[I was in my car when I got a call from SB Sandy. Had I heard the news? Anthony Bourdain killed himself. I wasn't surprised. Anthony Bourdain was my longtime travel companion. I followed him through Parts Unknown, No Reservations, and even The Layover. I slaughtered a pig with him in the South Pacific, went... Continue Reading →
The Quest to Pick Up the Lost Lifting Stones of Ireland
[Another great suggestion from SB Babs. If this subject interests you I recommend the immersive interview with David Keohan on the Blindboy podcast which provides a more in depth cultural backdrop. SB SM] https://shows.acast.com/blindboy/episodes/the-lost-irish-tradition-of-lifting-heavy-stones A strongman is on a mission to uncover and lift these forgotten tests of strength. By Alyssa Ages from gq.com August 28,... Continue Reading →
Recreating a 2000-Year-Old Curry: A Gastronomic Adventure into Oc Eo’s Ancient Culinary Heritage
[Life can be interesting here in The Jungle. This recipe makes a fantastic banana curry! SB SM] by Noel Hidalgo August 5, 2023 https://southeastasianarchaeology.substack.com/ Last month, a new paper by Wang et al. reported on the evidence of spice processing from grinding tools found at Oc Eo, and archaeological site in the Mekong Delta in present-day... Continue Reading →
A Different Look at Johnny Appleseed
[We're coming into a new season. The garden tells us that, but so do the trees. A late frost in May wiped out this year's apple crop, so it will not be a good year around here. Interesting to note that what is "as American as apple pie," as well as the fruit to eat... Continue Reading →
All the Kitchen’s a Stage
[Does this article belong in Silverback Digest? Probably not. After all, gorillas are vegetarians who mostly eat leaves and fruits. I've included it as a reminder of how far we have drifted from our jungle origins. This point is vividly depicted in the video clip from The Bear that shows the protagonist, Carmy, being quietly... Continue Reading →
How to Feed a Dictator
[The Browser is one of my favorite online newsletters. The free version recommends things to read. The paid version recommends a lot more things to read, and also includes a weekly letter from the founding editor, Robert Cottrell. Here's a sample. Note: this one was written before the plane allegedly carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin went down.... Continue Reading →
Dunbar, Scotland
Silverbacks ... do you enjoy short travel pieces like this? If so, please "LIKE" this page by going to the full post at silverbackdigest.com and clicking the appropriate button with the outline of the star at the conclusion of the post. This will help guide me on future content. Thank you. SB SM [This was... Continue Reading →
That’s how it goes … in The Bartering Game
It's Sunday morning on The Gilead. The Sunday morning rituals are complete. Wordle in 3 (SB Sandy), "Great" in SpellCheck, Puzzlemaster with Will Shortz on NPR, breakfast of fried egg on Sicilian toast with garden-fresh tomato. As Sandy completes the weekly ironing while watching Sunday Morning with SB Jane Pauley and Meet the Press, she... Continue Reading →
Elon Musk is NOT Going to Mars (unfortunately)
[Let's stick a fork in this one. The idea of colonizing other planets is a narcissistic billionaire fantasy. I'd pay money to put Musk and Bezos in a capsule tomorrow, but it ain't going to happen, not now, not in our kids' lifetimes, so why waste time and energy on it? Meanwhile, there are wide... Continue Reading →
100 Things I Know
[One thing she doesn't seem to know is how to count, judging from the mis-numbering of this list. I couldn't figure out how to correct it, so have reprinted it as previously published. Personally, the list is too girly for me, but I am a fan of lists, so leave it to you to filter... Continue Reading →