The week of March 23, 2024 was falling out of love with chocolate chip ice cream; the clown suit of our lives; and is it too early to declare a song of the summer?

Yes, we know we just entered spring. But it’s been — uh — a long winter? We’re waiting for ramps and settling into the Year of the Dragon and popping Vitamin D even the sun comes out more steadily, because the ajummah inside us requires big hats and sun supplements.

And not to get too earnest on main but the turn of the seasons has been getting more meaningful with each additional season of our lives. Our word for this season is integration. What are you carrying into spring? Give us a shout: yo@mashupamericans.com. We love you!

The Mash-Up Americans:

Chalk it up to the change in season or our looming spring breaks, but we’ve got travel on the brain. Rifle through the Mash-Up archives to peep at past travel tips, essays on living abroad, and thoughts on what makes a place feel like home (for some, it’s a new place, surprisingly).

Mash-Ups In The News:

The Education Of A True Believer
THE WASHINGTON POST

What happens when a Bible thumper wins a seat on their local school board? One journalist followed a Pennsylvania grandmother-turned-school board member to find out. Spoiler: It’s as troubling as you think.

For A New Generation Of American Kids, A Woman’s Place Is On The Quarter
THE 19TH

Sally Ride, Celia Cruz, Ida B. Wells, and Anna May Wong join 16 other diverse women as the new faces on our 25-cent pieces, to be rolled out in 2025. The program has been an effort to enhance women’s history education across the country.

The Three-Body Problem: The ‘Unfilmable’ Chinese Sci-fi Novel Set To Be Netflix’s New Hit 3 Body Problem
BBC

There’s a lot going on in the Beijing-born Liu Cixin’s bestselling novel, and it looks like people have finally figured out how to adapt its many time jumps (among other things) for the screen. Hold onto your butts!

Sheryl Lee Ralph: ‘You Gotta Have Guts To Live’
SELF

First of all, this woman is 67 years old?? Dang, she looks great. In this profile of the Abbot Elementary star, Sheryl Lee dispenses gems of wisdom for getting through life as a “child of racism at its finest” to knowing her worth as a gifted screen queen.

Are We In The Anthropocene Yet?
NATURE

And by “anthropocene,” they mean a time in Earth’s history when humans have severe biophysical impacts on the planet. But how do we go about putting a timestamp on this new epoch? Scientists are struggling to agree.

A Marijuana Boom Led Her to Oklahoma. Then Anti-Drug Agents Seized Her Money And Raided Her Home
PROPUBLICA

“A year after authorities arrested Qiu He, the Chinese immigrant has yet to be charged with a crime. She and others say anti-Asian bias plays a role in the state’s crackdown on the pot industry: “‘I don’t feel secure here.’”

A Begrudgingly Affectionate Portrait Of The American Mall
THE NEW YORKER

Don’t we all secretly love a mall? Stephen DiRado’s 1984 project that captured mall life at the time reveals the inadvertent community and “IRL bonanza of fortuitous human encounters” that the mall offered to the outsiders and the lonely.

More French Food? Oui, Chef.
EATER

In recent years, the popularity of French food seemed to be on the wane, but by the looks of the New York dining scene, it’s back, as brasseries and bistros keep popping up. Moules-frites, we’re coming for you.

Feeding Migrants In Chicago Involves Balancing Nutrition, Cost And Taste
WBEZ

The city, which has welcomed 37,000 migrants — the majority from Venezuela — since August 2022, has struggled to feed them healthy, nutritious and culturally relevant meals. Local chefs are stepping in to help.

Bridging Cultures, Nourishing Souls
THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

It’s the history of (and a love letter to) the Chinese American congee, which pays homage to their heritage while embracing new influences. Case in point: The corn congee recipe at the bottom which includes cheese, bacon, and 0 rice in sight.

The Children Who Lost Limbs In Gaza
THE NEW YORKER

“UNICEF estimates that a thousand children in Gaza have become amputees since the conflict began in October.” In one doctor’s experience, each limb will require eight to twelve more surgeries. These kids have a rough, long road ahead.