vox--2020-12-09--Biden’s building the most diverse Cabinet ever — but many Democrats say he’s doing it wrong

President-elect Joe Biden promised to appoint “ the most diverse Cabinet in history ” ahead of his election .
He ’ s on track to do so , but as the president-elect has announced his choices , he has increasingly taken flak from top members of his party who argue he hasn ’ t gone far enough .
As Matthew Yglesias has noted for Vox , installing the most diverse Cabinet of all time isn ’ t really all that difficult of a task — “ every single treasury secretary and every single secretary of defense ( or “ secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used to be called ) has been a white straight man.
” But what has proven to be far harder is creating a leadership team that resolves the competing versions of diversity held by Biden allies .
The president-elect is expected to have about 20 Cabinet-level officials in roles that range from United Nations ambassador to education secretary .
But there are four positions that are seen as making up the core of the Cabinet that advocates have pushed to be filled by diverse appointees : secretary of state , treasury secretary , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Biden announced his picks for the first two of these “ big four ” roles before Thanksgiving , asking his longtime foreign policy aide Antony Blinken to be secretary of state and former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to be his treasury secretary .
Both are considered pragmatic , qualified picks .
But both are also white .
Many diversity advocates had hoped for someone like former National Security Adviser Susan Rice , a Black woman , to be picked for secretary of state .
And many also hoped to see Roger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a teachers retirement fund group , or Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic — both Black men — nominated as treasury secretary .
In his first round of appointments , Biden did elevate some minority talent , for instance putting career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield , a Black woman , in the UN ambassador role and naming an economic team that included Black and Asian American women as well as a Black man .
But advocates — chief among them Democratic leaders of color — said they wanted to see minorities topping agencies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attorney general and a secretary of defense who weren ’ t white .
“ I was very excited to see Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield ’ s appointment , and Cecelia Rouse , ” Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass ( D-CA ) said on CNN ’ s State of the Union Sunday .
“ But I do believe there ’ s many more positions , and I certainly hope to see African Americans in those positions at the highest level.
” Bass noted that Congressional Black Caucus Chair ( CBC ) leaders are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and had been lobbying for the advancement of their preferred candidates .
“ For defense secretary , there ’ s two individuals that the Congressional Black Caucus would like to put forward : Lloyd Austin and Jeh Johnson , ” Bass told CNN .
“ We ’ ll see what happens in other positions as well.
” The CBC got its wish on the secretary of defense pick : Austin , a retired Army general , was reported to be Biden ’ s nominee Monday .
If confirmed , he will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonwhite American , to lead the department .
But the CBC ’ s defense secretary victory means other congressional groups pushing forward their ideal secretaries , like the Congressional Hispanic Caucus ( CHC ) and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus ( CAPAC ) , weren ’ t able to successfully advance their candidates .
There ’ s only one big-four seat left .
Each constituency wants their person in it , as well as broader representation in top governmental roles .
As CHC member Rep. Jimmy Gomez ( D-CA ) told the Associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needs to unfold.
” Biden ’ s Cabinet is shaping up to be historically diverse .
But his allies of color say more diversity is needed .
Those who are pressuring Biden to broaden the scope of who his Cabinet includes have acknowledged his diversity successes so far .
He has , as CAPAC chair Rep. Judy Chu ( D-CA ) noted in a statement on Monday , ensured “ one of our very own CAPAC Members , Kamala Harris , will be the first woman , first Asian American , and first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s history.
” His economic team , as Vox ’ s Emily Stewart has explained , will feature “ Center for American Progress president and CEO Neera Tanden for director of the Office of Management and Budget , labor economist and Princeton School of Public and International Affairs dean Cecilia Rouse for chair of the Council of Economic Advisers , and Obama Foundation president Wally Adeyemo for deputy treasury secretary.
” Adeyemo and Rouse are both Black , while Taden is Asian American .
Biden ’ s office of public engagement director , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also Black , as is Biden ’ s principal deputy press secretary , Harris ’ s general election campaign chief of staff Karine Jean-Pierre .
Dr. Vivek Murthy , the nominee for surgeon general , is Asian American , and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra — a Latino man — is Biden ’ s pick for secretary of health and human services .
Biden has also worked to promote ideological diversity , according to his allies , and has tried to include more gender identity diversity than has been seen in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be the first woman to lead the Treasury Department .
This first is emblematic of the sorts of trade-offs Biden has been forced to consider .
In choosing Yellen , he passed over a Black candidate ; in choosing a Black candidate for secretary of defense , however , the president-elect was forced to cast aside someone who would have been the first woman in that role , Michèle Flournoy , who many felt was ideal for the job .
In both cases , he disappointed other groups .
And many have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above comes in more junior roles — a fact that has led some , like Chu and Rep. Pramila Jayapal ( D-WA ) , to call for Biden to make the surgeon general a Cabinet-level position .
“ A Cabinet-level position for Dr. Murthy would also help fulfill President-elect Biden ’ s commitment to creating a government that all Americans can see themselves in , ” the representatives wrote in a joint statement .
“ And yet , this Administration risks being the first in 20 years to not include an AAPI in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cabinet-level official , was seen by the CHC as only a first step .
After the announcement of his appointment Sunday , CHC chair Rep. Joaquin Castro ( D-TX ) said in a statement , “ We welcome the news of Becerra ’ s nomination , and the CHC is encouraging President-Elect Biden to appoint five Latinos in the Cabinet , including Latinas in prominent positions.
” In order to secure positions for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders , Latinx people , and more spots for Black Americans , all of the caucuses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ongoing talks with the transition team .
In the case of Austin , these conversations appeared to bear fruit ; other times , however , they have led to frustration .
“ I was very disappointed , ” Chu said following a recent CAPAC meeting with the transition team .
“ We felt that our voices weren ’ t being heard.
” The exasperation of CBC and CHC leaders has spilled out into public view as well .
Shortly after Thanksgiving , prominent Black lawmaker and Biden ally Rep. James Clyburn ( D-SC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ not good.
” Efforts to correct this have raised some questions — including whether Austin is qualified to run the Defense Department and whether Biden is being as thoughtful as possible in placing diverse candidates where they might be most effective .
For instance , there was a campaign led by Clyburn to elevate Rep. Marcia Fudge ( D-OH ) to agriculture secretary , citing her work on the House Agriculture Committee and her experience as the chair of the Nutrition Subcommittee .
Fudge herself lobbied for the role , saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with food , health , and nutrition , but that her nomination would send a powerful message : “ As this country becomes more and more diverse , we ’ re going to have to stop looking at only certain agencies as those that people like me fit in .
You know , it ’ s always ‘ we want to put the Black person in labor or HUD , ’ ” she told Politico .
Instead , she was asked to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vilsack , a white man , will be nominated to resume his duties atop that agency .
And CHC members reportedly took the transition team to task over an offer made to its former chair , New Mexico Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham , for interior secretary — a job many lawmakers hope to see Grisham ’ s constituent , Rep. Deb Haaland ( D-NM ) , in , and one Haaland appeared to be positioning herself for .
“ Most of us interpreted it as a slap in both their faces , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-AZ ) told CNN .
“ You can ’ t be cavalier with this stuff .
Their reputations are on the line and when something comes up like , ‘ We offered her something and she didn ’ t take it , ’ it puts a bad light on her and on other candidates.
” Many in the CHC had hoped Lujan Grisham would be nominated to be HHS secretary , while Becerra would be asked to be attorney general .
Instead , Lujan Grisham ended up entangled in an awkward situation while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen as less prominent — and only after Rhode Island Gov .
Gina Raimondo , a white woman , announced she didn ’ t want the job .
Minorities helped power Biden ’ s win — and want his team to reflect that That minority candidates aren ’ t being treated with the respect and consideration they deserve is an issue for many not just because of Biden ’ s promise , but because of how he got to the White House in the first place .
Clyburn and his base of Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as saving a struggling Biden in the Democratic primary , and his general election bid was energized by activists of all ethnicities — as well the strong support of minority voters .
The caucuses have highlighted this support in their appeals to Biden ; in a letter to the president-elect , the CAPAC noted “ over two-thirds of the AAPI vote support [ ed ] your election , ” and the CBC was similarly candid in a statement on the Cabinet , writing , “ It is no secret that members of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helped deliver a victory for President-elect Joe Biden.
” And this would seem to place pressure on Biden to not just have his Cabinet “ look like America , ” but to have it look like his base .
For instance , while the US ’ s Black population stands at about 13 percent , nearly all Black voters — around 87 percent , according to a preliminary analysis by Edison Research — supported Biden .
This is not to say that any diversity advocates are arguing that his Cabinet needs to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s why Biden needs to do more .
“ When you look at what African American women did in particular in this election , you will see that a major part of the reason that this Biden-Harris team won was because of African American women , ” Fudge told Politico .
“ We need to start to look outside of the box and , as they have promised , a cabinet that is representative of this country as well as representative of the people who have supported them.
” Ultimately , Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all parties .
Some , like the CAPAC , are still asking for representation on par with the share of the US population the ethnic groups they advocate for comprise .
And young and middle-aged Americans have , thus far , found themselves largely unrepresented by Biden ’ s leadership team .
Biden faces some external limitations as he takes appeals from allies and advocates : For example , Biden must ensure those appointees who require Senate confirmation can successfully make it through the process — particularly if Democrats lose one or both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which would leave control of the chamber in Republican hands .
And as has been seen with Lujan Grisham and Raimondo , not all who are offered positions will be willing to take them on .
But even as it becomes clear that there will be vexation all around , it appears that Biden is taking the feedback of allies seriously .
The Cabinet won ’ t be as diverse as perhaps it could have been , but it is set to be as diverse as promised .
Correction : A previous version @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President-elect Biden ’ s interior secretary offer .
It was said by Rep Raul Grijalva , not Rep. Ben Ray Luján .

President-elect Joe Biden promised to appoint “the most diverse Cabinet in history” ahead of his election. He’s on track to do so, but as the president-elect has announced his choices, he has increasingly taken flak from top members of his party who argue he hasn’t gone far enough.
As Matthew Yglesias has noted for Vox, installing the most diverse Cabinet of all time isn’t really all that difficult of a task — “every single treasury secretary and every single secretary of defense (or “secretary of war,” as the position used to be called) has been a white straight man.” But what has proven to be far harder is creating a leadership team that resolves the competing versions of diversity held by Biden allies.
The president-elect is expected to have about 20 Cabinet-level officials in roles that range from United Nations ambassador to education secretary. But there are four positions that are seen as making up the core of the Cabinet that advocates have pushed to be filled by diverse appointees: secretary of state, treasury secretary, secretary of defense, and attorney general.
Biden announced his picks for the first two of these “big four” roles before Thanksgiving, asking his longtime foreign policy aide Antony Blinken to be secretary of state and former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to be his treasury secretary.
Both are considered pragmatic, qualified picks. But both are also white. Many diversity advocates had hoped for someone like former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, a Black woman, to be picked for secretary of state. And many also hoped to see Roger Ferguson, the CEO of TIAA, a teachers retirement fund group, or Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic — both Black men — nominated as treasury secretary.
In his first round of appointments, Biden did elevate some minority talent, for instance putting career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a Black woman, in the UN ambassador role and naming an economic team that included Black and Asian American women as well as a Black man.
But advocates — chief among them Democratic leaders of color — said they wanted to see minorities topping agencies, and that they expected Biden to choose an attorney general and a secretary of defense who weren’t white.
“I was very excited to see Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s appointment, and Cecelia Rouse,” Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-CA) said on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday. “But I do believe there’s many more positions, and I certainly hope to see African Americans in those positions at the highest level.”
Bass noted that Congressional Black Caucus Chair (CBC) leaders are in regular contact with the transition team, and had been lobbying for the advancement of their preferred candidates. “For defense secretary, there’s two individuals that the Congressional Black Caucus would like to put forward: Lloyd Austin and Jeh Johnson,” Bass told CNN. “We’ll see what happens in other positions as well.”
The CBC got its wish on the secretary of defense pick: Austin, a retired Army general, was reported to be Biden’s nominee Monday. If confirmed, he will be the first Black American, and first nonwhite American, to lead the department.
But the CBC’s defense secretary victory means other congressional groups pushing forward their ideal secretaries, like the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), weren’t able to successfully advance their candidates.
There’s only one big-four seat left. Each constituency wants their person in it, as well as broader representation in top governmental roles. As CHC member Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) told the Associated Press of Hispanic representation, “More needs to unfold.”
Biden’s Cabinet is shaping up to be historically diverse. But his allies of color say more diversity is needed.
Those who are pressuring Biden to broaden the scope of who his Cabinet includes have acknowledged his diversity successes so far.
He has, as CAPAC chair Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) noted in a statement on Monday, ensured “one of our very own CAPAC Members, Kamala Harris, will be the first woman, first Asian American, and first Black Vice President in our nation’s history.”
His economic team, as Vox’s Emily Stewart has explained, will feature “Center for American Progress president and CEO Neera Tanden for director of the Office of Management and Budget, labor economist and Princeton School of Public and International Affairs dean Cecilia Rouse for chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and Obama Foundation president Wally Adeyemo for deputy treasury secretary.”
Adeyemo and Rouse are both Black, while Taden is Asian American. Biden’s office of public engagement director, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), is also Black, as is Biden’s principal deputy press secretary, Harris’s general election campaign chief of staff Karine Jean-Pierre. Dr. Vivek Murthy, the nominee for surgeon general, is Asian American, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra — a Latino man — is Biden’s pick for secretary of health and human services.
Biden has also worked to promote ideological diversity, according to his allies, and has tried to include more gender identity diversity than has been seen in the past — Yellen, for instance, will be the first woman to lead the Treasury Department.
This first is emblematic of the sorts of trade-offs Biden has been forced to consider. In choosing Yellen, he passed over a Black candidate; in choosing a Black candidate for secretary of defense, however, the president-elect was forced to cast aside someone who would have been the first woman in that role, Michèle Flournoy, who many felt was ideal for the job.
In both cases, he disappointed other groups. And many have noted that much of the diversity outlined above comes in more junior roles — a fact that has led some, like Chu and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), to call for Biden to make the surgeon general a Cabinet-level position.
“A Cabinet-level position for Dr. Murthy would also help fulfill President-elect Biden’s commitment to creating a government that all Americans can see themselves in,” the representatives wrote in a joint statement. “And yet, this Administration risks being the first in 20 years to not include an AAPI in the Cabinet.”
Becerra, though a Cabinet-level official, was seen by the CHC as only a first step. After the announcement of his appointment Sunday, CHC chair Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) said in a statement, “We welcome the news of Becerra’s nomination, and the CHC is encouraging President-Elect Biden to appoint five Latinos in the Cabinet, including Latinas in prominent positions.”
In order to secure positions for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Latinx people, and more spots for Black Americans, all of the caucuses representing these groups have been involved in ongoing talks with the transition team. In the case of Austin, these conversations appeared to bear fruit; other times, however, they have led to frustration.
“I was very disappointed,” Chu said following a recent CAPAC meeting with the transition team. “We felt that our voices weren’t being heard.”
The exasperation of CBC and CHC leaders has spilled out into public view as well. Shortly after Thanksgiving, prominent Black lawmaker and Biden ally Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) characterized Biden’s diversity progress as “not good.”
Efforts to correct this have raised some questions — including whether Austin is qualified to run the Defense Department and whether Biden is being as thoughtful as possible in placing diverse candidates where they might be most effective.
For instance, there was a campaign led by Clyburn to elevate Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) to agriculture secretary, citing her work on the House Agriculture Committee and her experience as the chair of the Nutrition Subcommittee.
Fudge herself lobbied for the role, saying that not only did she have expertise with food, health, and nutrition, but that her nomination would send a powerful message: “As this country becomes more and more diverse, we’re going to have to stop looking at only certain agencies as those that people like me fit in. You know, it’s always ‘we want to put the Black person in labor or HUD,’” she told Politico.
Instead, she was asked to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Obama administration Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a white man, will be nominated to resume his duties atop that agency.
And CHC members reportedly took the transition team to task over an offer made to its former chair, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, for interior secretary — a job many lawmakers hope to see Grisham’s constituent, Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM), in, and one Haaland appeared to be positioning herself for.
“Most of us interpreted it as a slap in both their faces,” CHC member Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) told CNN. “You can’t be cavalier with this stuff. Their reputations are on the line and when something comes up like, ‘We offered her something and she didn’t take it,’ it puts a bad light on her and on other candidates.”
Many in the CHC had hoped Lujan Grisham would be nominated to be HHS secretary, while Becerra would be asked to be attorney general. Instead, Lujan Grisham ended up entangled in an awkward situation while Becerra was asked to lead a department seen as less prominent — and only after Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, a white woman, announced she didn’t want the job.
Minorities helped power Biden’s win — and want his team to reflect that
That minority candidates aren’t being treated with the respect and consideration they deserve is an issue for many not just because of Biden’s promise, but because of how he got to the White House in the first place.
Clyburn and his base of Black voters in South Carolina are widely seen as saving a struggling Biden in the Democratic primary, and his general election bid was energized by activists of all ethnicities — as well the strong support of minority voters.
The caucuses have highlighted this support in their appeals to Biden; in a letter to the president-elect, the CAPAC noted “over two-thirds of the AAPI vote support[ed] your election,” and the CBC was similarly candid in a statement on the Cabinet, writing, “It is no secret that members of the CBC and Black Americans throughout the country helped deliver a victory for President-elect Joe Biden.”
And this would seem to place pressure on Biden to not just have his Cabinet “look like America,” but to have it look like his base.
For instance, while the US’s Black population stands at about 13 percent, nearly all Black voters — around 87 percent, according to a preliminary analysis by Edison Research — supported Biden. This is not to say that any diversity advocates are arguing that his Cabinet needs to be largely Black, but many say it’s why Biden needs to do more.
“When you look at what African American women did in particular in this election, you will see that a major part of the reason that this Biden-Harris team won was because of African American women,” Fudge told Politico. “We need to start to look outside of the box and, as they have promised, a cabinet that is representative of this country as well as representative of the people who have supported them.”
Ultimately, Biden won’t be able to satisfy all parties. Some, like the CAPAC, are still asking for representation on par with the share of the US population the ethnic groups they advocate for comprise. And young and middle-aged Americans have, thus far, found themselves largely unrepresented by Biden’s leadership team.
Biden faces some external limitations as he takes appeals from allies and advocates: For example, Biden must ensure those appointees who require Senate confirmation can successfully make it through the process — particularly if Democrats lose one or both of the Senate runoffs in Georgia, which would leave control of the chamber in Republican hands. And as has been seen with Lujan Grisham and Raimondo, not all who are offered positions will be willing to take them on.
But even as it becomes clear that there will be vexation all around, it appears that Biden is taking the feedback of allies seriously. The Cabinet won’t be as diverse as perhaps it could have been, but it is set to be as diverse as promised.
Correction: A previous version of this story misattributed a quote about President-elect Biden’s interior secretary offer. It was said by Rep Raul Grijalva, not Rep. Ben Ray Luján.


vox--2020-12-10--A less miserable winter

A less miserable winter

Winter is never the easiest time .
It ’ s cold .
It ’ s dark .
It ’ s icy and snowy and windy .
It puts the “ season ” in “ seasonal affective disorder.
” And this winter , the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 , is extra complicated .
The end of the pandemic might be in sight , but we ’ re not there yet , not by a long shot .
So we know that we won ’ t have all the things to look forward to that we once had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends , bundling up for a night out at a restaurant or bar , the relief of running on a treadmill at the gym while the streets outside are slick and dangerous .
It ’ s going to be rough ; some might even call it miserable .
We ’ d like to help you make it less miserable .
Vox has brought together some of our coziest minds — and tapped the experts — to help you figure out how to navigate this winter .
Join us as we roll out tips @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( indoor ) hobby , how to bake magical bread , and how to keep your houseplants from calling it quits .
We ’ ll be checking with people who know how to deal with small-space living and long , dark winters .
We hope it ’ ll help make things less terrible — maybe even a little joyful .
How to keep your houseplants ( and yourself ) less miserable this winter , by Umair Irfan A Scandinavian local explains how to make it through winter , by Melinda Fakuade How to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alanna Okun How do you handle a tiny living space ?
We asked a Below Deck crew member , by Alex Abad-Santos A patio expert explains how to make winter socializing tolerable , by Alex Abad-Santos This sourdough recipe takes all day .
That ’ s what makes it great , by Brian Resnick

Winter is never the easiest time. It’s cold. It’s dark. It’s icy and snowy and windy. It puts the “season” in “seasonal affective disorder.”
And this winter, the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, is extra complicated. The end of the pandemic might be in sight, but we’re not there yet, not by a long shot. So we know that we won’t have all the things to look forward to that we once had: gatherings at home with family and friends, bundling up for a night out at a restaurant or bar, the relief of running on a treadmill at the gym while the streets outside are slick and dangerous. It’s going to be rough; some might even call it miserable.
We’d like to help you make it less miserable. Vox has brought together some of our coziest minds — and tapped the experts — to help you figure out how to navigate this winter. Join us as we roll out tips on how to pick up a new (indoor) hobby, how to bake magical bread, and how to keep your houseplants from calling it quits. We’ll be checking with people who know how to deal with small-space living and long, dark winters. We hope it’ll help make things less terrible — maybe even a little joyful.
How to keep your houseplants (and yourself) less miserable this winter, by Umair Irfan
A Scandinavian local explains how to make it through winter, by Melinda Fakuade
How to get a hobby this winter, by Alanna Okun
How do you handle a tiny living space? We asked a Below Deck crew member, by Alex Abad-Santos
A patio expert explains how to make winter socializing tolerable, by Alex Abad-Santos
This sourdough recipe takes all day. That’s what makes it great, by Brian Resnick
How to find fitness motivation after this trainwreck of a year, by Alex Abad-Santos


vox--2020-12-10--This sourdough recipe takes all day. That’s what makes it great.

Winter will suck .
We gathered some of Vox ’ s coziest minds to help you make it suck less .
One hundred years ago , back in April 2020 , I had 25 pounds of bread flour delivered to my apartment .
It made me feel wealthy , though not in a dollar sense .
It wasn ’ t very expensive .
With the delivery fee , the flour came to about $ 40 — really not much more than what you ’ d pay for the same amount of flour in a supermarket .
But I felt wealthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merchants of olden times must have felt : I had a store of something useful , something precious .
It was a huge satchel not only of sustenance but also of joy .
Baking bread is a joy .
To me , it feels like alchemy .
Mix together water , flour , yeast , and salt , and it looks like a gloopy , sticky , unappetizing mess .
This is the “ before ” photo of the rye sourdough I recently made .
But give that mess time , a bit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a cauldron ( or a cast-iron Dutch oven ) , stick that cauldron into the most ferocious inferno you can safely summon onto our earthly plane ( an oven set to 500 degrees will do ) , and out comes something , well , magical .
Here ’ s my finished loaf of rye , straight from the oven .
That sense of triumph is why I don ’ t just love baking — I enjoy watching others do it , too .
It ’ s why I love The Great British Bake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really competing against one another ; they individually compete against chaos .
It ’ s so easy to let chaos win .
To let something burn , to have a dough be underproofed or overproofed , or to have an ice cream cake melt in a tent on the hottest day of the year .
But , if you can wrestle with the forces of nature — of chemistry , of biology , of physics — and subdue them carefully enough to create 12 perfect sticky buns , that ’ s a victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the natural world .
Luckily , the triumph is easier to accomplish at home than on a TV show .
Here , at home , I have to make only one loaf ; there ’ s no countdown clock .
I can claim victory over chaos on my own terms .
And it feels good .
In the US , we ’ re facing a long , dark pandemic winter .
Despite recent good news on vaccines , Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths are still increasing .
Our lives will still not be “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re not compelled to pick up a new skill ; not everyone is inclined to be a baker .
I wouldn ’ t force a hobby on anyone who doesn ’ t want one .
But if you are interested in baking bread , here ’ s my advice : Buy a huge amount of flour ( I purchased mine from Lindley Mills ) , separate it into 5-pound portions in ziplock bags ( to keep bugs out ) , store those bags in a cupboard so that when you open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re running a big-time drug operation , and then make bread throughout the winter .
It will warm your home , your belly , and perhaps even your heart .
“ The world is scary and uncertain , ” Vox ’ s Emily VanDerWerff wrote earlier this year in an essay about baking bread .
“ Bread is just science .
Or it ’ s magic .
Or it ’ s both.
” Here ’ s how to make some of that magic for yourself .
Sourdough starters are self-replicating wonders .
Get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes from my friend Adriana , who got it from her cousin , Rolando Lora , who used to run a bakery in Bolivia .
( His bread and pizza recipes are currently being baked at the Rústica pizzeria in Santa Cruz de la Sierra , Bolivia . )
There are two components to the recipe : the sourdough starter , and the bread recipe itself .
Sourdough starters seem intimidating .
It ’ s something alive ; it ’ s something that needs to be cared for .
But it has a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will never run out of it ( as long as you have flour ) .
When you ’ re low on starter , you just cultivate some more .
And you don ’ t have to baby it too much , either .
I ’ ve left sourdough starter in my refrigerator for four or five months without tending to it .
And it bounces back .
( Heck , an archaeologist once revived a 4,500-year-old piece of ancient Egyptian yeast , and it worked just fine .
So , you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Starter is basically a collection of yeast and beneficial bacteria that lives in a pool of flour and water .
Before you bake a loaf of bread , you refresh the starter , “ feeding ” it more flour and water .
That “ feeding ” sort of wakes up the yeast and bacteria .
The yeast gets ready to turn the sugars in flour into carbon dioxide ( which causes the bread to rise ) , and the bacteria get ready to ferment it , which imparts a sourish flavor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with just flour , water , and some patience .
But , easier : Find someone with a starter and nab a piece of it .
That ’ s what I did .
My starter came from Adriana , who took a piece from her mom , who took a piece from Rolando .
When I bake with Adriana ’ s starter , I feel like I ’ m tending to a family heirloom .
I feel loved by the fact that Adriana entrusted me with it , and I want to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make Rolando ’ s starter , add 15 grams of a previous starter to 200 grams of room-temperature water in a medium-sized bowl .
( To follow this recipe , you ’ re going to need a kitchen scale .
They ’ re inexpensive .
I ’ m using gram measurements because I find them easier .
Many bread recipes are written in grams as opposed to ounces . )
Mix until the starter is suspended evenly in the water .
Then add 100 grams of white-bread flour .
Mix to combine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mix again .
( Note : Rolando ’ s starter recipe is enough to make two loaves .
You can halve the starter recipe to make just one ; you ’ ll still have 15 grams left over to start a new batch . )
Pour that mixture into a jar or quart container .
It will look like this : Then wait around 10 to 12 hours , and it will look like this : You know the starter is ready to use when you see some bubbles at the top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little bit funky ) .
Also , this is perhaps intimidating for beginners , but a lot of sourdough bread recipes will call on you to use your senses .
But it ’ s not like you ’ ll immediately know what a ready starter is “ supposed ” to smell like .
Don ’ t worry .
That knowledge will come in time .
Okay , now we can really make bread Rolando ’ s recipe is very riffable .
You can use a higher proportion of whole-wheat flour in the dough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diet and/or a denser , earthier loaf .
Or , like me , you can replace 110 grams of the white-bread flour with rye flour and add caraway seeds to make a rye sourdough loaf .
That ’ s my favorite variation .
Note : I don ’ t know what all the steps in this recipe necessarily do , precisely , when it comes to the science of breadmaking .
But I follow them because it works .
If you ask me , all recipes ought to have some steps that trace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Particularly , in this recipe there ’ s a step that requires you to “ cover dough with a bowl and leave it 10-30 minutes without air.
” I have no idea what this step does .
I like to think it ’ s there to give the dough a moment of privacy , to compose itself before its final journey into the inferno .
Whatever this step does , it ’ s a part of this recipe ’ s lore , and I respect it .
Ready to make some bread ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sure you have an active , bubbly starter as outlined above .
Next , make sure you have six to seven hours .
Yes , this is a long recipe , time-wise .
And yes , you already spent 10 hours waiting for the starter to be ready .
But you ’ ll only be hands on for about 30 minutes , tops .
Remember : The greatest ingredient in the kitchen is patience .
Let ’ s begin .
1 ) In a large bowl , add 120 grams of starter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mix until no clumps are visible .
Next , add 550 grams of white-bread flour and 60 grams whole-wheat flour and mix well .
( Rolando prefers the King Arthur brand of flour .
Again , you can play with exact proportions — just have the total weight of the flour reach 610 grams .
That said , think of the whole-wheat flour as more of a flavoring than the base .
Too much whole wheat , and the loaf won ’ t rise very well .
I ’ ve found 50 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nicely . )
Rolando ’ s recipe says to mix “ with hands , ” but I often use a spatula .
The dough will be sticky and elastic , and I hate to waste any of it by having to wash some off my hands in the sink .
At this point , you can put the remaining starter back in the refrigerator .
( You can use more of it for a second loaf within a day .
At some point — I ’ m not sure exactly when — it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll need to “ feed ” it again , per the instructions above . )
2 ) In a separate clean bowl , mix 12 grams of salt and 20 grams of water .
Transfer the dough from the first bowl into this new bowl ( so that the dough is on top of the puddle of salt water ) .
Now take an outer edge of the dough , and fold it across the dough .
Repeat folding around the circumference of the dough .
If you don ’ t understand what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look at this YouTube video .
Fold the dough until all of the salty water is incorporated .
Don ’ t worry if it looks a mess right now .
Don ’ t worry if the dough got a little tough to fold and you more or less mashed the salt water into the dough instead of elegantly folding it .
Everything is going to be okay .
The magic is about to begin .
3 ) Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic shopping bag and let it rest for 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times , and turn the dough upside down in the bowl ( to maintain the tension you created by folding the dough , a tip I picked up from Ken Forkish ’ s Flour Water Salt Yeast ) .
Cover again for 30 minutes .
Repeat this process — folding around the circumference , flipping , covering , waiting 30 minutes — three more times .
Each time you ’ ll notice the dough getting dryer , suppler , and more like a baby ’ s bottom .
The yeast and bacteria are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Thank them .
4 ) After four cycles of folding , put a tiny bit of olive oil on a clean kitchen counter , place the dough on the counter , and shape the dough into a ball .
Here , Rolando says to “ cover dough with a bowl and leave it 10-30 minutes without air.
” Again , I have no idea what this step does .
Sometimes I just skip this part ( I haven ’ t noticed it to make a difference ) .
Here ’ s what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of folding : 5 ) Now , dust a round banneton ( a.k.a .
a proofing basket , though you can just use a bowl lined with a clean towel ) with white flour and , if you have it , some fine-ground cornmeal ( it will help stop the dough from sticking to the basket ) .
Rolando now says to “ pull dough like pizza dough and fold trapping air inside , keeping a round shape.
” Basically : Flatten out the dough into a 10-inch disk and then pull the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ball .
Then dust the dough itself with some flour and cornmeal , and place it in the banneton seam-side down .
Cover with a towel or plastic .
Note : There are many ways to shape a loaf of bread .
You can get sucked into YouTube rabbit holes watching tutorials on how to do it perfectly .
But no matter how poorly you shape the loaf , it ’ s still going to become edible bread .
6 ) Leave the dough to rise at room temperature for around three hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in size but will look noticeably poofier , and it will have crawled up the side of the banneton a bit .
After three hours , you can bake .
Or , like me , you can decide to put the covered banneton in the fridge overnight .
The overnight rest in cold temperatures increases the sour flavor of the final loaf , which I enjoy .
I always do this .
I know , spending 18 hours making bread seems ridiculous .
But again , patience is the best ingredient you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are .
Time to bake , baby !
Heat your oven to 500 degrees .
Place a Dutch oven ( I use a 4-quart ; it ’ s the perfect size for this , but larger is fine ) into the oven without the lid and preheat it for 15 minutes .
Now , carefully remove the Dutch oven from the inferno .
Turn out the dough from the banneton ( I just catch it with one hand ) , and carefully place it in the pot ( the side of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the banneton should be touching the bottom of the pot ) .
It ’ s okay if you don ’ t get the dough dead center in the pot .
It ’ ll be fine .
I promise .
Rolando says you can use a wooden spoon to push the dough toward the center and keep the round shape .
Just don ’ t fuss with it too much once it ’ s in the pot — it ’ s really easy to burn your hands here .
You can score the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pattern with a sharp X-Acto knife or kitchen knife , if you ’ d like .
That will help it rise evenly .
But I usually skip this .
I like having the bread split naturally as it rises .
It never splits the same way twice .
Each loaf is unique , and I find beauty in that .
Now put the lid on the pot and put it in the oven for 20 minutes .
After 20 minutes , carefully ( it ’ s hot ! )
take the lid off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Depending on your oven , ” Rolando writes , “ the last 20 minutes can be shorter or longer .
If top of bread is getting darker , take bread out of oven .
If still light , leave a bit longer.
” Use your judgment .
I err on the side of dark .
8 ) I know I just walked you through an 18-hour recipe , but yes , you should let the loaf cool before cutting into it .
Ugh , I know .
Consolation : Your home will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jealous .
Take this time to get some butter to room temperature for easy spreading .
If all goes well , it should look like this .
I like to eat my bread toasted , topped with a thick smear of soft butter and some sea salt and kissed with a crack of black pepper .
It is magic , and it can be yours .
Enjoy .

Winter will suck. We gathered some of Vox’s coziest minds to help you make it suck less.
One hundred years ago, back in April 2020, I had 25 pounds of bread flour delivered to my apartment. It made me feel wealthy, though not in a dollar sense.
It wasn’t very expensive. With the delivery fee, the flour came to about $40 — really not much more than what you’d pay for the same amount of flour in a supermarket. But I felt wealthy in a material way, like the merchants of olden times must have felt: I had a store of something useful, something precious. It was a huge satchel not only of sustenance but also of joy.
Baking bread is a joy. To me, it feels like alchemy. Mix together water, flour, yeast, and salt, and it looks like a gloopy, sticky, unappetizing mess. This is the “before” photo of the rye sourdough I recently made.
But give that mess time, a bit of love, and put it into a cauldron (or a cast-iron Dutch oven), stick that cauldron into the most ferocious inferno you can safely summon onto our earthly plane (an oven set to 500 degrees will do), and out comes something, well, magical. Here’s my finished loaf of rye, straight from the oven.
That sense of triumph is why I don’t just love baking — I enjoy watching others do it, too. It’s why I love The Great British Bake Off. The contestants aren’t really competing against one another; they individually compete against chaos. It’s so easy to let chaos win. To let something burn, to have a dough be underproofed or overproofed, or to have an ice cream cake melt in a tent on the hottest day of the year. But, if you can wrestle with the forces of nature — of chemistry, of biology, of physics — and subdue them carefully enough to create 12 perfect sticky buns, that’s a victory for humanity against the cruelest aspects of the natural world.
Luckily, the triumph is easier to accomplish at home than on a TV show. Here, at home, I have to make only one loaf; there’s no countdown clock. I can claim victory over chaos on my own terms. And it feels good.
In the US, we’re facing a long, dark pandemic winter. Despite recent good news on vaccines, Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths are still increasing. Our lives will still not be “normal” for some time. Maybe you’re not compelled to pick up a new skill; not everyone is inclined to be a baker. I wouldn’t force a hobby on anyone who doesn’t want one.
But if you are interested in baking bread, here’s my advice: Buy a huge amount of flour (I purchased mine from Lindley Mills), separate it into 5-pound portions in ziplock bags (to keep bugs out), store those bags in a cupboard so that when you open it up it looks like you’re running a big-time drug operation, and then make bread throughout the winter. It will warm your home, your belly, and perhaps even your heart.
“The world is scary and uncertain,” Vox’s Emily VanDerWerff wrote earlier this year in an essay about baking bread. “Bread is just science. Or it’s magic. Or it’s both.”
Here’s how to make some of that magic for yourself.
Sourdough starters are self-replicating wonders. Get one.
The basic recipe I use comes from my friend Adriana, who got it from her cousin, Rolando Lora, who used to run a bakery in Bolivia. (His bread and pizza recipes are currently being baked at the Rústica pizzeria in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.)
There are two components to the recipe: the sourdough starter, and the bread recipe itself.
Sourdough starters seem intimidating. It’s something alive; it’s something that needs to be cared for. But it has a huge advantage over store-bought yeast: You will never run out of it (as long as you have flour). When you’re low on starter, you just cultivate some more. And you don’t have to baby it too much, either. I’ve left sourdough starter in my refrigerator for four or five months without tending to it. And it bounces back. (Heck, an archaeologist once revived a 4,500-year-old piece of ancient Egyptian yeast, and it worked just fine. So, you’re unlikely to completely kill a starter.)
Starter is basically a collection of yeast and beneficial bacteria that lives in a pool of flour and water. Before you bake a loaf of bread, you refresh the starter, “feeding” it more flour and water. That “feeding” sort of wakes up the yeast and bacteria. The yeast gets ready to turn the sugars in flour into carbon dioxide (which causes the bread to rise), and the bacteria get ready to ferment it, which imparts a sourish flavor.
You can create your own starter colony with just flour, water, and some patience. But, easier: Find someone with a starter and nab a piece of it. That’s what I did. My starter came from Adriana, who took a piece from her mom, who took a piece from Rolando. When I bake with Adriana’s starter, I feel like I’m tending to a family heirloom. I feel loved by the fact that Adriana entrusted me with it, and I want to take care of it in return.
To make Rolando’s starter, add 15 grams of a previous starter to 200 grams of room-temperature water in a medium-sized bowl. (To follow this recipe, you’re going to need a kitchen scale. They’re inexpensive. I’m using gram measurements because I find them easier. Many bread recipes are written in grams as opposed to ounces.) Mix until the starter is suspended evenly in the water. Then add 100 grams of white-bread flour. Mix to combine. Then add 100 grams of whole-wheat flour. Mix again. (Note: Rolando’s starter recipe is enough to make two loaves. You can halve the starter recipe to make just one; you’ll still have 15 grams left over to start a new batch.)
Pour that mixture into a jar or quart container. It will look like this:
Then wait around 10 to 12 hours, and it will look like this:
You know the starter is ready to use when you see some bubbles at the top and it smells sour (and a little bit funky). Also, this is perhaps intimidating for beginners, but a lot of sourdough bread recipes will call on you to use your senses. But it’s not like you’ll immediately know what a ready starter is “supposed” to smell like. Don’t worry. That knowledge will come in time.
Okay, now we can really make bread
Rolando’s recipe is very riffable. You can use a higher proportion of whole-wheat flour in the dough if you want more fiber in your diet and/or a denser, earthier loaf. Or, like me, you can replace 110 grams of the white-bread flour with rye flour and add caraway seeds to make a rye sourdough loaf. That’s my favorite variation.
Note: I don’t know what all the steps in this recipe necessarily do, precisely, when it comes to the science of breadmaking. But I follow them because it works. If you ask me, all recipes ought to have some steps that trace the edge between science and magic.
Particularly, in this recipe there’s a step that requires you to “cover dough with a bowl and leave it 10-30 minutes without air.” I have no idea what this step does. I like to think it’s there to give the dough a moment of privacy, to compose itself before its final journey into the inferno. Whatever this step does, it’s a part of this recipe’s lore, and I respect it.
Ready to make some bread? Heck yeah you are!
First, make sure you have an active, bubbly starter as outlined above. Next, make sure you have six to seven hours. Yes, this is a long recipe, time-wise. And yes, you already spent 10 hours waiting for the starter to be ready. But you’ll only be hands on for about 30 minutes, tops.
Remember: The greatest ingredient in the kitchen is patience. Let’s begin.
1) In a large bowl, add 120 grams of starter to 400 grams of room-temperature water and mix until no clumps are visible.
Next, add 550 grams of white-bread flour and 60 grams whole-wheat flour and mix well. (Rolando prefers the King Arthur brand of flour. Again, you can play with exact proportions — just have the total weight of the flour reach 610 grams. That said, think of the whole-wheat flour as more of a flavoring than the base. Too much whole wheat, and the loaf won’t rise very well. I’ve found 50 to 100 grams of whole wheat works out nicely.)
Rolando’s recipe says to mix “with hands,” but I often use a spatula. The dough will be sticky and elastic, and I hate to waste any of it by having to wash some off my hands in the sink.
At this point, you can put the remaining starter back in the refrigerator. (You can use more of it for a second loaf within a day. At some point — I’m not sure exactly when — it will lose its potency. You’ll need to “feed” it again, per the instructions above.)
2) In a separate clean bowl, mix 12 grams of salt and 20 grams of water. Transfer the dough from the first bowl into this new bowl (so that the dough is on top of the puddle of salt water). Now take an outer edge of the dough, and fold it across the dough. Repeat folding around the circumference of the dough.
If you don’t understand what I mean by folding, take a look at this YouTube video.
Fold the dough until all of the salty water is incorporated. Don’t worry if it looks a mess right now. Don’t worry if the dough got a little tough to fold and you more or less mashed the salt water into the dough instead of elegantly folding it. Everything is going to be okay. The magic is about to begin.
3) Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic shopping bag and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then fold again a few times, and turn the dough upside down in the bowl (to maintain the tension you created by folding the dough, a tip I picked up from Ken Forkish’s Flour Water Salt Yeast). Cover again for 30 minutes. Repeat this process — folding around the circumference, flipping, covering, waiting 30 minutes — three more times. Each time you’ll notice the dough getting dryer, suppler, and more like a baby’s bottom.
The yeast and bacteria are transforming this shaggy mess into something divine. Thank them.
4) After four cycles of folding, put a tiny bit of olive oil on a clean kitchen counter, place the dough on the counter, and shape the dough into a ball. Here, Rolando says to “cover dough with a bowl and leave it 10-30 minutes without air.” Again, I have no idea what this step does. Sometimes I just skip this part (I haven’t noticed it to make a difference).
Here’s what it should look like after four rounds of folding:
5) Now, dust a round banneton (a.k.a. a proofing basket, though you can just use a bowl lined with a clean towel) with white flour and, if you have it, some fine-ground cornmeal (it will help stop the dough from sticking to the basket). Rolando now says to “pull dough like pizza dough and fold trapping air inside, keeping a round shape.”
Basically: Flatten out the dough into a 10-inch disk and then pull the edges into the center to make a ball. Then dust the dough itself with some flour and cornmeal, and place it in the banneton seam-side down. Cover with a towel or plastic.
Note: There are many ways to shape a loaf of bread. You can get sucked into YouTube rabbit holes watching tutorials on how to do it perfectly. But no matter how poorly you shape the loaf, it’s still going to become edible bread.
6) Leave the dough to rise at room temperature for around three hours. It won’t quite double in size but will look noticeably poofier, and it will have crawled up the side of the banneton a bit. After three hours, you can bake.
Or, like me, you can decide to put the covered banneton in the fridge overnight. The overnight rest in cold temperatures increases the sour flavor of the final loaf, which I enjoy. I always do this. I know, spending 18 hours making bread seems ridiculous. But again, patience is the best ingredient you have here.
7) Okay. Here we are. Time to bake, baby!
Heat your oven to 500 degrees. Place a Dutch oven (I use a 4-quart; it’s the perfect size for this, but larger is fine) into the oven without the lid and preheat it for 15 minutes. Now, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the inferno. Turn out the dough from the banneton (I just catch it with one hand), and carefully place it in the pot (the side of the dough that was pointing toward the sky in the banneton should be touching the bottom of the pot). It’s okay if you don’t get the dough dead center in the pot. It’ll be fine. I promise. Rolando says you can use a wooden spoon to push the dough toward the center and keep the round shape. Just don’t fuss with it too much once it’s in the pot — it’s really easy to burn your hands here.
You can score the top of the loaf in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp X-Acto knife or kitchen knife, if you’d like. That will help it rise evenly. But I usually skip this. I like having the bread split naturally as it rises. It never splits the same way twice. Each loaf is unique, and I find beauty in that.
Now put the lid on the pot and put it in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, carefully (it’s hot!) take the lid off and bake for another 20 minutes.
(Tip: If your oven is like mine and tends to scorch the bottom of baked goods, you can put the lid or a small sheet pan on a rack underneath the pot.)
“Depending on your oven,” Rolando writes, “the last 20 minutes can be shorter or longer. If top of bread is getting darker, take bread out of oven. If still light, leave a bit longer.” Use your judgment. I err on the side of dark.
8) I know I just walked you through an 18-hour recipe, but yes, you should let the loaf cool before cutting into it. Ugh, I know. Consolation: Your home will smell amazing. Your neighbors will be jealous. Take this time to get some butter to room temperature for easy spreading.
If all goes well, it should look like this. I like to eat my bread toasted, topped with a thick smear of soft butter and some sea salt and kissed with a crack of black pepper. It is magic, and it can be yours. Enjoy.


vox--2020-12-10--A patio expert explains how to make winter socializing tolerable

Winter will suck .
We gathered some of Vox ’ s coziest minds to help you make it suck less .
Since March , when our new pandemic-affected reality set in , socializing has become incredibly complex .
We ’ ve been continually told by health and government officials that , if we ’ re going to be physically near others , getting outside is safer than being inside .
The science says the coronavirus spreads more easily indoors and outdoor activities are inherently less risky .
Americans have been encouraged to shift their social lives outside and put a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now , with the weather getting colder , those of us lucky enough to have outdoor access are figuring out how to make our space winter-proof .
Or if not fully winter-proof , at least fix it up to make it suitable for some winter moments .
Home improvement is an industry that ’ s actually surging during the pandemic , and exterior design is part of that surge .
Because your humble correspondent hasn ’ t lived with an outdoor space in over 15 years , I sought the advice of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ author , web series host , and the creator of The Patio Chic , a digital platform dedicated to making the outdoors feel like home .
Like many of us , the pandemic changed Paige ’ s life .
Her daily routine centered around raising her children , which involved a lot of driving around their Dallas-Fort Worth neighborhood to extracurricular activities .
The pandemic put a stop to that and gave her the impetus and time to start figuring out her outdoor space .
After seeing the lack of people of color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook group in late April called “ Black Women Who Love Outdoor Living Spaces.
” She found hundreds of thousands of people who felt the same way — the group grew to over 200,000 members with some 8,000 posts per week .
The Patio Chic , launched in the spring , was the next evolution .
While Paige has become a backyard influencer and outdoor space inspiration , she also founded a community .
This has been one of the strange effects of the pandemic — as it began affecting our real-life hangouts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where we could safely socialize and bond .
The success and popularity of Paige ’ s Facebook page and The Patio Chic were testaments to how we ’ ve all carved out different ways of interacting with our fellow humans .
With winter on the way , I spoke to Paige about what we can all do to turn our outdoor spaces — or help our friends turn their outdoor spaces — into winter respites .
How did the pandemic change the way you think about your outdoor space ?
Let me begin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ master landscaper and gardener .
He was an outdoorsman .
He was an educator for a living , but when he came home , how he would decompress would be to go outside .
He always made outside beautiful .
I was a baby girl at the time , but that always stuck with me .
But because of the running around I did as a mother , I just didn ’ t have a lot of time to get outside and hang out on my own patio .
[ My husband and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance to get out and really focus on the outside space .
Then the pandemic hit .
My children are teens , they ’ re busy .
You know , one has volleyball , one is cheering , one is doing music .
And now we are not — I am not — running around .
And I literally just went outside and said , “ I ’ m going to do the patio first.
” And I created this vision of what I wanted to look like .
And that was all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like wildfire .
I hear what you ’ re talking about and about your dad decompressing — I kind of feel like in this day and age , we ’ d probably call that like self-care or something along the lines of mental health .
So what does outside mean for you ?
It is self-care .
I mean , when you ’ re outside and you hear the birds chirping — one of my favorite sounds is to hear the wind in the trees and a wind chime — that is self-care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything that ’ s going on in your head to just move away and to get in a very clear head space .
It allows you to get some time for yourself to just , you know , care for you .
Just a moment for you .
“ It allows you to get some time for yourself to just , you know , care for you ” I feel like in these absolutely terrible times , that ’ s even more important .
We might not be able to go to our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go shopping with friends .
There ’ s more importance on the spaces we have now .
I mean , of course you got to do [ the work ] , but the patio is just making an extension of your home .
You can really go and enjoy the beautiful sounds and feel the sun on your face .
It almost sounds cliche , but it is so good for the soul .
So as we head into winter , what are your plans ?
My favorite season is winter .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huge fire pit .
It ’ s really nice to put on my larger patio .
I love wood-burning fire pits .
As a New Yorker with no outdoor space , please explain this love for me so I can get jealous .
It ’ s exciting to be on the patio around a fire .
One of my other favorite sounds is crackling wood burning .
I also love the smell of burning wood and just being outside and — I ’ m telling you , it is amazing .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are welcome .
I ’ ve got plenty of space if you ’ re ever here .
Are you a little nervous about when it gets too cold to be outside ?
I ’ m always thinking about what we are going to do for the next month and the next three months when it gets too cold to be outside .
Well , for me , it ’ s never too cold for me to be outside .
My husband just built us a pit that is large enough that I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ m 5-8 — I can lay across in the pit .
It ’ s huge — it has to be at least 30 degrees outside or below in order to go around that pit because the fire is so high and so intense .
The only time I really do cold is like walking to and from the pit .
My husband and I both love winter .
My children love winter , we love to get around the fire , and just , you know , cook and roast marshmallows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What tips would you give to people who are just getting started ?
Maybe advice for someone who ’ s kind of nervous about winter , or someone who ’ s starting out and looking to make their outdoor space a bit better for winter .
It ’ s just going to be hard unless you have a covered space .
That ’ s the first thing .
Also , get an amazing fire pit and make sure you ’ ve also seen tricks , tips , and hacks about how to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around your fire pit .
Blankets are beautiful assets to have on the patio .
They ’ re pretty , like when you roll them up .
And you can use them for decoration , but you can also just have them out there to just throw over yourself .
And of course , a heater .
This is actually our first year getting patio heaters because before we just used the fire pit .
So now we actually purchased some patio heaters so that you don ’ t have to just stay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and you can kind of move about .
Make it a place you want to spend time in , basically .
I want to zoom out a little bit .
I think one of the things that struck me about your story is that you started your business during the pandemic .
You didn ’ t see people who looked like you on HGTV or on social media , so you created a space for yourself .
When the pandemic hit and it gave me an opportunity to go outside and get to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was looking for inspiration , and I ’ m all over the internet , I ’ m just looking , looking , and looking for someone that looked like me .
And I think it ’ s really okay for me to want to have options .
So when I started , and I started looking all over , I did not find anyone .
And my mother always told me , If you can not find what you ’ re looking for , then create it .
Then I said , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to create this.
” I don ’ t know if I was going to have anyone or five people or 10 or maybe 20 .
But honestly , I did not expect it to be over 200,000 women — I never expected this .
That explosion is mind-boggling to me .
To go from starting a Facebook page during the pandemic to 200,000 people , 8,000 posts a week , and a new brand .
What does it feel like to create that community ?
It ’ s beautiful , and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over , you know , patio chairs , over drinking margaritas on the patio , having good food on the patio .
There ’ s something [ to be appreciated about ] patio life , being outside , hanging out with your friends of whatever color they are , whatever race , whatever background , in the name of just hanging out .
I absolutely found the community .
And it is amazing .
There is this group of people who just love being on the patio who just love decorating and extending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group of people who just love being on the patio who just love decorating and extending that space ” If and when the pandemic is over and we get our lives back a little bit , you ’ re gon na keep going , right ?
You can ’ t leave 200,000 people hanging .
You ’ re gon na have to find someone that will drive to volleyball and cheer while you answer some 200,000 emails and whatnot , right ?
I ’ m planning to continue .
The Patio Chic is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
My team — we are pushing forward , and sooner or later , we want the Patio Chic to be a household name .
We want the entire brand to be a place where everyone can look for inspiration for their outdoor living spaces and beautifying and extending their living areas outside .
And I ’ m excited about having the world know exactly what this is and how it is just a space for everyone to enjoy .

Winter will suck. We gathered some of Vox’s coziest minds to help you make it suck less.
Since March, when our new pandemic-affected reality set in, socializing has become incredibly complex. We’ve been continually told by health and government officials that, if we’re going to be physically near others, getting outside is safer than being inside. The science says the coronavirus spreads more easily indoors and outdoor activities are inherently less risky. Americans have been encouraged to shift their social lives outside and put a premium on spaces like patios and backyards.
Now, with the weather getting colder, those of us lucky enough to have outdoor access are figuring out how to make our space winter-proof. Or if not fully winter-proof, at least fix it up to make it suitable for some winter moments. Home improvement is an industry that’s actually surging during the pandemic, and exterior design is part of that surge.
Because your humble correspondent hasn’t lived with an outdoor space in over 15 years, I sought the advice of Tara L. Paige, a mom, author, web series host, and the creator of The Patio Chic, a digital platform dedicated to making the outdoors feel like home.
Like many of us, the pandemic changed Paige’s life. Her daily routine centered around raising her children, which involved a lot of driving around their Dallas-Fort Worth neighborhood to extracurricular activities. The pandemic put a stop to that and gave her the impetus and time to start figuring out her outdoor space.
After seeing the lack of people of color in outdoor design, Paige started a Facebook group in late April called “Black Women Who Love Outdoor Living Spaces.” She found hundreds of thousands of people who felt the same way — the group grew to over 200,000 members with some 8,000 posts per week. The Patio Chic, launched in the spring, was the next evolution.
While Paige has become a backyard influencer and outdoor space inspiration, she also founded a community. This has been one of the strange effects of the pandemic — as it began affecting our real-life hangouts, it also pushed people online, where we could safely socialize and bond. The success and popularity of Paige’s Facebook page and The Patio Chic were testaments to how we’ve all carved out different ways of interacting with our fellow humans.
With winter on the way, I spoke to Paige about what we can all do to turn our outdoor spaces — or help our friends turn their outdoor spaces — into winter respites.
How did the pandemic change the way you think about your outdoor space?
Let me begin by saying my dad is like a master landscaper and gardener. He was an outdoorsman. He was an educator for a living, but when he came home, how he would decompress would be to go outside. He always made outside beautiful. I was a baby girl at the time, but that always stuck with me.
But because of the running around I did as a mother, I just didn’t have a lot of time to get outside and hang out on my own patio. [My husband and I] just never really had a chance to get out and really focus on the outside space.
Then the pandemic hit. My children are teens, they’re busy. You know, one has volleyball, one is cheering, one is doing music. And now we are not — I am not — running around. And I literally just went outside and said, “I’m going to do the patio first.” And I created this vision of what I wanted to look like. And that was all she wrote, it just took off like wildfire.
I hear what you’re talking about and about your dad decompressing — I kind of feel like in this day and age, we’d probably call that like self-care or something along the lines of mental health. So what does outside mean for you?
It is self-care. I mean, when you’re outside and you hear the birds chirping — one of my favorite sounds is to hear the wind in the trees and a wind chime — that is self-care. It just allows you to let everything that’s going on in your head to just move away and to get in a very clear head space. It allows you to get some time for yourself to just, you know, care for you. Just a moment for you.
“It allows you to get some time for yourself to just, you know, care for you”
I feel like in these absolutely terrible times, that’s even more important. We might not be able to go to our favorite restaurants or do normal things like go shopping with friends. There’s more importance on the spaces we have now.
I mean, of course you got to do [the work], but the patio is just making an extension of your home. You can really go and enjoy the beautiful sounds and feel the sun on your face. It almost sounds cliche, but it is so good for the soul.
So as we head into winter, what are your plans?
My favorite season is winter. I just got a new fire pit, a huge fire pit. It’s really nice to put on my larger patio. I love wood-burning fire pits.
As a New Yorker with no outdoor space, please explain this love for me so I can get jealous.
It’s exciting to be on the patio around a fire. One of my other favorite sounds is crackling wood burning. I also love the smell of burning wood and just being outside and — I’m telling you, it is amazing. If you’re ever in Texas, you are welcome. I’ve got plenty of space if you’re ever here.
Are you a little nervous about when it gets too cold to be outside? I’m always thinking about what we are going to do for the next month and the next three months when it gets too cold to be outside.
Well, for me, it’s never too cold for me to be outside. My husband just built us a pit that is large enough that I can actually lay in it, and I’m 5-8 — I can lay across in the pit. It’s huge — it has to be at least 30 degrees outside or below in order to go around that pit because the fire is so high and so intense. The only time I really do cold is like walking to and from the pit.
My husband and I both love winter. My children love winter, we love to get around the fire, and just, you know, cook and roast marshmallows and wieners and just have family time.
What tips would you give to people who are just getting started? Maybe advice for someone who’s kind of nervous about winter, or someone who’s starting out and looking to make their outdoor space a bit better for winter.
It’s just going to be hard unless you have a covered space. That’s the first thing. Also, get an amazing fire pit and make sure you’ve also seen tricks, tips, and hacks about how to make sure that you’re safe around your fire pit.
Blankets are beautiful assets to have on the patio. They’re pretty, like when you roll them up. And you can use them for decoration, but you can also just have them out there to just throw over yourself.
And of course, a heater. This is actually our first year getting patio heaters because before we just used the fire pit. So now we actually purchased some patio heaters so that you don’t have to just stay around the fire to stay warm, and you can kind of move about.
Make it a place you want to spend time in, basically.
I want to zoom out a little bit. I think one of the things that struck me about your story is that you started your business during the pandemic. You didn’t see people who looked like you on HGTV or on social media, so you created a space for yourself.
When the pandemic hit and it gave me an opportunity to go outside and get to working on my own patio. I was looking for inspiration, and I’m all over the internet, I’m just looking, looking, and looking for someone that looked like me. And I think it’s really okay for me to want to have options.
So when I started, and I started looking all over, I did not find anyone. And my mother always told me, If you cannot find what you’re looking for, then create it. Then I said, “You know what, I’m going to create this.” I don’t know if I was going to have anyone or five people or 10 or maybe 20. But honestly, I did not expect it to be over 200,000 women — I never expected this.
That explosion is mind-boggling to me. To go from starting a Facebook page during the pandemic to 200,000 people, 8,000 posts a week, and a new brand. What does it feel like to create that community?
It’s beautiful, and it’s just people getting together, over, you know, patio chairs, over drinking margaritas on the patio, having good food on the patio. There’s something [to be appreciated about] patio life, being outside, hanging out with your friends of whatever color they are, whatever race, whatever background, in the name of just hanging out.
I absolutely found the community. And it is amazing. There is this group of people who just love being on the patio who just love decorating and extending that space.
“There is this group of people who just love being on the patio who just love decorating and extending that space”
If and when the pandemic is over and we get our lives back a little bit, you’re gonna keep going, right? You can’t leave 200,000 people hanging. You’re gonna have to find someone that will drive to volleyball and cheer while you answer some 200,000 emails and whatnot, right?
I’m planning to continue. The Patio Chic is a lifestyle brand focused on outside living. My team — we are pushing forward, and sooner or later, we want the Patio Chic to be a household name. We want the entire brand to be a place where everyone can look for inspiration for their outdoor living spaces and beautifying and extending their living areas outside. And I’m excited about having the world know exactly what this is and how it is just a space for everyone to enjoy.


vox--2020-12-10--One Good Thing: Discovering the world’s beautiful weirdness on How To With John Wilson

One Good Thing is Vox ’ s recommendations feature .
In each edition , find one more thing from the world of culture that we highly recommend .
If How To With John Wilson can teach us anything , it ’ s that there is immense comedic power — and poignancy — in a one-track mind .
Across its excellent first season of six half-hour episodes , the HBO series has a simple goal : to go deep on an extremely specific topic that its first-person narrator , John Wilson , is fixating on , following his obsession as far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a docu-comedy in the vein of Comedy Central ’ s excellent Nathan For You ( whose star , Nathan Fielder , is an executive producer on John Wilson ) , meaning that Wilson ’ s efforts to answer the burning questions he poses to himself — Why is there scaffolding all over New York City ?
Why do some people cover their furniture in plastic ?
— are often dictated by the people around him .
The people in question are his friends and neighbors , but they ’ re also random store @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Maybe Wilson ’ s friends take him out to dinner for his birthday , and that gets him thinking about how complex it can be to split the check ; from there , he might seek out members of an association for professional referees , who end up teaching him about the fallacy of a fair and even split .
How To With John Wilson often twists into awkward shapes to get from its basic points A to its more peculiar points B , and the journey is always funny in its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asset is its style : Wilson himself almost always remains exclusively behind the camera , narrating everything we see or interviewing the people onscreen , his speech filled with long pauses and stumbles that betray his own social awkwardness .
Sometimes we see Wilson ’ s feet or his shadow on the ground or his reflection in a mirror .
Mostly , though , we see the world through his discerning eyes , glimpsing the pissing dogs and human interactions and weirdly named New York City storefronts that most people look past ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a very New York City-centric show ) .
It ’ s not just fascinating to see what Wilson ’ s camera captures ; it ’ s also a crucial part of the show 's humor , as Wilson edits together the footage with a script that lets specific images punctuate each joke .
Almost all of this documentary-like footage exists outside of the specifics of time — a rare and welcome trait in 2020 , when many of us can recall the awfulness of each month in unfortunate detail .
We see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Wilson , but it ’ s usually not clear what month or even what year any of this is taking place .
The focus is instead on the timeless mundanities of Wilson ’ s life and his persistence in poking at them until they burst open .
And his efforts provide for a hilarious escape from what most news or documentary footage is showing us right now : Yes , I really would much rather watch Wilson interview a man who owns a business meant to help restore men ’ s foreskins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than watch a somber story of how Covid-19 is ravaging America .
Because as gross as the guy ’ s proprietary “ TLC Tugger ” apparatus is , it is much funnier than an unstoppable disease , and just as real .
With all that said , we are nine months into a pandemic , and How To With John Wilson is airing during one .
And because the show does look at real life as Wilson sees it , it eventually ends up confronting the pandemic .
What is surprising is how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , almost completely by accident , toward the end of an utterly unrelated journey .
Production on the season finale just so happened to continue into March 2020 .
I won ’ t give too much away , but suffice to say that halfway through the episode , Wilson finds himself shooting in an abruptly transforming New York .
The images onscreen may feel painfully familiar to many of us who were in New York at the time , experiencing long and surreal supermarket lines or walking emptying streets .
There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to buy groceries , as Wilson attempts to pick up one item to cook with .
It ’ s almost a re-traumatizing scene , watching anxious mad dashes to stock up on food , and to see Wilson give up and go elsewhere — only to find the next shop he stops by to be pilfered through — is haunting .
The sudden arrival of the pandemic on an otherwise detached-from-time show conjures some difficult memories .
But Covid-19 and its aftershocks are not the focus of the episode .
Wilson is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mask-wearing ; he ’ s not waxing prematurely nostalgic about the good ol ’ days of going places and doing whatever you want .
He ’ s anxious and lonely indoors , and he ’ s still dedicated to solving his latest self-imposed conundrum ( of “ how to make the perfect risotto ” ) .
In this moment , just as it was when Covid-19 first struck , Wilson ’ s cooking quest is top of mind .
It ’ s such a minor concern in the face of grave danger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our personal issues minor when compared to major calamities ?
As we yearn for certainty and control in the face of the unpredictable , we tend to blow up our own problems to seem much , much bigger .
That ’ s why John Wilson ’ s specificity is so hilarious and provocative , regardless of its time period ( or lack thereof ) .
In the end , 2020 and the show ’ s season one finale puncture John Wilson ’ s smallness just enough without ripping it apart .
Because in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , our quaintest thoughts are often our most valuable ones .
We don ’ t have to forget that , or forget to laugh out loud about it .
All six episodes of How To With John Wilson season one are available to stream on HBO and HBO Max .
A second season is in development .

If How To With John Wilson can teach us anything, it’s that there is immense comedic power — and poignancy — in a one-track mind.
Across its excellent first season of six half-hour episodes, the HBO series has a simple goal: to go deep on an extremely specific topic that its first-person narrator, John Wilson, is fixating on, following his obsession as far as it can. The result is a docu-comedy in the vein of Comedy Central’s excellent Nathan For You (whose star, Nathan Fielder, is an executive producer on John Wilson), meaning that Wilson’s efforts to answer the burning questions he poses to himself — Why is there scaffolding all over New York City? Why do some people cover their furniture in plastic? — are often dictated by the people around him.
The people in question are his friends and neighbors, but they’re also random store owners and vacation-goers and socially awkward entrepreneurs. Maybe Wilson’s friends take him out to dinner for his birthday, and that gets him thinking about how complex it can be to split the check; from there, he might seek out members of an association for professional referees, who end up teaching him about the fallacy of a fair and even split.
How To With John Wilson often twists into awkward shapes to get from its basic points A to its more peculiar points B, and the journey is always funny in its strangeness. The show’s greatest asset is its style: Wilson himself almost always remains exclusively behind the camera, narrating everything we see or interviewing the people onscreen, his speech filled with long pauses and stumbles that betray his own social awkwardness. Sometimes we see Wilson’s feet or his shadow on the ground or his reflection in a mirror. Mostly, though, we see the world through his discerning eyes, glimpsing the pissing dogs and human interactions and weirdly named New York City storefronts that most people look past (Wilson lives in Queens, so this is a very New York City-centric show). It’s not just fascinating to see what Wilson’s camera captures; it’s also a crucial part of the show's humor, as Wilson edits together the footage with a script that lets specific images punctuate each joke.
(My favorite example: When Wilson muses that New York City, despite its increasing physical barriers, “still lets the pigs go wherever they want,” and the camera cuts to a man walking his leashed pet pig ... with a pair of cops standing right in front of them. If you know, you know.)
Almost all of this documentary-like footage exists outside of the specifics of time — a rare and welcome trait in 2020, when many of us can recall the awfulness of each month in unfortunate detail. We see the seasons change throughout How To With John Wilson, but it’s usually not clear what month or even what year any of this is taking place. The focus is instead on the timeless mundanities of Wilson’s life and his persistence in poking at them until they burst open.
And his efforts provide for a hilarious escape from what most news or documentary footage is showing us right now: Yes, I really would much rather watch Wilson interview a man who owns a business meant to help restore men’s foreskins (!!!!!) than watch a somber story of how Covid-19 is ravaging America. Because as gross as the guy’s proprietary “TLC Tugger” apparatus is, it is much funnier than an unstoppable disease, and just as real.
With all that said, we are nine months into a pandemic, and How To With John Wilson is airing during one. And because the show does look at real life as Wilson sees it, it eventually ends up confronting the pandemic. What is surprising is how beautifully the show gets to that point, almost completely by accident, toward the end of an utterly unrelated journey.
Production on the season finale just so happened to continue into March 2020. I won’t give too much away, but suffice to say that halfway through the episode, Wilson finds himself shooting in an abruptly transforming New York. The images onscreen may feel painfully familiar to many of us who were in New York at the time, experiencing long and surreal supermarket lines or walking emptying streets. There’s a long winding shot of people waiting to buy groceries, as Wilson attempts to pick up one item to cook with. It’s almost a re-traumatizing scene, watching anxious mad dashes to stock up on food, and to see Wilson give up and go elsewhere — only to find the next shop he stops by to be pilfered through — is haunting.
The sudden arrival of the pandemic on an otherwise detached-from-time show conjures some difficult memories. But Covid-19 and its aftershocks are not the focus of the episode. Wilson is not dwelling on death tolls or the politics of mask-wearing; he’s not waxing prematurely nostalgic about the good ol’ days of going places and doing whatever you want. He’s anxious and lonely indoors, and he’s still dedicated to solving his latest self-imposed conundrum (of “how to make the perfect risotto”).
In this moment, just as it was when Covid-19 first struck, Wilson’s cooking quest is top of mind. It’s such a minor concern in the face of grave danger, but aren’t most of our personal issues minor when compared to major calamities? As we yearn for certainty and control in the face of the unpredictable, we tend to blow up our own problems to seem much, much bigger. That’s why John Wilson’s specificity is so hilarious and provocative, regardless of its time period (or lack thereof).
In the end, 2020 and the show’s season one finale puncture John Wilson’s smallness just enough without ripping it apart. Because in the world of this very funny show, our quaintest thoughts are often our most valuable ones. We don’t have to forget that, or forget to laugh out loud about it.
All six episodes of How To With John Wilson season one are available to stream on HBO and HBO Max. A second season is in development. For more recommendations from the world of culture, check out the One Good Thing archives.