Happy Saturday! Semicolons are supposedly dying. How many can you spot in this newsletter?* Plus: If I ever quit my job, disappear with a stockpile of soy sauce and spend my days watching Jeff Goldblum movies, you’ll know the clues were always here.
1. People who quit their jobs – and never looked back
Five people were fed up with being inside all day; they worried about their lack of fresh air, and wanted more time in nature. So they decided to quit their desk jobs.
To my complete joy in reading past this headline, these people found outdoor jobs, a stable income and a renewed sense of purpose.
‘Surrounded by wildlife, I feel peace of mind’: Steve Kell, 59, worked as a high-street banker from the age of 18. At 30, after recovering from an illness, he decided to quit; and he has been a countryside ranger ever since.
‘I’ve never not enjoyed a day in this job’: Mandy Abbott, 60, was a cook in a North Yorkshire estate kitchen for 30 years. She now helps run a birds of prey centre with her daughter on the same property.
How long will it take to read: Six minutes.
2. ‘Without time, there is no flavour’
Ki Soon-do, a “10th-generation custodian of her family’s sauce-making legacy”, is the only person in South Korea officially designated as a grand master of jinjang – “a soy sauce aged for more than five years that has developed a depth of flavour”.
Ki’s jinjang has been served to Donald Trump and has gained Unesco heritage protection; it is recognition 370 years in the making.
What are the three ingredients of traditional Korean soy sauce? “Soybeans, water and salt,” Ki says. “And care and time. Without time, there is no flavour. In modern life, everyone is rushing. But some things cannot be rushed.”
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
3. How prepping went mainstream in the UK
Prepping for the end no longer seems paranoid – not after Covid, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the climate crisis, rising cyber-attacks, and renewed nuclear threats. The UK government even recommends it.
Fact v fiction: Zoe Williams points to the “most perfect self-contained episode” of The Last of Us, with Nick Offerman’s character, Bill, who is a prepper and survives the end of modern civilisation; should everyone be more like Bill and have a survival kit?
***
“I particularly like that story arc … because it reminds folks that prepping isn’t supposed to be about out-surviving others, but building a better world.” – Ed González-Tennant, digital archaeologist
How long will it take to read: Five minutes.
Two more tabs to open: Even Guardian columnist George Monbiot has been stockpiling food, and Australia’s top epidemiologist answers whether we are prepared for the next pandemic.
4. A murdered journalist’s last warning
Dom Phillips died alongside the Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira trying to warn the world about the Amazon’s destruction. The rainforest – home to millions of people and animals, rich biodiversity and potentially life-saving pesticides – was the Guardian journalist’s focus. He cared not just about how it could be saved, but why.
This week’s long read is an extract from the book Phillips was writing at the time of his death. It is essential reading.
How long will it take to read: Nine minutes.
A giant second ecosystem worth saving: Ocean with David Attenborough review – a passionate case against the ruination of the seas.
5. Jeff Goldblum looks back
I absolutely adored this flashback with Jeff Goldblum. The actor and musician reflected on the power of puberty, overcoming his fear of acting and what Michael Winner yelled at him. He also shared the devastating experience of losing his brother in his late teens, which was “terrible” and “monumental”.
Looking ahead: “I am 72 now and I’m sure I’ll crumble at any minute,” Goldblum says. (How is this guy in his 70s?)
How long will it take to read: Three minutes.
A deeper look at losing loved ones: “My sadness is not a burden”, author Yiyun Li on the suicide of both her sons.
*Four semicolons.
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