Conversation Piece, July 8, 2018
A weekly series.
Enjoy our Sunday series, Conversation Piece, a NUVO–curated digest of things on the Internet we think you’ll want to talk about.
Well, this is tragi-comic. The town of Kallstadt Germany has a controversial claim to fame—it’s the ancestral home of POTUS. And so, many of its inhabitants share his last name. Given the timbre of German politics, few see this as a point of pride, with many feeling deeply awkward by association. Read more, here.
Gristles are the good bits. When it comes to our food, we prioritize taste, smell, and appearance—but what about texture? Did you know that American use only 78 words to describe a food’s texture, while the Japanese have 400? Or that in China, texture is considered just as important a taste? Here, delve in to the appeal of all things knobby, bouncy, and slimy, and why their appeal is a puzzle to Westerners. Read more, here.
The secret history of meth. You know how sometimes people conjecture that in the future we’ll look back on how much everyone used to use their cellphones and think, whoa, I can’t believe nobody knew how dangerous they were, like cigarettes! Or, um, meth. Yes, meth used to be prescribed as an antidepressant—perfectly legal and good for you, too. Kind of puts the medical marijuana debate in perspective… learn more, here.
Just want I needed. Have you ever longed for a solitary escape? Korean lawyer Kwon Yong-suk did, and rather than book a ticket to Tahiti he opted for something a tad more austere, creating a cell-like retreat facility in the image of a jail. Visitors opt to be locked up, away from phones, email, and family, for 20 hours at a time. Refreshing! Read more, here.
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