Impossible Burger

 

Suddenly the end of August is upon us! What another crazy month of 2020. Another resurgence of Covid was overtaken in the news by the Democratic National Convention and subsequently the Republican National Convention, only to both be replaced by the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Since March 2020, it seems that Covid-19 and BLM have switched off being in the national spotlight, and we as America are getting punched by the left-right-left-right combination of these 2 major problems in our country, which are only amplified because of the political nature of an election year). Baseball stopped and started, stopped and started for many teams, as this season must have the record for number of postponed games and the variety of reasons for those postponements, including normal inclement weather reasons, the novel coronavirus reasons, and now add to that the novel "political protest" postponement where players followed suit with the NBA and sat out a game in protest of the current situation in Kenosha, WI. 

There are so many different frustrations in the world right now and so much to vent out, with what one chooses to vent about possibly revealing what political leanings one is on, so it's hard to be genuinely upset about something without having to consider the audience and 

1.) Everything is politicized. Every opinion, idea, statement, person you befriend on Facebook, comment you make on social media, what food you order at a restaurant, what shows you watch on Netflix, EVERYTHING seems to be viewed in a political light. 

2.) America has a lot of people making poor decisions. Not just financial decisions, which I've preached about before (pay the full balance of your credit card before paying for anything else! Invest extra money in the stock market!, etc., etc.) but as evidenced by the Kyle Rittenhouse case, terrible situations occur and tragic killings happen because of a lot of poor decisions, from the 17-year-old Rittenhouse deciding to grab a gun and defending property that wasn't his, to his Mom's decision to drop him off in Kenosha, a political hotspot, the police for not recognizing he was an underage kid with a gun, the protestors/rioters/group that Rittenhouse ran into who chased him down but was turned on by Rittenhouse who shot back, it was just a conglomeration of bad decision making and handling of the situation. 

3.) It's easy to tear down, difficult to construct. Just like I did in the previous point, it's easy to criticize what did actually happen, or criticize the system and say we have to tear it down, than it is to actually build one that is subject to such criticism. No society is perfect; America seems to have an overtly abundant number of flaws, all the more reason to lay out solutions rather than just tear it down without plans for how a new plan would work. 

4.) Social media is becoming more of a burden than it's worth. Just hours after a news event occurs, I'll log into social media just to see the general gist of what's going on, and there will already be so many posts that are criticizing me if I think a certain way, or lecturing "the other team" about why they are wrong. It's almost like because sports was down for so long this year, people have decided to make politics a sports contest where you have to join one team, root for them no matter what, and antagonize the other team as much as possible and try to embarrass them, shout them down, prove beyond a shadow of doubt that they are wrong in every single way. 

Anyway, back to gist of Impossible Burger! Today MJ and I went on a road trip (difficult due to Covid and also because MJ doesn't like to use public restrooms as it is) without plans to go to a restaurant, because duh, so we stopped at somewhere we haven't ever went to together: Burger King. One of the more unlikely places to go to because most of its products are meat-based, it's fast food (sodium, grease, and cheap quality come to mind) and MJ is seemingly always on a diet. When she's on a diet, I also am on a semi-diet because kind of like marital guilt or partner guilt, I don't want to eat too much when she doesn't get to eat. But today we tried a relatively new item on the Burger King menu: The Impossible Burger! Totally vegan, totally meatless (according to them, although we have heard of cases where a fast food restaurant grilled an impossible burger on the same grill as one for meat patties- a big no-no) and totally tasted like meat! This may be a game-changer in our dietary selections when we are stuck on a pandemic road trip: When times are getting desperate and we can't go to a sit-in restaurant, we might be able to get by with a vegan burger. 

Sensitive (敏感な, 민감한 mingamhan, 敏感)

We live in a society today that is much more sensitive than it was decades or generations ago, at least here in the United States. I'm not a very sensitive person about how cold or warm a room is, how dirty or clean a room is, generally OK with anything other people do as long as it's not affecting me. This includes use of controversial terms or controversial opinions, I'm not one to hold a grudge against someone just because they have their own opinion, but even for me some words cross the line, like using certain racial slurs or calling someone overweight or ugly in some way, direct offenses that could hurt someone's feelings or truly offend someone. I have to be sensitive about that kind of language, and we as a society should hold people accountable for saying things that incite hate and violence or shame or depression. 

Where, though, do we draw the line of what is overly sensitive? Is there an established list available to everyone that lays out exactly what is offensive and what is not? It's unclear, and I learned recently several things that I did not know were offensive. Again, I'm humbled at things I do not know even about the English language, much less other languages. For example, MJ told me not to congratulate someone or comment to someone in anyway about eyelid surgery (apparently, a lot of people as part of cosmetic surgery, turn their single eyelid into a double eyelid). That's apparently a no-no. More specifically related to words though, "deadnaming" is strictly forbidden when speaking to or about transgender people. I do not know enough about transgenderism and the movement, so I have no judgment about this deadnaming, but apparently it is the use of a transgender's former name (before their gender change), which conjures up negative memories of the past when they were a different person, and it's often used in an offensive way to shame them or cause a negative reaction. 

Other things are like saying someone is "off the reservation" to say they're a little crazy, which is offensive to Native Americans (I kind of get this). Saying someone is "uppity" apparently can be offensive like when Rush Limbaugh (conservative radio host) told Michelle Obama she was being too "uppity," which apparently was a term that Southerners used to describe black slaves who weren't acting in their place. The "peanut gallery" (often describing people who aren't in a conversation butting in and commenting on something) apparently was derived from theatre performances where black people were confined to the worst sections and not expected to make any noise. I didn't know any of these, but there are plenty more, mostly involving how a word was originally used. But am I supposed to know the etymology and origin of all the different phrases that are common in the English language? Do I have to examine critically every phrase that people use like "rounding the corner" or "tongue tied" or "chip off the block" or am I OK with just using these these words like how they're used in today's terms, where the person using them doesn't mean anything offensive when they say it? 

For some of these things, it's just hard to know about these things because there are so many different people with different life circumstances, and I'm one of the last ones to know about something. I remember in high school, I inadvertently asked a female friend to pass a note to her boyfriend (I knew both of them) with the understanding that they see each other all the time, but little did I know they had just broken up and my request made the situation worse, even though I really was making an innocent request and didn't know better! (Some LGBT groups I follow say that they're tired of making everyone else understand, that WE have to educate ourselves and do better! Point taken, but is their some sort of continuing education program that I can get annual reminders or checkups? There seem to be new entries into the lexicon of sensitivity and offensiveness all the time.) I remember I once suggested that my sister was too obsessed with anime and that maybe she was like an "otaku" (Japanese anime fans) at which point she told me that was like a slap in the face to her. To me, learning Japanese, I didn't think otaku had that strong of a negative connotation, but apparently in my sister's circles it really is bad. Or at one point I was (admittedly) lecturing my sister about how to make friends and/or how to survive in college, and she accused me of "mansplaining." So any kind of advice/ lecturing even without any gender involved can be considered mansplaining as long as it's a man telling a woman? This maybe just my sister's misunderstanding of some of these terms, but it could also be a reflection of people her age knowing these terms and their view of the world and how they perceive others' comments. At some point, are we just limiting speech or even human interaction if we're not allowed to talk to each other? 

Bubble (거품, バブル, 泡沫)

 Bubble is a common phrase used about the stock market, usually about one that is so overvalued that it a bubble between where it is trading and where it should be trading (much lower). A lot of analysts say a bubble has formed over the current market, which has bounced massively off the March 23rd lows (the most fearful times of the Covid 19 lockdown) and gone up in a straight line seemingly to all-time highs for many stocks. Many even compare it to the dot-com bubble of 1999 where a bunch of internet stocks went up 10 fold, 100 fold, even 1000 fold in just a few months until it all came crashing down in 2000. I was just a snot-nosed pimply-faced 7th grader back then, but I hope never to see a bubble burst like that again. Japan went through a time of bubble economy from 1986 to 1991 of inflated prices too (at one point Japan seemed to be the next economic powerhouse to challenge the US as leader of the world) until it all burst in 1992, and a decade, even a generation of Japanese people still live under the strain of an economy affected by that bubble burst (although, luckily many Japanese companies did recover enough that they could afford the hefty legal fees that my employers charged them this decade). 

I got MJ interested in the stock market! (barely, she checks her stocks every 2 or 3 days whereas I check them as frequently as every 2 or 3 minutes when the market is in session) All it took was me putting money into her retirement account (causing us to receive a tax benefit) and convincing her that over 30 years (probably how long that money will stay in there) it's much better to be invested than not. We gambled on AAPL last week even after strong earnings and were rewarded with the stock going even higher, another 10% from where it was last week. Just unbelievable growth success, which understandably causes a lot of people to cry "bubble!" but AAPL is not a 1999 internet company by any means; just take a look around (or search around the internet) and you'll see how powerful Apple products are. It may be overvalued, but if the bubble pops, it will be in the form of maybe 10% or 20% downturn, not a complete collapse of the stock. Many say Apple's latest push is just a re-rating of the stock to factor in its recent uptick in sales due to coronavirus and the success of Iphone 11. Some say owning near-monopolies like Apple and Amazon and Facebook is unethical, supporting businesses that use unfair business practices to drive out their competition. There's definitely a lot of evidence to support these claims, like Amazon bidding on rival companies and doing their due diligence, then pulling out of the bid and creating their own businesses that mirror exactly what those rivals do and driving them out of business 6 months later. Those may be reasons to dislike the company, but millions of people still use their products/ services every day, I don't think it's any more unethical to own their shares than use their business. I'm not convinced that my act of not using their business will sufficiently send a message to such a large corporation, or that my drop of Amazon share in an ocean of their equity will make a difference. And if these companies are taking over the world and their jobs, I'd like to at least have their shares as a sort of insurance policy to my job being taken over. 

Another "bubble" being discussed is in the sports world, where the NBA has restarted their season (postponed since March) in Orlando under a bubble format, where every team quarantined their players and staff so that no one could be infected with Covid-19 and infect anyone else. So far all reports say that it's been a success, as no new coronavirus cases have been reported since the games started last week. Baseball has not fared as well because they did not implement a bubble system, and the NFL season is in question due to its inability to adapt a bubble. The NBA bubble is fascinating in that it's taking place in Florida, a renowned coronavirus hot spot, yet with the proper incentive (monetary as well as the aspiration of each player to want to win and play with their teams) and strict protocols of not going outside the bubble, they have been able to pull it off so far. Other countries have done it, and the US could do it, it's just there's not enough incentive for each individual person to do it, and not enough leadership to implement strict protocols. It doesn't seem THAT hard to avoid getting Covid (knock on wood, hopefully I'm not tempting fate). 

Finally, I realize that I am lucky enough to be stuck inside my little bubble here (aka my apartment where I live with MJ) and don't go out very often, and don't live in Beirut, Lebanon, where explosions caused the death of 137 people at least and thousands more injured. Rumor is that the explosions were caused by storage of aluminum nitrate. There's plenty of other disasters, both natural and artificial, that are permeating the earth, that don't have anything to do with Covid-19, going to show that the horrible things in the world won't go away just because one particulary bad thing is dominating everyone's attention. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan 

National Coloring Book Day

August 2 was National Coloring Book Day, a simply recognized day where our apartment complex laid out free coloring sheets and colored pencils (even a pencil sharpener, how thoughtful) for coloring purposes. MJ and I are never the outgoing types to go introduce ourselves to people inside apartment complexes, but especially nowadays during a pandemic, it's hard to go to social events without thinking it violates some sort of societal pact, and that our mere presence at the event conjures guilt, like going to a gang of thieves or criminals-only meetup event. I also haven't lifted a barbell in months due to the apartment gym being closed, which have caused my normally deflated set of biceps to be sagging off the bone; I actually do miss the feeling of lifting something

August also marks the beginning of back to school for many schools, with a whole different twist this summer. Many schools are not having live in-person classes, and those that have limitations and limited schedules. I would hate to be a high school or elementary school student in the circumstances, but college students are probably missing out on some of the best times of their lives, the college experience. Even without the drinking and partying and usual college experience, I managed to have a memorable college experience of playing basketball at the gym daily, underground poker games in students' apartments, and hanging out with my dorm mates and building camaraderie. The colleges also have a tough challenge, as they miss out on a lot of revenue from getting undergrads to live on campus if they close off the resident halls and have all classes on video, but if they do open the resident halls they risk a Covid outbreak at their hands at the resident halls, with the headline "X University suffering through rampant outbreak." NC State University (the Wolfpack) seem to have chosen the latter in a selection between 2 unsavory dishes, as yesterday a bunch of students started moving in on campus and groups of students started wandering around campus, games of spikeball (new game with the ball and trampoline) breaking out on the quad (I hope they wipe down those balls periodically). Sure I miss the feeling of getting back on campus every August and re-acclimating to the campus environment and wouldn't want to miss out on that, but at what cost this year? Really don't want the college year to be like Major League Baseball, which is facing the risk of having to shut down the season just a week and a half after opening due to outbreaks on multiple teams (Miami and most recently St. Louis. 

A Netflix subscription has been a little luxurious but helpful in discovering some new shows like "Love on the Spectrum," an Australian reality show (but not really a reality show, more like a documentary) about people with autism and Asberger's dating and overcoming their social challenges due to being on various points of the spectrum. I'd love if more people watched this show than the beautiful but shallow drama that happens on the Bachelor; Love on the Spectrum features people who would normally never be given any attention, but these people still exist and are important parts of our society. I feel for their inability to grasp some certain social cues, but also root for them when they figure something out and blurt out their inner thoughts and goals and aspirations of having a family and experiencing love, something that they might not be able to achieve because of the negative connotations we put on people who are different than the "mainstream" ideas and in a society where everybody tries to advance up the social ladder, and few try to lend a hand down to the people at lower ends of the ladder. The people in Love on the Spectrum share their insecurities and lament about never being liked or not being popular and not having people care for them, and I realize that being a part of these people's lives would make much more of an impact to them than trying to fit into the cool crowd and make a minimal impact on people who are already popular, where they can just swat you away like a fly. I knew a friend in middle school and through high school who very evidently was on the spectrum and severe enough to be noticeable, and I always felt queasy for some reason that other kids at school would pick on him and tease him because of who he was, and looking back I regret not having the gumption and understanding of the situation to stand up to people who were doing that, because I was also afraid of being ostracized and attacked by the mob. (Kind of similar to the dilemma we have on social media and in the cancel culture/ call-out culture, we see other people being attacked by the call-out mob but we aren't brave enough to call out the call-outers for fear of being called out/cancelled ourselves). It's a shame. But works like Love on the Spectrum are an important look into the daily lives of people who aren't all that dissimilar from me, just with a bit of difficulty being social, but having more pure motives than "normal" people like me who have a clearer understanding of social cues and how interactions work but live in fear. It's pretty inspirational. 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan 

Insomnia (cookies) 잠 잘 수 없음, 不眠症, 失眠

Our little town, which is not really a small town and would be considered a prominent suburb like Naperville, IL if it was near a big city like Chicago, just sprouted up an Insomnia Cookies in the middle of downtown, odd timing to be starting a new business but not for an established brand like Insomnia, I guess, and its business model  (open late, until 1AM! True insomnia!) fills a much-needed gap of fast food that closes at 10PM. I haven't had it much, but Insomnia Cookies always looks crowded despite the pandemic and immediately had customers lining up after opening, often stretching into the sidewalk which forces me to divert my running route to the other side of the street. And now they even have vegan cookies, a criteria that satiates even the pickiest eaters like MJ. I haven't had Insomnia much, but I did work near an Insomnia cookies in downtown Manhattan, and they were a hit with my co-workers, so much so that I ended up sharing most of my cookies rather than eating them myself. I feel like that's what people need more in their lives nowadays (not the diabetes part and high sugar intake part), things that make them feel good without much debate and choosing sides. Although maybe someone would say conservatives like plain sugar cookies more as opposed to liberals liking chocolate chunk. 

Insomnia cookies represents the type of food business that thrives in this pandemic economy: takeout food. Unfortunately for sit-down restaurants around the US, most restaurants will have to revert to takeout to survive, and for the fancy restaurants that rely on the ambiance and the service and sit-down experience, they're in really big trouble. Some restaurant/ bars are doing OK due to outdoor seating, and our town has plenty of business in that regard this summer even in the sweltering heat, but that's not sustainable during the cold winter months, when harsh biting reality sets in as we're still stuck in a pandemic. The coronavirus is so harsh in its complete dichotomy of results for different people and businesses: schools and educators are having a really tough time trying to figure out how to get students back into schools, restaurants are closed, airlines suffer and have to lay off staff, but on the other end megacap tech companies like Facebook, Amazon, and especially Apple (which all reported earnings this past Thursday and all beat expectations) are thriving precisely due to the pandemic. It's like a roulette wheel of life that has a bunch of red and near-death scenarios but also a lot of green profit-making scenarios, with no real "status quo" outcome in between. I guess maybe a couple: I own McDonald's and Yum and Starbucks stock, which are mega food chains that have a large takeout business so they should be fine (nobody really goes into McDonald's for their playpens anymore, that idea in the 1990's seems like it'd be a lawsuit waiting to happen nowadays) but even they lose share to people staying at home to cook and buying their own ingredients from Costco. Probably best to stay out of investing in restaurants entirely, even Chipotle (CMG) which I said to buy 9 fateful years ago and now it's sky high. 

Insomnia is real for many people for many people in this world, and I really feel bad for those who suffer from it. Sleepless nights are frustrating and the most memorable kind of nights (turns out I don't really remember the nights I sleep like a log) as I get up, toss and turn, feel frustrated for not being able to fall asleep, which prevents me from getting to sleep, and since I sleep with MJ too I worry about waking her up if I get up, too many things cross my mind, I try to count from 1 to 100 and hope that by the time I reach 100 I'll be asleep. I will say that when I'm not getting to sleep, I don't crave cookies or anything, I Just crave having my mind shut down and getting to dreaming. Luckily I don't get insomnia because I'm worried about getting the virus or financial situation or how I'm going to pay for my next month's rent, a dilemma for many Americans. I do get a little antsy and nervous before a big event like a dodgeball tournament, but the primary cause of insomnia nowadays is not getting enough to eat and not realizing it, and the cure is easy. Not so easy for many other people with real insomnia; one of the worst feelings in the world as it stretches to the next day and affects one's ability to think, mood, health. A very depressed person with suicidal thoughts could have a really great sleep and reset their whole mindset when they wake up and realize that the sun still rises in the morning, but lack of sleep might worsen that outlook.