The Beat #31: Death Cleaning, Mushroom Coffee, Donuts and Zombie Bunnies
The Beat Creative Director and illustrator, Greg Chinn of The Local Brand Co.
This week, our friend the illustrator and designer Tanja Richter chooses four of her favorite things at the moment. And we have to say, they’re some pretty awesome things.
Death Cleaning
If it’s a complicated concept, the Germans or Swedes probably have a compound word for it. So it is with dostadning, or “death cleaning.” This Swedish practice helps people prepare for their deaths and care for their loved ones by decluttering their lives and getting everything in order. Of course, people had to make it into a trend for general decluttering, but Margareta Magnusson’s book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning finds a way to honor its poignant side while also making a case for losing the clutter.
Mushroom Coffee
While we at The Beat are beings of the bean, there is a growing case for java brewed with fungi. Mushroom coffee is a blend of regular coffee and powdered mushrooms that is believed to have health benefits based upon what kinds of mushrooms you’re using. Lion’s Mane, Reishi and Chaga are just a few of the popular mycelial mix-ins.
Donuts
Even sufferers of Trypophobia can’t deny the appeal of our favorite “hole food,” the doughnut. From Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ to our favorite local bakeries, donuts/doughnuts are divine. Cake, fried, cronut, beignet, sufganiyot… we love ‘em all. The Smithsonian even has a Ring King donut machine in its collection.
Zombie Bunnies
The zombie bunny. Yeah, it’s a thing. This melding of the cute with the decidedly not-cute is an odd example of the zeitgeist in action. Zombie rabbits appear in video games, as stuffed toys, even as Easter treats. Whether they’re gross Lickers in Resident Evil or the cute ones in Zombie Bunnies or the cute dolls you’ll find on Etsy, they’re here and they’re developed a taste for brains.
