#lots of desserts anyway. too many. we needed savories and plain water it was so hot

[strawberryteabunny]

More info on the Osaka/Tokyo parties; “Otome's Christmas Lesson Session”. I had in my head this was a tea party but it’s not; it’s a ‘lesson’; Misako and Midori (and AKIRA at the Tokyo event) will be giving out coordination advice and taking photos. There will also be an unveiling of the Peter Rabbit collab and the S/S ‘24 collection. At the Osaka event (likely also Tokyo?) they will also be giving away AiW tableware and there will be a display of vintage teddy bears.

Tickets to the Osaka event are ¥3300 and must be purchased along with an item worth ¥3300. Tokyo tickets are ¥4400 and also must be purchased along with a ¥3300 item.

The new IWxPeter Rabbit collab is already killing me inside. I don’t know what it looks like beyond the few promo images but I want it so bad it hurts… and this is the order priority:

Sooooo anyway if anything will even be in stock by the time I get to order catch me sobbing into my keyboard on Dec 22 because either I won’t be able to get my beloved bunny or I will have given all my money to IW.

[elainescookingforthesoul]

TRANSCRIPT for Episode 1.12 “Dre’s Popcorn” (PART 2/2)

ACT II

ELAINE: What's that one?

[DOG BARK SFX]

ELAINE: No, let's go back to the gong for the welcome back.

[GONG SFX]

ELAINE: Hello and welcome back to Elaine's Cooking Podcast for the Soul.

[AIRHORN SFX]

ELAINE: Okay, okay. We're here with Dré Asimov, which I have been reassured is definitely not their real name.

DRÉ: Nope!

ELAINE: And we're just about to knock out three easy takes on popcorn. For all three recipes, we are using canola oil and white kernel popcorn, which we mentioned earlier. But I'm sure you're wondering how different these popcorns could possibly be? Well, for a savory staple we'll use salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. For a spicy sensation, we'll use just sriracha sauce and salt. And with the magic of white sugar and salt, we have kettle corn. Let's get started. Dré, would you please pour just two tablespoons of canola oil into this one-quart saucepan?

DRÉ: Sure thing.

ELAINE: You wanna use just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. If you have a larger pan, you might need a little more oil. For us, that's perfect. Let's get this hot plate running.

[GAS/LIGHTER WHOOSH]

ELAINE: Wonderful. Now that the oil is warming up, we'll throw in a third of a cup of popcorn!

[POPCORN POURS]

DRÉ: Is that enough?

ELAINE: It sure is! Again, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. If the kernels are piled up on top of each other, they're not all getting the oil and heat that they need to fully unfold. That looks great. Nice job, Dré!

DRÉ: Thanks.

ELAINE: And now, we put the lid on snugly and wait.

[KERNELS SIZZLE, POP]

DRÉ: So, how long does this usually--

[POPCORN POPS AGGRESSIVELY]

ELAINE: Almost done! Once we can count to two without any kernels popping, it's done!

[SINGLE POP]

ELAINE: Now we quickly remove it from the flame, and empty it into this big bowl here!

[POPPED POPCORN POURS]

DRÉ: It smells so good. 

ELAINE: It does indeed. It reminds me of so many late nights as a child, after being tucked in for the night, hearing the tinny plosives of kernels ricocheting as my mother treated herself to some stovetop popcorn and late-night reruns of Star Trek. Like mice hot on the scent of cheese, me and my siblings would poke our hopeful noses out, and either be rushed back into bed, or welcome under the arms or upon the lap of my mother--depending on the quality of the Star Trek episode, I suppose. Maybe that is why this fibrous snack stayed with me throughout my life. What fond memories do you have tied to this food, Dré?

DRÉ: Just eating it, mostly.

ELAINE: Right. Anyway, let's get started on the first set-up.

DRÉ: Elaine?

ELAINE: Yes, Dré?

DRÉ: I hate to interrupt, or tell you how to run your podcast, but...your episodes generally last about fifteen to twenty minutes, and if you make separate popcorn batches for each of these recipes, you'll definitely go beyond that, so...I was gonna say maybe we split this plain fresh-popped popcorn into two bowls to knock out recipes one and two? Then get started on the third and final batch?

ELAINE: Wow. You are both efficient and wise, and I value your input. Let's do exactly that. Is that about evenly divided, you think?

[POPCORN SHAKES INTO BOWLS]

DRÉ: Yes. But can I say one more thing?

ELAINE: By all means!

DRÉ: I'm having a really good time here.

ELAINE: Oh, you are so sweet. I have really enjoyed having you here too, Dré. Now in your bowl, you're just going to drizzle the tiniest bit of canola oil all over the top there.

DRÉ: Like that?

ELAINE:A little more...perfect. Now the rest is really simple. I always do a lot of salt, a lot of fresh cracked pepper, and, as you might expect, a lot of nutritional yeast.

[SPICES POUR]

DRÉ: And for your bowl?

ELAINE: For mine, it's even easier. Just a generous squirt of this sriracha sauce and some salt!

[SRIRACHA SQUIRTS]

[SALT POURS]

DRÉ: Should we dig in?

ELAINE: 

Let's do it!

[CRUNCHING]

DRÉ: Mmmm...this is so good! May I?

ELAINE: Only if I can try yours.

[CRUNCHING]

DRÉ: Wowee! You seasoned this perfectly, Elaine.

ELAINE: The secret is to add extra salt, extra pepper, and extra nutritional yeast.

DRÉ: So wise.

ELAINE: Well, what do you say we top off this magical evening with a dessert popcorn?

DRÉ: I've got nowhere else to go!

ELAINE: I guess that's...something. As long as you're squatting here, do help yourself to the, um...well, whatever we have here that you may want. I know we have a surplus of floss and those cone-shaped water cups. The nuclear apocalypse has not done anything to inspire use of either, so...have at it!

DRÉ: Thanks Elaine. Full disclosure, I have been using your toilet paper.

ELAINE: I knew we were going through an inconceivable amount! I definitely owe Sam an apology, but boy am I glad to not be entirely wrong.

DRÉ: Sorry. I do a lot of dusting at night to kinda make up for it!

ELAINE: I've noticed that, too, although I wasn't sure if that was related to the nuclear event or not. You've more than earned the right to use our toilet paper. Thank you for keeping on top of the dusting. Speaking of dusting...Let's get a dusting of salt and sugar onto our final batch, our simple kettle corn recipe!

DRÉ: Nice segue, Elaine! Such a pro.

ELAINE: Thanks.

DRÉ: Same start as the first batch?

ELAINE: Nearly, but not quite. We add two tablespoons of canola oil, and then we add in a tablespoon of white sugar straight into the saucepan with it! We add a half cup of popcorn immediately after...

[SUGAR AND POPCORN KERNELS POUR]

DRÉ: Oh, so as the popcorn unfolds, it's getting coated immediately in sugar.

[POPCORN POPS AGGRESSIVELY]

ELAINE: Exactly. Now, we do have to keep a closer eye on this one towards the end. I take this off the heat a little early, because that sugar will burn and it is not the easiest thing to scrub down. 

[SLOWING OF POPS]

DRÉ: I got this one...Gotcha!

[POPCORN POURS INTO BOWL]

ELAINE: Alright, so now that we've got this batch in the big pumpkin-shaped bucket we normally put out for Halloween, we just add salt! 

[SALT POURS]

ELAINE: And that's kettle corn, folks!

[CRUNCHING]

DRÉ: Mmm. I love sweet and salty things.

ELAINE: Me too. It's a wonderful way to kind of shake up the popcorn routine. I must say, having you here proved to be a pretty wonderful way to shake up my own routine as well, Dré. Thanks for being here.

DRÉ: It was absolutely my pleasure. I can't believe I got to be a part of this deluxe episode. My parent's are gonna flip.

ELAINE: Oh my, are they fans?

DRÉ: No, they're just real supportive and good at tone-matching. 

ELAINE: Well maybe you could share this episode with them.

DRÉ: Maybe I will, Elaine. Thank you so much for letting me hang out with you. I should really do a quick perimeter check for the pervs and lock the place up.

ELAINE: Oh, don't worry about that, I do that every evening before I leave.

DRÉ: Yeah, but I make a sweep about an hour before you do to scare off the bigger creeps and critters. Just as a kind of thanks-for-not-kicking-me-out-when-you-inevitably-find-out-I've-been-living-here-for-two-years kinda deal. You know?

ELAINE: Two years? But the nuclear events all happened just a few months ago--

DRÉ:I really gotta go now, bye Elaine! Here's some moody outro music! Bye!

[MOODY OUTRO MUSIC BEGINS]

ELAINE: Oh, watch out--

DRÉ: Oof. Damn half wall. See you around!

ELAINE: Yes, I suppose you will...

ELAINE: Folks, life is full of mysteries. All too often those mysteries include such things as when our chicken livestock will stop producing only double-yolked blood-filled eggs. Or if we'll ever see another season of The Bachelorette. Or who exactly is watching us go about our daily business and nightly routines....yes, there is so much to ponder and so much yet unknown. I wouldn't think it wise to presume every mystery is beautiful, or that every secret is worth knowing. But I still hold by the belief that some are. Even in the face of senseless power-grabs and the semi-sentient propaganda robots we call Ad Ministers, we are discovering ourselves along the way. Thank you for joining me this week. Nobody knows what the future holds, but I hope you'd at least like to tune in next week for another delicious recipe, as yet unknown. This has been Elaine's Cooking Podcast for the Soul I'm Elaine Martínez, not crying, hugging you goodnight.

[OUTRO MUSIC]

END OF ACT II.