Q. What’s your happy song? What’s that song you put on when you want to hype yourself up, to take yourself from a mildly good mood to flat out glee? And what is it about that song that inspires happiness? . A. First: is your happy song on any of

Q. 2021. We all have been through a lot. So much for celebrating the end of a calamitous 2020. How did we express our considerable emotions during this last year? Which emojis were we most likely to use when communicating with others? A. That’s a question that interested the Unicode

Q. Pugs have played an outsized role in fiction. Jane Austen brings us Mansfield Park’s Lady Bertram who would rather spend time with her pug than her children. ‘To the education of her daughters Lady Bertram paid not the smallest attention. She had not time for such cares. She was

Q. As we dive deep into holiday season, do you find yourself craving certain foods? Perhaps your food cravings are nostalgic. Perhaps those holiday ads – rippled chips and french onion dip! – are doing their mischief.  Which foods do North American palates find most tempting over the winter holiday

Q. Oh sure. So and so wants to have their cake and eat it too. We’ve all heard the expression, but how does that make sense? What is so presumptuous about wanting to eat the cake you have bought, baked, or been gifted? . A. For starters, this is another

Q. What are the chances that the French invented French Toast, and called it ‘French Toast’? . A. The chances are slim. First: the French are more likely to call this dish, with its clever way of rescuing stale bread: ‘pain perdu’ or ‘lost bread’. Second: this bread-stretching recipe –

Q. Artist eyes see beauty in the things we discard. What are some examples of artists celebrating the well-worn, the battered, and the broken? . A. .   In Ceramics Artist Naoko Fukumaru 2021 Website Statement ‘Kintsugi, the art of golden joinery, is a five-hundred-year-old Japanese method of restoring damaged

Q. We remember and offer our deepest respect to those who serve. As we watch Remembrance Day services, we see red poppies on uniforms, on jackets, on wreaths. How did the poppy come to represent those who have fallen in service of their country?   A. We turn to Veterans

Q. City nicknames are a tricky thing, more often used by people who live elsewhere. When I moved to the Bay Area, new friends were quick to tell me: “Whatever you do, do not call San Francisco ‘Frisco’. And don’t even think about calling it ‘San Fran’. It’s just ‘The

Q. As you read or watch period dramas, you might see reference to largely forgotten food and drink. Some examples? . A. Beef Tea Cordial We find this ‘restorative drink’ in Frederick and Seymour Davies’ 1896 Drinks of all Kinds. ‘Make half a pint of beef tea by adding the