MEAT + BUTTER ARE SO BACK
just in time for more "anti-hedonics" (a cheeky new term for GLP-1s) studies
Today’s edition includes another Fiona Apple song (that’s two since Of Note’s inception if you’re counting), a good winter read (book) for the trad girls, and a potential stress read (article) for the vegans and vegan market investors.
Behind the paywall, you’ll find:
Health news pulse check! Including a brief epidemiology lesson on cancer survival vs. cancer mortality, as explained to me by the Father of Cancer Registries (he’s the best and deserves more funding!)
Chinatown Thanksgiving
Live figure drawing
A date with AKA Burger Diva
WHAT I’M INTO
Press Play: “Extraordinary Machine” by Fiona Apple
This is where I tell you I reviewed my 2024 Spotify Wrapped, and like many, it didn’t quite hit the mark this year. Still, I can’t deny that “Extraordinary Machine” was my most-played song. It was my soundtrack on frosty mornings emerging from the 42nd St-Bryant Park subway station on the way to the office and when I needed a jazzy-pop boost for 6 AM or 11 PM calls with Asia and Europe. The album sparked controversy: some say Sony disliked Apple’s original recordings with Jon Brion, forcing her to rerecord with Mike Elizondo of Dr. Dre fame. (For the record, Apple stated that she didn’t love the Brion version.) Haters find it too polished. For me, it’s a good album! It captures her evolution from a mid-90s teenage singer-songwriter to the artist we know her to be in Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Extraordinary Machine (title track) is an anthem of resilience. It’s about finding the good in the chaos and taking control. She’s tough! She’s disciplined! She dissects herself, scrambles up her guts, and iterates. It’s reminiscent of Joan Didion’s “On Self Respect” essay because it encourages us against seeking approval from others—a good reminder for those of us going home for the holidays.
Borrow from ur local public library: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Let’s continue with the resilience theme, shall we? Jane Eyre is the perfect gothic winter book. It was a groundbreaking book for its time. Set in Northern England, the story follows its titular heroine from her childhood, where her villainous aunt raised her, to adulthood, where she fights for independence in a man’s world. Jane is a woman of agency! Neither class constraints nor societal expectations can keep her down. But she questions everything after falling in love with a rich man. Relatable!
When I first moved to NYC I lived with two sisters. The eldest gave me this book, one of her favorites, for Christmas. I read it at the lobby bar at The Plaza Hotel with a glass of champagne on Christmas Day before taking a snowy Central Park stroll. It holds a special place in my heart, but I think you’ll like it too.
Anti-algorithm news: “The carnivore is back. Are vegan brands out?” by Nateisha Scott and Maliha Shoaib (Vogue Business)
Interest in veganism is trending down (29% decrease between 2021-23, to be exact). Meanwhile, carnivore diets and flexitarianism are on the rise. In the beauty world, beef tallow (animal-derived) is replacing Vaseline/Aquafor (petroleum-derived) as the new slugging occlusive, based on what I’m seeing on my feed from influencers like Nara Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow, RFK Jr., and NYC Ballet ballerinas. Scott + Shoaib interviewed Substack’s Beauty Authority Jessica Defino, who attributes this shift toward animal products to “the rise of simplicity, naturalism, and conservatism” alongside a deepening distrust for “modern medicine, the media, and the government.” Still, the vegan beauty market is forecasted to reach $25.9 billion by the end of 2030. I will say that a vegan moisturizer triggered the worst breakout of my life last year, so I’m not contributing to that growth. Consumers are also shifting away from vegan fashion (psssst: it’s often just over-processed plastic!), but the lab-grown leather market has potential if it can figure out scalability. I’ll stick to buying leather second-hand, though.
PULSE CHECK
“Pulse Check” will be a new curated series where I share healthcare updates I think you should know. I parse through the latest updates to bring you the highlights. My goal with this series is to complement the longer, more researched “On Health” pieces.