The week of March 2, 2024 was Shohei Ohtani breaking hearts all across America (and Japan); dipping our post-pandemic toes back into heels; and we did it guys. We have achieved a 1-pound mozzarella stick.

The Mash-Up Americans:

Two and a half more weeks of winter, and unnnggghh we’re feeling it. We’re army crawling through each weary dreary day by reading our favorite books to stave off existential dread. Spring, we’re ready for you!

Mash-Ups In The News:

Abortion Funds Applaud Olivia Rodrigo’s Support: ‘It Takes Guts’
ROLLING STONE

God we love Gen Z. Olivia Rodrigo’s donating a portion of ticket sales from her world tour to the National Network of Abortion Funds and it’s a high-key slay, as they say.

The Fairy-Tale Promises Of Montessori Parenting
THE ATLANTIC

Could it be that the gentle “follow the child”–style of parenting espoused by Montessori is more for the benefit of the parent than for the kid? One writer talks to seven Montessori-parenting adherents.

Why South Korean Women Aren’t Having Babies
BBC

“South Korea has the lowest birth rate in the world, and it continues to plummet, beating its own staggeringly low record year after year.” The problem isn’t the women, it’s the culture. (We said what we said.)

Netflix Names Dan Lin Its Top Movie Executive
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Big news for Asians in Hollywood, and for Hollywood in general. The Taiwanese-American will be tasked with leading the streaming giant into a new era of fewer, better films as the new head of Netflix Film.

New York City’s Asian American Teens And Kids Are In Crisis
WNYC

The teen mental health crisis isn’t limited to just Asian Americans, of course, but one doctor points out that cultural difference can make mainstream Western therapy especially incompatible with Asian American immigrant families. We have to agree.

First Person Of Color To Be President Of WGA East Talks Crucial Timing Of Position
NBC NEWS

Hollywood, we’re coming for you. “Our guild has existed for 69 years, and I’m only the third woman to be the president? And I’m the first person of color? That is nonsense to me,” says new WGA president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen.

Chinese Migrants In L.A. Created Their Own Economy Amid Exclusion Laws
NBC NEWS

Before it was the other white meat, pork (as in, the farming and distribution of) provided a way for many Chinese migrants to create jobs, as well as housing and banking systems, after the Transcontinental Railroad.

The Hot New Luxury Good For The Rich: Air
THE NEW REPUBLIC

This is not a drill: “The wealthy have different houses, different cars, different lifestyles from the rest of us. These days, they also want to breathe different air.”

Visiting The Plantation Where Her Ancestors Were Enslaved
TED RADIO HOUR

Journalist and Code Switch co-host B.A. Parker talks about how she set out on a quest to understand her family’s roots by heading to Somerset Plantation — where her ancestors were enslaved.