Episode Recap      

First we round up Trip Advisor and Reddit posts about "men standing around doing nothing" and the unrelated surprising source of a Covid-19 outbreak on the island of São Miguel in 2020. Our nostalgia segment takes a stroll down memory lane as Mel recounts recent volunteer work as the recess and lunch duty adult. And our mental health segment is a tale of two reactions to a jetski ride gone bad.

First, our social media roundup unlocks a new fear of being stuck in a trunk with a distinctive cultural carcass. Our culture topic is May Day, where we discuss both the introduction to an evil-eye-less spring and the dramatic lead-in to International Workers' Day. Our nostalgia topic is prior generations' burial customs in the Azores, including first-hand accounts that we've gathered. And finally, we have a hearty chat about the age of information overload and our attempts to overcome it.

It's called a microbial culture. Ever heard of it? We cover a broad swath of Big Dairy beginning with the swill milk scandal all the way to a sexist 'Got Milk?' campaign about PMS that was retracted in 2011. And we end with a mental health discussion about the cherry blossom experiment and legacy trauma.

First we update on the shared cultural experience of having a relative eat your pet bunny. Our culture topic is real life tales about the art of the Portuguese newlywed prank. Our nostalgia topic includes discussion of both a 90s con childhood bedroom replica and a haunted-house style escape room. And Kel updates us on her gratitude journal progress for our mental health segment.

First we cover the local government-document-leaker that has made global headlines. Our culture topic is British food folklore which we are sad to report includes more than one instance of butts touching food. Our nostalgia topic is the early 2000's era game-show Street Smarts and our mental health segment is about the manipulation of negative emotions in content-creation and media.

We start by celebrating our podiversary and recounting some special memories from the past year! Our culture topic is The Barcelos Rooster (it did what!?) and we update a few of our favorite clips as our nostalgia topic. For our mental health segment we discuss kava and the art of getting good sleep.

First we read a note from a Canadian listener. Then we cover driving to Toronto and driving in Toronto. Celebrity neighborhoods. A wedding blackout. We reminisce over my dad's collection of "I know a guy" Canada travel stories. And a mental health segment about badass women.

First from our social media roundup [01:57] we have Strega Nona, Furnas, São Miguel, and a traumatizing earthquake museum. Our culture topics [16:00] are Spanglish the movie and Spanglish the linguistics phenomenon and our nostalgia topic [36:12] is 90's con 2023 debrief. For our mental health segment [01:04:22] we discuss the concepts of unmasking and gratitude journaling.

First from our social media roundup [01:36] we have Portuguese beach boys and steak plate ratings spreadsheet. Our culture topic [08:23] is home improvements and our nostalgia topic [19:04] is 90's con. For our mental health segment [37:49] we discuss how opposite ends of the wellness spectrum appear to converge.

First we update on the phallic pottery of Portugal's Caldas Da Rainha. Our culture topic is [unraveling Saint Patrick's Day] and our nostalgia topic is [leprechauns in 90s-00s media]. For our mental health segment we discuss death by 1,000 paper cuts and balancing chaos with stability.