đ¸ An essential bitterness
Mint Lounge is your guide to an intelligent lifestyle.
Good morning!
Spring is usually associated with freshness, cheer and brightness, but itâs also the season of neem, amla, bitter gourd and new leaves that are slightly acrid to the taste. Plants emerging from winter put out new shoots and flowers, some of which carry an essential bitterness. We all tend toward sweetnessâitâs an uncomplicated, easy-to-love flavour and familiar to the tastebuds, but in excess itâs not the best for oneâs health. In one of our big stories this week, we explore the science of bitterness in food, why we reject it so easily, and the role this flavour has come to play in gut health, wellness and weight-loss formulations. Bitter tastes can act as a brake, curbing appetite and providing a sense of fullness, which is something the wellness industry is exploiting (whether theyâre safe to take is another question). Tara Das reports on the different ways in which bitter is making its way back to our diets, and why we arenât patient enough to unpack the complexity of flavours that arenât sweet. Maybe if youâre out this weekend, you could try a flavour you normally wouldnâtâand see if youâre pleasantly surprised.
Why fluidity makes us nervous
Transgender people donât fit into frameworks of tight controlâheteronormativity, patriarchy, caste, class, anything else binary you can think ofâand disruption like this isnât easy to swallow. The past few weeks and the passing of the amendment to the transgender rights bill have brought home the bitter truth that we arenât comfortable with fluidityâtrans people cross those strict boundaries of genderâand that weâve completely forgotten that we once, not so long ago, understood and even embraced these differences, writes Sandip Roy. Read more.
What to watch this weekend
The search for James Bond is always fodder for comedy, and in Bait, Riz Ahmed mines this material. The actor, who has also written an episode of the six-part limited series, plays an actor auditioning for the role of 007. While tackling racial and other stereotypes, the show also questions whether 007 is relevant in a post-Cold War world and if he really is a good guy in a post-colonial world. Also streaming this week are the superb action series Bloodhounds, and Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in The Drama. Find our list of suggestions for weekend watching here.
Food and lore from Kargilâs kitchens
Yash Saxenaâs Stories From A Kargili Kitchen is a compilation of essays and recipes told through the lives of people settled in the remote trans-Himalayan region. The author uses food as a lens to examine the history and politics of a land deeply influenced by weather, migration and ancient trade, writes Rituparna Roy in her review of the book. In doing so, he documents a culinary culture that is both diverse and distinct, and rarely discussed in the mainstream. Read more.
Lessons from a former Goldman Sachs CEO
In the world of finance, few firms match the mystique of Goldman Sachs, a Wall Street giant as well as a prolific talent factory for boardrooms. In an interview with Abhishek Mukherjee, Lloyd Blankfein, who led the investment bank from 2006-18, takes us behind the scenes of the firm. He talks about the stormy days of the 2008 global financial crisis, his advice for good workplaces and good investments, his positive outlook on the Indian economy, and discusses his new memoir, Streetwise: Getting To and Through Goldman Sachs. Read more.
After hours at the museum
Museums across the country are adding interactive elements to their programming with after-hours storytelling sessions and date nights. Take, for instance, the adultsâ nights organised by the childrenâs Museum of Solutions in Mumbai, allowing you to rediscover your inner child. Or dinner date nights with art, limited edition experiences organised by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, which include meal and wine pairings. The Museum of Art and Photography in Bengaluru has introduced creative play-based events at night. C.S. Bhagya reports on the trend. Read more.
Should you get a smart scale at home?
Body weight may be the go-to metric to get a sense of oneâs health, but others such as BMI (body-mass index), body composition and heart rate are better yardsticks. Smart scales, which measure many of these, can provide a better overall picture of health. While most gyms and clinics have high-end smart scales, there are budget versions that can be used at home to take the guesswork out of health monitoring. However, they remain a good screening tool and are no replacement for a regular check-up with a health professional. Sahil Bhalla puts a few smart scales through their paces and decides whether theyâre worth your money. Read more.
Shalini Umachandran is the Editor, Mint Lounge.