With online classes and the shelter-in-place order keeping everyone at home, we all have had quite a bit more time on our hands than usual. Clarion editors share everything they’ve been consuming while stuck in quarantine.
By The Clarion Staff
What is your favorite snack or recipe you’ve made?
Molly Korzenowski (News Editor): While on spring break, I was hanging out with my grandma in Arizona. Since everything closed, we resorted to baking Christmas cookies while listening to 50s music. My favorite of these was a batch of lemon shortbread cookies dipped in white chocolate. Those were gone in a matter of days.
Jasmine Johnson (Managing Editor): I just mooch off whatever my mom makes. I stretched my brain the other day and made a concoction I refer to as the cozy mocha: brown sugar, hot chocolate mix, milk and coffee. Don’t try this at home. It’s not that great.
Josh Towner (Editor in Chief): I served up a sausage, tortellini and alfredo dish I found on Pinterest the other day. My tortellini to sauce ratio was pretty off, but my family didn’t seem to notice so I think I’m in the clear.
Emma Harville (Lifestyle Editor): My sister recently saw a nutritionist and has been on a health kick, so when she made these “healthy” double chocolate chip muffins, I didn’t think I’d be a fan. But even though they’re gluten-free, dairy-free and low-carb, they are delicious and I cannot stop eating or making them. But it’s also a very real possibility that I’m just so bored I’ll eat anything.
Zach Walker (Projects Editor): Before quarantine, I drove an hour to a meat-processing shop in Bloomer, Wisconsin to pick up 30 pounds of snack sticks made from the two deer my dad and I shot in October. I have been pile-driving the jalapeño variety, which are too spicy for my dad. He prefers the ones with bits of pickle instead, so it works out pretty well.
What movies or TV shows have you been streaming?
Molly: I have so far watched a large assortment of movies: “The Duff,” “Five Feet Apart,” “Pitch Perfect,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Spiderman 3” and “Happy Death Day.” For shows? I have guiltily reverted back to my go-to binge series: “Avatar the Last Airbender” and “The Office.”
Jasmine: I watched “Five Feet Apart” and “Pitch Perfect” with Molly before this whole stay-at-home order started. The Johnson household collectively determined that Sundays are family movie nights now, so I also recently rewatched “Cars.” Nothing beats a classic animated picture to bring you back to your childhood.
Josh: I’ve been cruising through “Succession” on HBO. It’s basically about a bunch of terrible people fighting for control of a massive media conglomerate. I don’t think I’ve ever cared more about bad people than I do watching this show. As for movies, Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt’s “Edge of Tomorrow” is absolutely worth a (re)watch, if you’re into the perfect fusion of “Groundhog’s Day” and “Independence Day.”
Emma: I have been attempting to escape the dark and depressing news inundating my feed by watching the “Spring Baking Championship” on a loop. There’s something oddly stress-relieving about watching other people stress out. Plus there are cupcakes and pastries involved.
Zach: I’ve watched two episodes of HBO’s “The Leftovers” every night for the past five days, and I am 20 to 30 percent confident that I understand two of the four plot lines. But I am committed to figuring this sucker out. If you start watching and want to discuss, hit me up by searching “Bethel Clarion” on Spotify or iTunes. Also, “The Shawshank Redemption” was recently added back to Netflix, and that is factually the greatest movie of all time.
What books do you recommend?
Molly: So far, I have yet to complete a book during this break. However, I have been reading a lot of Courtney Peppernell poetry. The book “Tenth of December” is also a great read. It’s a bunch of short stories, making it easy to get through.
Jasmine: I’m guilty of reading multiple books at the same time just to keep things exciting. Currently, I’m in the middle of “The Sea Within” by Peter Kreeft, a short philosophical book about why humans are so drawn to the ocean, as well as “The Warrior Heir” by Cinda Williams Chima, which a friend loaned to me before we evacuated campus. There are 28 more unread treasures stacked up on my closet floor.
Josh: Picking the dad-adjacent bookshelf, I’m reading “Pirate Latitudes” by Michael Crichton. It’s exactly what you think it is. Pirates. Rum. Treasure. Think second rate Pirates of the Caribbean. From my own collection, I recommend “Hope Never Dies” and “Hope Rides Again,” a pair of fictional, buddy detective novels starring none other than Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
Emma: I recently reread “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and was reminded of why it’s one of my favorite books. It’s just over 200 pages, so you can fly through it in a day. Composed of intimate, handwritten letters, it’s the story of a freshman boy navigating high school in the year 1992. It will remind you of everything you loved and hated as a 14-year-old.
Zach: I read the philosophical guidebook “Tuesdays with Morrie” for the first time last week, and then Josh Towner told me he read it in middle school, which was either a brag about his childhood reading capability or a dig against my own. If you don’t want to get bullied by Josh and are in the market for a page-turner that will actually have you turning pages, I’d recommend any of Gillian Flynn’s novels (“Sharp Objects” is the best).
What podcasts have you been listening to?
Molly: Okay, hate on me all you want, but I have been listening to the “H3H3 Podcast” and “Dish with Trish,” a podcast made by notorious YouTube drama queen Trisha Paytas. She makes me cringe but there’s something about her interviewing techniques and absurdity that bring me in.
Jasmine: The all-original “Treading Warm Water” and “Life Is.” Gotta support the team.
Josh: My two podcasts last week were “Reply All,” a journalism podcast with deep dives on unconventional topics like missing 90s pop songs and 30-50 feral hogs, and “All Fantasy Everything,” the podcast that drafts just about every topic conceivable. Last week, they drafted board games and talked about how an outbreak of mispronounced desserts could be called a “flandemic.”
Emma: I love history, and lately I’ve been listening to “Lore,” this heavily researched podcast about dark historical tales that explores oddities like mysterious creatures and hauntings. It’s really fascinating. It talks about true stories from history that are so weird and unnerving that you’re like, ‘how could that possibly be true?’ but it is.
Zach: Jasmine stole my “Life Is” plug, so I’ll have to give a real answer. Check out “99 Percent Invisible” if you’re in the mood for engaging, journalistic storytelling and “Review Revue” if you want to hear two people almost as funny as me do stupid improv bits.