Thankgiving Recipes by Kindergarteners (Part 2)

Get ready to count out cranberries and dig a crater in the center of your pumpkin pie! Plus recs for Maris Kreizman's new book, Dropout TV, and Sandy Allen's history of electroshock.

Every year, my friend Jocelyn asks her kindergarten class how they think the classic Thanksgiving dishes are prepared and then she writes down their recipes and sends it out to the parents. I could not be more thankful that she also sends the recipes to me, because it is, without a doubt, my favorite PDF I receive all year.

Long time readers of Bright Spots might remember last year’s collection of culinary genius. Here’s the 2024 version:

Thanksgiving Recipes as dictated by kindergarteners

It’s so important to remember the decorative bone tent! Too many families are tragically skipping this step!

The real star here is the measurements. A whole bowl of beef, an Olympic-sized track of honey, but only four specks of pepper.

So important to get the cranberry to juice drops ratio correct! I also love a mid-recipe trip to the market for more supplies.

Preheat your oven to 50 degrees because we’ll be baking these potatoes for 69 minutes!

I will never get over the use of a whip to make whipped cream. It’s perfect.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO JOCELYN AND HER STUDENTS!

Once again, you have delivered comic gold at a level that I am awed by.

My projects and upcoming events:

PODCAST APPEARANCE: Emerging Form - I love this podcast from journalist Christie Aschwanden and poet Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. They put out an episode this week about creativity in tough times and I was one of the many people who got to answer their prompt. Creativity in Dark Times

NEWSLETTER APPEARANCE: CAFE ANNE - I wrote last week about my adventure exploring public restrooms in NYC with the hilarious and informative Anne Kadet. This week, the full newsletter report came out. Read it here: The Ultimate Ranking of NYC’s Secret Public Bathrooms

LIVE IN LA: Wrong Answers Only (LabX) - Wednesday, December 11th at 7:30 p.m. at Dynasty Typewriter. Come see me, Lauren Lapkus, and Karen Chee make jokes and play games about garbage, while we interview a chemist who turns trash into treasure. Tickets for the in-person show (or the livestream, which you can watch for free from anywhere!)

LIVE IN SF: Wrong Answers Only at SF Sketchfest - Sunday, January 26th at 7:00 p.m. at the Gateway Theater. Sketchfest is my favorite comedy festival and I’m so excited we’re bringing the show back to Bay Area for it. Come see me, Samm Levine, Aparna Nancherla, and Dulcé Sloan! Tickets go on sale Sunday at this link

TED TALK: How to find laughter anywhere - My TED talk is online and on YouTube. Please watch and share! You can find it here

This week’s list

GREAT:

Maris Kreizman is the rare writer who is able to see and critique socio-cultural trends while also being delightful and witty. Reading her work is always a pleasure. I’m a big fan of her newsletter The Maris Review. I’m also very excited for her upcoming essay collection I Want to Burn This Place Down which is available for pre-order now.

FUNNY:

Pretty much everything that Dropout TV puts out makes me laugh. They have figured out how to film improvised comedy in a way that no one else has. And, after years of being disappointed that it seemed like the wit and banter of comedy panel shows could only exist in the U.K., Dropout has released a slate of perfect, hilarious panel shows filmed right here in the U.S. They’re an inspiration and so much fun. For a taste of their genius, here’s two recent moments that killed me. From the show Very Important People, where comedians get put into a costume and makeup without knowing what’s happening and then have to improvise a character based on what they look like: Zeke is rocks

And then from the panel show, Make Some Noise: A future Wirecutter writer talks about the top 3 rocks found on the playground

INTERESTING:

Sandy Allen writes about mental healthcare with exceptional nuance and care. This piece about the past and present of electroshock therapy was fascinating and disturbing. “A cultural history of electroshock, the controversial therapy that has now been in use for nearly a century.” A Brilliant Cure but We Lost the Patient

BONUS FOR PAYING SUBSCRIBERS:

Paying subscribers make Bright Spots possible! Subscribers get access to special features as well as all posts in the archive. Paying subscribers also get my undying gratitude (which never dies). It’s never too late to join them!

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading! Please share Bright Spots with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Smashing my pumpkins with a hammer,

Chris Duffy

This has been Bright Spots, a newsletter.

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…wait, who are you?

I'm Chris Duffy, a comedian, TV writer, podcast host, and both a former fifth grade teacher and a former fifth grade student. I’m currently writing a nonfiction book about humor for Doubleday.