right. I like the idea of wait, let's put a splash of tomato in here. Yep. I like it. It would make a big difference. It would, it would be huge. Yeah. All right.

SPEAKER_02 51:34

So no arguments for me. I l I I'm I'm all for this trend. So I am too.

SPEAKER_01 51:43

And I think that um it's something we should try.

SPEAKER_02 51:48

Yeah. They should have soup bars where you could go up and you know and just dispense, you know, with spigots, right? And you can just go in and dispense.

SPEAKER_01 51:58

Okay, that's crossing me out. Certain amount of spigot situation. Yeah. I'm not loving it.

SPEAKER_02 52:04

No.

SPEAKER_01 52:05

But hey. Sounds I mean, they'd have to be huge spigots.

SPEAKER_02 52:10

Yeah, they they would have to be pretty.

SPEAKER_01 52:12

For the stuff to get through. Ugh. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 52:16

Yeah, it actually sounds kind of problematic when you think about it.

SPEAKER_01 52:20

Now, there's another thing, there's another trend. I know you've heard about this, but I want to talk about this a little bit. And that's the the great return of the dumb phone as opposed to the smartphone. And that's flip phones and minimalist phones are surging with people under 35. So you got no apps, no doom scrolling, just calls, texts, peace. Got no problem with that. Uh the only problem with it is if you do want to send even the most brief of texts, it's a nightmare.

SPEAKER_02 53:13

Yeah, well, you gotta do the A the A. Right. Yeah, I know. You gotta do the one, three times to get a C.

SPEAKER_01 53:23

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 53:24

Yeah. It's it is ridiculous. And that's how we used to have to do it when it you know when it first started, but thankfully, uh it's gotten a little easier since.

SPEAKER_01 53:37

Well, now, would you survive without your smartphone?

SPEAKER_02 53:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:45

All right, now I'm gonna ask you a couple of questions, and they apply to me too. Okay. So you're waiting for something somewhere. Uh-huh. At a doctor's office, you're waiting for your car to get repaired, you're wait- whatever. Right. What do you do? Uh I don't know, watch the TV in the lobby. There you go. Watch the TV in the lobby. Yeah. That's kind of the option.

SPEAKER_02 54:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:16

Or you could read a book, which no one knows how to do anything.

SPEAKER_02 54:20

Right, or re Right. They uh if they they may have magazines or so, you know, something you can read in there. That's that's cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:27

But you can't listen to a book, you can't play your game, you can't do the New York Times spelling beat. You can't do anything.

SPEAKER_02 54:34

Right, uh, I right, I I agreed. But you know, I've I've lived through that and it wasn't that awful.

SPEAKER_01 54:42

No, I mean when you see, it's a lot different being on this side of it, yeah, as opposed to before you knew such a thing existed. Yeah, yeah. Um, you know, and you felt like, whoa, I've got a cell phone. I mean, my first cell phone was a was a Nokia flip phone. Oh. And it was so early in the game. When did cell phones was like the mid-90s, really? Yeah, when they got really popular. Ubiquitous. Yeah. Did I ever say ubiquitous before?

SPEAKER_02 55:25

Uh you may have. And if you haven't, I I might have.

SPEAKER_01 55:29

All right, so we can let that one. We can let that lay where Jesus flying it.

SPEAKER_02 55:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:36

Um Frankie Ramage, wherever you are. I'm still saying your crazy little phrases.

SPEAKER_02 55:48

Um first uh mobile phone, first commercial mobile phone was 1984. Right. Text messaging didn't start until 1991.

SPEAKER_01 56:01

All right. Well, that's about when I got my phone. Or it could have been a couple years after that. Whatever. But here's what's hilarious. It was so early in the game that if I got in a cab and I wanted to talk to someone, I wanted to, I would apologize to the driver.

SPEAKER_02 56:31

Right, yeah. And say, hey, I've got to make this call.

SPEAKER_01 56:35

Yeah. For talking on the phone.

SPEAKER_02 56:38

Can you imagine anyone doing that now? No, absolutely not.

unknown 56:44

Oh God.

SPEAKER_02 56:45

Yeah. That is not the way people work these days. No.

SPEAKER_01 56:52

Um, what's the one app that you couldn't give up? Or that would be the hardest for you to give up? Um What would you say is your most used app?

SPEAKER_02 57:15

Uh uh, one of my music Well, actually, the robot lady. Uh-huh. That's what I use the most on my phone. But I and my meta glasses and my smart glasses. Yeah, I tell them to play music.

SPEAKER_01 57:29

Right.

SPEAKER_02 57:30

Well through the phone.

SPEAKER_01 57:32

I would have a problem. That's what I do, but getting rid of chat GPT. But are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_02 57:44

No.

SPEAKER_01 57:45

Wow. I was not expecting Todd Rundgren yet. Yes, it's Todd Rundgren. The dream goes on forever.

SPEAKER_02 57:57

Well, unless unless, of course, you were dreaming that this show was gonna continue after the next couple minutes.

SPEAKER_01 58:04

Well, it is a dream.

SPEAKER_02 58:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:07

Uh, Todd Rungren was just talking about him and that that pick. Uh for those who celebrate, have a wonderful, extremely expensive leather polo Christmas.

SPEAKER_02 58:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:30

And for everyone else, we'll speak to you next week when we do a little New Year situation. And for every there are so many people to mention, uh who need some lights put on. So for all of them, and for all of us, please put a light on.