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Choir boys sing an 1800s 'cat duet opera' made entirely of 'meows' and people can't look away

Such deep lyrics.

cat duet opera, funny operas

"Meow."

Nearly everyone—usually involuntarily, and usually in the middle of the night—has been serenaded by a symphony of meows. But never quite like this.

Even before the days of memes and viral videos, cats have been the subject of human fascination, serving as whiskered muses for all kinds of art. People in the 1800s were particularly cat-crazed—believing that felines were responsible for everything from shifts in weather to curing epilepsy.

So it’s probably no wonder that in that time period, an entire opera was written about two chatty cats, composed entirely of “meows.”

The real kicker, however, is that the music is actually good. Especially when sung by two choir boys.

The absolutely silly opera, called “Duetto Buffo Di Due Gatti,” or “Funny Duet For Cats,” is clearly about … well … a cat fight. A friendly cat squabble, if you will, as indicated by all the different variations of “meow” in the piece.

If you thought the Meow Mix commercial was an earworm, wait till you get a load of this.

As the boys sing mew and yowl (with impressive skill, mind you) audience members can barely contain their laughter before erupting into applause at the end of the performance. Perhaps some cat ears would have added to the production value, but other than that—10/10. No notes.

People in the YouTube comments were quick to admit that no matter how bonkers the song is, it’s hard not to be captivated by the boys’ mesmerizing voices. “The only time ‘you sound like a cat when you sing’ is a compliment,” one person wrote.

Others jokingly praised the performers for not splitting their sides mid-meow. “The way they both sing through the entire song with completely straight faces cracks me up every single time,” one person quipped.

Perhaps the best comment, however, was written by a cat parent:

“When my cat dies, I'm gonna play this at her funeral.”

Acclaimed Italian opera composer Gioachino Rossini often gets credited for “Duetto Buffo Di Due Gatti.” However, many historians agree that Rossini only heavily influenced the feline-inspired piece. Regardless, it’s a classic kitty-centric musical number adored by opera singers far and wide.

Check out these professional singers not only nail the musical portion, but fully commit to their cat characters. It’s meowvelous.

You’re welcome for the bizarre bit of musical history, and a song that’s sure to be stuck in your head for the rest of your life.

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How a warm bowl of Korean curry came to represent love and sacrifice

Food can mean so many things.

All images provided by Kat Chao

A photo of Kat and her mom, and a bowl of her mom's famous curry

True

Whether it’s the mac n’ cheese that reminds you of simpler times, or the exotic spiced chicken recipe you acquired from your travels, every meal tells a story.

This rings especially true for people whose families immigrate to different countries to start a new life. Immigrant parents often not only save every penny, but spend most of their time away working in order to build a future for their children. Each comfort meal they manage to provide their kids in the very few spare hours they have tells the story of love and sacrifice.

For Kat Chao, that meal was her mother’s Korean curry.

korean food A photo of baby Kat and her mom and dad

Growing up, Kat’s mom worked weekends to support her family. But that didn’t stop her from waking up Saturday morning to dice up some beef and fresh veggies and throw them into a large pot so that Kat’s dad could heat it up and serve it with some rice to her and her brothers later.

Curry was a quick, easy and inexpensive way to feed a full house, but it served more than just practical purposes. As Kat would wake up to the enticing aroma, she was reminded that her mom was always taking care of her, even if she couldn’t physically be there.

koran curry YUM

As Kat grew a little older, her attitude towards her mother’s curry shifted. Instead of looking forward to it, she would “roll her eyes at it,” as is customary of the rebellious teen. Those less-than-positive feelings were only exacerbated by the media constantly labeling carbs, therefore rice, as “bad.” As a kid who struggled with weight, her comfort food became a source of discomfort.

But as an adult, and now a mom herself, Kat has reached a full circle moment.

korean recipes, albertsons Kat, all grown up with her own familiy

As she makes her own kids the exact same curry dish (okay, maybe a leaner cut of beef, and organic veggies…but otherwise exactly the same!) Kat finds a whole new appreciation for the recipe, knowing how hard her mom worked to even make it happen.

Kat was lucky to have grown up with a meal to look forward to each night. Other kids aren’t so lucky. 1 in 8 kids currently experience food insecurity in the United States. But there’s an opportunity to decrease those numbers.

For every O Organics product you purchase, the company will donate a meal to someone in need through the Albertsons Companies Foundation—for up to a total of 28 million meals.

Is there a dish from your childhood that you’ve longed to rekindle with? You could do like Kat does and give it an O Organic twist. Luckily, the O Organics brand has a wide array of affordable ingredients, so creating healthy swaps is easier than ever. Plus, you can provide nourishment to another family at the same time.

Just think—the next meal you prepare could make all the difference to someone else. If every meal tells a story, that’s certainly a story worth telling.

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When you’re a kid, summer means enjoying the fun of the season—plentiful sunshine, free time with friends, splashing in pools and sprinklers. But not every child’s summer is as carefree as it should be.

For some, summer means going hungry. According to Feeding America, food insecurity affects 1 in 8 children in the U.S., largely because families lose the free or reduced-price meals at school that help keep them fed during the school year.

But back-to-school time doesn’t make food insecurity disappear, either. Hunger is a year-round issue, and with the increased cost of groceries, it’s gotten harder for families who were already struggling to put food on the table.

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But wait—aren’t we all feeling the pinch at the checkout stand? And isn’t organic food expensive? Here’s the thing: Organic food is often much more affordable than you might think. The cost difference between organic and non-organic products keeps narrowing, and many organic and non-organic foods are now almost identical in price. Sometimes you’ll even find that an organic product is actually cheaper than its brand-name non-organic counterpart.

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Look for the O Organics label in every aisle.O Organics

Here’s what that means in real-world terms:

Say you’re throwing an end-of-summer backyard BBQ bash. If you were to buy O Organics ground beef, hamburger buns, ketchup and sea salt potato chips, you’d be donating four meals just by buying those four ingredients. If you added O Organics butter lettuce and O Organics sandwich slice pickles, you’d be donating two more meals, and so on.

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