Flavor Thesaurus/Uncanny a cappella/People as sunsets

Recomendo - issue #431

Flavor pairings

This book, The Flavor Thesaurus; Pairings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook,  is original and without peers. It starts by mapping out 99 flavors of foods into a “flavor wheel,” and it then examines all the plausible combinations of these flavors, with comments on the pairing. I find it useful for cooking new things, but it is also a very enjoyable browse. How about trying these unexpected pairings: coconut & dill, or saffron & rhubarb, or walnut & cauliflower? There are thousands more, including well-loved common pairs. — KK

Uncanny a cappella covers of popular show themes

Maytree is a Korean a cappella group that recreates popular theme songs with stunning precision. Their vocal performances are so spot-on that you'd swear you were hearing actual instruments. My favorites include their renditions of Pyscho, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, The Godfather, and SpongeBob SquarePants. — MF

People as sunsets 

It’s rare to come across a quote that can instantly shift my perspective, but when I do, I feel compelled to share it widely. I found this one in issue #209 of Down the Rabbit Hole, a favorite newsletter of mine, and it is attributed to psychologist Carl Rogers from his book “A Way of Being” : 

“One of the most satisfying feelings I know — and also one of the most growth-promoting experiences for the other person — comes from my appreciating this individual in the same way that I appreciate a sunset.  People are just as wonderful as sunsets if I can let them be.  In fact, perhaps the reason we can truly appreciate a sunset is that we cannot control it.  When I look at a sunset as I did the other evening, I don’t find myself saying, ‘Soften the orange a little on the right hand corner, and put a bit more purple along the base, and use a little more pink in the cloud color.’  I don’t do that.  I don’t try to control a sunset.  I watch it with awe as it unfolds.  I like myself best when I can appreciate my staff member, my son, my daughter, my grandchildren, in this same way.”

— Carl Rogers

Powerful Hair Drying System 

I’ve been using the Shark FlexStyle Blowdryer for almost a year now, and I can confidently recommend it as the best hair tool I’ve ever owned. I chose it over the Dyson Airwrap because it was half the price, and reviews indicated it was just as good, if not better. This tool is a significant time saver. I can blow dry and style my long hair in exactly 10 minutes. All the attachments are game changers: the oval brush adds volume, the paddle brush adds shine and smooths my hair, and the curlers use hot air to auto-wrap, curl, and set, which reduces heat damage. Although the blow dryer itself is compact enough for travel, the entire set with all the attachments take up a lot room. With that said, I often sacrifice other essentials in my luggage to bring it along because I really love how it makes my hair look and feel. — CD 

Pro tips for navigating Los Angeles

Los Angeles can be daunting, even for longtime residents. As an Angelino, I picked up some handy tips from an LA Times article called "How to park for free at LAX and other life hacks from L.A. locals." The free parking at LAX tip wasn't much use to me — motorcycles park for free. I no longer ride a motorcycle. But learning I can park my car in loading zones after 6pm and on Sundays was a surprise. — MF

Living hybrids

These brief glimpses of human-animal hybrids as generated by AI are one of the most unnerving things I’ve seen. It gave me the chill of contacting alien species more than any sci-fi movie. — KK

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Recomendo is an authentic, hand-crafted, human-written weekly newsletter that is free, but not cheap. Consider supporting our work with a paid option, now at the low price of $45 per year. Paid subs enable us to keep making it free for others. Recomendo is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run the Cool Tools website, a YouTube channel and podcast, and other newsletters, including Gar’s Tips & Tools, Nomadico, What’s in my NOW?, Tools for Possibilities, Books That Belong On Paper and Book Freak.

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