Happy Valentine’s Day, beloved Listeners!

Host Matthew here. Let’s start off with the deets on this bonus episode. Everyone still says “deets,” right?

Ever since we were kids, we’ve thought of Valentine’s Day as a holiday to spend with your favorite podcast. You can imagine how confusing this was for our elementary school classmates in the 80s, when we gave out cards with messages like, “Jenny, have you listened to the latest Death, Sex & Money? DM me! Love, M+M.”

Today’s bonus episode is a box of chocolates for your ears: WHITMAN’S SAMPLER. Don’t worry, you don’t have to have any idea what this is to enjoy the episode. We explain it all, sort of, and the important thing is that Molly and I each got to buy ourselves a box of chocolates and take a bite out of each morsel inside.

As usual, to access all of our bonus episodes, visit magnumbonus.com, and enter the password magnumbonum. (Here’s the RSS feed, for your podcast player: https://www.magnumbonus.com/feed/podcast/ ).

WHAT’S NEW

Other than giving out valentines to all the kids in my class, you know what else I haven’t gotten to do in too long? Get a new tooth.

Well, all that has changed! Early in January, my dentist shaved off about half of one of my molars and attached a temporary crown. Never has a modifier been so apt, because the temporary crown literally fell off while I was eating yogurt. Dental emergency!

Luckily, at the end of the month I got to go back in and have a permanent crown glued in place.

This process took a while, and while they were affixing the crown I got to have many thoughts, but because my mouth was otherwise occupied, I didn’t get to offer them in real time. No problem—here are some Crown Thoughts I would share if I were a slice-of-life nonfiction author:

• You’d think maybe there’d be a way to make sure the crown is solidly glued in place other than just pressing down really hard on the tooth with one hand and pressing up really hard on the patient’s jaw with the other hand. Apparently not!
• How heavy is the head that wears the crown? Like, in grams.
• If they can make a new tooth out of polymers(???) and stick in the place of a worn-out tooth, could they also just throw in a whole other row of teeth, like a shark? If people saw me coming and wasn’t sure if it was me or a shark until I got pretty close, that seems like it would be useful.

Anyway, I really like the new tooth so far. It can chew anything I throw at it, including Moose Munch brand caramel popcorn, which is very tasty.

I asked Molly and Abby if they have any new synthetic/bionic body parts lately, but they didn’t reply. If you do, we want to hear about it! This just in: Producer Abby says, “My character in Brandon’s Star Wars role playing game has a bionic arm, does that count?” It does.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?

We had a great time recently dreaming of a Day of Perfect Snacks, which aired on January 13. And I got to take Molly for her first-ever visit to a Coke Freestyle machine for our Coke Flavors episode on January 27. She enjoyed it so much, maybe there’s a new tooth in her future, too!

And of course on February 10 we were lucky enough to welcome Bryant Terry, author of Black Food, to talk chili oil.

It’s a whole new year! And you know what we’ve always said: New year, new you. Check your front porch/lobby/corporate mailroom for a package the same size and shape as you. That’s probably the New You. Open it right away; don’t be like my neighbors who leave Hello Fresh boxes in the lobby for a week.

Note: We didn’t actually clone you. But we would if we could, Jenny! Love, M+M

MOLLY’S GOT A NEWSLETTER

Remember how you used to be able to read Molly’s writing every week? What if you could have a fresh slab of the good stuff arrive weekly in your inbox starting, I don’t know, right now?

If you haven’t already signed up for I’ve Got a Feeling, what are you waiting for? I’ll let Molly introduce it:

Each installment will be like taking a meandering walk, so to speak, with an idea, person, place, book, meal, or other thing that makes me feel hopeful. I hope it’ll make you feel hopeful, too — or at least better than you did before you read it. A friend recently referred to it as “a chronicle of enthusiasms,” and I liked that very much…

WHAT’S COMING UP

A whole lot! Roman food expert, co-author of Tasting Rome, and all-around cool person Kristina Gill joins us next week (February 24) to talk about perfect pasta dish Cacio e Pepe.

Then, in March, prepare yourself for not one but TWO episodes featuring friend of the show J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, who’ll be joining us to talk Oyster Sauce and Chili Crisp. His new book, The Wok: Recipes and Techniques, is available for pre-order now.

Of course, there are also plenty of just-the-two-of-us episodes coming up, too. Apparently there’s an upcoming episode about Cooking Smells…? Did we record this?

This Monday, it’s Buddies who Brunch as Molly and I tape an episode about mimosas! Mr. Etymology is sure to make an appearance.

WHAT WE’RE INTO

In addition to everything we’ve mentioned on Now But Wow…

Producer Abby says:

I’ve been watching the last season of Search Party (HBO) and its utter insanity. Each season plays with genre and format in completely unexpected ways and I love the costumes. Alia Shawkat 4 Ever.

Matthew says:

Okay, this is embarrassing, but remember how like two years ago everyone was talking about Baby Yoda? I vaguely knew this was a TV show, but I was like, I don’t want to pay Disney to watch a show set in space.

Sooo…. I didn’t realize I was capable of loving anything as much as I love Baby Yoda. I know his name isn’t Baby Yoda. I don’t care. I’m also mad at Giancarlo Esposito for being mean to Baby Yoda. Not his character—actual very talented actor Giancarlo Esposito.

The Mandalorian, on Disney+.

Molly says:

Ash and I are watching Cheer! Just started Season 2. And I’m reading the novel Outlawed, by Anna North, which is terrific.

Life is like a box with your clone in it,
Host Matthew