Sesaminger

REID #291

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SHORT:

I dress the exact same way that the mayor of the spooky town in AppleTV’s Widow’s Bay dresses when he goes to the beach to “open the ocean” for the season.

Which is… a good sign. (Everyone’s saying¹.)

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MEDIUM:

Despite being ostensibly a gay guy and dating ostensibly a gay guy for 6 years, every time I have a conversation with a gay guy I can see in their eyes that they’re just thinking:

[full volume] ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman ugly woman

Look out for this the next time you’re out on the street or at the club. If you’re unsure whether you’re witnessing it, listen for the word “king.” Then you are!²

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LONG:

It’s sushi season, and I’d like to shoutout to my grandfather for introducing me to “sesame seed ginger³”… something (I think) he invented?

We were out for sushi in LA when, immediately upon walking in, he greeted the bartender and said, “I need my seeds” (wink). Moments later, a shallow dish piled high with sesame seeds arrived at the table. He looked at me and said, “Watch this.” He then dipped strips of pickled ginger into the sesame seeds and popped them into his mouth.

After encouraging me to try it myself, I reluctantly gave in. Lo and behold, it was actually delicious. I’ve been too shy to ask for “my seeds” when out to dinner, but I’ve been pouring myself a shallow dishful at home when I order in.

Well I’m now Googling and obviously my 87 year old Jewish radiologist grandfather from Philly did not invent dipping ginger in sesame seeds, but the sentiment stands. Wonder where he learned… perhaps from his grandfather…

I am now Googling again… and learning that while sushi came to America in the early 1900’s, it did not become popular until the 60’s… so… he likely learned to sesaminger later in life.

Just created that verb. Sesaminger. Feeling like Shakespeare…⁴

Kind of sounds like a slur of sorts but let’s not think about it that way!

Shakespeares verbs also sound like slurs if you say ‘em out loud… (Dwindle, Elbow, Swagger)

I hope you’re enjoying this reading experience.

I’ve been slacking on this newsletter a bit because I’ve been A. busy and B. in pain (shoutout to my warriors on the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Reddit who keep posting “I give up” over and over again… I SEE you and I FEEL you and I cannot WAIT to change my profile picture in July for THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH!!!)

(I have not been officially diagnosed with this ailment⁵, I’m just convinced I have it because everything on Reddit matches up with my symptoms and I’m in love with the graphic design of the website)

C U Next Week

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Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s not (like when ppl slip on ice). If you want, you can also check out the archives.

Sincerely,

Reid Pope

@rpopegram | @rpopetweets

1. You WANT to bring “flailing mayor” energy to the beach. They’re actually gunna make a whole Baywatch reboot with people who exude that vibe and everyone will be rock hard.

2. Said this to my partner at 11pm last night while falling sleep and they laughed out loud so if this doesn’t land here it’s their fault / maybe it’s better suited for an aural medium

3. Snack Of The Week

4. My 87-year-old grandfather did also DRIVE us to the sushi place and to get ice cream after that despite my cousin Jason offering to drive instead… and then me offering to drive instead… but no dice. We sent a text message to our cousin group chat telling everyone ‘we loved them’ just in case… which obviously caused unnecessary panic…

5. Mostly b/c the specialist for it in NY has canceled on me THRICE and when I called and was like THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! The receptionist told me it’s because he had a death in the family and I backpedaled like I was doing the Tour De France on opposite day.