Staff Pick: Vinland Saga

This week, Dylan recommends Vinland Saga, a Japanese historical manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura.

Have you seen it? Do you like anime? What do you recommend?

From Ancient Luxury to Modern Delight: The Fascinating Journey of Vanilla

Vanilla is native to Mexico, and it was first cultivated by the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations. The Maya used vanilla to flavor a chocolate drink. When the Spanish conquered Mexico in the 16th century, they brought the drink back to Europe, where it quickly became a popular luxury item.

However, vanilla was difficult to grow outside of Mexico, as it requires a specific climate and environment. In the early 19th century, Edmond Albius, a 12-year-old enslaved person discovered how to pollinate vanilla flowers by hand, which made it possible to grow vanilla in other parts of the world. This led to a boom in vanilla production.

The rise of vanilla as a popular spice coincided with the rise of industrialization. As factories became more common, vanilla became more affordable and accessible to the general public. This led to a decline in the perceived value of vanilla. Vanilla was no longer seen as a rare and exotic spice, but rather as a common and ordinary one. If you try our Madagascar Vanilla ice cream, however, you’ll realize this view of vanilla is obviously wrong.

Staff Pick: A Court of Thorns and Roses

This week, Madison recommends A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

From the author:

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it…or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Have you read it? Will you read it? Reply with your thoughts.