All Culture
First LookJi-Young to make history as first Asian American muppet鈥淪esame Street鈥� will introduce Ji-Young, a Korean American muppet, during its special 鈥淪ee Us Coming Together鈥� on Thanksgiving day. The long-running show is developing new content and characters to help children talk about race, ethnicity, and culture.
Cover StoryCooking for 15,000: How Fort Bragg pulls off ThanksgivingChef聽Princido Texidor鈥檚 career has focused on bringing sophistication to military mess hall 鈥渟lop.鈥� For 15,000 Thanksgiving guests, he goes all out.
鈥楨ncanto鈥�: A tale of family and fitting in, set to musicAs the Monitor鈥檚 review notes, Disney鈥檚 cheery 鈥淓ncanto,鈥� about comparing oneself to others, seems tailored for today鈥檚 social media-minded teens.
In a WordWhat 鈥楤lack Friday鈥� and 鈥榬ed ink鈥� have in commonRed and black ink have been paired since ancient Egypt, where scribes carried writing palettes with styluses and two colors of ink.
Writing to the writers in my lifeWhat I鈥檝e found, on the whole, is that writers love all kinds of writing 鈥� including letters from readers like me.
Q&A with Mayukh Sen, author of 鈥楾aste Makers鈥�In 鈥淭aste Makers,鈥� Mayukh Sen profiles successful female chefs and cookbook authors 鈥� immigrants 鈥� who made an impact on American food culture.聽
Venus, Serena, and their father: 鈥楰ing Richard鈥� biopic is an aceA top-notch performance by Will Smith and an inspirational story combine for sheer pleasure in the biopic 鈥淜ing Richard,鈥� says the Monitor鈥檚 film critic.
Kitchen alchemy: Recipes to add to the repertoireWhether it鈥檚 holiday recipes or everyday meals, the season鈥檚 top cookbooks deliver flavor, a dollop of history, and rave reviews.聽
When strangers become links in a chain of compassionWhen a stranger on the subway helped me recover my stolen lunch, I knew I had to pay it forward somehow.
In a WordAuthors who made their mark with made-up words鈥淧andemonium,鈥� 鈥渃ritical,鈥� 鈥渁ssassinate,鈥� and 鈥渆ventful鈥� all came from written literature before being widely adapted in spoken English.
A foodie delight, 鈥楯ulia鈥� shows how one chef influenced AmericaFew people on the planet were more interested in food than Julia Child, says the Monitor鈥檚 film critic. Judging from the documentary 鈥淛ulia,鈥� he adds, few people are as interesting.
In a WordShe tabled the discussion of a 'moot point'In the U.S., labeling something a 'moot point' means it's no longer worth discussing. In England, however, that means it's open to further debate.
For me, the flower-child option arrived just in timeMy authentic self suffered through a home perm and much of high school, until I was rescued by the 1960s.
Here they go again: ABBA reuniting after 40 yearsThe pandemic has acted like a Bat-Signal of sorts for ABBA, which returns with a new album, 鈥淰oyage,鈥� at a time when fans say songs like the group鈥檚 are needed.
What more is there to say about Princess Diana? 鈥楽pencer鈥� offers a fable.Kristen Stewart delivers a fierce performance in 鈥淪pencer,鈥澛燼 film that intends to impart a more profound view of Princess Diana than a biopic could.
鈥楴omadland鈥� director brings her vision to Marvel鈥檚 鈥楨ternals鈥�Chlo茅 Zhao pivots from her indie roots to make a big-budget Marvel film, 鈥淓ternals.鈥� Can she make these heroes soar?聽
It鈥檚 bleak, bloody, and No. 1 on Netflix. How 鈥楽quid Game鈥� won the pandemic.What does the global popularity of the violent Netflix series 鈥淪quid Game鈥� say about the current cultural zeitgeist?
The ExplainerDiwali: Why the Hindu Festival of Lights is spreading around the worldDiwali has been celebrated in South Asia for 2,500 years. But in聽recent years, the Hindu Festival of Lights has resonated more broadly.
Difference MakerThis East St. Louis grocer tends an oasis of uplift in a food desertAn East St. Louis corner store is a lifeline for residents who have to travel far to a supermarket for food. It鈥檚 also a hive of social connection.
In a WordHave you tried 鈥榞ongoozling鈥� and other hobbies?Many hobbies 鈥� from gongoozling to scutelliphily聽鈥� have odd names. But there's also a linguistic reasoning behind them.
