The week of September 3 was: always sitting down withthe kid alone in the lunchroom; talking to our teachers; and ranking every Britney song ever.
This week we have your 10 favorite stories from the summer. Check out what Mash-Ups clicked most!

Summer Faves – Mash-Ups in the News:

The Health Secrets Of The Amish

What we learned: If you want to be the least allergic subgroup in the world, play with cows. But seriously, this is very interesting! Also, this is a bummer, but read it anyways: Why Black People In Canada Are Healthier Than In The U.S.

via NY Times

Thurgood Marshall’s Interracial Love: I Don’t Care What People Think

Thurgood Marshall, first Black Supreme Court Justice and grandson of slaves, was married to Cecilia. Cecilia is a) Filipina-American b) 20 years younger than him c) 4’11” and d) a brilliant trailblazer. They got married, defying all expectations, and drove to his swearing in a Cadillac. We just love this story.

via Washington Post

Love, Loss, and Kimchi

A beautiful essay on how food can help us grieve and connect us so deeply to the people we’ve lost.

 via Glamour

Chestfeeding: What It’s Like For A Trans Man To Nurse His Baby

This life! We have so much to learn! There’s so much pressure these days on exactly how to parent, particularly on the subject of breastfeeding. Imagine, then, that you are a trans man and have all the physical and emotional turmoil of breastfeeding plus some added gender dysphoria.  Update: read this beautiful piece aboutone trans man’s pregnancy. 

via The Atlantic

A Mormon Tycoon Wants To Build A Utopia In Vermont

It’s in the model of one of Joseph Smith’s visions. Vermonters are pissed. TBH the utopia looks pretty dope (thus the name).

via Bloomberg Businessweek

The New Meaning Of Whiteness

#Longread: What is whiteness? This is a powerful exploration of the sense of abandonment that working class white people feel. Por ejemplo:

Skin color no longer feels like an implicit guarantor of privilege. There is a sense that others, thanks to affirmative action or lax immigration policies, have nudged ahead of them on the ladder of social ascent. Their whiteness is, in fact, the very reason they suspect that they are under siege.

via New Yorker

Blue Feed, Red Feed

It is critical that we all see this. You know when, on the rare occasion you are around people who have completely different political points of view from you, you think: “But where are you getting this crazy information?” This tool from the Wall Street Journal allows you to pick a topic and then see the headlines that a conservative person sees in their social media/newsfeeds versus what a liberal person sees. No wonder it’s so hard to have a thoughtful dialogue!

via Wall Street Journal

Why Asian People Can’t Find Glasses That Fit

This hits very close to home at Mash-Up HQ as we are in the middle of a glasses hunt. According to those who study such things, “a low nose bridge and high cheekbones make it difficult to find glasses that sit on the face properly.” This explains so much! And now people are starting to make more “Asian Fit” glasses. Once again, make us things that work for us and we promise to spend money on them.

via Mic

If Diversity Is So Important To Liberal Whites, Why Do They Keep Fleeing Diverse Suburbs? 

Apparently it’s hard to walk the walk! Basically, studies show that as soon as a neighborhood gets truly diverse, or liberal whites become a minority in a public school, they feel challenged and move to other suburbs where more kids are white — even if the schools aren’t as good. Related: Choosing A School For My Child In A Segregated City

via Pacific Standard

Sriracha Is a Quintessentially American Flavor

First of all, Huy Fong Foods, the maker of our favorite green-lidded hot sauce, is named after the boat that took owner David Tran and thousands of other Vietnamese refugees to Hong Kong. Second of all, Tran was initially told to make it less hot to appeal to more people. His response? “Hot sauce must be hot. If you don’t like it hot, use less. We don’t make mayonnaise here.” Preach! This is a fantastic article talking about what it means for something to be authentically American: a product inspired by a Thai sauce created by a Vietnamese-born man who is ethnically Chinese, all made in Southern California.

via The Ringer