#also my friend and i realized that they are basically clay and danielle so i wanna draw them as this too

[lizery]

for @abductsanxiety <33

[nancydrew65]

SKAM Austin Season 2 Episode 10 (SEASON FINALE) Thoughts

We’re on the home stretch! Last episode, guys. I am going to be sad to see SKAM Austin go. Despite my misgivings about this season, I think they did an excellent job with the sexual assault storyline and it had several fantastic scenes. I hope SKAM Austin does Season 3 this fall, so that we can squeeze in Zoya’s season before the girls graduate.

Something Else

Are they sleeping on a couch? OK, not important.

I would have liked to linger on them sleeping a bit longer. In OG, this scene was so long, but it really gave you a feel of Noorhelm’s dynamic as a couple. You know, when William wasn’t acting like a total douche.

Daniel apologizes for his brother’s awful behavior which like, yeah, good… BUT dude, apologize for your own messed-up behavior too. This is one of the things that pisses me off the most about this character. He treats his girlfriend like shit when she tells him she may have been sexually assaulted and then he NEVER apologizes for it.

Grace proceeds to tell Daniel about her boyfriend back in Dallas. It is pretty much the same story as Noora’s. Daniel is very understanding about it which I appreciate. At least he hasn’t been like William, who basically disregarded Noora when she said she didn’t want to have sex.

For the most part, I actually really enjoyed this clip. I like that we got to see the conversation between Grace and Daniel about Grace’s past.

Future

Grace and Daniel are chilling as Grace finishes up her essay. It is too late for the deadline, but it did her some good just writing.

Daniel gets a call from Jo’s dad, his lawyer. If he gets charged, he might lose his scholarship and get jail time. Good job, SKAM Austin in actually providing stakes for Daniel. He has something to lose by telling the truth in this situation which will ultimately make his decision to do so that much more mature.

Grace asks if he is going to lie, and he says maybe. He has to think about his future.

Life in Italics

Grace and Daniel are going to Marlon’s band’s concert. On a Sunday? What?

They bump into Shay and Megan finally apologizes to her. Thank god. Shay tells her that Nic didn’t break up with her (Yay, Nic’s actually a good guy!) and she is sorry that she blamed the end of that relationship on Megan. This was a weird scene. I’m not quite sure what to make of it. Are they hinting at Megan/Shay? But then they mentioned Marlon again, so I don’t know.

The band performs. They have an… interesting sound.

Eve shows up and mentions that Shay is hot. Forshadowing for Shay moving into Grace’s house?

Can’t With You

I’m not quite sure what the girls are doing, but I think Jo is studying for an exam, perhaps?

Megan is sad that they have another pointless year until they graduate and… same, girl.

The girls tell Grace they are very proud of her for writing the essay and posting it online.

Kelsey says that her favorite line is: “Being brave is telling the truth to the people you love.” I’m guessing that alludes to Grace being brave enough to share her sexual assault with the girls.

Jo storms out right after that and Grace goes to follow her. She asks what is wrong.

Then we have this beautiful, original scene courtesy of SKAM Austin. Jo tells her that Grace can always count on her in a crisis and that she didn’t want to bring up anything before because Grace was going through a rough time, but now Grace is doing better and she has to get this off her chest. Jo is angry that Grace lied to Kelsey for over a year about the whole Daniel situation. She knows Kelsey forgave Grace, but she isn’t ready to do the same. I love Jo so much and I am infinitely glad they gave this speech to her. GIVE JO A SEASON!!!!!! I think this scene addresses a glossed-over aspect of Season 2, namely Grace’s treatment of Kelsey. In my opinion, Kelsey forgave Grace very quickly and that is OK, I am all for girls getting over boy drama between them. However, it never really felt like Grace’s behavior was ever addressed as being very wrong. I think SKAM Austin overall has done a really fabulous job with this topic. I loved Kelsey’s speech (it was my favorite out of all the Vilde’s) and I love this scene. It shows what a true friend Jo is to Kelsey and I am here for it. I think Grace really needed to hear this.

What Happens Now?

Grace is waiting outside the courthouse for Daniel (in a gorgeous outfit, I may add). 

Side note: I feel like in Season 1, Grace didn’t really have Noora’s distinctive style (which I really liked!), but in Season 2, they really emphasized Noora’s style in her. I feel like it made her less of her own character, so I wasn’t a big fan of that choice. (I still think all her outfits are really cute, though.)

Daniel tells Grace that he told the truth. He couldn’t get her voice out of his head. This is the moment where this character gets the most character growth. Dare I say, the ONLY moment he gets character growth? And I really like that, obviously. (No one is campaigning harder than me for the William character to be a good guy). However, this is Grace’s season and I wish she had her own moment of growth in the last episode, like Eva and Isak and Sana did in their own seasons. This is the one season where I feel like the main character doesn’t really grow as much as she could have, given the opportunity. And that is my main problem with Season 2 as a whole. It makes me very sad. Noora/Grace deserves better.

Losers

The little banter between Zoya and Grace about history class was so cute! I’m gonna miss these beautiful women.

Zoya says she kept her locker because she wanted to remind people that what happened to her was not normal. She and Grace talk about letting go of anger and getting closure. “Maybe closure is not getting closure” Zoya quotes. OK, be existentialist, girl.

Kelsey and the other girls come bounding in, handing Zoya and Grace pink fanny packs with the word ‘SENIOR’ on them. Nice.

Kelsey talks about how good carbs are for a person and how she is done beating herself up about her weight. Yes!

Then the girls go in for a group handshake. Go Los Losers!

Ready

Grace and Zoya are chilling at the party for Daniel, when Hunter approaches Zoya. Why? Why do we have to spend even another minute on this storyline? Just let it die. Please. Hunter is still a jerk, Zoya is still way too good for him. Luckily, it seemed like she was not taking his shit.

Marlon and Megan are making out. I really wished they had kept this couple apart. I haven’t really seen much on Marlon’s part showing that he has grown since his past relationship with Megan.

Jo sees a boy and quickly runs away. Grace follows her to the bathroom. Nice callback to earlier in the episode with the Grace and Jo scene that mirrors this one.

Side-note: Grace’s dress is so pretty and I didn’t realize how short it was until she ran after Jo.

Aw, I think it’s so sweet that Jo doesn’t want Grace to go get Kelsey because Kelsey is having a fun time and she doesn’t want to ruin that for her.

So, Damian (the guy Jo has been texting) just showed up. He lives 4 hours away! While I appreciate the gesture, a heads-up would have been nice for Jo. How does he even know where she is? Like, it’s not her house.

Grace does a great job of calming Jo down and giving her a pep talk. I think their friendship is reaching a better place.

Jo and Damian hit it off after a bit of awkward banter. He seems like a cool dude.

Grace and Daniel go to her room. Daniel asks if she’s sure she wants to have sex. Yay! She nods, and he asks: “So, I don’t have to keep asking?” Why did they put that line in there? It’s not like he’s really been asking her to have sex. It just makes him seem like more of a jerk.

I really enjoyed how they played the rest of the scene. It was much more awkward when Grace and Daniel were about to have sex. It was more realistic IMO.

In between the sex scene, they spliced shots of the party. Pen Joe looks rather jealous of Damian flirting with Jo. Hmm, this is a new development.

OK, Eve seemed to be hardcore flirting with Shay. She also said earlier that Shay was “hot”. Are they making this a thing?

Grace and Tyler have a bit of an awkward conversation before Grace goes off to her friends. Then we see Tyler take a drink out of his cup. His fingernails are painted green! So, people were right when they thought Tyler was Green Nails. Wow, I still don’t know if it was him in the bed with Grace and Clay because I think Grace would have recognized him. That also calls into question whether Tyler was telling the truth about what Clay did or did not do that night. I have so many questions! But this ending does seem to hint that Season 3 will be about both Shay and Tyler. I am not completely opposed to that, but it sure does make me feel so much more grateful that we got Cris’ season in SKAM España. This fandom needs more wlw love.

General Thoughts

Well, here’s the end. Another season of SKAM Austin over. I hope they don’t wait another whole year before releasing a new one. I liked this episode a lot. There wasn’t a whole lot of Daniel being a dick, so that was great! Overall, I think SKAM Austin has had a few stellar scenes this season that really brought the level of this show up. My favorites were Kelsey’s monologue when Grace finally tells her about Daniel, Grace confronting Clay about the possible sexual assault, and the most recent clip they released with Jo explaining how she isn’t ready to forgive Grace for what she did to Kelsey. I am excited for Season 3!

[gold3nladybug]

Roll Knowledge (History)

I’ve been playing Dungeons and Dragons for, oh, probably 8 years by now? It happened without much warning; one day, back when I was in high school, this other kid who I kind of knew asked me if I liked D&D?

I replied that I might know what D&D was.

With another friend in tow, I started playing D&D with this kid. Now, this wasn’t what I’d call a great entry to the hobby. Our mentor had some opinions, like how 4e was garbage and if you were multiclassing you were up to something. He also wasn’t a very good DM - we were very much hostages to his loosely conceived story, which actually starred his permanently invisible Elven Rogue who was the chosen one and might also have betrayed us on multiple occasions? So that wasn’t great. But there was one thing that really grabbed me about D&D, and that was how a story would grow organically from the stuff that happened to our characters, just by chance.

My first character was a half-elf Ranger named Daniel Irick. They were a skilled tracker, theoretically skilled Archer and had a reasonably tragic backstory. Not, like, really tragic - they’d grown up with their Elven relatives, but because of the differences in how Half and Full Elves matured they had realized they’d only be treated as an adult by the society they lived in once they’d reached advanced old age. Bummer. So they’d left to explore the world, delve into dungeons and make their fortune, etc. They were a hot mess, let me tell you.

Partly from the way that our (in retrospect, presumably first time) DM posed challenges that did not, at all, match up with the skills my character had and partly from some very bad luck, Daniel was not an effective adventurer. He did not win many fights, and he got beat up a lot. If it weren’t for his partner, a supportive Dwarven Paladin dedicated to Moradin who also happened to be an unstoppable badass, he wouldn’t have gotten anything done. But by the end of our campaign, I kind of dug the idea that my character was a really determined screw up.

Because it didn’t matter if they didn’t succeed, because they never stopped trying. I really needed that when I was in High School.

Our campaign ended when our characters defeated a powerful Lich and their army of Mind Flayers (far less impressive than you’d think; the Rogue got super powers from the gods and saved us after my character had been left comatose from Mind Blasts), and this kid that I still barely knew declared that I should be the DM of the “next campaign”. That still feels like a bit of a rough deal to me. It can’t be fair to introduce someone to the hobby just so that you can trick them into DMing for you, right? 

But still, that ended up being the role I’ve been playing for most of these years. I like DMing, its a great creative outlet and I get to be productively obsessive. I know a lot of CharOp for exactly Dungeons and Dragons 3.5e, because momentum and the group I’ve gathered (well, mainly one player who happens to also be one of my best friends) not wanting to move on to another system has basically kept me trapped there ever since I started. I’d love to try running any of the other games I’ve tried learning, but its like herding cats trying to get any of my players to learn them too.

I’ll probably talk more about D&D as time goes on, but for now I’m going to give you all a run down on my favourite NPC from my current campaign, which I’ve been running for my friends going on two years now. I feel really lucky that I get to consistently hang out with the people that I like, and that they enjoy playing this game with me. It’s pretty fulfilling to have them enjoy something I made for them, you know? But anyway...

Johnathon Blair was created as a throwaway character, a slice of colour to a very simple situation. I wanted my group to go to a part of the city ruled by a Mad Max-style apocalyptic car gang (I played up the idea that they’d invented cars external combustion engines just to be an apocalyptic car gang), so I decided to have them be hired by a shady businessman to go check out some property he owned there that was being vandalised, and deal with whoever was doing it. I was going for a J. Jonah Jameson-style, high powered executive businessman type. But since I made it a bit silly, I suppose I was actually going for this guy

Johnathon Blair owns the Bank of Blair, a mysterious establishment in the heart of the nation’s capital. The King, their advisers, any relevant law enforcement or other positions of authority don’t know what you’re talking about if you mention the Bank of Blair. If you go into the Bank, its clear that there are clerks performing tasks on the bottom level, but crossbow to the head you wouldn’t be able tor recall a single detail about them. You have to go up to the second story of the Bank to meet its owner, and at the top of the stairs you can choose to go one of two directions - to the left, an open bank vault that shows mountains of gold enticingly glittering. To the right, the door to Blair’s office. So far, no one has dared go after the Gold. 

Johnathon Blair’s head and neck look like a slick, well cared for man in a sharp tie and collar. The rest of his body is that of an 8ft tall, clay golem. The golem’s body is carved so that it seems to be wearing a sharp suit to go with the collar and tie. That was all I knew about him the first time he and my player’s interacted, and I hadn’t planned for him to become intricately tied with the lives of two characters, or a constant worry in the back of my group’s mind.

The mythology of Johnathon Blair grew in the telling. After they checked on his empty warehouses, he employed two members of the party to routinely complete jobs for him. He offered them fantastic pay, great dental and the ability to veto any three jobs per financial year. That last clause got them very suspicious, especially after they rolled badly to decipher the fine print on their contracts. 

After that, they learned from another NPC that Johnathon Blair had a reputation as a demonologist. They never bothered to clarify what that meant, but I’ll tell you guys - Blair summoned and enslaved Demons, despite being as Lawful Evil as they come. In his own, twisted morality, keeping the Demons on a leash to do his bidding was less disruptive than letting them do their own thing. Who knows, maybe he’s right? Probably not though, he’s a pretty evil dude. They’re not to be trusted with such judgments. 

Since then, Johnathon Blair has been involved in, responsible for or implicated in a whole bunch of suspect stuff. He all but admitted to funding the apocalyptic car gang to drive down property values so that he could buy up parts of the city, while pitting the party against them to get rid of them once they’d done their job. He pinged so evil to a Detect spell that he blinded the person who cast it. He cursed one of the players with the ability to be immune to harm while within the city limits. He supplied the players with an item that could repair the universe after a different villain had torn open a portal to the Abyss. 

Wait, what?

My favourite part about this guy is that, because he’s a card carrying villain, so clearly and unmistakably evil, I can have him be as helpful as I want and my players will always agonize over whether they can trust him or not. I’ve given them enough evidence that he is a man of supreme means, capricious nature and mysterious, unknowable intentions that whenever I need to, I can have Johnathon Blair do anything I need him to do. Blair’s single most important trait, that I keep in mind anytime I’m deciding what he’ll do, is that he’s playing the long game. He stuck his head inside a Golem because he wants to live forever, so letting the universe get destroyed is a nonstarter. Good help is hard to find, so when you do find it make sure that its well-paid and has great benefits. If the King finds out that you’re the real power in this city, they might get upset, so they shouldn’t be allowed to find out. 

If the heroes start looking like you’re coming up to the top of their priority list, lay low for a while. Wait it out, plan for retirement, arrange to get pictures of Spiderman and point them at someone else.

[santaprofit5-blog]

Our Favorite Feature Stories of 2018

[Photographs: Clay Williams, Vicky Wasik, Jennifer Burns Bright, Adam Kuban, Max Falkowitz]

For most of our readers, the feature stories on Serious Eats aren't the biggest draw—some who know us strictly for our recipes probably don't even realize we publish anything else. But when we looked back at all the features we produced this year, we were struck by both their number and their variety, and it was gratifying (especially for the feature editors among us!) to watch as the whole staff pored over the list and everyone rushed to call dibs on their favorites.

Granted, a "feature" on Serious Eats can mean a lot of very different things: a guide to a particular ingredient, or category of ingredient, or cuisine; an exploration of an odd American regional food or the history behind an iconic international one; an interview from our Obsessed series; a personal essay; a reported investigation of a segment of the food industry.

What we hope these all have in common is that readers will get from them not just what they were expecting when they clicked on the title, but more—we want our personal essays to be personal, but also teach something; we want our guides and other service-oriented pieces to be informative, but also buoyed by a strong voice and sense of humor.

Whatever category they fall into, the features described below are the ones that most resonated with the Serious Eats staff in 2018. We were fascinated by, among other things, the winding and sometimes bizarre history of soy milk in the US, the care and labor that go into making a traditional Japanese breakfast, the baking ingredients we absolutely needed to add to our (apparently understocked) pantries, and a glimpse into the mind of a veteran brewmaster. After you've read this list, we hope you'll find yourself similarly hooked.

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

If you know me, you know that I consider BraveTart to be nothing less than a bible. It's the first baking cookbook I've ever made multiple recipes from, and the only baking cookbook I've ever given as a gift. Every anecdote, brownie, cake, and homemade Oreo provides insight into Stella's soul and genius. And the more I learn, the more I want to learn, which is why I love this post about the pantry items Stella considers essential for baking. Knowing the exact ingredients she uses has definitely given my baking an edge, and when I combine those ingredients with her can't-fail recipes, I know I can achieve the very best version of everything I make. In Stella we trust! —Ariel Kanter, director of commerce strategy and editorial

The Baker's Pantry: All the Staples You Need to Make Amazing Desserts »

[Photograph: Clay Williams]

In the early years of Serious Eats' existence, pizza was a large part of the site's bread and butter, except that instead of bread and butter, it was bread and tomato sauce and cheese. The editors and writers of old SE covered 'za so exhaustively for so many years that, at a certain point, it felt like there wasn't much left to say. After you've written nearly every conceivable recipe, explored every significant pizza joint nationwide (plus thousands of pretty insignificant ones) in more passionate depth than any other publication could ever hope to, and basically written the book on the subject, what else is there?

That's largely why there's been so much less pizza coverage on SE in recent years—the archives speak for themselves. But that's also why it thrilled me to see pizza come roaring back in this great two-part series about pizza in one of its meccas, New York City. Written by Ed, with major assists from pizza experts Adam Kuban and Scott Wiener, the first part (linked below) catches us up to 2018 after several years of Serious Silence on pizza, while the second is a perfectly curated list of some of the very best places to grab a slice citywide. —Daniel Gritzer, managing culinary director

State of the Slice, Part 1 »

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

This isn't exactly a typical feature story, but by the time I'd finished reading, I'd gained much more of an understanding of how to assemble a Japanese breakfast. Sho takes readers to his grandmother's breakfast table in Japan before breaking down the significance of the meal, one component at a time. His writing is funny and warm, and it makes you feel as if a close friend is standing by to assist when this breakfast turns out to be much more complicated than you'd anticipated. —Elazar Sontag, editorial assistant

How to Make a Japanese Breakfast »

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

Mezcal is hands down my favorite liquor—I just love the smoky layer it adds to any cocktail. Reading about how painstakingly difficult it is to produce and distill mezcal made me fall that much more in love with the spirit itself. Max takes us through the entire journey, from the agave plant to how mezcaleros capture the smokiness that I adore so much. This very thorough and admirable mezcal bible makes me want to hop on the next flight to Oaxaca. —Grace Chen, office manager and associate podcast producer

The Spirit of Mexico: A Guide to Mezcal »

[Photograph: Jennifer Burns Bright]

As much as I love oysters, my previous knowledge of them sadly didn't extend much beyond "they taste good and sometimes make pearls." Jennifer's article has changed that for me (or brought me out of my shell?). After reading the story of the Olympia oyster and the immense effort it takes to get them on your plate, I'm now deep-diving into the world of bivalves. Their history is fascinating, but I'm mostly grateful for their comeback, because it's now the oyster I look for on any raw-bar menu. —Joel Russo, video producer

This Small West Coast Oyster Is Making a Big Comeback »

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

There is no argument that New York has one of the richest and most ethnically diverse food scenes in the world. This practical list makes global fare (hello, Cuban-Chinese!) accessible on a budget. I keep it bookmarked on my phone as a cheat sheet for casual nights out, when the answer to “Where do you want to eat?” is “I don’t know, but it’s gotta be good and cheap.” —Maggie Lee, UX designer

15 Under $15: Great Bites in NYC That Won't Break the Bank »

[Photograph: Chris Low]

The idea for Becky Selengut's entertaining and informative guide to the Pacific razor clam was originally hatched by Sho, who never met a mollusk he didn't like. But when I took editing responsibilities on it, it became my baby, and though it required a fair amount of coaxing into being—including coordinating a West Coast–based clamming/photography excursion, carried out at twilight, and waiting months on a shipment of live Pacific razor clams to our New York office so Daniel could test out Becky's shucking directions—it felt like a huge triumph when it was finally finished and published.

Okay, maybe my toil isn't enough of a reason for you to read this article, so here are a few real ones: To me, it represents a combination of practical guidance and instruction, "I didn't know that!" fun facts, and personal investment by the author that's ideal in a feature story. Reading it, you understand not only that Becky is an expert at gathering and cooking with these clams, but also that she loves this subject matter. Even if you'll never eat a Pacific razor in your life, it's a joy to read, especially when paired with Chris Low's lovely, moody photos of that evening clamming expedition in the PNW. —Miranda Kaplan, senior editor

Fat, Ugly, and Delicious: A Guide to the Pacific Razor Clam »

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

In a totally different vein from the Pacific razor clam guide, Nadia Berenstein's story on soy milk's journey from a symbol of technological progress, to a health food for religious zealots and hippie environmentalists, to international success and semi-acceptance by the American mainstream, is a great, quirky ride. It's hard not to love a serious food history in which farting emerges as a major theme. —Miranda Kaplan, senior editor

A Brief History of Soy Milk, the Future Food of Yesterday »

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

When Tabitha Blankenbiller pitched us a story about cooking from the American Girl doll cookbooks, I was immediately sold. One of my male counterparts, however, who grew up so far removed from the exorbitant price and captivating realism of the American Girl doll "experience" that he wasn't even sure what American Girl dolls were, was skeptical, to say the least.

I think it speaks volumes that we both wound up enthusiastic about the finished piece, which captures the peculiar zeitgeist of the American Girl doll generation with remarkable accuracy and a cutting humor. It's an irreverent bit of writing that will nonetheless resonate with anyone who has something to feel nostalgic and complicated about. I'll admit that the opportunity to spend a full day of my job building a teeny-tiny kitchen and grooming American Girl dolls for our epic photo shoot was something of a bonus. —Niki Achitoff-Gray, executive managing editor

The Great American Girl Doll Cook-Off »

[Photograph: Adam Kuban]

I really enjoyed Sho's Obsessed interview with Slice founder Adam Kuban. As a pizza-loving Serious Eater, I'm certainly the target audience for this interview, but beyond that, I find Adam's story admirable: He's turned his obsession into businesses, twice (and he's still working at it). —Paul Cline, VP of product

Obsessed: Slicemeister Adam Kuban Deep-Dishes on His Pizza Dreams »

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

I am so happy that amaro has gone mainstream. It used to be really hard to find here in the States, but not anymore. This piece is a great introduction to the perfect digestif, and gives a good rundown of the big-name amari on the market. —Sasha Marx, senior culinary editor

Amari 101: Your Guide to Italy’s Essential Bittersweet Liqueurs »

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Sherry is one of those things folks are always trying to pair with dessert, but despite my background as a pastry chef, I don't know my way around sherry well enough to offer up any meaningful suggestions. Getting to know the various styles and sweetness levels was tremendously helpful in bettering my understanding of how to pair sherries with dessert in a way that will offer the best complement or contrast, rather than hitting all the sugar-sweet notes. —Stella Parks, pastry wizard

Sherry 101: An Introduction to the Hippest Old-Person Drink Around »

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

My path to the discovery of good beer was similar to Garrett Oliver's, in that I drank swill all through college before a revelatory experience opened my eyes shortly thereafter. I became acquainted with the wider world of interesting beer while working as a server at Teresa's Next Door in Wayne, Pennsylvania (a 2018 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Bar Program). The restaurant had an exhaustive beer list, and I was forced (*ahem*) to taste every beer that rotated through the taps, discovering the complexities and nuance that defined the brewing world beyond Budweiser. Everyone at the restaurant, including me, owned a copy of Oliver's canonical The Brewmaster's Table to learn about styles of beer and how they pair with food.

So I was very excited when Sho's Obsessed interview with this great brewmaster popped up, and the read did not disappoint. The dude is smart as hell and really knows his craft. He speaks so well about the past, present, and future of brewing and his own personal experience, but you can tell he's also brimming with insightful commentary on much more. Oliver's keen mind makes for a fascinating profile—my favorite Obsessed interview of the year. Now, off to find the cut material... —Tim Aikens, front-end developer

Obsessed: Garrett Oliver on Brewing Better Beer »

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

A pretty well-known fact about me around the Serious Eats office is that I love pasta. It's even my spirit food in my masthead photo. Every single Italian recipe that Daniel has made has been photographed (and, most likely, devoured) by yours truly. This comprehensive list not only reminds me of all the tasty bowls of pasta I've eaten, but actually gives me the confidence that I can cook a lot of them on my own! —Vicky Wasik, visual director

The Essential Steps to Mastering Italian Cuisine »

[Illustration: Misha Zadeh]

I admire this piece by Porochista Khakpour immensely, and I feel very lucky for having had the opportunity to work with her. Khakpour is an accomplished novelist and memoirist—her most recent book, Sick, was published this year—and I could read her writing on any subject. While her Nowruz piece is nominally concerned with how meaningful the Persian New Year is for her, what I find so appealing about it is that it is ultimately about how being Iranian is an essential part of her American identity, which I believe is a particularly valuable bit of insight in light of the conversations taking place across the country about immigration. —Sho Spaeth, features editor

A Time of Plenty: Celebrating Nowruz in America »

[Illustration: Tram Nguyen]

I really love the way Mithila Phadke writes, not just about the food in this piece but in general. I think this piece illustrates the range of her voice, and how it can be used to talk about both weighty and light things. What I most like about this piece, though, is that while much of the focus is on her grandmother's cooking and, of course, on her loss, it also manages to deftly underscore how little is understood of the vast and varied cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, even (and especially!) by those who grew up there. I grew up in New Delhi, and I found it incredibly edifying; I hope you all do, too. —Sho Spaeth, features editor

Ajji's Cooking: Preserving an Unsung Cuisine »

[Video: Serious Eats Video]

D. Gritzer's guide to mortars and pestles has everything I like about our service-oriented features. First of all, it goes deep—way deep. Who knew how many kinds of mortars and pestles there were, from every corner of the world: Japanese, Mexican, Thai, and Mediterranean ones, just for starters? Plus, there's plenty of history in the post, all of it engagingly presented to the reader. Finally, Daniel explains in one word what a mortar and pestle does better than more modern inventions: it crushes. Just like Daniel's story does. —Ed Levine, founder

How to Pick the Best Mortar and Pestle »

[Photograph: Jai Williams]

Interest in Lao cuisine appears to be quietly but steadily building across the United States. If, like me, you're naturally curious about it, or if you suddenly find yourself seated before a Lao menu, whip out this fun primer so you can discern muu haeng from siin haeng and learn what goes best with jaew bong. —John Mattia, video editor

A Guide to the Essential Dishes of Laos »

[Illustration: Annelise Capossela]

As a reformed picky eater, I identified so strongly with Irina's story. There's a lot of flexing in food media about the babies of chefs and writers who will eat anything put in front of them because they're the kids of good eaters. But I find the image of Irina's son eating two mac and cheese sandwiches a lot more compelling than those overdone flexes: It speaks to discernment, judgment, and developing your tastes on your own time. —Kristina Bornholtz, social media editor

The Kid Is All Right: In Defense of Picky Eating »

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Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/roundups/favorite-features-2018

[doodlewash]

My name is Walt (Walter) Pierluissi. I am from the island of Puerto Rico. My father was of Italian descent, my mother was actually born in Puerto Rico with a Spaniard descent, and my father’s mother was Jewish. I believe that all these offspring’s and my Puerto Rican side makes me an interesting mess!

Back in my younger years, when I was about 10 or 11 years old, my mother noticed my drawing abilities and sent me to study with Maestro Jose Azaustre Muro, a Spaniard Oil Painting Artist that lived close to our home in the town of Ponce, Puerto Rico. I learned the basics of drawing, values and perspective.  I spent about 4 years in these studies meeting every Saturday for a 4-hour class. I have around 800 hours of formal art studies in the use of oils, and I enjoyed every moment.

In my teen years I was part of an Art Studio Class with a small School of Art close to my grandmother’s home. There, I learned the use of acrylics and also ventured into sculpturing in clay.  But painting was my passion and after discovering the reduced dry time and easier water-based cleaning, acrylics became my preferred medium. I went to study at the Catholic University of Puerto Rico and following my parents’ line of work, I finished my study of accounting in 1984. I continued to paint but did not pursue it seriously. It was just for my very own pleasure.

In 1998, I moved from Puerto Rico to Athens, Georgia, then again in 2000 to Orlando, Florida, and continued working as an accountant.  In 2006, I decided to move to Indianapolis. Here in Indy, I started to develop a very intense interest in watercolors.  It took me over 3 years of watching hundreds of YouTube videos, over 1000 hours of videos and practice to learn this medium. It was an exciting and amazing experience just learning how to manage the water and the pigment on the paper. I truly enjoy watercolor more than acrylics and oils.

Since then, I have been using watercolor as the preferred medium due to its versatility and unpredictability. I can use my watercolors anywhere with minimal supplies; it really has driven me to experience plein air. I can paint wherever and whenever I decide.  Watercolor is the closest thing to freedom I have experienced. And believe me, still today, I am in the process of learning.

After my journey in the arts, I can say without a doubt that all art is an expression of the soul. Within art we have drawing and painting, which as part of this expression brings three-dimensional elements to the two-dimensional plane of a paper, creating the illusion with perspective and colors, light and shadows; expressing what the eye observes through the interpretation of a soul.

There are no bad pieces, only bad receivers and observers who have not understood the perception of that soul, nor the intention of the artist.

Just recently I had the most wonderful experience – I sold one of my art pieces to a total stranger.  I have sold and given away other pieces to friends and family members but to actually sell one to a complete stranger was my first. I am pretty sure that I will be working as an accountant until my retirement because living from your art is actually very tough in reality.

I do art, not because I want to sell, but for my very own pleasure, to express what my soul is experiencing – to express on a piece of paper this ability that was given to me by the Creator Himself. That’s why I do art.  My G-d!!, I can’t wait until retirement so I can spend more time doing my art. I have 6 more years to go but, in the meantime, I have Doodlewash to express my soul.

These are some of the watercolors that I use: Winsor and Newton, Turner, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Lukas 1862, Sennelier, Schminke, Sakura Koi and other brands that I like to test.  It all depends on what piece I am trying to do. Sometimes, the smoothness of the Sennelier or M. Graham Watercolors will fit my intentions. Other times I want the intensity of Schmincke or Daniel Smith watercolors, or the opacity of another brand to realize my intentions on the paper.

In terms of paper, I use Arches and Bee Paper Aquabee normally because these are 100% cotton; but also, I use Canson Montval, Strathmore 500 series (which is 100% cotton also) and others for minor projects and sketching.

I am including a photo of a portable painting set up for plein air painting that I built myself using an old tripod.  Normally I work from photos I have taken in my own studio, but I always carry with me a bag with some materials because you never know from where the inspiration will come.

When I am on site, I do sketches in pencil and some colors and I take a few photos of the scenery. Then, I will spend time in my studio developing the idea. Sometimes, I just do what I see, other times, I incorporate something extra. An example is the piece of the town entrance of Beech Grove, Indiana. I placed a 1920s auto into the piece with the intention of showing the timelessness of the scenery.

The prices of my pieces are very affordable because I only want to cover materials and have a little extra for my time.  Painting is a pleasure for me and I want to keep it like this, because at the moment I start to see my art as a business, I know I will lose the touch and my interest; it will be no longer fun.

Thank You, Doodlewash, and thanks to all of the community for your comments and for viewing my art.

Walt Pierluissi Website Doodlewash

GUEST ARTIST: "An Expression Of A Soul" by Walt Pierluissi - #doodlewash #WorldWatercolorGroup #watercolor #watercolour My name is Walt (Walter) Pierluissi. I am from the island of Puerto Rico. My father was of Italian descent, my mother was actually born in Puerto Rico with a Spaniard descent, and my father’s mother was Jewish.