Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 49
Checking in on the economy, someone hacked my twitter account, Recipe Corner, and more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting.
Check out the introduction post here and the entire archive of previous newsletters here.
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Let’s check in on the economy
Things are maybe looking up. Maybe? From WaPo: After months of tepid news, White House hopeful ‘rip-roaring’ economy is here. Strong jobs report and other data challenge GOP complaints that the economy has stalled.
Even after President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan passed, the percentage of younger U.S. workers either employed or searching for a job remained stubbornly unchanged. From March to April, and then again in May, this important economic sign was flat, undermining the administration’s claims of a rapid recovery.
But that suddenly changed on Friday, when June’s jobs report showed a big jump in the proportion of Americans aged 25 to 54 in the labor market — rising to a level not seen since the early days of the pandemic.
The good news is a relief, especially considering all of the bad news we’ve seen this year.
The warnings have come fast and furious — over rising inflation, anemic jobs numbers, supply chain bottlenecks, commodity shortages, exploding government debt and myriad other threats to the nation’s economic well-being. Critics, including former colleagues of many leading Democratic officials, assailed the size and scope of the White House rescue plan as wasteful and ineffective. Tepid jobs data from March to May appeared to bolster the naysayers, or at least complicate the administration’s defense of its policies.
But now signs are emerging that the economy is starting to ignite, a trend punctuated by a June jobs report that came in much better than expected. The economy added 850,000 jobs in June, up from 583,000 in May and 269,000 in April. Unemployment claims earlier this week sank to their lowest level since the pandemic started, also much better than forecast.
We’ve spent a lot of time in this space talking about inflation, and there’s some positive news there as well:
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected inflation would remain elevated for much of this year but drop markedly in 2022, deflating at least some of the alarm around higher prices. Some vexing supply chain problems have begun to resolve. The CBO also doubled its economic growth projections for the United States, estimating the economy would expand by more than 7 percent this year. That would be the highest pace since 1984.
Both administration officials and economists are at pains to stress that a single month of data is not dispositive of future trends. Not everyone is bullish on these trends.
Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of the conservative American Action Forum and former director of the Congressional Budget Office, warned of the risk of a “wage-price spiral” in which worker pay and prices skyrocket simultaneously in an attempt to catch up with the other. Holtz-Eakin, predicted the worst of it would likely come in the second half of 2021.
“If you see people demanding higher wages in anticipation of inflation, then you got a problem,” he said. “Something is going to happen — the question is for how long and how bad it is.”
These wage hikes are real. From Welcome to the year of wage hikes. Workers are returning -- to higher-paying firms. Average pay just topped $15 an hour at U.S. restaurants, one of many sectors forced to raise wages to lure back millions of workers
This year is shaping up to be the year of the pay raise.
In the past three months, rank-and-file employees have seen some of the fastest wage growth since the early 1980s, as employers desperate to get workers back into restaurants, ballparks and plants are offering perks such as more time off, free food and higher pay to entice them to return. Average pay in the restaurant industry is now above $15 an hour for the first time.
The result is that businesses are competing hard for a smaller pool of workers, and pay is going up — sharply. Economists say it’s the best time in years to ask for a raise or seek a new job.
It all comes back to inflation. And nobody knows for sure what that means for consumers:
The hospitality sector will probably continue to be a test case in the months to come for whether higher pay will bring everyone back to work — and whether those pay increases will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher menu prices.
Let’s hope this is good news. Time will tell.
Someone hacked my twitter account
Some asshole hacked my verified twitter account. This person sucks. I am working with twitter support to get my account back. This process sucks as well. I will update next week. Thank you for your support.
Podcast Promo of the Week
Today, I appeared on Circling Back, the podcast from my friends over at Washed Media. We talked about radioactive hogs, Zuckerberg wilding, why grilling is bad, the worst memorial service speech ever, and much more. It was fun.
Coming this week on Mind of Micah, lots of talk about the controversy surrounding the finale of Top Chef.
If you havening been paying attention, the winner, Austin chef Gabe Erales, was terminated from his restaurant in December last year for "repeated violations of our policies and for behavior in conflict with our values,” according to the co-owner of Comedor.
On Friday, the day after the finale aired, Erales told the Austin American-Statesman that he had a sexual relationship with a woman on his kitchen staff during the summer of 2020. After he returned from filming “Top Chef” in November, he said, he cut her hours based on her performance. He also admitted to communicating with her in an “unprofessional manner.”
The show wrapped in October, but producers knew of the firing and the allegations before the show started airing. There’s a lot to talk about, including a compelling finale. Subscribe to Mind of Micah now, and get the episode on your device as soon as it’s released.
Recipe Corner
I made some food yesterday
Here’s a photo of the grilled broccoli salad with tahini dressing from last week’s newsletter. 11/10.
On to the recipes…
Southeast Asian Grilled Pork
We’re taking a one-week break from #flanksteakszn. We all had enough beef this weekend. We will be back with another recipe next week. Today, it’s time for the Other White Meat.
2 pounds pork tenderloin
1/2 cup sugar
1 star anise
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine (may substitute dry vermouth, sake, sherry or white wine)
3/4 cup (6 ounces) pineapple juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably dark
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Vegetable oil
Fresh mint, Thai basil and cilantro leaves or sprigs, for serving (optional)
Have skewers ready. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 to 30 minutes before using.
Cut the pork into strips about 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide or into bite-size chunks. In a shallow bowl or resealable plastic bag, combine the sugar, star anise, cinnamon, pepper, salt, wine, pineapple juice, soy sauce and sesame oil, and stir or shake to combine. Add the pork and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. Preheat the grill.
Lightly oil the skewers. Thread the pork onto the skewers, reserving the marinade. If the pork was cut into strips, weave them onto the skewer so they are punctured by the skewers at least 3 times; if using chunks, space them about 1 inch apart. Transfer the skewers to a plate; set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the marinade to a boil. Remove from the heat; set aside.
Generously coat the grill with vegetable oil. Grill the pork skewers, turning occasionally until cooked through and slightly charred, 4 to 7 minutes, depending on the flame and the size of the pork. Baste the pork with the marinade during the last couple of minutes of grilling. Serve warm.
Kale and Cucumber Salad With Avocado-Tahini Dressing
No steak recipe this week, but tahini summer continues. Here’s a refreshing green salad.
12 ounces curly kale, washed and de-stemmed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, divided
Flesh of 1 ripe Hass avocado
1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup water, plus more as needed
1 medium cucumber, peeled or unpeeled, cut it in half lengthwise with seeds removed, thinly sliced
1 to 2 medium carrots (about 8 ounces), coarsely grated
2 scallions, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
Make sure the washed kale leaves are dry by patting them with a tea towel. Roll and cut them into thin ribbons, then transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the salt over the kale and, using your clean hands, massage it into the leaves until softened and their color is enhanced, about 2 minutes.
Chop enough of the parsley to get about 2 tablespoons. In the pitcher of a blender, combine the chopped parsley, avocado, tahini, lemon juice, and cumin and puree until smooth. Add the water and process until incorporated; the consistency of the dressing should be pourable. If not, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached; you should get about 1 1/2 cups.
Transfer the cucumber, carrots, the remaining parsley leaves, and the scallions to the bowl with the kale, and season lightly with the pepper.
Add about 1/2 cup of the dressing to the salad and toss to coat evenly. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.
Orange Salad With Black Olives
Summer is traditionally #fruitsaladszn. I know citrus isn’t technically in season, but this looks like a refreshing and sophisticated side to pair with grilled meat.
2 navel or Valencia oranges
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (may substitute walnut, hazelnut or culinary argan oil; see headnote)
2 teaspoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
16 black olives, pitted and cut in half (preferably oil-cured Moroccan olives; may substitute kalamata)
Trim off the top and bottom ends of the oranges and reserve. Using a paring knife, remove the orange peel, along with any of the white pith. Cut the orange crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Over a large bowl, pull the segments into triangular pieces and then drop into the bowl. Squeeze the reserved ends into the bowl as well.
Drizzle the oil over the oranges, then add the parsley and season lightly with salt and, if using, pepper. Toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Before serving, toss again and garnish with the olives.
Frozen Margarita Pie
I’ve seen variations of this pie with a saltine crust to simulate the salty rim of a margarita. I’d definitely garnish this one with some flaky salt.
And while you’re squeezing up all these limes, you might as well make yourself a 3-2-1 margarita.
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
10 graham crackers
3 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt. divided
¾ cup chilled heavy cream
5 limes, divided
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbsp. tequila blanco
Melt 6 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let cool slightly.
Crumble 10 graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor. Add 3 Tbsp. sugar, ¼ tsp. salt, and melted butter to bowl and process until mixture resembles wet sand.
Transfer graham cracker mixture to a shallow 9" pie pan. Using a measuring cup, press firmly into bottom and up sides of dish. Freeze 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk ¾ cup heavy cream in a medium bowl until cream begins to thicken to the point you see ripples and stiff peaks begin to form, 3–5 minutes.
Cut 4 limes in half and juice into a fine-mesh sieve set over a glass measuring cup (you should have about ½ cup juice). Pour lime juice into another medium bowl and whisk in 14 oz. condensed milk, 3 Tbsp. tequila, and remaining ¼ tsp. salt until smooth.
Fold half of whipped cream into lime juice mixture, carefully folding under and over while turning the bowl. Add remaining whipped cream and continue to fold until no streaks remain.
Remove pie pan from freezer and pour in filling. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread filling to edge of crust.
Using a microplane, zest half of the remaining lime over pie.
Freeze pie at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.
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