Mini-Ep 423: Embracing the Microjoys

Summary

Forever35 Podcast Summary: Mini-Episode 423 – "Embracing the Microjoys"

Release Date: December 11, 2024
Hosts: Doree Shafrir & Elise Hu

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In Mini-Episode 423 of the Forever35 podcast, hosts Doree Shafrir and Elise Hu delve into the concept of "microjoys"—the small, everyday moments that bring happiness and fulfillment. This episode, themed around the holiday season, intertwines personal anecdotes, listener interactions, and practical advice on finding joy in the little things amidst the hustle and bustle of festivities.

1. Introduction and Holiday Preparations

[03:26] Elise Hu:
Elise opens the conversation by asking Doree about her holiday preparations, including decorations and gift shopping challenges. Doree shares her minimalist approach this year, focusing on meaningful gifts rather than extravagant spending.

[03:40] Doree Shafrir:
“We’re not really doing, like, elaborate Christmas stuff this year just for money reasons. Henry is the only other real person I buy Christmas presents for, and he also gets Hanukkah presents.”

2. Thoughtful Gift-Giving and Challenges

The hosts discuss the nuances of selecting gifts that resonate with loved ones. Doree recounts an amusing exchange with her son, Henry, about a specific gift—tiny, squishy balls with spikes. This highlights the sometimes humorous challenges of meeting children’s specific requests.

[05:04] Doree Shafrir:
“They are 1.18 inches in diameter, so... I’m gonna get him a few other things. I’m not gonna just get him these little fidget.”

Elise shares her dilemma of choosing gifts for her family while preparing for a two-week overseas trip. She considers whether to pack smaller gifts or purchase them upon arrival, ultimately opting to utilize items already bought during her travels.

[07:45] Elise Hu:
“I have some things for my mom already. Getting my brother is tricky because he’s so stylish and specific with his tastes. I might get him something joint-related, like a knee brace.”

3. Celebrating Small Joys Through Gifts

The conversation shifts to innovative and affordable gift ideas that embody the spirit of microjoys. Doree praises inexpensive yet delightful items like foam airplanes, which bring instant park joy to children without breaking the bank.

[23:37] Doree Shafrir:
“We bring a lot of park joy.”

Elise adds that such simple gifts are not only budget-friendly but also foster creativity and outdoor play among kids.

[24:38] Elise Hu:
“Those are a great idea and very affordable.”

4. Listener Contributions and Book Recommendations

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to listener interactions and recommendations, particularly focusing on literature that emphasizes finding happiness in everyday moments.

[16:05] Elise Hu:
“There’s another book on the same theme that I gifted before—'Small Pleasures' from the School of Life.”

Doree highlights Cindy Spiegel’s book, "Micro Joys: Finding Hope, Especially When Life Is Not," commending its beautiful exposition on recognizing and appreciating daily magic.

[16:11] Doree Shafrir:
“Cindy writes so beautifully about taking notice of the everyday magic that makes up a life.”

The hosts agree to feature these book recommendations on their website and share how these resources have positively impacted their lives and those around them.

5. Nostalgia and Technology Evolution

Nostalgia plays a role as Doree and Elise reminisce about the early 2000s, discussing the evolution of technology and its impact on capturing memories.

[17:53] Listener:
“Watching the video was amazing... there aren't that many videos from that time period because people didn't have iPhones back then.”

Elise reflects on how technological advancements have changed the way we document and cherish moments.

[20:28] Doree Shafrir:
“Flip Video came out in 2006, so this would have been after. People were taking videos, but storage was a limitation.”

6. Product Recommendations: Kitchen Gadgets and More

The hosts continue to share practical recommendations, focusing on kitchen gadgets that simplify holiday cooking and meal preparation.

[23:10] Elise Hu:
“Yes, we did. The countertop air fryer is a game-changer.”

Doree expresses enthusiasm for the Ninja countertop air fryer, highlighting its multifunctionality and space-saving design.

[23:19] Elise Hu:
“The air fryer bakes, roasts, toasts, warms, and dehydrates.”

They also discuss affordable and versatile food products like Auga Auga’s sweet corn soup from Costco, which serves as a convenient and tasty winter meal option.

[29:12] Doree Shafrir:
“It is made by Auga Auga and comes in a pouch. It’s shelf-stable and vegan-friendly.”

7. Managing Product Availability and Recommendations List

Addressing the common issue of favorite products disappearing from stores, the hosts contemplate creating a centralized list of their and listeners’ recommended items.

[31:15] Elise Hu:
“If we do make some sort of collaborative list, it could be really more nostalgia, right?”

They acknowledge the challenge of maintaining stock but see value in sharing beloved products with their audience, adding a disclaimer about availability.

[31:25] Doree Shafrir:
“All right. Listen, if you happen to read this, I love you so much.”

8. Concluding Thoughts: Embracing Everyday Joys

As the episode wraps up, Doree and Elise reiterate the importance of recognizing and cherishing small moments of happiness. They encourage listeners to find joy in simplicity and to continue sharing their experiences and recommendations.

[31:58] Doree Shafrir:
“Thanks for listening, and we will talk to you soon.”

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Notable Quotes:

• Doree Shafrir [03:40]:
  “Henry is the only other real person I buy Christmas presents for...”

• Elise Hu [07:45]:
  “I have some things for my mom already. Getting my brother is tricky because he’s so stylish and specific with his tastes.”

• Doree Shafrir [16:11]:
  “Cindy writes so beautifully about taking notice of the everyday magic that makes up a life.”

• Doree Shafrir [29:12]:
  “It is made by Auga Auga and comes in a pouch. It’s shelf-stable and vegan-friendly.”

---

Conclusion

In this heartwarming mini-episode, Doree and Elise emphasize the value of microjoys—those fleeting, simple pleasures that enrich our lives. Through personal stories, listener interactions, and thoughtful recommendations, they inspire listeners to pause and appreciate the small moments that collectively contribute to overall well-being, especially during the festive holiday season.

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For more episodes and content, visit forever35podcast.com.

Transcript

[Narrator]

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[Dori Shafrir]

Hello and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Dori Shafrir.

[Elise Hu]

And I'm Elise Hu and we're just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.

[Dori Shafrir]

And this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts and we answer your questions to the best of our ability.

[Listener]

And just as a caveat which we caveat at the beginning of these Wednesday episodes, we are not experts, we are.

[Elise Hu]

Podcast hosts and we always encourage you to seek support first and foremost from a medical and or mental health professional as needed because some of these questions can be a little hard.

[Dori Shafrir]

Thanks for taking that one, Elise. Kate always used to do it and then when we started recording together I just started doing it but then for some reason my brain today was like this is Elise's part but and then you just rolled with it. So thanks.

[Elise Hu]

Here I am.

[Dori Shafrir]

Here you are.

[Elise Hu]

And this is not our last mini app of the year. This is our second to last mini app of the year. Because listeners we are going to go.

[Listener]

On a bit of a holiday holiday.

[Elise Hu]

Break, a much deserved holiday break to take care of ourselves. Yes, there will still be episodes in your feed, but they will be rerun episodes which we will be putting out and we're not going to share who they are. It'll be a surprise. It'll be a surprise surprise. Some of our favorite Guests of the year are going to be in the reruns, but we'll do one fresh. One last fresh mini app of 2024 next Wednesday, the 18th, and then talk to you again in January. But keep calling.

[Dori Shafrir]

True. Yes. Keep calling, keep writing, keep texting, keep doing all the things.

[Elise Hu]

And you know how to find us, I hope.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Dori Shafrir]

But if you don't, you can email us at forever35podcastgmail.com. You can call or text us at 781-591-0390. And we love hearing from you, so please put us in your contacts and text us anytime.

[Elise Hu]

Well, door. Let's just check in first. Before we get into the listener questions, how is your holiday prep going? I know your decorations are up. How's your shopping? Do you have people who are very difficult to shop for that you have?

[Dori Shafrir]

Well, Matt and I are kind of. Yeah, I think we're not really doing, like, elaborate Christmas stuff this year just for money reasons. And then Henry is, like, the only. The only other like, real person that I buy Christmas presents for. He also, you know, he also gets Hanukkah presents. I asked him. There are a couple friends of mine who have kids Henry's age were texting me about their holiday plans in terms of presents. And so I was like, henry, what do you want for, like, Christmas or Hanukkah? And he's like, I want, like, one of those little squishy balls that are, like, spiky. And I was like, I don't think I know what you're talking about. And he was like, well, they were in some of the goodie bags at the birthday party over the weekend. I didn't get one. And I was like, oh, okay. So I text my friend who's son is in Henry's class. I said, hey, did. Did your kid get one of these balls? Can you send me a picture of it? She was like, yeah. And she sent me a picture. It's literally tiny. It's like. It's, like, this big.

[Elise Hu]

It's the size a marble.

[Dori Shafrir]

It's the size of, like, a large marble. It's. It looks smaller than a quarter. And I found it.

[Elise Hu]

It's a gift bag giveaway.

[Dori Shafrir]

It's a gift bag giveaway. I. On Amazon, you can get 25 of them for $10. 5 of. 5 of each color. 5 colors. 5 of each color. They are 1.18 inches in diameter, so.

[Elise Hu]

You could just give one a new color for five nights of Hanukkah.

[Dori Shafrir]

Right. I was like, anything else? Is there anything else that you want? He's like, no.

[Elise Hu]

I. You lucked out. He's a cheap date.

[Dori Shafrir]

Yeah, he is a cheap date. But, like, I, you know, I said, maybe we can do, like, theme nights for Hanukkah. Like, that's what we did growing up. It was like, one night was book night, one night was clothing night or whatever. And he was like, yeah, I can come up with a letter and then the gift that night has to start with that letter, but you have to guess what the letter is. This just got way too complicated. So I'm gonna get him a few other things. I'm not gonna just get him these little fidget. Yeah, that's. That's kind of where I'm at. What about you?

[Elise Hu]

Well, we are traveling and there's gonna be. There's my brother, his family, his kids to buy for, and then my parents and I don't know whether to just get smaller gifts that I can pack or wait until I get there and buy things there. I think we're gonna have to check a bag because it's a two week trip overseas and Rob is saying that his clothes are going to take up a lot of space and everything. So I might just have to relent on my.

[Dori Shafrir]

I know you want bagging. I want you to eat bags.

[Elise Hu]

I do not like to check a bag not even 7,000 miles away for two weeks. And so I. But we. If we do check a bag, then I can sneak in a lot of presents. I can pack a lot of presents. And I have some ideas. I actually bought my mom gifts in Nepal when I was there in July that I can now finally give to her because they are known for making, like, felt handicrafts and things. Turns out so many of our dryer balls come from Nepal because they make so many felt products.

[Dori Shafrir]

Oh, my gosh. I never knew that.

[Elise Hu]

And so I have some things for my mom already. I have an idea of what to get my dad. It's very difficult to shop for my brother because he's a stylish guy and he's so specific with his tastes. So I'm not sure. I might get him something joint. Joint related. Like. Like a joint supplement.

[Dori Shafrir]

Because I thought you meant like a marijuana joint.

[Elise Hu]

No, no, no, no. I mean like joints, tissues, tendons and ligaments. Yeah. Like we're falling apart and we both have the same knee problem. And so I might. Maybe I'll get him a knee brace.

[Dori Shafrir]

That's hot.

[Elise Hu]

Merry Christmas to Roger Hugh.

[Dori Shafrir]

That's so funny. That's really funny. Yeah. We don't really, do I? You know, I do. We do generally exchange gifts with the cousins, although that is also sort of like, died down lately. We were never like a big gift giving family, so it's sort of like, I don't know.

[Elise Hu]

That's great for your austerity season.

[Dori Shafrir]

Yeah. Which, like, honestly, fine with me. I'm not expecting. I'm not expecting anything and nor do I wish to be stressed out about giving things. So that's where we're at.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. Rob asked me what I wanted and what I really want, truth be told, is I want to finally frame all of the, like, art and photos and things that I have been intending to frame for like the last two years. But custom framing is very expensive. I tried that frame bridge and, like, the software kept messing up and I just never got around to it. And that is the thing I actually really want to do. And that's a time commitment and not just a spend, you know?

[Dori Shafrir]

Before we take a little break, we got an update from the listener who texted us about spotting a free bowler in the wild. And this text said, ah, Dorian, Elise, I can't believe you read my text on the pod. My sister in Arizona texted me, like, you're famous. Btw, the guy who I fairly regularly see now was eating a kind of leftover smelling food.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah. Because my question was, what is he eating?

[Dori Shafrir]

If it was oatmeal, that would have been good. But this was like that odor when you're in an apartment building and you can smell everyone's cooking.

[Elise Hu]

Anyway, I know exactly what you're talking about.

[Dori Shafrir]

I do too. And you know, those kinds of things should not be consumed in public. And you know, again, as I said before, I don't know what this person's life is like. You know, they might. They might have so many, like, commitments in the morning that they just do not have time to eat. Yeah, and I have sympathy for that. At the same time. Could you make better choices when it comes to the food, please?

[Elise Hu]

Maybe a Z bar. Yeah, maybe.

[Narrator]

Right?

[Dori Shafrir]

Maybe a nice protein bar.

[Elise Hu]

Right.

[Dori Shafrir]

Doesn't bother anyone. You don't need to bring, like, your own flatware. Oh, I'm dead. Gosh, that's great. All right, we already told everyone how they can get in touch with us, but I do just want to remind everyone we have our website, forever35podcast.com. We have links there to everything we mentioned on the show. We're on Instagram Forever35 podcast, where we post some fun clips from our interviews. We have a [e-mail] so and you can shop our favorite products at shopmy us. Slash forever35 and and not just our.

[Elise Hu]

Favorite products, but also Rachel Goodwin's favorite products. Our guest from Monday, our celebrity makeup artist. We have a shop up for her on our Shop My page and our holiday gift guide. Our 2024 holiday gift guide.

[Dori Shafrir]

Yes. There's so much there. Go check it out. And we are going to take a short break.

[Listener]

We'll be right back.

[Dori Shafrir]

We'll be right back. Let's make a resolution to save more money in 2025. I gotta say, every year we make resolutions. Some we stick to, some we don't. I've tried to keep my desk clean and yeah, never quite make it through the year. Never quite make it through the month. But when you can make things automatic, that's how you make resolutions stick. Acorns makes it easy to start automatically saving and investing so your money has a chance to grow for you, your kids and your retirement. With just five minutes, you can set up a healthy money habit that takes others years to learn. You don't need to be an expert. Acorns will recommend a diversified portfolio that fits you and your money goals. You don't need to be rich. Acorns lets you invest with the spare money you've got right now. You can start with $5 or even just your spare change. You don't need to feel like financial wellness is impossible. Acorns gives you small, simple steps to get you and your money on track. Head to acorns.comforever35 or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future today. Paid Client Endorsement Compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns tier one compensation provided investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC registered investment advisor view important [e-mail] Forever35 this episode.

[Elise Hu]

Is brought to you by BetterHelp.

[Listener]

December is all about getting cozy. I already feel cozy, whether it means warm beverages, soft blankets, or time with your loved ones. And I think you should consider adding therapy to your list too, if you're not already seeing a therapist. Knowing I can talk to somebody about anything has always been a comfort to me when I'm in therapy. Learning coping skills, boundary setting, or even just a little bit more about myself brings me comfort. It's also helped me grow over the years to better know myself. It's strengthened my relationships. It is comfort that never goes away, even when the season changes. So if you're thinking of starting therapy, you can give better help a try. It's entirely online. It's designed to be convenient and flexible.

[Elise Hu]

Just fill out a brief questionnaire to.

[Listener]

Get matched with a licensed therapist and you can switch therapists anytime for no additional charge. Find comfort this December with better help. Visit betterhelp.com forever35 today to get 10% off your first month. That's better. H E L p.com forever35.

[Narrator]

They say opposites attract. That's why the Sleep Number Smart Bed is the best bed for couples. You can each choose what's right for you whenever you like. You like a bed that feels firm but they want soft. Sleep Number does that. You want to sleep cooler while they like to feel warm. Sleep Number does that too. Why choose a Sleep number Smart Bed so you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. And now it's the lowest price of the season on the top selling i8 smart bed smart bed your best savings plus special financing limited time shop a Sleep Number store near you see store or sleepnumber.com for details. Over the last 75 years, over 10,000 chemicals have been introduced to our food supply, yet the EU only allows 300 food additives. But at Thrive Market, we bring our members the highest quality brands and restrict more than 1,000 ingredients found at conventional grocery stores. Making the switch is easy with our Healthy Swaps scanner, which finds better versions of all your favorite pantry, snacking and home essentials without the added junk dyes and fillers. Plus, it's all delivered straight to your door. So if you're looking to shop at a grocery store that actually cares about your health, go to thrivemarket.com podcast and you'll get 30% off your first order and a free gift.

[Dori Shafrir]

Okay, we are back. Elise, I don't know if you remember probably like a couple weeks ago I was talking about the concept of micro joys and I was like, yeah, we had a guest on who talked about this and maybe even wrote a book about it. And I cannot for the life of me remember who it was. And a listener figured it out.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, thank you listener. Yeah, because I would love to go back and listen to that. I love Small Things to bring us joy.

[Dori Shafrir]

Yes. So this listener wrote Dory. The episode about appreciating the small things was 257 with Cindy Spiegel. I'm a therapist and have recommended her book to so many people. I read it while on a getaway with my best friend who is undergoing cancer treatment. She introduced me to Forever 35 more than six years ago, and it has brought so Much joy to my life and our friend. Should you happen to read this. I love you so much, Bridget. Everyone should read Cindy's book. She writes so beautifully about taking notice of the everyday magic that makes up a life. And her book is called Micro Joys. Finding Hope, Especially When Life Is Not. Okay.

[Elise Hu]

There's another book that's on the same theme that I have gifted before, and I think I gave it to Rob for his first birthday that we celebrated together. And it's called Small Pleasures, and it's from the School of Life. So you know the philosopher Elaine debottle?

[Narrator]

Yes.

[Elise Hu]

You probably heard of his book. Yes, but he has this whole vertical called the School of Life, and it's about friendship and relationships and sex and all sorts of things. There's, like, different weight, different products. Like, they have card sets and they have books. And one of the things that they sell is this book called Small Pleasures. So we'll. We will link to that first or we will link to that also along with this book, Micro Joys, because it's very cool.

[Dori Shafrir]

Very cool. Thank you for that, listener, and thank you for that, Elise. And we got a voicemail that kind of made me chuckle.

[Listener]

Hey, Dorian. Elise. I was just listening to the Patreon episode where you referenced the MGMT TikTok video of, I don't know, probably 2004 or something. I went to Wesleyan with MGMT and they were known as the Management back then and was as amazing as that video makes it out to be. They would play concerts, like, every weekend and the various quads and at the secret society house called Eclectic. And it was just the kids song was the anthem of that era for me, of college. And it is so nostalgic to watch them dancing and being hipsters, and every time that song is played takes me right back. But watching the video was amazing also because there aren't that many videos from that time period because people didn't have iPhones back then.

[Elise Hu]

Right, right.

[Listener]

Video came from. But thank you to whoever posted it because it was really fun to watch it and show it to my kids and say, that was my college experience. I feel really lucky that I overlapped with them and so many other great bands. All right, take care. Bye.

[Elise Hu]

How cool.

[Dori Shafrir]

This is so funny. I had a bunch of friends who went to Wesleyan and some of them were in Eclectic and it was just as like Wesleyan as you can imagine, if that means anything.

[Elise Hu]

You mean like artsy?

[Dori Shafrir]

Fartsy artsy, but, like, very cool. And, yeah, it's, like, not shocking to me that mgmt would have come out of that scene. I was reading their Wikipedia and I guess they were, they did originally call themselves the Management, but then there was another band with that name, so they decided to just call themselves mgmt. And I actually think that, that, I mean, I'm sure if they had stayed the Management, they would have done well. But like, I can't. It's. It's like hard to think of them now as anything besides mgmt. Right, Right. So that's funny. I also, you know, this listener brought up a good point, which is like this was pre iPhone. So we weren't all walk with video cameras in our pockets. But there were video cameras on the market. There were digital cameras that also had video capabilities. So it's not like crazy. Also I was trying to remember when do you remember Flip Video?

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, yeah, I think I had one.

[Dori Shafrir]

I had one too. It looks like they didn't, they didn't come out till 2006, so this would have been after. But I think like in that era, people, people were taking videos. Like it wasn't like, it wasn't like there were no videos. You know what I mean?

[Elise Hu]

So if we're Talking about like 2004, it wasn't really on a digital camera so much because your digital cameras didn't have enough memory to, to record more than a few seconds of clips. Because I remember I had like a nice Sony digital camera in 2006, 2007, and you couldn't, you just couldn't take like a whole song because you would end up using up all your, all your storage. So I did capture some video clips occasionally then, but it was like four or five seconds. And I'm so glad that I did because otherwise none would exist. But then I remember like when my daughter was born and this was by 2012, like we had a camcorder to record video because iPhone bandwidth, even though I got the original iPhone, like what, in 2008 or something, iPhone bandwidth wasn't. It was like really cultural, you know, like you wouldn't, you wouldn't use your phone for video, you would use it for images. And it's so weird to think about how quickly all of that has changed and how now I feel like I default to just capturing video. This has been a cultural shift that has just happened like within the last 5, 10 years.

[Dori Shafrir]

Googling Flip video also led me to the CVS One Time Use video camcorder, which came out in 2005 and it was the world's first disposable digital video camera. Isn't that crazy? It was $30. You could record up to 20 minutes and then you could bring it back to CVS and they would burn a DVD for you for $13.

[Elise Hu]

More media. Yeah. All of the media was like hardware.

[Dori Shafrir]

Yes, yes, yes. I mean, also, but just like, think about so much waste. Like a one time use camcorder.

[Elise Hu]

Yep.

[Dori Shafrir]

You just like throw it away. I mean, like, that's also kind of crazy. Wow. Well, thanks for, thanks for walking down this gadget memory lane with me. Speaking of gadgets, we got a text about another Ninja product because I had recommended the Ninja like slushy maker in our gift guide.

[Elise Hu]

Yes, yes, you did.

[Dori Shafrir]

And this listener wrote in to say, another awesome Ninja product is their countertop air fryer.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, my gosh.

[Dori Shafrir]

Bake. It fits a 12 inch frozen pizza, air roasts, toasts, warms, and dehydrates. And the best part, when you're done with it, you can stand it on its back to take up way less counter space.

[Listener]

Ooh.

[Dori Shafrir]

Wow, this does sound awesome. And my question with, with these kinds of gadgets is, does it do everything equally well?

[Elise Hu]

Because it's better at some things than other things.

[Dori Shafrir]

It's better at some things. And is like, for example, it says that it toasts. Does it? Is it a good toaster or is it kind of like a meh toaster? Like, I feel like that's sometimes the problem with these gadgets, but sometimes. But maybe it does everything really well. I would like to know. Please, please, please write back and update us. And then they also say another kind of gift I'd like to share are the cheap kids. Park G. My boys are seven and almost four. Every time a kid has a foam airplane at the park or foam rocket launcher, they run to that kid. One of their Hanukkah gifts are cheap foam airplanes for $7 for two. Who cares if they get lost or destroyed? But they bring a lot of park joy.

[Elise Hu]

Okay, that's a good idea.

[Dori Shafrir]

I'm listening.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, my kids played with those a lot in Korea and then for some reason not here in the States. So yes, that's a. That's another trip down memory lane. Totally great idea and very affordable.

[Dori Shafrir]

These are not pricey gifts.

[Elise Hu]

It's good for Hanukkah.

[Dori Shafrir]

Good gift for Hanukkah because you only.

[Elise Hu]

Have five colors on those tiny squishy balls. So you still have three other nights.

[Dori Shafrir]

True. It's true. It's true. Okay, we're gonna take a short break and we will be right back.

[Narrator]

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[Advertiser]

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[Dori Shafrir]

Okay, we're back. We have another voicemail.

[Listener]

Hi this messages for the Trader Joe's portion of the podcast. Green chili chicken bowl is great in the freezer for days when you don't have anything to eat, or when you're desperate or when you're hungry. You can add a bunch of shredded cheese to it, add some plain yogurt to it like sour cream, put some tortillas on it, make tacos, or like me, just sprinkle a bunch of hot sauce on it and eat it as the kids, as you're wrangling all the old kids the bed. So anyway, thank you guys.

[Elise Hu]

Bye bye. Have you tried that Sounds yummy. I haven't and I'm ready to. I'm ready to add something to my repertoire besides the chicken shawarma bowl because I've been eating that a lot. So I will try it. Thank you for the wreck. You know, we got a separate note and we can probably read it in full in our final mini app of the year next week.

[Listener]

But it was about how we need.

[Elise Hu]

Kind of one central clearinghouse, one page or place where all of our Trader Joe's wrecks from listeners and from us live. So that and obviously we know that so many Trader Joe's items are seasonal, but all the Trader Joe's and Costco recs could be on one page. And I do think that's a great idea. So we can work on that in January.

[Dori Shafrir]

Yes. Okay. The Trader Joe's hair serum continues to be controversial. This listener wrote to say catching up on mini apps. Wanted to mention that the Trader Joe's hair serum works well for flyaways. If you're slicking your hair back in a ponytail or bun, at least for my wavy slash frizzy hair, I've never tried it as an actual serum.

[Elise Hu]

Okay.

[Dori Shafrir]

Okay, Good to know.

[Elise Hu]

Well, now I know that I need to just buy both. So the conclusion of this fracas, this. This tempest last week, was that I'm just gonna have to buy both and see which works best for my hair type. So I'm going with. I'm gonna splurge.

[Dori Shafrir]

Okay. I'm excited for you. I have a. I have a Costco recommendation that I would like to share.

[Listener]

Yes, please do.

[Dori Shafrir]

It is sweet corn soup.

[Elise Hu]

Oh, well, corn pasta was so big this summer.

[Dori Shafrir]

Pasta was big. It's true.

[Elise Hu]

How perfect to bookend or sort of to end the year in the winter with corn soup.

[Dori Shafrir]

It is made by a company called Auga Auga. And it comes in a pouch. It is shelf stable. There's a. It is. It is marked vegan friendly, which I'm.

[Elise Hu]

Like, is it vegan? Is it vegan or not vegan?

[Dori Shafrir]

Is it vegan or not vegan? It's, like, friendly to vegans. There's nothing in the ingredients list that is not vegan. The ingredients are water, sweet corn, coconut cream, corn flour, sea salt, and spices. But. So I'm confused by this vegan friendly designation.

[Elise Hu]

Huh.

[Dori Shafrir]

But, yeah, it doesn't come in a can. So we like that. No BPA concerns. And. Yeah, I. I thought. I thought it was. It was quite good. I mean, my husband and I. And I now have a joke that every time we get really into a product at Costco, they stop carrying it.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah, it feels like that happens. There's some, like, Murphy's Law to it or something.

[Dori Shafrir]

Yes. Like, there have been several things that I've bought in the last six months that I've never been able to find again. And, you know, Matt was eating these, like, breakfast wraps that he really liked, like, stocking the fridge with them, and then they just stopped carrying them. He actually emailed the company that makes the breakfast wraps and was like, what's the deal? And they said that, like, Costco is just constantly evaluating all of its products, and they. They trial things a lot, so you might get something when it's on a trial and then never see it again. Like, we were getting the Rao's eggplant parm for a while.

[Elise Hu]

Yeah.

[Dori Shafrir]

You've talked about that, and now it's gone.

[Elise Hu]

So if we do make some sort of collaborative list of all of our recommendations, it could be really more nostalgia, right?

[Dori Shafrir]

Yeah.

[Elise Hu]

For the way things were.

[Dori Shafrir]

I mean, we'll have to put, like, a disclaimer that's like, these are just things that we have liked at certain points in time. We make no, like, promises that these will actually be in stock.

[Elise Hu]

But the corn soup currently is.

[Dori Shafrir]

Corn soup. Corn soup, yeah. Check it out. I thought it was quite tasty, but I like corn. I'm a cornhead. What can I say? Yes.

[Elise Hu]

Yes.

[Dori Shafrir]

All right. Well, Elise, it was great talking to you listeners. Thanks for listening, and we will talk to you soon.

[Listener]

All right, until next time.

[Dori Shafrir]

Bye.