#5SmartReads- February 25, 2022

Sonal currently lives in BC, Canada with her husband, two girls, and her dog. Born and raised in Charlotte, NC, Sonal left her career in pharm and agriculture to pursue culinary arts and pastry at The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts. From there she has worn many hats as a business partner to her husband, stay at home mom, blogger by passion, and now freelancer for a wine consulting company and writer for several digital publications.

The United States of Biscuits (Food & Wine)

LOVE LOVE LOVE a good biscuit! Thought I’d kick off this set of smart reads with a comfort food fav. I couldn’t find good biscuits in Vancouver after I moved here so I took matters into my own hands. “ You don't need to live in the South to be great at making them. And you don't need to have grown up with a granny who taught you,”- 100% agree!

How To Make Cheese Boards: The Ultimate Guide (Cheese Grotto)

We are going into a much more open holiday season and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a great board- meat, cheese, fruit, whatever you want! Leaving this here for a quick read for easy holiday entertaining

Heart Rates Synchronize If Two People Get On Well During First Date (New Scientist)

Not dating but I found this article fun to read and reflect on when I met my now husband. “A study of young heterosexual people on blind dates found that those who instantly felt sparks developed synchronised patterns of heart rates and palm sweating.” I’m not sure what I felt when I met him but I do remember that something in my chest did feel different.

Court Rules Pablo Escobar’s Cocaine Hippos Are Legally People (HuffPost)

Two things I didn’t think would be in the same sentence- Hippos and Pablo Escobar, but here we are. “The hippos are descendants of four illegally imported by Escobar. They were set free after his death in 1993. Since then, the hippos have increased their numbers to more than 80, and they are reportedly wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem.”

Of Course Kyle Rittenhouse Was Acquitted (The Atlantic)

TW: Racial Injustice & White Supremacy.

**It’s getting harder and harder to read these articles myself but I know it’s important to stay informed and aware**

“It is one thing to argue that the jury reached a reasonable verdict based on this law, and another entirely to celebrate Rittenhouse’s actions. Much of the conservative media and the Republican Party, however, don’t see the killings as “wrongful” in any sense, instead elevating Rittenhouse as the manifestation of retributive violence against their political enemies.”