A reporter asked people to describe the taste of Dr Pepper. He got some really creative answers.
An innocent tweet by sports reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques erupted into a great discussion where people tried to describe the indescribable. “There’s an unnamed media member in here who has never had a Dr. Pepper and asked what it tastes like,” he tweeted. “I have no idea how to describe it — how would y’all do…
An innocent tweet by sports reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques erupted into a great discussion where people tried to describe the indescribable. “There’s an unnamed media member in here who has never had a Dr. Pepper and asked what it tastes like,” he tweeted.
“I have no idea how to describe it — how would y’all do it?” he asked.
Marcel Louis-Jacques covers the Miami Dolphins for ESPN and appears on NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, and more.
The question feels like a Zen koan such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” or “What do you call the world?”
There's an unnamed media member in here who has never had a Dr. Pepper and asked what it tastes like.
I have no idea how to describe it — how would y'all do it?— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) September 24, 2021
The taste of Dr Pepper is hard to describe because there’s nothing quite like it. It has a hint of cherry. Maybe a little licorice. There’s definitely some allspice in there. It’s tough to describe because it’s a combination of 23 different flavors.
It’s believed that the actual 23 flavors are a trade secret and the recipe is kept as two halves in safe deposit boxes in two separate Dallas banks.
It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas and was introduced nationally in the United States at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition as a new kind of soda pop. Dr Pepper has been around for over 130 years and the flavor has yet to be duplicated. Mr. Pibb comes close, but it doesn’t quite have the same magic.
There are a lot of creative responses to the tweet with people doing their best to put flavor into words.
It's a Pepper spiced cola. You get an initial sugary/sweet taste with a pepper finish.
(Yes, I am a Dr.Pepper lifer)— Alfredo Arteaga (@Alf_Arteaga) September 24, 2021
The nectar of the gods.— Bruce Nolan (@BruceExclusive) September 24, 2021
it tastes like cigarettes and spice— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 24, 2021
Pepsi with a hint of prune juice— Burner Burnside (@BurnerBurnside) September 24, 2021
Like a coke or Pepsi with an infusion of the crispest Cherry you have had— MANIAC (@ZachSheldon) September 24, 2021
You know how Root Beer tastes different than cola? It's like that, but even differenter— Nick Van Wagenen (@MKEnick) September 24, 2021
If Cherry coke and Root beer had a lovechild— JawnOlerud (@JawnOlerud) September 24, 2021
Only one answer, barbecue water — Matt Webster (@Lets_go_webster) September 24, 2021
"The 23 flavors in Dr. Pepper are cola, cherry, licorice, amaretto, almond, vanilla, blackberry, apricot, caramel, pepper, anise, sarsaparilla, ginger, molasses, lemon, plum, orange, nutmeg, cardamon, all spice, coriander juniper, birch and prickly ash." — Jarret (@ADarkenedShroud) September 24, 2021
Evidently, there are a lot of people who can't stand the taste of Dr Pepper. It's kinda like black licorice or cilantro. You love it or you hate it.
I know this may get be blocked ?? but good for that person - it tastes awful ?— Michelle ?❤️? (@malden104) September 24, 2021
Agree with you 100%. Hands down the nastiest soda I've ever tasted in my life ??— Renaissance Man (@Billsfandiehard) September 24, 2021
If you’ve ever killed a palmetto bug…there’s a smell they have. Dr. Pepper tastes like that smell. It’s disgusting.— J Christensen-Sharpe (@Snowbird_Killer) September 24, 2021
My grandma describes it as tasting like the smell of ants when you smash them — Jeremy Sanders (@jeremy_lonavi) September 24, 2021
So, in the end, what does Dr Pepper taste like? The best answer should be: Dr Pepper. Much like how an orange has an orange flavor or a cherry has a cherry flavor. Dr pepper has a Dr Pepper flavor.
From Pakistan to Tanzania, the most effective education solutions are community-led. Here’s how local leaders, in partnership with Malala Fund and supported by Pura, are mobilizing entire communities.
When asked to describe what Tanzania smells like, Grace Isekore closes her eyes and breathes in deep. For a moment, she’s somewhere else entirely. Tanzania is a rich tapestry of sights and scents, from the smell of sea mist that permeates the coastline to the earthy cardamom and cloves she cooks with in her kitchen. But when Grace emerges from her reverie, her answer is unexpected.
“Tanzania smells like peace,” she says, her eyes still closed. “I see a beautiful country where we are free to move, free to speak. And there is peace within the community.”
For Grace, that sense of peace isn’t just something she smells; it’s something she works toward every day. As a project coordinator with Pastoral Women’s Council (PWC), a women-led organization that empowers pastoralist communities in northern Tanzania, she has seen firsthand how girls flourish when they have the opportunity to attend school. Like scent, education not only connects girls to their own culture, but also helps broaden their horizons, realizing new possibilities for themselves and others. That transformation reshapes entire communities and ripples outward, with the potential to change countries and transform the world for the better.
Different scents, different approaches, and communities driving change
Spices in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
For Grace and others around the world, education is freedom, as well as a pathway to a stronger community. Rooted in that shared belief, Pura, a home fragrance company, was inspired to build on their four-year partnership with Malala Fund to create something truly unique: a fragrance collection that connects people through scent to communities in Tanzania, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Brazil, where barriers to girls’ education are among the highest.
Using ingredients from each region, the new Pura x Malala Fund Collection uses scent to transport people to these regions directly. “Future in Bloom,” for example, invokes Pakistan’s lush valleys through notes of jasmine, cedarwood, and mango; while Tanzania’s fragrance, “Heart on Fire,” evokes the spirit and joyfulness of the girls who live there through cardamom, lemon, and green tea.
The new Collection honors the work Malala Fund does every day, partnering with locally-led organizations in these four countries to ensure every girl can access and complete 12 years of education. Each scent celebrates the joy, tenacity, and courage of the women and girls driving change on the ground, while also augmenting Pura’s annual grant to Malala Fund by donating eight percent of net revenue from the Pura x Malala Fund Collection to Malala Fund directly.
Just as each country’s scent is unique, so too are their needs related to education. But with support from Malala Fund and Pura, local leaders are coming up with creative ways to mobilize entire communities (parents, teachers, elders, and the students themselves, in their pursuit of solutions, understanding that educating girls helps everyone thrive. Here’s how their efforts are creating real, durable impact in Tanzania and Pakistan, and creating a ripple effect that changes the world for the better.
Parent-teacher associations help Maasai girls and their communities in Tanzania problem-solve
A girl’s school in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
Northern Tanzania, Grace’s home, is home to pastoralist communities like the Maasai, a nomadic people who have moved with the seasons to nurture the land and care for their livestock for centuries. The nomadic nature of this lifestyle creates significant and unique barriers to girls’ education. Longstanding gender roles have enabled Maasai to survive in the harsh environment and have placed great value on both women and men. Over time, as nomadic life has been threatened by the privatization of land and stationary education models have been implemented, the reality of pastoralist livelihood has shifted and introduced new complexities. Now, the sheer distance to schools is both a practical challenge and one that often comes with danger from the landscape, predators, and potential exposure to assault along the journey. Girls shoulder the responsibility of household chores and there is often cultural pressure around early marriage – both leading to boys’ education being prioritized over girls’.
“There are very, very good [pastoralist] cultural practices, which are passed from generation to generation,” says Janet Kimori, an English teacher at Lekule Girls Secondary School in Longido, Tanzania. But when cultural practices act as educational barriers, “you have to sit down and look for where you are going to assist. As a school, as an individual, the school administration—all of us will chip in and know how we are going to deal with this problem.”
PWC works to ensure girls are able to exercise their right to an education while also preserving pastoralist culture. One successful approach, the organization found, has been the formation of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), created with help from Malala Fund. In PTA meetings, students, parents, teachers, elders, and government officials meet, discuss educational barriers, and come up with community-led solutions that preserve and honor their culture while advancing educational outcomes.
PTA meeting in Tanzania. Captured by James Roh for Pura
One recent PTA meeting highlights how these community-led solutions are often the most effective. At Lekule Girls Secondary School, the lack of fresh water forces girls to walk long distances to collect water for the school’s kitchen during the school day, and these long journeys not only disrupt class time but can leave girls vulnerable to sexual assault in isolated areas. Through facilitated discussion, PTA members landed on a solution: installing a borehole to pipe in fresh water to the school. Reliable access to water creates a better learning environment for the girls, but it also benefits the community at large, as local governments are then more likely to invest in health clinics and other community resources nearby.
With a solution in place, the PTA was then able to discuss ideas and map out a course of action. The women would raise money for the cost of the borehole, while the men would recruit workers to dig the hole and lay the pipe. Together, they would ask government officials to match their investment.
The benefits of PTA meetings within the pastoralist communities are undeniable. “The girls are talking and addressing issues in a confident way, and parents feel they are part of the resource team to solve challenges happening at school,” Grace says. One unexpected benefit: The larger cultural impact these PTA meetings have created. Thanks to the success of PTAs within pastoralist communities, the models are now being endorsed on a national level, and schools across Tanzania are starting to use them to solve problems in their own communities. When a community creates opportunities for girls to learn, everyone benefits.
Safe spaces in rural Pakistan help students and their parents connect, then drive change
Safe space for girls meeting in Pakistan. Captured by Insiya Syed.
A continent away in Pakistan, the country’s northernmost region of Gilgit-Baltistan seems like a land untouched by time. The region’s looming mountains, snow-capped peaks, lush valleys and crystalline lakes draw nature lovers and landscape photographers from around the world, but living among this kind of breathtaking scenery has its drawbacks. Schools in the region are few and far between, and the area’s harsh climate often makes roads inaccessible for travel. Poverty and gender-based discrimination are additional obstacles, making school even further out of reach, and girls are affected disproportionately. Going up against these barriers requires a persistent, quiet strength that’s found in the women who live there and reflected in Pakistan’s signature scent.
Saheli Circles are how local leaders in Gilgit-Baltistan are bridging the gap between girls and education. An Urdu term for “female friend,” Saheli Circles are after-school safe spaces where girls explore subjects like art and climate change, while also developing skills that help them manage emotions, set goals, and build positive relationships. Girls study in groups, visit the library, play sports, and tackle filmmaking and photography projects, all designed to develop self confidence and teach the girls how to advocate for issues that matter to them. But the work doesn’t stop there.
“What we’re trying to achieve here will only be impactful if it trickles down to the home environment and the school environment,” says Marvi Sumro, founder and program director of Innovate, Educate, and Inspire Pakistan (IEI), the local organization that developed the Saheli Circles model and partnered with Malala Fund in 2021 to make it a reality. Ever since, Saheli Circles have grown to involve teachers, elders, and parents to encourage relationship building that’s essential for young girls and adolescents. “Our spaces can give mothers and daughters an opportunity to interact a little differently—do an art activity, or have a cup of tea together, or some good conversation,” Marvi says.
The relationship building is what makes the biggest positive impact throughout the community. Recently, one Saheli Circle was able to bring together parents, teachers, and administrators to advocate for better education at their local school, and together they convinced the department of education to hire a science teacher. Another Saheli Circle organized a fund where members of the community can contribute monthly to pay for uniforms, books, and other school expenses for the girls in their village, eliminating those small, hidden costs that are often a barrier to education for many. A third Saheli Circle was able to produce a short film about how gender-based household chores can take away valuable study time from girls, leaving them at a disadvantage. “The girls put the film together and showed it to the mothers, and the response from the mothers was just beautiful,” Marvi says.
Girls smiling in Pakistan. Captured by Insiya Syed.
The education and relationship building that the girls receive in Saheli Circles connects them to larger opportunities and economic freedom that are not possible in their hometown. “For girls in Gilgit-Baltistan, education is extremely important because of the fact that we’re so far away from where the economy is, where the opportunity is. Education becomes this bridge for us, for our girls, to access all the opportunity and economy that exists in [larger cities].”
From rural Tanzania to remote Pakistan, local organizations prove every day that prioritizing girls’ education benefits everyone. Communities that lift up girls are able to secure resources like clean water and well-staffed schools, as well as build stronger relationships.
These outcomes are only possible because of the women and girls who work tirelessly in these regions to overcome barriers and drive progress. The Pura x Malala Fund Collection is a way to honor them, celebrate their achievements, and unite people the world over around a shared belief that education is freedom. Like scent, that belief can build, travel, and has the possibility to transform the world.
Experience the Pura x Malala Fund Collection here, and connect with the stories of real girls leading change across the globe.
Since he was twelve years old, Alexander Quinones had a dream: to open a restaurant. At 19, he invested $5,000 of his own savings, along with graduation money and support from his mother, Julie Stevens, to bring that dream to life. Thus, Detroit Loves Tacos 2 was born.
And yet, that dream was on the brink of fading. The fledgling restaurant struggled to attract customers, and Quinones was making just enough to cover daily expenses and pay his one employee. Closure seemed imminent.
“We had a difficult discussion that day. We’re gonna have to close if something doesn’t give,” Stevens told WXYZ-TV.
“I felt like I was failing in life a little bit. I put all my money into this, I put all my time into this. So it really, really hurt me,” Quinones added.
That was when the young business owner did something vulnerable: he made a heartfelt plea on TikTok, where he got candid about his situation.
He said his restaurant wasn’t built on “shortcuts” or “big investors,” but instead was the result of someone “working every single day, long nights with a vision.”
“Everything is made fresh with love and ready to serve,” he added, thanking those who have already visited and urging those who haven’t to “come by and check out what we’re doing.”
19 years old with a dream . 🌮✨ We are officially just getting started at 25750 Ecorse Rd! Come help a young entrepreneur build something special in Taylor. Every tag and visit counts! #fyp#local#taylormichigan#viral#youngentrepreneur
Quinones’ story seemed to be the missing ingredient in his success. Not long after his video went viral, his restaurant was flooded with customers, and he has even sold out several times. As he adjusts to the increased demand, he hopes to remedy that soon. He is also now considering expanding the business, including opening additional locations and launching food trucks. Not bad, considering the restaurant was about to close its doors just days earlier.
Of course, it wasn’t just Quinones’ virality that made him successful. People who have visited the restaurant remark on the quality of his food.
“I just ordered catering from Detroit Loves Tacos last week for a lunch meeting at work! The corn was top notch and the beans were amazing with the big chunks of onion! We also got ground beef, chicken, and vegetarian tacos. The rice was so good too. Everyone was raving about how good it was,” one commenter wrote.
Another said, “10/10!! Hands down the best birria tacos we’ve ever had.”
This is TikTok used for good. A struggling business had something real to offer, just no visibility. The platform changed that. And bam, the community showed up, because it feels good to support someone’s dream. Sometimes, it really is that simple.
Started with a dream, a whole lot of faith, and days where I didn’t know if it would all work out… but I kept going. Seeing this on the news isn’t just a moment to it’s everything I’ve prayed and worked for. This is for everyone who believed in me, supported me, and showed love from day one. And for anyone chasing something… don’t stop. It’s coming. ❤️ More to come… this is just the beginning. 📍 25750 Ecorse Rd 🕒 Mon–Fri 11–8 | Sat 12:30–8 📲 313-633-1905 🚗 Available on DoorDash. #fyp#local#viral#taylormichigan#YoungEntrepreneur
For business owners, the thought of posting on social media can feel awkward, burdensome, and, at times, impossible to navigate in a way that feels worthwhile. But Quinones’ triumph is a welcome reminder that when it comes to finding your audience, a little authenticity really does go a long way.
People are praising two London bartenders for how they navigated a situation at their bar that raised some red flags, despite a plot twist that changed the whole scenario. In a video shared by Sam Finch, a woman ordered a gin and tonic. Soon a man approached and started dancing up on her. Finch observed that she was “not vibing with it.”
The guy kept dancing in her face, and she pushed him away with her hand. Finch asked her if she was okay, and she gave him a thumbs up. Still, he felt the situation was weird because the guy would not take a hint.
Finch consulted with his fellow bartender: “Do you think she knows this guy?”
But they kept observing and consulting with one another about whether the woman was really okay. As the man’s behavior continued, the bartenders decided to check in more directly with the woman. They asked her if she knew the man, and when he stepped forward, they firmly asked him whether the two knew each other.
The man responded in the most unexpected way: “She’s my sister.”
The bartenders burst out laughing as the reality hit them.
“You guys thought I was a creep?!” the man said.
“OMG yes, he’s my brother!” the woman corroborated. “You were going to kick him out, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, literally,” the bartenders responded as they all had a good laugh over the misunderstanding.
People appreciated seeing the scene play out for the humor in it, of course. A man annoying his sister being mistaken for a man being a creep? That’s pretty darn funny. But people also loved seeing such a good example these bartenders set for making sure someone was safe.
The commenters loved how the bartenders responded
“I think I can speak for all women when I say: Thank you, and please keep doing this. This time it made everyone laugh at the end, but there will be many times when we’ll be really grateful that we don’t have to fight alone. No need to apologize for checking in. This is how men should be! You’re great.”
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for checking.”
“I’m certain they BOTH appreciated you all checking on her.”
“I’d rather you ask and be wrong than assume and be wrong.”
“Please don’t ever stop checking in these moments. I’m so glad this time it was a laugh!”
“Never stop noticing! Once a bartender saved one of my besties because he noticed a bad situation, thanks guyss.”
“Better to ask and have a funny ending than to not ask and wish you had. Well done gentlemen.”
As a guy who has intervened to protect a young woman from a creepy, aggressive guy… this is very good to see.
Hopefully, this encourages/inspires other young men to stand up for strangers in need – women or otherwise. https://t.co/51LTMkob5n
We see this scenario all too often: A man approaches a woman in a way that makes her feel uncomfortable, and she can’t easily get away. But the way these bartenders handled it was great. They were aware. They observed. They asked if she was okay. They kept observing even after she indicated she was, and they intervened when they were still unsure. Bravo.
Safety is a communal responsibility, and it was reassuring to see these two young men take it seriously. If we all look out for one another and speak up when we’re unsure if someone’s okay, the world will be a much safer place for everyone.
It’s not always easy for teachers to come up with cohesive, compelling ways to teach their students even basic concepts. But something as abstract and dense as, say, the Circle of Fifths? Good luck!
And yet, a teacher named Benjamin Kapilow was undoubtedly up to the task.
What is the Circle of Fifths?
The Circle of Fifths visually organizes the twelve chromatic pitches in Western music into a visual, clock-like diagram. Understanding this diagram helps explain how virtually all musical elements are organized and connected. So, having mastery of it enables musicians to sight-read, aka translate sheet music, instantly.
However, music students are often instructed to simply memorize the Circle of Fifths without getting to learn how it applies to an instrument or singing, making it feel like a random assortment of conceptual ideas rather than a tool.
That’s where the “Circle of Fifths” song comes in.
In a now-viral video shared to Instagram, we see Kaplow’s entire music class grooving to a song he wrote himself to give them hands-on learning of the sight-reading concepts he had introduced earlier that week: including solfege patterns (you might know them as “do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti”) in minor syncopated rhythms, wherein accents are placed between counts instead of the strong downbeats, which gives a song a bouncy feel.
Beyond the impressive craftsmanship, what’s so endearing about this (that many viewers appreciated) is that Kaiplow had a clear “vision” for each of his students during this performance, assigning certain solos and lines to just the right person. Still, it was clearly a collaborative effort.
“I love that the teacher clearly knew their students and gave each student the line they thought they’d eat the hardest,” one person aptly put.
Another joked, “Is y’all’s teacher Lin-Manuel Miranda?”
And for those of us who still have no idea what’s going on but dig the tune, you’re not alone.
“Still don’t understand the circle of fifths, but this slaps lmao,” commented one person.
Creating DIY lesson plan songs is something Kapilow regularly does for his class because it’s fun, ensures no one knows the song already, and can readily test students’ sight-reading skills.
“Then I can target what they need to work on in the song,” he told Upworthy, adding that, technically, “Circle of Fifths” just shows up in the lyrics, since the actual lesson about it will happen later in the semester.
These days, we hear a lot about how hard it is to keep students engaged in the classroom. But then you see something like this, and it makes you remember that fun and novelty remain tried-and-true teaching tools. Bless the teachers who pour their creative juices into their curriculum and really infuse joy into what they teach.
German engineer Karl Benz is generally credited with inventing the modern car, patenting his three-wheeled “Benz Patent-Motorwagen” on January 29, 1886. However, not many know that his wife played a key part in bringing it to the mainstream. She’s also technically the world’s first car thief…before the word “car” even existed.
Bertha Benz was a constant supporter of her husband’s idea: using her dowry to back him financially and even offering her own input to make the contraption more practical. Her input was most impressive, considering women weren’t allowed to formally study engineering at the time.
As the story goes, Bertha could not sit idly by while their invention faded away into obscurity.
So, in the wee hours of August 5, 1888, she set out in secret with her two young sons, Eugen and Richard Benz. She left Karl a note saying that the trio had ventured to her mother’s home, around 60 miles away. She had failed to mention that she’d be using their automobile to get there.
This became not only the world’s first long-distance automobile journey but also a very fruitful field test, during which she encountered several mechanical problems along the way.
Luckily, Bertha was nothing if not resourceful. When a fuel pipe got clogged, she cleared it with a hatpin. She used a garter as insulation material for a frayed ignition lead. When the wooden brakes began to fail, Benz had a cobbler install leather, making the world’s first pair of brake linings. When the automobile ran low on petrol, she even stopped at a pharmacy to purchase a petroleum-based cleaning agent and use that as fuel. This essentially created the world’s first gas station.
Despite these challenges, Bertha made it to her destination twelve hours later. It was only then that she sent Karl a telegram sharing the details of her clandestine excursion. Relieved, Karl urged Bertha to rush the car’s chains back on a freight train to be shown at a car show. Instead, she drove it right back home.
All in all, Bertha’s stunt brought global attention to the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which led to skyrocketing sales and changed history forever.
And yet, despite her remarkable contributions, she wouldn’t be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame until 2016. Meanwhile, Karl was inducted in 1984, a good 32 years before her.
In 2019, Mercedes-Benz released an ad that cinematically imagined what Bertha’s journey must have been like. How she must have appeared like a supernatural being to those who had never seen an automobile, how she surely endured sexist comments, and (perhaps most importantly) how inspiring she might have looked to young girls who witnessed her bravery.
The ad ends with: “She believed in more than a car. She believed in herself,” which feels like a little more than sensational marketing. As Bertha did famously say, “Before me, no automobile existed.”
Even though we don’t hear their stories as often, history is full of women just like Bertha. Women who believed in themselves enough to ignore the odds and change the world forever.
The 2003 film Love Actually is probably best known for its controversial-ish cue card scene, where Andrew Lincoln’s character professes his love for Keira Knightley by silently showing her cue cards, including the famous (or infamous) line, “To me, you are perfect.”
But there’s another scene in the film that doesn’t get nearly the recognition it deserves. It’s well-regarded, but not nearly well-regarded enough.
It’s been over 20 years since the late Alan Rickman broke Emma Thompson’s heart by buying that little office tart a necklace in Love Actually, and some of us still haven’t forgiven him.
With its overlapping love stories set during Christmastime, the film has become a holiday classic, despite some controversy over whether it’s actually any good. Some people love it, some people hate it, but no one can deny that Thompson gives an Oscar-worthy performance in one utterly heart-wrenching scene.
Of the eight “Love Actually” relationships, Harry and Karen (Rickman and Thompson, respectively) is the one that gives the film some serious gravitas. While other characters are pining or shooting their shot with varying levels of success, Harry is having a midlife-crisis affair with a modelesque coworker, while Karen shuffles their children to and fro and keeps Harry’s life running smoothly. We see him lie, we see her start to suspect, but the scene where she opens her Christmas present from Harry (a Joni Mitchell CD, not the necklace she had found hidden in his coat and thought was for her) is when we see Thompson’s acting strengths in full view.
Like, phew.
What’s so striking about the scene, however, is that it’s not dramatic in a typical way. There’s no external conflict—it’s just Thompson excusing herself from the family to process, in secret, what she’s just discovered. We see and feel her heartbreak—it’s so visceral—but that’s not what makes the scene so powerful. Heartbreak happens all the time in movies.
As Thompson explains in a BBC Radio 1 interview, it’s the fact that she can’t react the way she wants that pulls at people’s heartstrings so hard.
“I think it’s just because everybody’s been through something like it,” Thompson says. “What I think really gets to them, though, is that she has to pull herself together. It’s not that she’s upset. That’s, you know, ten a penny. But it’s that she has to pull herself together.”
It’s true. The conflict in the scene is between her wanting to break down and her wanting to keep her family’s Christmas memories happy and intact. She is a devastated wife, but she’s also a devoted mother who doesn’t want to devastate her kids. We feel the tension between those two roles and the way she swallows up her grief in order to get her kids to their holiday concert right after finding out her marriage isn’t what she thought it was.
When you think about it, it’s incredibly poignant. And though not everyone loves the film, it’s moments like this one that have helped it stand the test of time and stay on many people’s holiday watch-list.
“I think it’s to do with the fact that we’re required in our lives to repress the things that we’re feeling,” Thompson explained on TODAY. “So, you can be hit right between the eyes with some terrible piece of news, but you can’t react immediately because you’ve got your children there. It’s that thing of not showing — that’s why it hurts. That’s why it moves us.”
“If she went, ‘Oh my God! I thought you were going to give me a necklace! And now you’ve given it to somebody else,’ we would not be moved, you know?” she continued. “We’re moved because she just goes, ‘I’m not gonna do it.’ And then she makes the bed, the bed that sort of suddenly feels so empty of meaning. And then she goes down and goes, ‘Hello, everyone! Let’s go.’ That’s why people identify.”
And the way she plays it is perfect. Any actor can cry, but it’s her crying while trying not to cry, and the way she shows us her inner emotional turmoil without ever saying a single word is impressive.
If you’ve never seen “Love Actually” and want to see the Harry and Karen story, here are just their scenes:
Some people have asked whether Harry actually physically cheated or not, but “Love Actually” script editor Emma Freud clarified that he did. “DEFINITELY had an affair,” she wrote on X in 2015. “I begged Richard just to make it a flirtation, but no. The whole way.”
And did Harry and Karen stay together in the end? The film doesn’t really make it clear, but at the screening Freud answered the question: “They stay together but home isn’t as happy as it once was.” Oof. There’s just no non-heartbreaking answer to that question.
This is why we watch films, though, isn’t it? To see our humanity reflected back to us? To feel what the characters feel? To have our hearts broken vicariously so we can have a good cry without going through the actual pain ourselves?
People usually watch rom-coms for the romance, the comedy, and the happy endings, though. So here’s to Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman for giving us one of cinema’s most poignant scenes in one of its most unexpected places.
This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated.
A Somali refugee and current resident of Minneapolis, the multimedia artist and activist draws on her lived experiences to create work that explores trauma, displacement, and resilience. But like so many of the guests on Freedom to Thrive, an award-winning podcast produced by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Mansour doesn’t want to focus only on trauma; she also wants to celebrate the unexpected beauty she’s found during difficult experiences.
“One of the beautiful things about tragedies is that it activates hearts, and courageous people are born,” she says. For example, Mansour has noticed more Minnesotans than ever are reaching out to help the vulnerable, after the anti-immigrant crackdowns carried out by the Department of Homeland Security. “They are bringing food, they’re bringing extra clothes, they’re walking with people, and it’s just really beautiful.”
Hector Flores, co-founder of the Las Cafeteras and host of Freedom to Thrive, agrees with her. A child of immigrants himself, he has also seen how hope and hardship often live side by side.
Flores comes from a family with mixed status and is highly aware of the challenges immigrants and refugees in his community face, and how they’re affected by people’s misconceptions. “People want to know about trauma all the time, but we’re more than just undocumented,” he says. “We’re artists, singers, creatives … there’s so much richness in the culture.”
At its core, Flores’ comment is exactly what the Freedom to Thrive podcast is all about: Celebrating immigrants as complex, dynamic individuals, and challenging the dominant narrative that too often reduces them to symbols of hardship.
Launched in 2024, Freedom to Thrive explores heritage, resilience, community, and the ways art and comedy can spark social change. Now in its second season, the podcast continues to feature conversations with immigrants, policymakers, artists, musicians, activists, and more. Recent guests have included comedian Mo Amer, Grammy Award-winning singer Lila Downs, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen.
Where the first season focused on individual stories of identity and belonging, Flores says his goal for season two, where he joins as host, is to “take it to the next level” — using storytelling to highlight “the fact that we’re more similar than different.”
One recent podcast episode drives this point home. In December, Flores interviewed Bryan Andrews, a rising country music star and rural Missouri native who frequently uses his platform to speak about issues affecting immigrant families. At the heart of his message and his songwriting, Andrews says, is the idea that small-town Americans and the rest of the country, including immigrants, have more in common than they realize.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from,” Andrews says on the podcast. “We’re all trying to make a living and we’re tired of getting railroaded by corporate greed or by politicians who don’t care.”
Rural Americans, Andrews says, are often stereotyped as racist and misogynistic but “the overwhelming majority of people in my home town have love in their hearts.” Media stereotypes often amplify differences and divide, he says, but at the end of the day, “we’re all in this together.”
Flores, who was raised in a working-class immigrant neighborhood in East Los Angeles, had similar thoughts. He says he often sees its residents stereotyped as wealthy, consumerist, and status obsessed. “That exists, but that’s not my life, that’s not my community,” he says. Like small-town Americans, people in the city “just want to work hard and take care of their families. We all want the same thing.”
Although the podcast tackles some heavy issues, each episode’s ultimate focus is how personal and collective struggles can be healed through art, driving home a message of hope and resilience:
Mansour’s episode about her experiences in Minnesota is just one of many examples. Flores asks her,
“What gives you hope for the people creating a home here?”
“The love I feel from other Minnesotans. It is trumping any hate we’re experiencing,” she replies.
CTA: Stream all episodes now on the Freedom to ThriveYouTube channel or the website,here.
The podcast has been nominated for a Webby in the “Belonging & Inclusion” category. You can vote for it to win until Thursday, April 16!
This article is part of Upworthy’s “The Threads Between U.S.” series that highlights what we have in common thanks to the generous support from the Levis Strauss Foundation, whose grantmaking is committed to creating a culture of belonging.
Childhood dishes can take you straight back to your seat at the family dinner table. Comfort meals that were served there are uber nostalgic. And there is one dish represents the epitome of Gen X and baby boomer childhoods: casseroles.
These one-dish wonders were loaded with flavor and baked to perfection. Pulled straight from the oven to the dinner table, casseroles filled the house with the smell of unique home-cooked recipes.
“Fancy Fast Chicken is delicious and so simple. Line up chicken breasts in a casserole dish. Dump uncooked stuffing over top the chicken breasts. Pour Cream of Mushroom (Onion or chicken works too) and incorporate it into the stuffing. Top with cheese of your choice, and fried onions if you’re inclined. Bake at 350 for 45min or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.” – Applepoisoneer
Chicken Curry Divan casserole
“My favorite is Chicken Curry Divan. A friend made it for me in college 40 years ago and it is a favorite to this day. Never disappoints. Many people have asked me for the recipe over the years. My best friends kids now that they are grown have each approached me for it.
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast tenders cooked and cut into bite sized pieces 3 cups broccoli in bite sized pieces 2 cans Cream of Chicken soup 1 cup mayonnaise (must be Mayo) 2 tsp curry Juice of 1 lemon Shredded sharp cheddar (use the amount you like o like a nice even cover of the top) 3/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers 3 tbsp melted butter In 9×13” baking pan layer chicken then broccoli.
Mix the soup, Mayo, lemon juice and curry together well, pour over chicken broccoli mixture evenly and smooth out. Sprinkle cheese over top evenly. Crush crackers fine, mix in melted butter well and sprinkle evenly over top. Cook at 375° for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and top brown. Serve with rice.” – karinchup
Chicken and Rice casserole
“This baked rice & cheese casserole has become a staple in our house! It’s great as a side dish, or I’ll add rotisserie chicken and serve it as a main dish.” – anchovypepperonitoni
Chicken & Dumplings casserole
“The secret of this is not to stir anything. That’s what makes your dumplings. When you dish it out, you have your dumplings on top. 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded; 2 cups chicken broth; 1/2 stick of butter; 2 cups Bisquick mix; 2 cups whole milk; 1 can cream of chicken soup; 1/2 medium onion, minced; 1 cup frozen peas; 3 tsp chicken Better Than Bouillon; 1/2 tsp dried sage; 1 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp salt.
(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees (2) Layer 1 – In 9×13 casserole dish, melt 1/2 stick of butter. Spread shredded chicken over butter. Sprinkle black pepper and dried sage over this layer. Do not stir. (3) Layer 2 – Sprinkle minced onions and peas over chicken (4) Layer 3 – In small bowl, mix milk and Bisquick. Slowly pour all over chicken. Do not stir. (5) Layer 4 – In medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of chicken broth, chicken bouillon, and soup. Once blended, slowly pour over the Bisquick layer. Do not stir. (6) Bake casserole for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.” – Superb_Yak7074
Chicken broccoli casserole
“I made chicken broccoli casserole last week and that’s a favorite here. This is pretty close to how I do it.” – gimmethelulz
“Tater tot casserole. My mom made this at least once a week when I was growing up, but she added a quart of green beans to make it a meal. If you brown your ground beef in a good size cast iron skillet, you only dirty up one pan to make it!” – hcynthia1234, upperwareParTAY
Breakfast casserole
“I’m making a breakfast casserole this morning for brunch later—a bag of frozen hash brown potatoes thawed, a pound of sausage sauteed with peppers and onions, a brick of cheese grated, eight eggs beaten with a bit of milk and cream and some salt and pepper. Layer in a casserole, ending with cheese. Bake around an hour at 375.” – CWrend
Hamburger pie casserole
“One of my childhood favorites. Did not add vegetables or cheese though. This was an end of the month struggle meal that everyone loved.” – DarnHeather
Shepherd’s pie casserole
“Shepherd’s pie : brown 1.5 lbs ground beef with half a chopped onion, salt and pepper, drain it and then spread into a 13×9 and stir a can of cream of mushroom soup into it. Spread a drained family size can of corn on top, use a container of prepared mashed potatoes for the top layer. Bake for a half hour at 350.” – ExplanationLucky1143
Noodle casseroles
Tuna casserole
“Love my mom’s tuna noodle casserole: 1 bag broad egg noodles, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 2 cans tuna, 1 cup frozen corn or 1 can kernel corn, 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs, 1 tbsp celery salt Cook noodles per package directions, drain, then place in a 13×9 casserole dish. Mix in cream of mushroom soup, tuna, corn, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, and celery salt. Top the casserole with the remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until done enough for you.” – Pinkleton
Mock Stroganoff casserole
“Mock stroganoff – brown 1lb ground chuck. Mix in 8 oz sour cream and 1 can cream of mushroom. Add to 1 lb of cooked egg noodles. Season with black pepper. Extras – fresh mushrooms and/or onion cooked with the beef. Any precooked veggies of your choice, peas or broccoli work well. Splash of Worcestershire, soy sauce, or fish sauce. Garlic or onion powder. Parsley, thyme, or cilantro.” – Nathan_Saul
Cabbage noodle casserole
“I have a quick cabbage and noodles that uses bagged cole slaw. Cook a bag of noodles. Put aside. Cut up a lb of bacon and a med onion. Cook in pan until bacon is slightly fried and onions are clear. Add cabbage(without carrots) let sit 10 min or so. Add to noodles. It’s so easy.” – conjas11
Thanksgiving prep class is now in session! 🍂🧑🏫 If there’s one thing you need to nail on the big day (other than the turkey, of course), it’s Green Bean Casserole. This recipe tastes just like the one your grandmother used to make, if not even better! 😋 Continue reading or click the link in the @allrecipes bio to get the full recipe. Ingredients: 2 (15-ounce) cans cut green beans, drained 1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup ¾ cup milk 1 (2.8-ounce) can French fried onions salt and ground black pepper to taste Directions: Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Mix green beans, condensed cream of mushroom soup, milk, and 1/2 of the fried onions in a 1.5-quart casserole dish. Bake in the preheated oven until heated through and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle remaining onions on top and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let rest for a few minutes before serving. 🧑🍳: Nicole #thanksgiving#greenbeancasserole#greenbeans#thanksgivingsides
“This is the best green bean casserole recipe, it does use the canned onions but you make your own cream of mushroom and it’s soooo good. I’ve made it on random weekends, it’s not just a Thanksgiving food. I don’t know much about older foods, I just really wanted to share that recipe.”
Corn casserole
“Our family Corn custard doesn’t have crackers but we double the recipe and there’s never any left over. 2 eggs, 1 cup of sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 flour, 2 T soft butter, 1 tsp sugar, 1 can of creamed corn, 1 can of whole corn. Mix all together and bake in a 8×8 about 45 min at 350. Gotta have that!” – Psychological_Bat890
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.
Photo credit:
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Wikimedia – A Thanksgiving dinner in the Great Depression was anything but depressing.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and in a year when grocery prices feel like a jump-scare every time we glance at a receipt, many are looking for ways to celebrate without blowing the budget. Luckily, this isn’t the first time Americans have had to get creative in the kitchen.
During the Great Depression, families all over the country still hosted Thanksgiving dinners, often with barely anything in the pantry. Yet what they managed to whip up wasn’t dreary or depressing. Quite the opposite. These resourceful dishes would be just as flavorful and comforting today as they were decades ago.
Here are some Depression-era dishes and tricks that still deserve a spot on a modern Thanksgiving table.
Turkey was wildly expensive in the 1930s, costing more than 10 hours’ worth of wages, per archived reports from The Beaumont Enterprise. Many families simply couldn’t justify buying one, so they reached for one of the cheapest roaster birds available: an old hen. As in, past their laying prime, or even roosters. Cooked low and slow with plenty of moisture, it becomes tender and surprisingly rich.
Given today’s smaller gatherings and tighter budgets, downsizing the bird might make sense again.
One of the most legendary Depression dishes was “mock duck.” Instead of an actual duck, spread flank steak with stuffing, roll it tight, sear it, and roast it until it tastes like something far fancier than it actually is.
It’s comfort food cosplay, and it absolutely works.
Despite the prickly name, porcupine meatballs contain no porcupine. Instead, rice is mixed directly into the meat so it sticks out like little quills. The rice also bulks up the dish so a small amount of meat could feed a crowd. It’s frugal genius.
The long-running radio program Aunt Sammy’s Homemaker’s Half Hour taught home cooks how to stretch every penny. Among their most beloved suggestions: creamed pearl onions, candied sweet potatoes, and simple vegetable dishes built from affordable staples.
These sides check every Thanksgiving box: warm, creamy, sweet, and budget-friendly.
Potatoes were one of the most affordable ingredients of the era, and potato pancakes made frequent holiday appearances. They’re crispy, filling, and perfect for scooping up gravy or topping with applesauce.
Chestnut stuffing, apple-and-raisin stuffing, and even spiced cranberry stuffing were Depression-era favorites. Sure, some recipes required extra labor—like pressing boiled chestnuts through a sieve—but the flavor payoff was worth it then and now.
Many families filled their tables with whatever grew nearby. Dandelion greens—now a fancy “superfood”—were a Depression staple. Paired with citrus, eggs, or leeks, they made a fresh, bright starter salad.
Fresh pumpkin pie was the go-to, though cooks often used whole pumpkins to avoid the cost of canned puree. And if pumpkins were scarce, families turned to Indiana’s beloved sugar cream pie, sometimes also called a “Hoosier cream pie,” which dates all the way back to the 1800s. It’s simple, silky, and made from pantry basics. What’s not to like?
One thing worth noting: perhaps the even bigger takeaway here is not the recipes themselves, but the mindset of getting back to basics and making the most out of what’s available. And maybe that’s the real inspiration for today. A Thanksgiving table doesn’t need extravagance to be satisfying…or meaningful.
This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.
