By PHILIP MARCELO

NEW YORK (AP) — The brooding waltz was carefully composed on a sheet of music roughly the size of an index card. The brief, moody number also bore an intriguing name, written at the top in cursive: “Chopin.”

A previously unknown work of music penned by the European master Frederic Chopin appears to have been found at the Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan.

The untitled and unsigned piece is on display this month at the opulently appointed institution, which had once been the private library of financier J. P. Morgan.

Robinson McClellan, the museum curator who uncovered the manuscript, said it’s the first new work associated with the Romantic era composer to be discovered in nearly a century.

But McClellan concedes that it may never be known whether it is an original Chopin work or merely one written in his hand.

The piece, set in the key of A minor, stands out for its “very stormy, brooding opening section” before transitioning to a melancholy melody more characteristic of Chopin, McClellan explained.

“This is his style. This is his essence,” he said during a recent visit to the museum. “It really feels like him.”

McClellan said he came across the work in May as he was going through a collection from the late Arthur Satz, a former president of the New York School of Interior Design. Satz had acquired it from A. Sherrill Whiton Jr., an avid autograph collector who had been director of the school.

McClellan then worked with experts to verify its authenticity.

The paper was found to be consistent with what Chopin favored for manuscripts, and the ink matched a kind typical in the early 19th century when Chopin lived, according to the museum. But a handwriting analysis determined the name “Chopin” written at the top of the sheet was penned by someone else.

Born in Poland, Chopin was considered a musical genius from an early age. He lived in Warsaw and Vienna before settling in Paris, where he died in 1849 at the age of 39, likely of tuberculosis.

He’s buried among a pantheon of artists at the city’s famed Père Lachaise Cemetery, but his heart, pickled in a jar of alcohol, is housed in a church in Warsaw, in keeping with his deathbed wish for the organ to return to his homeland.

Artur Szklener, director of the Fryderyk Chopin Institute in Warsaw, the Polish capital city where the composer grew up, agreed that the document is consistent with the kinds of ink and paper Chopin used during his early years in Paris.

Musically, the piece evokes the “brilliant style” that made Chopin a luminary in his time, but it also has features unusual for his compositions, Szklener said.

“First of all, it is not a complete work, but rather a certain musical gesture, a theme laced with rather simple piano tricks alluding to a virtuoso style,” Szklener explained in a lengthy statement released after the document was revealed last month.

He and other experts conjecture the piece could have been a work in progress. It may have also been a copy of another’s work, or even co-written with someone else, perhaps a student for a musical exercise.

Jeffrey Kallberg, a University of Pennsylvania music professor and Chopin expert who helped authenticate the document, called the piece a “little gem” that Chopin likely intended as a gift for a friend or wealthy acquaintance.

“Many of the pieces that he gave as gifts were short – kind of like ‘appetizers’ to a full-blown work,” Kallberg said in an email. “And we don’t know for sure whether he intended the piece to see the light of day because he often wrote out the same waltz more than once as a gift.”

David Ludwig, dean of music at The Juilliard School, a performing arts conservatory in Manhattan, agreed the piece has many of the hallmarks of the composer’s style.

“It has the Chopin character of something very lyrical and it has a little bit of darkness as well,” said Ludwig, who was not involved in authenticating the document.

But Ludwig noted that, if it’s authentic, the tightly composed score would be one of Chopin’s shortest known pieces. The waltz clocks in at under a minute long when played on piano, as many of Chopin’s works were intended.

“In terms of the authenticity of it, in a way it doesn’t matter because it sparks our imaginations,” Ludwig said. “A discovery like this highlights the fact that classical music is very much a living art form.”

The Chopin reveal comes after the Leipzig Municipal Libraries in Germany announced in September that it had uncovered a previously unknown piece likely composed by a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in its collections.

Associated Press video journalist John Minchillo in New York contributed to this story.

CHICAGO — Of the many people whose lives still cast shadows on our history, one of them is that of a little boy, a 14-year-old named Emmett Till who left Chicago full of playful life and returned, as his mother, Mamie, said in 1955, “in a pine box, so horribly battered and waterlogged that someone needed to tell you this sickening sight is your son.”

I hope you know at least some of the details of that boy’s life. I have written about him before, many have, but there are good reasons to do so again, for it is now possible to meet him and learn his sad story in two powerful ways.

On Nov. 23, the Chicago History Museum is opening a new exhibition, “Injustice: The Trial for the Murder of Emmett Till.” It will feature photographs of the youngster’s life in Chicago, his funeral and original courtroom sketches of the trial.

That trial was a sham. Two men — Roy Bryant, owner of Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market and the husband of the woman at whom Till supposedly aimed his whistle, and his half-brother, a hulking, 235-pound World War II veteran named J.W. Milam — were first charged with kidnapping. That became murder after the teenager’s dead body was found.

Neither Bryant nor Milam testified during a trial that lasted five days. In closing arguments, defense attorney Sidney Carlton told the jurors that if they did not acquit Bryant and Milam, “Your ancestors will turn over in their grave.”

The all-white, all-male jury (nine farmers, two carpenters and an insurance agent) deliberated for only 67 minutes. Reporters said they heard laughter inside the jury room. The verdict? Not guilty. One juror later told reporters, “We wouldn’t have taken so long if we hadn’t stopped to drink pop.”

The outrage at the verdict was expressed in headlines across the globe, in part because more than 100 reporters were there, from Chicago, across the country and from Europe. One of them was future Pulitzer Prize winner David Halberstam, who covered the story for a small Mississippi paper. He would come to believe that the murder/trial were “the first great media events of the civil rights movement,” and “at last (could galvanize) the national press corps, and eventually, the nation.”

It should be noted that before the year was out, Rosa Parks, a seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. Arrested and fined for violating a city ordinance, this compelled a young pastor named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to call for a boycott of the city-owned bus company.

Another person in the courtroom during the trial was Chicago’s Franklin McMahon, who documented the proceedings in drawings that appeared in Life magazine. His stunning art is among the highlights of the museum show.

Know too that there is a new book that devotes some of its nearly 300 pages to Till but also to the larger sham of American racism. Its title says a great deal, “Ghosts of Segregation: American Racism, Hidden in Plain Sight” (Celadon Books). It is the work of former Chicagoan Richard Frishman, who traveled more than 35,000 miles across America over five years capturing with his camera such things as once-segregated bathrooms, beaches, churches, hospitals, graves and hotels.

In Chicago, he photographed the Dan Ryan Expressway; the Sunset Café, a prominent “Black and Tan” jazz club; as well as the site of the outbreak of the 1919 race riot. He also photographed Bryant’s Grocery, where Emmett’s story began, and the Black Bayou Bridge across the Tallahatchie River, where his dead body was found.

Frishman’s photos are captivating and thought-provoking. The book is beautiful in a haunting way and that was one of Frishman’s aims. In the book, he writes, “Look carefully. These photographs are evidence that structures of segregation and racist ideology are still standing in contemporary America. Our tribal instincts continue to build barriers to protect ourselves from people perceived as ‘other’ while overlooking our shared humanity.”

Critic Hilton Als has praised the book, writing, “Throughout (the book) the heart and mind are full to bursting with depth of feeling and depth of thought. I can’t imagine a more beautiful creation.”

When Emmett Till’s body was returned to Chicago, to the A.A. Rayner & Sons Funeral Home, with services held at the Roberts Temple Church of God, his mother made the brave decision to allow Jet magazine to publish a photo of the mutilated corpse and also decided to have a open casket, and so tens of thousands saw Emmett’s battered body. Some people prayed, some fainted and all, men, women and children, wept.

Now nearly 70 years later, Frishman tells me, “I am on a mission to open peoples’ eyes to the hidden and living legacies that surround us. History does not repeat itself; we repeat history.”

rkogan@chicagotribune.com

As it did just three and half months ago at the Pine Knob Music Theatre, Creed brought the fire to Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday night, Nov. 20.

And it had some brimstone to go with it this time.

The Grammy Award-winning hard rock group has been on the road much of this year, breaking a 12-year hiatus with a sea cruise, an amphitheater tour during the summer and now an arena run to close the year. It’s been wildly successful, reminding fans both new and old of just how major a player Creed was during the late 90s and early 2000s thanks to chart-topping hits such as “Higher,” “With Arms Wide Open” and “My Sacrifice” — all of which weigh in as relevant today as when they were released.

So the group, including Detroit-born guitarist Mark Tremonti, sounded not surprisingly confident before about 13,000 at Little Caesars, accenting its 100-minute, 16-song set with abundant effects — primarily fire, and a pyrotechnic shower during “What’s This Life For?” — and a combination of prepared and live video on a five-panel screen behind the stage.

For frontman Scott Stapp, meanwhile, it was also an opportunity to reclaim a kind of rock ‘n’ roll pulpit during much of the show, and in a more explicit manner than he did during Creed’s July 31 stop at Pine Knob.

The spiritual grounding of Stapp’s lyrics have never been a secret, and his outspoken fervor was partly responsible for Creed’s initial breakup back in 2004. On Wednesday, Stapp — whose black tank top revealed a torso that’s spent many an hour in the weight room — was clearly comfortable stepping back into that role, promising “a journey in music through the human condition” and invoking praise and other religious affirmations during lengthy introductions to songs such as “Say I,” “Unforgiven” and “Don’t Stop Dancing.” Recalling that the former was inspired by the concept of Original Sin, Stapp explained that “you have to know the absence of God to know the presence of God.”

He offered a call for unity before Creed played “One” from its 1997 debut album “My Own Prison,” but in response to crowd chants of “USA!” afterwards Stapp stepped into post-election political terrain by declaring, “We’ve got to rediscover what that means, because we’ve lost our way…And we’re going to.”

That ministry, undeniably sincere but unquestionably didactic, went over well with the crowd, and if Stapp’s bandmates were bothered by them it was not noticeable. The frontman and Tremonti were particularly warm with each other throughout the concert, introducing each other and embracing on a couple of occasions. And Tremonti was a proud homeboy, noting that he was “born 30 minutes from here” and adding that, “if you come from Detroit, you’re proud of Detroit, and I love this city.”

And when it was playing, Creed gave its Little Caesars audience — a cross-generational gathering from old school fans to their younger siblings and children — every reason to love the band again.

Following solid opening sets from Mammoth WVH and 3 Doors Down — whose frontman Brad Arnold offered his own religious commentary and prayer at one point — Creed came out literally smoking with “Bullets,” bolstering its subsequent parade of brawny, arena-sized anthems bolstered by second guitarist Eric Friedman from Tremonti’s solo band. The set list came from the first three of Creed’s four studio albums (nothing from 2009’s “Full Circle”), swapping in three different songs from the Pine Knob show and happily digging into deeper selections such as “Freedom Fighter,” “What If” and “Never Die.” “Don’t Stop Dancing” was added to the set just this week for the first time since 2002, while “Unforgiven,” also from the “My Own Prison” album, made its tour debut on Wednesday night.

The group also brought a young fan named Noah on stage to receive one of Tremonti’s signature guitars as a reward for being the “hardest rocking” member of the crowd.

Whether, and how, Creed continues with its current reunion is up in the air, though Tremonti has said the band plans to play shows during 2025. And after drawing 28.000 to its pair of fairly close-together metro area shows, it’s clear Creed will always find a welcome and receptive crowd in its guitarist’s home town.

Q: My neighbor received a phone call from the Social Security Administration asking to verify his Social Security number and other sensitive financial information. Is this a scam?

A: Yes, this is a scam. Scammers are always looking for schemes to defraud the public. Never reveal your Social Security number, bank account and credit card number to strangers on the phone. If you receive a scam call, report it to the Consumer Protection Division, 877-566-7226.

Q: What is the $18,000 annual gift rule? I am considering giving $7,000 to my brother. Do I get a deduction for my gift?

A: In 2024, you can gift-give up to $18,000 annually to any person without triggering a gift tax. If you are married and your spouse is in agreement, you can double the annual gift to $36,000. You do not get a deduction and the recipient does not declare the gift as taxable income.

Richard Rysiewski, a certified financial planner, welcomes all questions on tax and financial matters. Send them to Richard Rysiewski, Financial Doctor, 3001 Hartford Lane, Shelby Twp., MI 48316.

Glenn Whipp | (TNS) Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — “Gladiator II,” the enjoyably dumb sequel to the brawny Ridley Scott epic that won the best picture Oscar nearly a quarter-century ago, has just finished its premiere screening on the Paramount Pictures lot. Paul Mescal, the actor charged with donning a breastplate and replacing Russell Crowe, is mingling with the crowd, who, given the movie’s length and dinner-hour start time, are almost too busy scarfing down pizza and pasta to notice.

I’m talking with a Paramount publicist who is giving me a history lesson on how the Romans filled the Colosseum with water in order to stage a naval battle. Scott orchestrates something like this in the movie, pitting the crews of two ships, one manned by Roman soldiers, the other by gladiators, against each other. Only, this being a Ridley Scott movie, he adds an extra element — sharks.

“There’s no way they used sharks in real life,” I say. The publicist protests, and another studio rep joins the conversation. “Someone asked Ridley about that and he answered, ‘Sharks are cool. Did the Romans actually use them? Who the f— cares?’”

Who the f— cares? It is a question both specific to the scene we’re discussing and, let’s be real, to the awards season in general, an overlong marathon of nonsense and vanity that ends with Oscars usually being handed out in ways that infuriate us. Which, to be clear, is a reason the Oscars remain so much fun, not to mention a valuable snapshot of what movies and performances academy voters deem worthy at a specific moment in time.

So, for the moment, let’s put aside what just happened in this country (though that may have an impact on what prevails at the Academy Awards next year), and let’s table the debate about sharks swimming around the Roman Colosseum. Actually, indulge me one last time as I note Scott’s response to that question in a recent interview: “Dude, if you can build a Colosseum, you can flood it with f— water. Are you joking? And to get a couple of sharks in a net from the sea, are you kidding? Of course they can.”

I would not include Scott as one of the year’s best directors for “Gladiator II.” But I’d be sorely tempted to include him just for that quote. Is that any worse than voting to give Brendan Fraser an Oscar because you watched “George of the Jungle” on a loop when you were a kid? I’ll leave that up to you. Like I said, the Oscars can be exasperating.

The conventional wisdom has it that, thanks to production delays caused by the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, the pickings are slim this year, which is true provided you adhere to a narrow parameter of what defines a movie or performance being “Oscar-worthy.”

Can it be a kid-friendly animated feature, even though animated movies have a separate category? If so, then the critically acclaimed “The Wild Robot” and the charming “Inside Out 2,” Pixar’s highest-grossing film of all time, would like your attention. If not, I’d like to introduce you to Sadness and Disgust.

Might it be an international film, even if that movie failed to be submitted for the international feature Oscar by either the country financing it or the country of its filmmaker? If so, then “All We Imagine as Light,” a visually bracing portrait of female friendship in Mumbai from Indian writer-director Payal Kapadia, deserves a look. The movie won the Grand Prix at Cannes earlier this year, runner-up to Sean Baker’s “Anora,” a movie that seems destined to earn its filmmaker a long-overdue Oscar nomination.

How about body horror (“The Substance”), not-quite-horror but unsettling and heartbreaking (“I Saw the TV Glow”), a theological thriller (“Heretic”) or a movie titled “Hundreds of Beavers” that is as bizarre and delightful as its title makes it out to be? Yes, yes, yes and yes. And don’t forget Luca Guadagnino’s sexy-cool tennis-world tussle, “Challengers,” a propulsive movie I still haven’t quite recovered from, even though I saw it in April.

The point is: It’s not even Thanksgiving. Everything is in the mix! Or should be. Even a black-and-white, near-silent slapstick comedy about a 19th-century trapper battling beavers. Besides, importance is in the eyes of the beholder. Did you see “Conclave,” a pulpy entertainment that, because of its fancy trappings, seems smarter than it actually is? It works best as a comedy, a clever send-up of electoral politics. Ralph Fiennes does a lot of heavy lifting to disguise its silliness.

But “Conclave” has the feel of the sort of highbrow picture that, over the years, has landed with Oscar voters. It has been a commercial success too, which doesn’t hurt, particularly at a time when prestige films have struggled to entice grown-ups away from the comforts of home.

At the moment, “Conclave” is part of a group, including festival favorites “Anora” and “Emilia Pérez” and the ambitious American Dream saga “The Brutalist,” that have bubbled to the top of a field that, thrillingly, has no front-runner, a situation that might not resolve itself until the Oscars. Widen the frame and you’ll find Denis Villeneuve’s daring “Dune: Part Two” and the uplifting “Sing Sing,” a drama about a prison theater program. “Nickel Boys,” “A Real Pain” and “September 5” are in the mix as well. Also “Gladiator II” and its circling sharks.

James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown,” the story of Bob Dylan going electric, will finally be unveiled next week, the last of the year’s contenders to land. It’s a story that has been told many times. But with Timothée Chalamet playing Dylan, you don’t think twice — it’s probably all right. Remember: “Bohemian Rhapsody” won four Oscars. Never underestimate boomers’ allegiance to nostalgia you can sing along with.

Finally, there’s “Wicked,” the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical that has been blanketing the planet for the last couple of months with promotional tie-ins and appearances by stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The review embargo lifts Nov. 19. Expect plenty of hot takes, including a barrage of think pieces, seeing as, in this telling, the Wizard is an authoritarian leader using scapegoating to prey on — and stoke — people’s fears.

Let’s see where that Yellow Brick Road leads.

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By Norbert Figueroa

Winter is the perfect time to explore cultural hotspots that combine world-class art, history and free entertainment. Cities across the globe offer plenty of cost-free experiences, from iconic architecture and museum exhibits to vibrant public performances and holiday festivities.

If you’re looking for an unforgettable trip on a budget, consider these top destinations offering a blend of art, entertainment and seasonal charm. From London’s prestigious museums to street tango in Argentina, here are some of the best places to visit this winter to experience culture without spending a fortune.

London, England: Museums and iconic landmarks for free

London remains a prime destination for art and history enthusiasts looking to explore on a budget. The city is home to numerous renowned museums and galleries that are entirely free to the public, including the British Museum, National Gallery and Tate Modern. Visitors can take in famous artifacts, from Egyptian mummies to modern art installations, without spending a penny. Alongside these institutions, the Science Museum and Natural History Museum offer hands-on exhibits and seasonal programs that make them perfect for winter visits.

London’s winter holiday season also comes alive with free events and displays. One highlight is the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, which occurs multiple times a week and draws large crowds year-round. Additionally, Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, although it includes some paid attractions, features free light displays and live entertainment, making it a top destination for budget-conscious travelers. To maximize your time, consider visiting these iconic landmarks early in the day or just before closing for smaller crowds.

Washington, United States: A hub of free history and culture

The U.S. capital is renowned for offering some of the best free activities for travelers interested in history and culture. Washington, D.C., is home to the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex, with 19 museums, galleries and a zoo that are all free to enter. Among these, the National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture are standout options.

During the winter, the National Mall becomes even more magical with seasonal lights, especially around the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. The National Christmas Tree near the White House is lit up each December and is accompanied by free nightly musical performances. Winter travelers can also take advantage of the beautiful landscapes around the Tidal Basin and enjoy a peaceful stroll through the monuments in a more relaxed setting.

Barcelona, Spain: Gaudi’s masterpieces and festive charm

Barcelona’s distinctive architecture and vibrant street life make it one of the best countries to visit in winter for art and culture lovers. This city offers a chance to experience the famous Gaudi buildings in Barcelona, such as Parc Güell, La Sagrada Familia and Casa Batlló.

While entrance fees apply for some of Gaudi’s more intricate works, Parc Güell’s open areas are free and provide stunning views of Barcelona’s skyline. La Rambla, the city’s famous pedestrian street, also offers a lively atmosphere where visitors can enjoy street performances, local art and festive decor.

Winter is an excellent time to visit Barcelona, as the mild Mediterranean climate makes outdoor activities enjoyable. During December, you’ll also find special holiday markets like the Fira de Santa Llúcia near the Barcelona Cathedral, where local artisans sell handmade crafts and traditional holiday items.

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States: Free shows and neon spectacles

Known for its vibrant entertainment scene, Las Vegas offers a surprising number of free attractions that make it a fun, affordable destination for winter travelers. There are dozens of free shows in Las Vegas you shouldn’t miss. One of the city’s most popular free shows is the Bellagio Fountain, where water and light displays are synchronized to music every 30 minutes.

Fremont Street, another lively area, is home to the Fremont Street Experience, an LED canopy that features a light show every evening. The free circus acts at Circus Circus and the seasonal holiday displays in hotels along the Strip add to the city’s list of budget-friendly entertainment options.

Winter in Las Vegas also brings unique experiences like the Bellagio Conservatory’s winter garden, which features a holiday-themed floral display that’s free and open to the public. Additionally, the city offers outdoor events, including festive decor and entertainment along the LINQ Promenade. With mild winter temperatures, Las Vegas is an excellent choice for travelers seeking warm weather and abundant entertainment on a budget.

Paris, France: Art and architecture at no cost

Paris is a city where you can experience both rich cultural history and contemporary art for free. Among its highlights are landmarks like the Notre Dame Cathedral, which is still viewable from the exterior, the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre, and Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, a serene green space with unique architectural elements. Art lovers can explore the Musée d’Art Moderne, which offers free admission to its permanent collections.

Winter visitors to Paris are in for a treat, as the city’s seasonal decor, especially along the Champs-Élysées and around the Eiffel Tower, makes it feel like a wonderland. The Musée d’Orsay provides free admission on the first Sunday of each month. At the same time, the Louvre is free on the first Friday of the month after 6 p.m., giving budget-conscious travelers access to this world-renowned institution without the typical entry fee.

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Dance, art and culture in the streets

Buenos Aires stands out as one of the best cities to visit for a taste of Latin American culture this winter. Known as the birthplace of tango, Buenos Aires offers free tango performances and open-air dance sessions, particularly in the historic neighborhood of San Telmo. Visitors can watch locals practice their dance steps in the streets or at the Feria de San Telmo, a bustling Sunday market with live performances.

Another key part of the city’s free attractions is the Recoleta Cemetery, famous for its elaborate mausoleums and architecture. Nearby, the Recoleta Cultural Center often hosts free art exhibitions and live shows, making it an ideal stop for culture lovers. Fun facts about Argentina: Buenos Aires is home to one of the highest concentrations of theaters in the world, and many offer free outdoor shows during the warmer months. Winter, which is summer in Argentina, provides pleasant weather for outdoor activities, adding to the appeal of the city.

Berlin, Germany: History and art for the curious traveler

Berlin offers a mix of modern art, historic landmarks and free public attractions, making it a top winter destination. The East Side Gallery, a remaining section of the Berlin Wall covered in murals, stands as an open-air art exhibit and a symbol of the city’s vibrant history. Other iconic sites, like the Brandenburg Gate and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, offer impactful experiences at no cost.

During the winter, Berlin’s holiday markets bring festive cheer with free entry and a chance to enjoy local crafts, seasonal foods and holiday decor. A visit to the Reichstag Building, which offers stunning views of the city from its glass dome, is also free with advance registration. For a unique experience, stroll along the Spree River to enjoy public art installations and take in Berlin’s winter ambiance.

Embrace winter travel with free cultural experiences

From the art-filled streets of Buenos Aires to Gaudi buildings in Barcelona and Las Vegas’s free shows, winter travelers have countless free art and entertainment options. These cities offer cultural immersion and iconic experiences without the high cost, making them some of the best places to visit for a budget-friendly winter getaway. Embrace the winter season with a journey to these cities, where unforgettable moments come without a price tag.

Norbert Figueroa of GloboTreks is an architect and travel writer on a mission to visit all 195 nations recognized by the United Nations, and beyond. He shares his adventures and passion for travel, architecture and culture on his blog and social media.

On a recent afternoon, I had a call from my schoolteacher daughter. Her voice sounded low pitched and gravelly, more like actor Harvey Fierstein than her usual Mary Poppins. Nose blowing trumpeted after many sentences. I knew that homemade chicken noodle soup would help allay her symptoms, but I needed the process to be quick and easy.

I thumbed through Julia Turshen’’s newest cookbook “What Goes With What” (Flatiron Books) and found a recipe dubbed “Fastest Chicken Noodle Soup.” Bingo. I had all the ingredients on hand so once I cut up the chicken and carrots, the cooking took less than 20 minutes.

Two things, easy things. I found that as the soup sat and cooled enough to package, the noodles absorbed some of the broth. So, I added additional broth. And for added acidity, I added a generous splash of Frank’s RedHot. The sauce added a needed spark of tartness as well as a welcome subtle spiciness.

Fastest Chicken Noodle Soup

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 large (or 3 medium) carrots, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons sweet paprika; see cook’s notes

10 cups boiling water (or not boiling, but the soup will take a little longer to cook)

2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base

One 12-ounce package wide egg noodles

2 large garlic cloves, minced

For serving: chopped fresh dill or Italian parsley

Optional: Frank’s RedHot

Cook’s notes: Generally I have a red tin of Sweet Hungarian paprika in my fridge (yes I keep paprika in my refrigerator). But the last time I did a super cleaning, I pitched it because it dated back to the Clinton presidency. I used standard (not hot) paprika and it was fine.

DIRECTIONS

1.  Place oil in large heavy pot (such as a Dutch oven) over high heat. Add chicken and carrots, and season with salt, garlic powder, and paprika. Cook, stirring now and then, until chicken is opaque all over and just barely firm, about 8 minutes (it’s ok if it’s not totally cooked through at this point).

2. Add the water to the pot and stir in the Better Than Bouillon; do this cautiously because it may splatter at first. Bring to a boil (this should be nearly instant if you’re using boiling water). Turn down heat to medium. Stir in the egg noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are just tender, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and if using, add Frank’s RedHot to taste.

3. Taste and add salt if needed. Sprinkle fresh dill or parsley on top of each serving.

Source: “What Goes With What” by Julia Turshen (Flatiron Books)

Hollywood hopes to spice up the holiday season after a rather flat fall at the box office.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” didn’t exactly wield aces. “Venom: The Last Dance” fared better worldwide but didn’t take a huge bite out of the domestic box office. Superhero fatigue looks to be the real deal.

Then there’s the big-budget “Megalopolis” from Francis Ford Coppola. It bombed, as did sentimental offerings such as “Here” with de-aged stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright.

Dig a bit deeper, though, and success stories do turn up. “The Wild Robot,” contender for best animated feature of 2024, flexed true staying power even as it migrated to streaming. The news is also guardedly hopeful for daring indies such as Sean Baker’s “Anora,” which managed to maneuver into the Top 10.

Now Hollywood shifts to the holidays — the second most lucrative time of the year — with a string of hotly anticipated releases, including Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu,” Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” and Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked.” Will they get audiences to show up? We’re keeping a positive outlook.

Then there are the indie award contenders, including Luca Guadagnino’s searing “Queer,” with Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, and the powerful epic set in Tehran, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”

Here’s a rundown of some, but by no means all, of the films coming to screens big and little through the end of 2024. They are arranged chronologically, though of course release dates are subject to change.

“Red One”: In this high-concept action comedy, the first in a potential franchise, a bounty hunter (Chris Evans) teams up with North Pole security top-dog Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) and his enforcer of a polar bear to try to get a kidnapped St. Nick (J.K. Simmons) back in time for, well, you know. Director Jake Kasdan’s seasonal offering also features Lucy Liu. Details: In theaters Nov. 15.

“Wicked”: Will the spell that this beloved Tony-Award winning, San Francisco-born phenom cast on theatergoers extend to persnickety moviegoers? Early reactions to Palo Alto native Jon M. Chu’s cinematic reimagining of the hit Broadway musical — loosely based on the Oz-themed book of the same name — suggest “Wicked” could find lift-off at the box office (unlike Chu’s wonderful “In the Heights”). The magical cast includes Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum as the iconic Wizard. Details: Part One in theaters Nov. 22; Part Two scheduled for release November 2025.

“Gladiator II”: Twenty four years ago, Ridley Scott’s bloody good sword-and-sandal epic with Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix kicked up a whole lot of sand at the box office and went on to triumph in the Academy Awards arena, nabbing five Oscars. Scott’s big-budget sequel (allegedly exceeding $300 million) is said to be a visual spectacle with terrific teeth-gnashing performances, especially from Paul Mescal as the vengeance-seeking Lucius — son of Maximus (Crowe). He enters the cursed do-or-die ring after his wife is killed and he’s turned into a slave. Others in the top-notch cast includes Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and more. Details: In theaters Nov. 22.

“The Piano Lesson”: The legendary August Wilson earned a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for this powerhouse stage drama about a 1930s family grappling with the gravity of the past, which comes into sharp focus over a family heirloom piano. Malcolm Washington’s feature-length directorial debut is jam-packed with quality actors, including Danielle Deadwyler, John David Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Corey Hawkins. Details: Begins streaming Nov. 22 on Netflix.

“Moana 2”: Originally envisioned as a Disney+ series, this latest sequel from the Disney empire is set three years after the goings-on of the original 2016 animated musical and pivots on Moana’s daring plan to put the kibosh on a god’s curse. Auli’i Cravalho (in the title role), Dwyane Johnson, Nicole Scherzinger and Alan Tudyk return to voice their original characters. Details: In theaters Nov. 27.

“Queer”: Prolific “Call My By Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino follows up his sweaty tennis love triangle (“Challengers”) with an intense and, also quite sweaty, gay love story. His adaptation of Beat generation author William S. Burroughs’ trippy novel finds Daniel Craig smoldering in 1950s Mexico City as a lonely expat gobsmacked by a handsome younger man (Drew Starkey) he devotedly pursues. Details: In limited theatrical release Nov. 28; wider after in December.

“The Order”: An obsessed FBI agent (Jude Law) and a smart young cop (Tye Sheridan) try to collar the culprits behind a spate of bold, savage robberies and heists. Their investigation leads them to a 1980s white supremacist group in the Pacific Northwest and the magnetic racist family man (Nicholas Hoult) at its center. Australian director Justin Kurzel’s fact-based, chilling thriller draws its inspiration from the book, “The Silent Brotherhood” by Kevin Flynn. Details: In theaters Dec. 6.

“Nightbitch”: A mom at her wits’ end (Amy Adams) channels her inner beast in Alameda native Marielle Heller’s dark comedy that taps into what it means to be not only a mother but a whole person. Details: In theaters Dec. 6.

“Y2K”: Kyle Mooney of “Saturday Night Live” fame directed, co-wrote and co-stars in this disaster/comedy that reimagines what went down just after the clock struck 12:01 a.m. during that much-hyped entrance into 2000. Two teens (Jaeden Martell and Julian Dennison) get into the party mood until things turn ugly. Details: In theaters Dec. 6.

“September 5”: Director Tim Fehlbaum’s intense re-creation of the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics crisis concentrates on how sports reporters and producers found themselves covering a far different story than what they were expecting when Israeli athletes were taken as hostages. John Magaro, Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin and Leonie Benesch star.  Details: Opens in theaters Nov. 29 (Los Angeles and New York) and Dec. 6 (Bay Area).

“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”: A father’s promotion to judge in Tehran coincides with his two daughters’ outrage at how both women and dissenters are treated by Iran’s authoritarian government. Mohammad Rasoulof’s riveting, award-winning political thriller, shot in the shadows, led to the director living in exile. It’s a must.  Details: in theaters Nov. 27 (Los Angeles) and Dec. 13 (Bay Area).

“Kraven the Hunter”: J. C. Chandor’s R-rated Marvel action film with Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the thorn in Spidey’s side finally gets its release after bouncing from date to date like an Olympics gymnast. Will this more violent Marvel origin story appeal to fans as well as those uninitiated to the ways of Kraven, who’s a hunter in the comic books? We’ll soon find out. Details: In theaters Dec. 13.

“The Brutalist”: It takes a director with a lot of chutzpah to convince studio execs that a nearly 4-hour film is a good idea. But American filmmaker Brady Corbet (“Vox Lux”) did just that and the result is this immigrant epic about a acclaimed Jewish architect (Adrien Brody) from Budapest making his way post-World War II to Pennsylvania where he starts a new life and lands a huge project dreamt up by a wealthy eccentric (Guy Pearce). Corbet’s film wowed at the Venice Film Festival and was quickly snatched up by A24. Oscar is taking notice. Details: In theaters Dec. 20.

“The Count of Monte Cristo”: Already a box-office hit in France, where it received raves, this nearly 3-hour epic takes the classic Alexandre Dumas revenge tale and muscles up the action and basks in the period details. We’re all in. Details: In theaters Dec. 20.

“Mufasa: The Lion King”: Disney plumbs the origins of Simba’s dad with this latest entry in a cherished franchise that extends into new generations and features a photorealistic look. “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins brings gravitas to the project while “Hamilton’s” Lin-Manuel Miranda has been tasked with writing the songs that the whole world is expected to sing. The voice cast includes a pride of top talent:  Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka), Mads Mikkelsen (Krios), Beyoncé (Nala) and Beyonce’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter (Kiara). And, yes, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen return as scene-stealers Timon and Pumbaa. Details: In theaters Dec. 20.

“Babygirl”: A highly successful and quite married CEO (Nicole Kidman) hooks up with a new intern (Harris Dickinson) and the twosome get tied up into all sorts of sexual knots in this ultra-steamy offering. The lusty, comical trailer certainly aroused our interests. Details: In theaters Dec. 25.

“Nosferatu”: Robert Eggers lends his trademark Gothic sensibilities (the trailer made us swoon) in a lavish redo of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 landmark horror classic. As the vampire Count Orlok, Bill Skarsgård is ready to pounce and give us a fright like he did as Pennywise in 2017’s “It.” Jarin Blaschke’s eerie cinematography alone looks to raise the stakes, as does the cast (Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe who teamed up with Eggers on the divisive “The Lighthouse”). Details: In theaters Dec. 25.

“A Complete Unknown”: Timothée Chalamet charmed audiences worldwide as a younger version of Willy Wonka, but can the “Dune” star convincingly transform into a mid-20s Bob Dylan? Director James Mangold certainly thinks so. Rather than tell Dylan’s life story, the “Ford v. Ferrari” filmmaker focuses on the icon’s shocking 1965 decision to “go electric” at the Newport Folk Festival. That more focused approach perks up our interests. Details: In theaters Dec. 25.

“The Fire Inside”: Rachel Morrison’s inspirational sports-themed biopic relates the true story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (Ryan Shields), a boxer training for the 2012 Olympics. Barry Jenkins wrote the screenplay. Details: In theaters Dec. 25.

Animated treats

It’s been a stellar year for animated features, and these releases look to keep the trend going through year-end.

“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim”: This release from award-winning anime director Kenji Kamiyama takes place nearly two centuries before the landmark trilogy. Details: In theaters Dec. 13.

“Flow”: A black cat befriends numerous animals in the aftermath of a climate-change-induced flood. Details: In theaters Nov. 22 (Los Angeles) and Dec. 6 (Bay Area).

“Spellbound”: The Netflix release  is set in a fantasyland wherein the daughter of two crowned heads seeks to reverse a spell that turned her parents into monsters. Details: Streaming Nov. 22.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3”: Animated characters gets mixed in with live-action cast members again as Sonic and sidekicks Knuckles and Tails team up to take on a new adversary in this latest film based based on the video game series. Details: In theaters Dec. 20.

By Hannah Sampson
The Washington Post

Through the first eight months of the year, hotel prices in North America and most other parts of the world increased compared with the same period in 2023, when U.S. rates already were at record highs, according to the commercial real estate information company CoStar.

According to the travel app Hopper, prices in some U.S. markets have skyrocketed since 2019. Boston and New York have seen 20% increases, while Phoenix hotel prices shot up 28% and prices in San Diego and Chicago increased by 30%. Prices have been on the rise since travel demand surged in 2021 following a pandemic-era lull, the company said.

“While airfares and car rental rates have mostly returned to pre-pandemic levels, accommodation prices remain sky high compared to what most travelers paid pre-pandemic,” Hopper said in a statement.

Some relief may be in sight: Inflation data shows lodging prices were down 3.7% year-over-year in September.

Still, travelers may be shuddering as they search for a place to stay in the coming months. We asked expert travelers their favorite tips for easing the blow.

Comparison-shop

Phil Dengler, co-founder of travel deals site The Vacationer, said he always starts by searching Google Maps for hotels. After adding the filters you want, the list of hotels will show prices directly from the property and from other travel sites. If third-party rates are cheaper, he recommends calling the hotel and asking them to beat them.

Many hotels promise they will offer the best rate themselves and even give discounts if third-party sites undercut them — with some caveats. Stephen Pepper, a contributor to the site Frequent Miler who is in the seventh year of a 50-state road trip, has written about so-called “best rate guarantees” and their fine print.

“Everything has to match — dates, room types, cancellation periods, etc.,” he wrote in an email.

Watch for price drops

If a hotel does not require payment upfront to hold the reservation, you can wait to pay until check-in. Then keep checking the price on the website, said Sally French, a travel expert at the personal finance site NerdWallet.

“You might actually see hotel prices drop; then you can go ahead and cancel your reservation and rebook,” she said.

Before trying this, just make sure the cancellation policy allows doing so without a charge.

Know the right time to book

According to Hopper, inclusive resorts should be booked three months or more in advance, while popular leisure destinations might offer their best prices one to two months before the vacation date.

But waiting longer can pay off in big cities with plenty of hotel inventory. French said hotels often will be “more willing to sell a room at a cheap rate just to fill it.”

“I’m very comfortable booking an overnight in New York at the last minute,” said Hayley Berg, Hopper’s lead economist.

Madison Rolley, a travel content creator and digital nomad, wrote in an email that she likes to use the app HotelTonight for her last-minute bookings.

“This hack really saved me in a pinch when a flight got canceled on a layover after midnight due to poor weather,” she said.

Be flexible with your dates

If a trip isn’t tied to an event, occasion or other specific date, travelers can find deals by picking the right days and months for their stay.

Hopper says January and February typically are cheaper than busy spring break times, for example — and that goes for airfare as well as hotels. Weekend nights can cost significantly more than weeknights, too, so consider a midweek trip if possible.

Dengler recommends checking to make sure there’s no overlap with big events in a destination and playing with dates in Google Hotels to see how low rates can get.

Use cash-back sites

Dengler recommends checking whether hotel companies or online travel agencies are part of cash-back portals such as Rakuten, BeFrugal or TopCashback. Booking through one of those sites or using their browser extensions can earn travelers money back for purchases they were already planning to make.

Paying with a credit card that offers cash back can sweeten the deal. In most cases, Dengler said, shoppers can expect 1% to 3% cash back from most hotel sites or a bigger return from online travel sites.

Make points work for you

Not a points wiz or credit card maven? That’s OK. Dengler said the simplest way to assess whether it makes sense to book a hotel using credit card rewards is to look in your card’s travel portal and see how many points a hotel costs compared with the cash price. One cent per point is acceptable for most people, he said — though he likes to hold out for more value.

Become loyal

Pepper said joining a hotel brand’s loyalty program can deliver lower prices, even for travelers who haven’t built up status. Plus, once you’re a member, you’ll start earning points — which could eventually pay off.

Consider a gamble

Have your heart set on a particular hotel? Want a flexible cancellation policy? Is control at all important to you? Then this option is not for you.

But if you truly are just interested in a discount and don’t mind a go-with-the-flow approach, consider using a surprise site. You’ll select the city of your choice, with varying amounts of information on location and ratings, and — surprise! — find out exactly what you got after you make your purchase. Hotwire offers Hot Rates, and Priceline has Express Deals and Pricebreakers, which show a list of three options. None are refundable, so prepare accordingly.

Rolley posted on TikTok in March about her own Pricebreakers strategy, calling it her “favorite cheap travel tip” for hotels.

“I always think this is a fun, cheap and spontaneous way to travel,” she wrote in her email. “And I end up staying in much nicer hotels than I could have afforded otherwise.”

By Gina Matsoukas

Getting family and friends together over food should be a wonderful time, but Thanksgiving has a way of bringing up conflict. Differing opinions, cherished traditions and family feuds – everyone has thoughts on Thanksgiving food. If you are considering the unthinkable this year and changing up the traditional turkey-based menu, here’s how to navigate the battlefield.

Many people look forward to the spread on the Thanksgiving Day table all year long. They anticipate turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes and pie, as well as the leftovers in the following days. There is space for disagreements here – should you roast or deep fry the turkey? Do you serve mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes? Is homemade or canned cranberry sauce best?

But what if you want to leave these traditional foods off the menu altogether? Removing turkey from the Thanksgiving feast has been known to tear families apart – leading to a fight of epic proportions for some. Forgetting potatoes could cause months of silent treatment. Neglecting to serve pie might require writing family members out of the will.

If you still dare to change up your Thanksgiving menu, these entrees and sides are worthy competitors to the turkey. They might even become your new favorite holiday dishes.

Top turkey alternatives for Thanksgiving dinner

Marca reports that approximately 88% of households in the United States eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Despite the bird’s popularity, several other delicious entrees make for equally show-stopping main dishes for a holiday feast. If you are not a fan of turkey yourself, need to meet dietary restrictions or simply looking for something different, try these alternatives instead.

Poultry and beef Thanksgiving entrees

Duck is a wonderful alternative to turkey. With a rich taste, tender meat and crispy skin, it can be a luxurious treat. You can roast or smoke a whole duck as you would a turkey. For a smaller serving or faster preparation time, pan-seared duck breast is simple yet lavish enough for a Thanksgiving entree.

A turkey roulade is an excellent choice if you prefer not to cook an entire bird. You get to serve the traditional turkey stuffed with seasonal flavors in a beautifully presented dish, but it takes less time and effort to prepare. The smaller dish is also perfect if you have a more intimate gathering or don’t want a lot of leftovers.

You can also forgo poultry altogether. A prime rib roast is flavorful, festive and sure to please the meat lovers at your party. It is also often big enough to serve a larger group and provide leftovers.

Vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving entrees

A centerpiece vegetarian entree should be satisfying and packed with seasonal flavors. The best entrees may even surpass turkey as a favorite among your guests.

Stuffed squash with grains, nuts, cranberries and herbs brings together fall flavors in a hearty and filling dish. A mushroom wellington, offering a spin on a classic beef wellington, combines a delicious mushroom filling with flaky vegan puff pastry for an attractive Thanksgiving entree.

Extra-creative entrees that aren’t turkey

Since Thanksgiving celebrates community and coming together, serving global specialties can uniquely mix up the menu. French coq a vin, your favorite pasta dish or an Indian curry brings exciting new flavors. You can also choose a coastal-inspired Thanksgiving and serve salmon, shrimp, lobster or your other preferred fish. The luxury of seafood is sure to reduce any complaints about missing turkey.

Switching up sides: Non-traditional Thanksgiving side dishes

When it comes to sides, there are dozens of ways to break from tradition. You may also have a bit more leeway. Adding an extra side or two might be less likely to get you ostracized from future holidays, especially if you serve them along with a few traditional sides.

International dishes, beloved recipes from other holidays or untested recipes you’ve been waiting to try can all fit on the Thanksgiving table. Go extremely untraditional with appetizers like tamales or fried wontons or improvise on classic sides. Serve roasted fresh green beans instead of casserole or pair homemade apple butter with the dinner rolls.

Divisive desserts for Thanksgiving

Pie might be the traditional Thanksgiving dessert, but don’t limit yourself to plain pumpkin, apple or pecan pie. Try a chocolate pumpkin pie or add cranberries to an apple pie for extra flavors. Or tempt your guests with a delicious chocolate pie, banana cream pie or blueberry pie for something completely different.

You can also stick with traditional flavors, yet serve them in new ways. Pumpkin pie bites, apple crisp or pumpkin cheesecake ice cream give those familiar fall vibes without a pie’s standard crust and filling.

Breaking Thanksgiving tradition without family conflict

Even if you have the most delicious Thanksgiving menu planned, not everyone will necessarily welcome a break from traditional foods. Nostalgia and dishes reserved for the holiday can leave people anticipating Thanksgiving dinner all year.

You can try a few tactics to reduce the chance of conflict as you mix up the menu. Preparing a small turkey alongside another entree like duck or mushroom wellington can satisfy everyone at a large party. Likewise, keep a few favorite sides on the table in addition to new ones. Relying on classic flavors in inventive dishes will also help ease the transition.

Getting the entire party in on non-traditional Thanksgiving cooking can help as well. Make your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving a potluck and encourage guests to prepare a recipe. In addition to getting guests excited to try new foods, you’ll have less prep work yourself and plenty of people to blame if dinner is missing someone’s favorite dish.

Celebrate a delicious Thanksgiving with exciting new dishes

Planning a Thanksgiving menu can be a complicated dance of choosing traditional favorites while avoiding the same tired flavors. With many people so passionate about their Thanksgiving meal, these decisions may leave you feeling like you’re about to start the next family war. Fortunately, the right delicious dishes and a little bit of persuasion will convince your friends and family to start some new Thanksgiving traditions this year.

Gina Matsoukas is the writer, photographer and recipe creator of Running to the Kitchen. Focusing on healthy, seasonal, whole-food recipes, her work has been featured in various online and print publications including Food Network, Prevention Magazine and Women’s Health. Gina lives in central New York, where she enjoys an active outdoor life.

By Anne Jolly

As Thanksgiving approaches, you might be thinking about the classic dishes on holiday tables across America – turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. But if you happen to celebrate Thanksgiving in a different part of the country, you might be surprised by the distinctive flavors and ingredients that make their way onto the holiday table.

From coastal seafood specialties to heartland comfort foods, each area of the country has its own favorites that are a must for Thanksgiving dinner. Let’s explore some mouthwatering alternatives to the standard turkey and stuffing that might inspire you to shake up your Thanksgiving menu this year.

Pumpkin empanadas in Santa Fe

If you are in Santa Fe for Thanksgiving, you might enjoy pumpkin empanadas as part of your feast. These hand-held pastries are filled with spiced pumpkin and dusted with cinnamon sugar.

They’re a fusion of traditional American pumpkin pie and Mexican empanadas. This dish reflects New Mexico’s unique blend of Native American, Spanish and Mexican influences.

Fluff salad in Minnesota

In Minnesota, you’ll encounter an unusual salad: A sweet fluff salad featuring marshmallows. This dessert salad adds a delightful contrast to the savory dishes typically found on the holiday table.

“If it has marshmallows in it, it’s probably a salad and meant to be eaten with the rest of dinner and not as a dessert,” Michelle Price, from the blog Honest and Truly, says. “As a kid, that was the one meal where you never had to ask me twice to eat my salad.”

This quirky salad reflects the Midwestern fondness for sweet, creamy dishes. The sweetness makes it a popular holiday tradition among kids and adults.

Pecan pie in the South

Forget pumpkin pie; your Southern Thanksgiving isn’t complete without a slice of pecan pie. This sweet treat features a gooey filling of corn syrup, eggs, sugar and butter, topped with a layer of pecans.

The nuts create a satisfying crunch contrasting the soft, caramelized interior. Pecan trees are native to the South, making this pie a regional specialty. Many families have their own twists on the classic recipe, like adding bourbon or chocolate chips.

Dungeness crab in Oregon and Washington

In the Pacific Northwest, you likely find Dungeness crab on the Thanksgiving menu. Named after a town on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, this sweet, tender crab is a regional delicacy.

The crab is simply steamed or made into crab cakes. The season for Dungeness crab opens around Thanksgiving, making it a timely addition to holiday feasts. Its delicate flavor pairs well with the richer dishes on the table.

Manicotti in New York and New Jersey

Italian-American households across New York and New Jersey serve manicotti alongside turkey. These large pasta tubes are stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with tomato sauce, a nod to the region’s strong Italian heritage.

Including pasta at Thanksgiving is a way for these families to blend their cultural traditions with the American holiday. The hearty, cheesy dish provides a comforting contrast to traditional Thanksgiving flavors.

Clam chowder in New England

You’ll find this creamy seafood soup on many New England Thanksgiving tables. Rich with clams, potatoes and often bacon, it’s a warming start to the feast. From Bagels and Lasagna, Leah Ingram reminisces, “Whenever we would spend Thanksgiving in Maine with my grandparents, we would always have a course with New England clam chowder.”

The chowder’s velvety texture comes from a milk or cream base, making it distinct from tomato-based Manhattan clam chowder. New Englanders take pride in their chowder, which reflects the region’s strong maritime culture.

Frog eye salad in Wyoming and Idaho

Don’t worry; this dish, popular in western states like Wyoming and Idaho, does not involve frogs. Frog eye salad is a sweet pasta salad made with small, round acini di pepe pasta, whipped topping, fruit and marshmallows.

The pasta’s small, round shape is said to resemble frog eyes, hence the quirky name. This unique side dish adds a touch of fun to a Thanksgiving spread and is often a hit with kids.

Sugar cream pie in Indiana

Sugar cream pie, also known as Hoosier pie, is an Indiana staple. Its silky smooth custard filling is made from cream, sugar, flour and vanilla. The simplicity of the ingredients reflects its origins as a desperation pie, made when fresh fruit wasn’t available.

This humble dessert has been an Indiana tradition since the 1800s. It’s so beloved that in 2009, it became the state’s official pie. As Casey Rooney from Get on My Plate exclaims, “There’s no holiday table without a sugar cream pie!”

Sauerkraut in Baltimore

You might be surprised to find sauerkraut at a Baltimore Thanksgiving, but it’s a long-standing tradition. This tangy fermented cabbage dish reflects the city’s German heritage and is served alongside the turkey as a condiment.

The custom dates back to the 19th century when Baltimore had a large German immigrant population. Today, this unique regional twist adds a zesty contrast to the usual Thanksgiving fare.

Funeral potatoes in Utah

Despite the somber name, funeral potatoes are a popular Thanksgiving side in Utah. This cheesy potato casserole topped with crunchy cornflakes appears at many holiday gatherings.

The dish gets its name because it is a go-to casserole for post-funeral luncheons. But its comfort food status makes it a staple at all gatherings, including Thanksgiving.

Grape pie in Upstate New York

In the Finger Lakes region of New York, you’ll encounter the unusual grape pie. This sweet-tart dessert made from local Concord grapes celebrates the area’s vineyards. The filling is similar to a blueberry pie but with a distinct grape flavor.

Grape pie season peaks in fall, making it a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving feast. It’s a labor-intensive dish since the grapes must be individually seeded, but locals swear it’s worth the effort.

Gumbo in New Orleans

Gumbo, a hearty and flavorful stew, is a quintessential New Orleans dish frequently appearing on Thanksgiving tables. It is made with a rich, dark roux along with different meats or seafood, vegetables and Creole seasonings.

The inclusion of gumbo reflects the city’s deep culinary roots and the importance of family traditions. Each family commonly has a cherished gumbo recipe passed down through generations.

Summing up

This Thanksgiving, celebrate the diversity of America by including regional favorites alongside classic dishes like turkey and green bean casserole. Exploring regional flavors will remind everyone of the melting pot that is America. You might just discover a new favorite that becomes a beloved part of your own family’s Thanksgiving tradition.

Anne Jolly is the creator of the food blog Upstate Ramblings. She loves cooking, especially for the holidays.

By Jessica Haggard

Thanksgiving faux pas can easily derail what should be a joyful celebration with loved ones. From overlooked dietary needs to unannounced dishes and lingering too long, these missteps can create awkward moments or unnecessary stress for hosts and guests alike.

Avoiding Thanksgiving blunders is simple with a little planning, communication and mindfulness. Here are common mistakes people make during Thanksgiving gatherings and how to avoid them.

Forgetting to accommodate dietary restrictions

Even with all the effort that goes into Thanksgiving planning, one common mistake is overlooking dietary needs and food allergies, leaving some guests with few options. As Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju from Urban Farmie notes, “It’s surprising how often vegetarians or people with food allergies are left with very few options.”

Despite Thanksgiving’s focus on bringing people together around a meal, “it’s easy to miss the mark if someone feels left out,” especially when hosts forget to check in about preferences beforehand. Luckily, the solution is quite easy.

A little extra effort, like offering diverse dishes and labeling allergens, can make a huge difference. Shruthi explains, “A quick check-in and some variety ensures everyone feels included and welcome.” After all, the real spirit of Thanksgiving is creating an environment where everyone at the table feels appreciated.

Bringing unannounced dishes

Thanksgiving can quickly go off track when a guest shows up with an unexpected dish – like an anchovy casserole intended as a new tradition . While creativity in the kitchen is welcome, this holiday revolves around comforting and familiar flavors. Bold additions may not hit the right note with everyone, especially if someone else is hosting.

Unplanned dishes can also create practical challenges. They may duplicate items already on the table or disrupt the carefully planned portions and timing. Some dishes might also risk introducing allergens or dietary conflicts that make guests uncomfortable.

To avoid these issues, it’s best to coordinate with the host before bringing any contributions. A quick check helps ensure the dish fits the meal’s theme and complements the rest of the spread. Crowd-pleasers like pull-apart bread, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie are safer options that appeal to most guests.

Neglecting to clean up before hosting

A messy house can quickly become a Thanksgiving disaster. Forgetting to tidy up before guests arrive makes it harder to set a welcoming tone. There’s no room for meal prep or serving dishes when the kitchen counters are cluttered. Guests might feel uncomfortable or stressed if they’re stepping over laundry or dodging clutter to find a seat at the table.

Hosting comes with the responsibility of creating an inviting environment, and cleanliness plays a big part in setting the mood. Don’t forget to clean up the carpet – stains or crumbs can make even a cozy space feel neglected and unwelcoming.

A clean, organized space not only shows respect for your guests but also helps everything run smoothly. It’s much easier to enjoy the meal when the host isn’t scrambling to find utensils, counter space or napkins at the last minute.

You don’t need to deep clean the entire house. Start with key areas: Clear the entryway for shoes and coats, tidy the bathroom and wipe down kitchen counters. A quick vacuum of the carpet will make the space look fresh and ready for guests. If time is tight, enlist family members to help or focus on essential areas guests will use.

Forgetting to taste dishes before serving

One food-related Thanksgiving faux pas that can lead to disappointment is forgetting to taste the dishes before they hit the table. Skipping this simple step can result in a less-than-perfect meal. With the hustle and bustle of preparing multiple dishes, it’s easy to assume everything is fine, but a quick taste test can save the day.

Dishes that are too bland or intense in flavor may leave guests unsatisfied, and adjustments can’t be made once the food is served. A little seasoning tweak beforehand can improve the entire meal and ensure everything is as delicious as it looks.

As you finish cooking each dish, take a moment to taste it and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Keeping a small spoon handy for quick taste tests can prevent a last-minute flavor failure. Alternatively, you can follow tried-and-tested holiday recipes like a cheese ball instead of eyeballing your measurements to make sure the flavor is just right.

Assuming you can take home leftovers

Thanksgiving leftovers are a treat, but assuming you can take some home without being invited is a common faux pas. Hosts may have plans for the food or want to distribute it evenly among guests. Helping yourself without asking can come off as inconsiderate.

If you’d like leftovers, politely say, “If you have extras, I’d love to take some!” Bringing your own containers shows thoughtfulness and saves the host from losing their Tupperware.

Showing up empty handed

Bringing unannounced dishes can be rude, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bring something to the gathering. Thanksgiving is a communal holiday, and contributing something, even small, shows appreciation for the host’s hard work. Even if the host says, “Just bring yourself,” it’s always a nice gesture to arrive with something in hand.

A bottle of wine, a bouquet of flowers or even an easy appetizer can go a long way in expressing gratitude. For guests who don’t cook, a thoughtful contribution like artisanal bread or store-bought treats is still appreciated.

Overstaying your welcome

Finally, here’s a faux pas that many people are guilty of. Thanksgiving gatherings are meant to be enjoyed, but lingering too long after the meal can unintentionally stress the host, especially if they’re tired or ready to wind down. Staying late when the cleanup begins or other guests leave can disrupt the host’s plans for the evening and make it harder for them to relax after a long day of hosting.

A good tip is to pay attention to cues – if the host starts cleaning or guests begin to leave, it’s a good time to wrap things up. A polite thank you shows appreciation without overstaying. If you want more time together, suggest meeting up again soon.

Try to keep these mistakes in mind this holiday season

Thanksgiving is about gathering, sharing good food and creating memories, but avoiding common faux pas helps create a smoother celebration. Overlooking dietary restrictions, bringing surprise dishes or overstaying can unintentionally disrupt the day. Thoughtful actions, like coordinating with the host, offering to help clean and waiting for an invite to take leftovers, show respect and consideration.

At its core, Thanksgiving is about gratitude for the meal and the effort behind it. A little preparation and mindfulness help create a joyful, harmonious celebration for everyone involved.

Jessica Haggard is dedicated to helping people cook easy everyday recipes focusing on nourishing foods. She helps people overcome food allergies and discover healthy recipes that make a difference in their health with gluten-free, low-carb and keto cooking at Primal Edge Health.

By Patrick Clarke, TravelPulse (TNS)

If it seems like the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales start earlier and earlier every year it’s because they do.

Or at least it feels that way.

But that doesn’t mean these awesome discounts and special perks on travel are to be ignored. Timing is everything.

Sure, a flooded inbox can be a turnoff but don’t let a minor annoyance cost you big-time savings this holiday season.

Airlines, cruise lines, hotels and resorts, tour operators and other travel suppliers are already offering up notable deals on travel whether you’re looking for one last getaway in 2024 or lining up your dream vacation for the New Year.

In many cases, travelers will have to be patient and book during special Black Friday and Cyber Monday windows that start just ahead of Thanksgiving and wrap up in early December.

Black Friday is November 29 and Cyber Monday is December 2 but oftentimes these offers extend beyond these dates.

Nonetheless, having a plan could net you some major deals, including an additional $1,055 in resort credits at Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico (November 21 to December 3), for example.

Airlines like Southwest are even extending their bookable flight schedules so that fast-acting travelers can book a getaway well in advance.

It’s true that some offers require travelers to leave home by the end of the year but there’s a sea of savings for those who want to have something to look forward to in 2025 while keeping their budget intact.

Working with an experienced travel adviser could score you even more special savings and perks, as these professionals have access to additional discounts and connections that will only enhance your trip while saving you headaches this holiday season.

©2024 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Recently, I picked up a book to distract myself from my phone, which was blowing up with social media alerts, election prognostications and sweaty-palmed predictions about who the Dodgers might sign for next season.

That book, “Stranger Than Fiction: Lives of the Twentieth-Century Novel,” lands in stores on Nov. 19, and it immediately pulled me in with its sobering, concise summation of the period: “That century brought world wars, revolutions, automobiles, women’s suffrage, death camps and the internet.”

With all that profound change, the jacket copy asked a question as pertinent now as for the previous century: “And for novelists, it posed an urgent question: How to write books as startling and unforeseen as the world we live in?”

Indeed.

In this work of nonfiction, which was 15 years in the making, author Edwin Frank, the editorial director of New York Review Books and founder of its NYRB Classics series, explores 20th-century novels through a personally chosen and idiosyncratic list of 32 titles (that makes allowances for Dostoevsky’s 1864 narrative “Notes From the Underground,” which presages the fiction of the coming century). Frank examines novels by James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Chinua Achebe, Gabriel García Márquez, Ralph Ellison and W.G. Sebald among them. (And list lovers alert: He includes even more novels to consider in an appendix.)

In one passage in the introduction to “Stranger Than Fiction,” Frank addresses books about World War II, Hans Erich Nossack’s “The End,” which details the firebombing of Hamburg, and Vasily Grossman’s two tomes about the brutal Battle of Stalingrad, “Life and Fate” and “Stalingrad.” Referring to the challenge of writing about these cataclysmic events, he writes “…the imaginative resources of fiction struggle both to engage with and fight clear of unbearable fact.”

Unbearable facts may always be with us. Novels can be welcome distractions, searing indictments or innumerable other things, but the struggle to confront change remains ongoing. Frank’s searching study of the novel, what he calls the “story of an exploding form in an exploding world,” bursts with thought-provoking material, and I look forward to diving deeper into its chapters.

And maybe it’s useful to consider everything we’ve gone through thus far and think – even if it’s difficult to contemplate at times – that maybe we have what it takes to keep on going whether through the darkness or the light.

“How does it all end up?” asks Frank in his introduction.

Then, as now, it remains a good question.

What other books are coming out in November? Let’s take a look at 10 more.

Nov. 5

“Before We Forget Kindness” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Hanover Square)

Need something cozy and comforting right now? In the latest book of the “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” series, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot from the original Japanese, a fresh batch of characters seek healing or closure at Café Funiculi Funicula by sampling its time-traveling amenities.

“Bel Canto (Annotated Edition)” by Ann Patchett (Harper).

Patchett annotates her award-winning bestseller about a South American hostage situation that ensnares an opera singer, a Japanese businessman, terrorists and more. The author’s notes — criticizing an adverb here, revealing a character who “bores” her there – offer a welcome running commentary on the beloved novel.

Nov. 12

“Didion & Babitz” by Lili Anolik (Scribner)

My colleague Emily St. Martin, who has a story coming about this book and its

author, told me she’s obsessed with this lively work of nonfiction about two iconic Southern California writers and the Franklin Avenue scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Didion and Babitz’s opposites-attract friendship would ultimately repel them from each other; trust that the author shares all those details and more. As Anolik warns: “Reader, don’t be a baby.”

“Lazarus Man” by Richard Price (FSG)

Price, the author of such richly textured novels as “Lush Life,” “Clockers” and “The Whites” as well as indelible work in TV and film that includes “The Wire,” “The Color of Money,” and “The Night Of,” is back with a novel about a collapsing tenement in Harlem and the intertwining lives reacting in its wake.

“Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: A Celebration of Taylor Swift’s Musical Journey, Cultural Impact, and Reinvention of Pop Music for Swifties by a Swiftie” by Rob Sheffield (Dey Street)

Sheffield is one of the best writers about music and pop culture, and here he takes a complex look – just look at that subhead – at the work of Taylor Swift. As he proved with his terrific essay collection “Dreaming the Beatles,” Sheffield can be endlessly interesting as explores the work of the artists he admires.

“Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures” by Katherine Rundell (Doubleday)

Rundell just published her YA fantasy “Impossible Creatures” here in the States, and she’s already back with a new book of fantastical beasts – except these are real. Whether drawing connections between wombats and Italian painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti or Shakespeare and Greenland sharks, she fascinates.

“Shy Creatures” by Clare Chambers (Mariner)

Set in a 1960s-era psychiatric hospital, the novel features Helen, an unmarried art therapist carrying on a dreary affair with a married male colleague (who – red-flag – presses bleak novellas on her when she’d rather be reading Dorothy L. Sayers mysteries). Her life gets upended with the appearance of a wild-haired recluse who’s spent decades living hidden away with his aged aunt and turns out to be a talented artist.

Nov. 19

“Resist: How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America” by Rita Omokha (St. Martin’s)

Following the murder of George Floyd, which was captured on video by 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, award-winning journalist Rita Omokha traveled to 30 states to meet and speak with young Black activists and explore the past one hundred years of work done by younger people in the fight for social justice.

“The Icon and the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry That Brought Birth Control to America” by Stephanie Gorton (Ecco)

In the early part of the last century, two women were at the forefront of the campaign for reproductive rights and birth control access. Gorton’s book details how these leaders – Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, and Dennett, now largely forgotten – were often at odds and how that affected the movement.

“Gangster Hunters: How Hoover’s G-Men Vanquished America’s Deadliest Public Enemies” by John Oller (Dutton)

Oller’s book follows the action-packed exploits of 1930s-era FBI agents – who often lacked the experience, skills and equipment of their high-flying criminal counterparts – as the G-men chased down gangsters such as Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd.

To say Maya Petropoulos likes the “Mean Girls” musical, and especially the meanest girl character of Regina George, is an understatement.

“I’ve loved that show for years,” she says. “I’ve been obsessed with it since I was a teenager. I always wanted to play that role — and people always laughed at me when I said that.”

No one’s laughing now.

Petropoulos, 23 — who grew up in Grosse Pointe Park and graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School — is playing George, the meanest of the Plastics, in the current touring cast of “Mean Girls,” which brings her home to Detroit’s Fisher Theatre this week. Coming just 18 months after her graduation from Montclair State University, Petropoulos is expecting “a crazy seven days. I’ll want to sleep after.”

“I can’t even describe it,” she says. “I grew up going to that theater and being so enthralled to just be in the building.’Could I ever take a bow on that stage?’ was such a crazy thought. I couldn’t even let myself think about it. It seemed so far away.

“And when I got the schedule and I saw it would be coming, it just sucked the air of me. I’m really gonna take a bow on that stage — the stage I have been seeing shows on my whole life. That’s probably the most nervous I’m ever going to be for a show. I don’t think that’s going to set in until it happens.”

Petropoulos’ immersion in theater started early, albeit by accident. “My parents were big on, ‘You need to have something to do!,’ so I tried a lot of things and couldn’t find my niche,” she recalls. “They forced me to do a musical when I was in first grade — and I was really not happy about that.”

By middle school, however, she had friends doing theater, and after appearing in a production of “Annie” she had “a good time” and started doing annual shows in school and joined a show choir, which “sucked me in immediately and became my entire world.”

Traveling to audition for college programs allowed Petropoulos to see “Mean Girls” — a Tony Award-nominated adaptation of the 2004 film written by Tina Fey, who also handled the book for the musical — on Broadway during her senior year of high school, and Montclair was her first choice. While there, she also landed a role in the comedy “Betty,” which ran for two seasons on HBO, and in the Go-Go’s jukebox musical “Head Over Heels,” playing Philoclea. The “Mean Girls” opportunity, meanwhile, was perfectly timed to her graduation.

“During my senior year, news dropped that they’re doing another tour and I just knew that I would blow everyone out of the way to get the chance to do it,” Petropoulos says. “I remember sending in a self-taped (audition) and thinking, ‘Whatever happens I’m gonna try like hell to get this job!’ I ended up getting it a month after graduating and they scooped me up and put me on my way, and this has pretty much been my entire college life.”

The learning curve has been steep, however.

“I knew it would be hard. It’s harder than I thought it would be,” she acknowledges. “Eight shows a week is no joke. It’s not for the weak. ‘How do I keep my voice healthy through all this?’ “How do I come up the other side and still be healthy?’ ‘How do I work through it and still be able to kind of live a life?’

“It’s just a job at the end of the day, but it’s a big job and there’s a lot of pressure and you have to give your best. It’s what I wanted, so no complaints.”

Petropoulos said she hopes there’s more of it to come, too. She’s contracted with “Mean Girls” through May 2025 but is already considering what’s next,. “Wicked” (“the first film I ever saw and first cast recording I listened to”) and “Hadestown” are top of her list. “If I did ‘Wicked,’ my parents would be, ‘OK, you can do anything else now,'” she says, with a laugh. But Petropoulos has her sights set beyond the stage, too.

“I really would love to make my TV/film transition, but I love to sing, so musical theater is always gonna be part of my life and … my home,” she says. “Honestly, I just want to be an artist for as long as I can. This (‘Mean Girls’) opportunity came at a point where I wasn’t sure where things were going. It just happened and I’m grateful I can have it at this point in my life.

“I’m looking forward to following that, really — not having my sights on anything concrete, but being open to what the universe has in store for me.”

“Mean Girls” runs Tuesday, Nov. 19 through Nov. 24 at the Fisher Theatre, 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit. 313-872-100 or broadwayindetroit.com.

By KIM COOK, Associated Press

Deborah Reinhardt has fond memories of her mother and grandmother cooking in aprons dusted with flour or other signs of that day’s meal. And then there were the special occasions.

“Grandma, especially, wore the fancier ones with ruffles and silky fabric for serving Thanksgiving dinner,” says Reinhardt, who lives in St. Louis and runs a food blog called Three Women in the Kitchen.

She regretted that she hadn’t saved any of those family heirlooms, but then her daughter gave her a special gift one Mother’s Day: a frilly apron. “Whenever I use it, memories of Mom and Bubba come alive. It’s almost like putting on a superhero’s cape; I feel like I can tackle anything in the kitchen,” Reinhardt says.

Aprons carry all kinds of associations. Professional cooks and contestants on TV cooking shows wear large, utilitarian ones: grill masters might have the goofy “BBQ Dad” variety.

They go especially well with Thanksgiving, evoking memories and putting the focus on the cook.

There’s something empowering about cooking with an apron on; it says you are Creating a Meal. EllynAnne Geisel, a self-described “apron archaeologist,” likens these pieces of cloth to “domestic armor.”

“Aprons don’t hold us back — they take us back,” she writes in “The Apron Book: Making, Wearing, and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort.”

And she notes that aprons are worn by a range of professionals, from cooks and bakers to fishmongers, welders and carpenters.

A look at some current apron styles:

As seen on ‘The Bear,’ ‘Top Chef’ and other shows

Katie Brown, a writer at Food & Wine, spotted something consistent among her favorite cooking shows “The Bear,” “Is It Cake?” and “Top Chef.”

“The chefs on my TV not only make cooking look easy, but they look great while doing it,” Brown says.

Many of those chefs wear an apron from Hedley and Bennett, a brand started by a pro chef. Their “Essential” version is made of sturdy cotton twill, and features adjustable neck and waist straps and lots of big and small pockets. (“The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White often wears a dark blue one, a nod to the French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley, California, which became known for its chefs’ blue aprons.)

It’s the pockets that have won over Brown’s colleague, associate editorial director Chandra Ram.

“For me, pockets make the apron. I want to be able to stash a Sharpie and a few pieces of paper towel,” says Ram. “And I like the straps to be long enough that I can tie them in front so I can hang a dish towel to use to grab a hot pan or clean up a spill. I bought kids’ versions for my nieces and nephews for when we bake together.”

Other pro-style brands include Under NY Sky, Chef Works, Bragard and Cargo Crew.

Apron variations around the world

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street nods to Japanese restaurants with the maekake, which resembles the cotton banners often seen at their entrances. Maekeke is the term for traditional Japanese workwear dating to the 16th century.

Milk Street’s version, made of indigo cotton, features an Arctic tern and the Japanese lettering for their address in Boston, 177 Milk Street.

Fans of Finnish design house Marimekko ’s prints might add an apron to their wardrobe. Choose from bold, black-and-white or colorful graphics and florals, each with a front pocket and adjustable neck strap. Many patterns have coordinating pot holders and oven mitts.

Apron designs at Portugalia Marketplace include one with colorful illustrations of sardine cans, a buzzy food trend. And a Mediterranean blue and white tile-patterned apron will make you feel like you’re in a tasca, or little restaurant, in Porto.

Cooks the world over can toast their furry friends with one of Design Imports’ aprons featuring romping dogs and cats.

For real retro, try a riff on a pinafore or flour sack

Aprons became common in the early 1900s, when America’s first chain restaurant, Harvey House, was created by Fred Harvey. The “Harvey Girls” — the wait staff’s moniker – wore floor-length white aprons. Judy Garland wore one in the 1946 “Harvey Girls” film and they became popular in American households.

And flour companies in the 1920s came out with aprons made from repurposed feed or flour sacks.

Uncommon Goods has some fun ones repurposed from old sacks and made by artisans in Ghana. The aprons feature a cheery patchwork on one side, and are reversible. Makers are part of the Fair Trade Federation, which supports local craftswomen.

New York-based writer Kim Cook covers design and decor topics regularly for The AP. Follow her on Instagram at @kimcookhome.

I met Al Pacino one September afternoon long ago at the wedding of David Mamet and Rebecca Pidgeon at a place called Stillington Hall in Gloucester, Massachusetts, about an hour’s drive northeast of Boston. As the family gathered for pictures under a huge tree on the lawn, Pacino said, “C’mon, let’s get in on the pictures,” to me and to his female companion, who said, “Stop kidding around, will you?”

Now, some 33 years later, I have encountered him again, on the 370 pages of his spirited autobiography “Sonny Boy,” and he is not kidding here when he provides a thoughtfully introspective but also oddly remote journey that begins with his childhood in a South Bronx tenement.

His teenage parents split up before he was two and he was raised primarily by his paternal grandmother who, Pacino writes, “was probably the most wonderful person I’ve ever known in my life.” His mother, “fragile and uncontrollable,” had mental health troubles that had her undergoing electroshock treatments, attempting suicide when he was six and dying of a drug overdose when he was 22.

It is her instability and frequent absences that shadowed Pacino as he and his best pals — Cliffy, Bruce and Petey — flirt with antics that spoke of bigger crimes, but his family kept a tight rein, “away from the path that led to delinquency, danger and violence.” He gave up dreams of playing professional baseball and discovered theater, where being in a school play “made me part of something. … I actually was whole.” He was still on that path a few years later when “one night, onstage, just like that, it happened. …I want to do this forever.”

It was a struggle to get started but enjoyable to read of his on-a-shoestring formative years, highlighted by his meeting Charlie Laughton, not the famous actor, but a teacher and actor who would become Pacino’s friend and essential mentor. They met in a bar and these years, as Pacino frankly details, were soaked in booze. Working odd jobs, rooming with another young unknown named Martin Sheen, acting in all manner of downtown Manhattan spaces, Pacino drank hard, believing that “drinking saved my life. … Happy drunk. Sad drunk. Always drunk. And that’s the actor’s life. … I would drink at night and pop pills the next day to calm down.”

This went on for some raucous time, until he stopped in the late 1970s, prodded by Laughton and aided by AA, some therapists and a relationship with actress Marthe Keller.

Many pages later he answers an unasked question, writing, “Of course, there’s the general belief that I’m a cocaine addict, or was one. It may surprise you that I’ve never touched the stuff.” No, he just played one in “Scarface,” a film he made while also starring on stage in David Mamet’s “American Buffalo.”

Pacino does not offer commentary on all of his plays and films and that’s fine. There have been far too many to mention. But he gives us stories from a lot of them — the “Godfather” trio, “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Serpico,” “Scarface,” Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross,” which earned him Oscar nominations but only one win, an Academy Award for best actor for his over-the-top role in “Scent of a Woman.” Some tales and anecdotes will be familiar to those of you who partake of late-night talk shows on which Pacino has been a frequent and lively guest.

Those coming to “Sonny Boy” seeking the sort of dirt and scandal that pepper so many celebrity books will be disappointed. Pacino is a gentleman throughout and admirable for that.

You may not have known that Pacino has never been married but you are right to assume that he has not lacked for female companionship, writing, “I have always liked women, but from the time I was very young, I have been shy around them.” He conquered that shyness with such girlfriends as Jill Clayburgh, Diane Keaton, the aforementioned Keller, some others you’ve never heard of.

You get but the briefest mention of his four children, two with Beverly D’Angelo (Olivia and Anton), about whom he writes “(we) had our issues about where to live” and a bit later, “We were working through the whole gestalt of raising our kids without each other.” That’s it.

Women and kids were never a priority in this life and he has known that for a long time. As he writes, “I could see a pattern already starting in me, some innate understanding that work is work, and romance and life come second.”

He has never been a careful man so you may get only a mild shock when he writes, “I was broke. I had fifty million dollars, and then I had nothing. … The kind of money I was spending and where it was going was just a crazy montage of loss.”

This book was written with what Pacino calls the “commitment and energy … and considerable help and persistence” of Dave Itzkoff, a former New York Times culture reporter and the author of a fine biography of Robin Williams titled simply “Robin.” (I will tell you that I have never been a fan of audiobooks but listening to Pacino read one this is a joy).

Pacino realizes his good fortune, writing, “I have always needed someone to take care of me,” and knowing he’s been lucky in finding them. And while father figures abound, the shadow of loss hangs heavy, as he eulogizes those  pals Cliffy, Bruce and Petey, their lives lost to drugs, with a poem.

Pacino is 84 years old and writes, near the book’s end, “I look in the mirror and I see something looking back at me that looks like and old wolf with a snarl and a mountain of white hair.” And some pages later, “This life is a dream. … I think the saddest part about dying is that you lose your memories. Memories are like wings: they keep you flying, like a bird on the wind.”

Were I to ever meet him again, I’d say, “Thanks for sharing.”

rkogan@chicagotribune.com

Earlier this week came the announcement that A24 and Apple are developing a movie about Sam Bankman-Fried, the FTX cryptocurrency founder who was convicted of fraud in 2023. Lena Dunham is attached to write the script, based on the Michael Lewis non-fiction book “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.”

My fundamental question is always this: Beyond providing a showy role for an actor hoping for an awards campaign, why adapt an already widely reported story? What unexplored insights are there to be mined?

I was in the minority two years ago when I said we didn’t need “The Dropout,” Hulu’s prestige series about Elizabeth Holmes and her Theranos scam, and I’m probably in the minority saying the same about this project too.

Hollywood executives never seem to tire of this trope, churning out a quartet of series in 2022 that were a variation on the same theme, including the one about Holmes, another about the con artist Anna Delvey, yet another about the rise and fall of WeWork executives Adam and Rebekah Neumann, plus one more about Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick, who resigned from the company after a series of concerning allegations.

It’s unclear what we, as audiences, are meant to get from these projects. Maybe some viewers find some entertainment value, but to me, these shows come across as empty re-enactments that tend to be shrugging in their “welp, corruption!” sensibility.

All that aside, looking ahead to the proposed Bankman-Fried movie, I’m not sure Lewis’ book is the best source material. According to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, Bankman-Fried “orchestrated one of the largest financial frauds in history, stealing over $8 billion of his customers’ money.” He was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $11 billion.

Despite these facts, Lewis has been criticized for developing a “misguided soft spot for the fallen crypto king,” per The Guardian, resulting in a book that is unable to “disguise the fact that Lewis can’t bear to think ill of his subject.”

A 1997 profile of Lewis in Vanity Fair noted that his work “raises the question of how heavily he may be placing his thumb on the scales when he weighs the ingredients of his dashing dispatches” and his “history suggests that he may be particularly susceptible to the lure of a shapely, larger-than-life narrative.”

Those are concerning traits in a non-fiction writer, but ironically, prized skills in Hollywood. Is Dunham, most famous for capturing millennial angst in her TV series “Girls,” the right person to tackle any of this with a clear eye? Time will tell.

As a critic, I’m always curious why certain types of projects get green-lit. A cynical read might be this: These stories don’t galvanize audiences to demand more scrutiny of corruption, but instead deliver a false but reassuring message that the system works because every so often, a powerful figure falls from their lofty perch.

Hollywood has always had an affinity for schemers and maybe that’s because show business is run by similar types: High on their own supply of overconfidence and fast-talking obfuscation. In 2022, when all those prestige series came out, I wrote about a different and far more interesting approach to the scammer genre:

1993’s “Six Degrees of Separation” starring Will Smith (and based on the John Guare play, which was inspired by real events) is a good point of comparison. It’s a movie that’s interested in more than the mere fact of the swindle, but why it worked: Smith’s character has an innate understanding of human nature and, despite the con, a genuine desire and need to connect with people. And the self-congratulatory swells taken in by his lies are really just projecting onto him all their neuroses and biases. Perhaps that’s because Guare (who also wrote the screenplay) wasn’t aiming to recreate a scandal, but instead used a true story to inspire his imagination and poking around the nooks and crannies of human nature.

”Six Degrees of Separation” … feels rich and complicated because it also contemplates the way ideas about race, and the smug assurance that only other white people are racist, plays into the game Smith’s character is running. That’s notably missing from the aforementioned projects. Whether it’s Anna Delvey or Elizabeth Holmes, their whiteness is so obviously key to affording them the benefit of the doubt and getting them through doors. And yet the shows about them aren’t interested in exploring this in any depth.

I’m holding out hope there are screenwriters with deeper things to say about the moral rot that has shaped corporate America. Whether there are media executives and financiers willing to back them is the tougher question.

Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.

Fuyu persimmons are the variety that boasts a tomato-like shape. Unlike the other common variety, the bold orange, heart shaped Hachiya persimmons, Fuyu beauties have a lighter color and can be eaten when as firm as an apple.

I like to use them in fruit compotes, the unpeeled wedges cooked in a sugar syrup of dry white wine and sugar augmented with a cinnamon stick and star anise. The made- ahead spiced fruit is delicious served atop tapioca pudding or yogurt, but my favorite is on a generous scoop of ice cream. Serve a crisp cookie with each serving, such as a butter cookie or palmier.

Fuyu Persimmon Compote Topping

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 star anise

Pinch salt

4 Fuyu persimmons, rinsed, dried, leaves removed, cut into wedges

For serving: ice cream and crisp cookies

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring wine, sugar, star anise, cinnamon and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and simmer for 7 minutes. Add persimmons and stir to coat fruit with syrup. Simmer, covered, until tender about 20 minutes, stirring 2 times in the process and returning lid.

2. Cool. Refrigerate until chilled; can be refrigerated covered up to two days. Serve fruit atop ice cream transferring  it with a slotted spoon.

Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Living magazine

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomas Cooks.com.