I made Shepherd’s Pie this week. 

Noelle challenged me to do it a few years ago, and it’s been on the March 17th-ish calendar ever since. You’d think I’d be off the hook, given our empty nest and all, but we’re coincidentally visiting Noelle at school this weekend. The “bring Shepherd’s Pie” text was inevitable. 

The hardest part is finding ground lamb, not something just lying around at our grocery store. The second hardest part is making it the same every time. Noelle will give me grief if it’s not.

I’m not complaining. I love cooking, especially challenging cooking. 

The funny thing is that I could barely make a grilled cheese until my mid-20s. I wasn’t one of those people who learned the ropes from my mom or grandmoms. 

It all started with Emeril. Tara and I watched it most nights – at least when American Idol wasn’t on – when she was pregnant with Maddie. From there, I started buying every (physical) book I could find about chefs. I was fascinated by the restaurant kitchen culture and, yes, The Bear is basically porn in that regard. Then I collected cookbooks. 

Ever since, I’ve covered about 90-95% of the cooking in our house and an equivalent percentage of grocery shopping. When the kids were still at home, and even now when I travel, a typical Sunday involves prepping two or sometimes three meals – soups, pastas, casseroles, etc. – that can be grazed on over the week. If I’m home, we’ll rotate between different flatbreads, salads, stir-fries, tacos, and the occasional experiment. I generally plan it all when I drift off during church. Sorry, Pastor Dave.

I’ve learned some techniques too. I can make a failproof hollandaise, beef bourguignon, and tikka masala from scratch – and almost mastered the smoker at our cabin. I’ve met far, far better home chefs, but I’m confident Tara and the kids would say I’m no slouch. Praise isn’t easy to get around here. 

I’m also very opinionated. 

Chicago is the best food city in the country. Honorable mention to Vegas – not the Strip, but the outlying parts of town where Strip-restaurant alums have opened their own joints in dilapidated strip malls. French cooking is tremendous. French food is massively overrated. British food is the worst. Five Guys makes the best chain burger. And, of course, any restaurant that leaves tails on shrimp in a sauced, plated dish should lose its license. I could go on.

Anyway, when your job is stressful and the rest of the world around you is in chaos, cooking – and writing about it – is one of the best distractions. 

Here’s what we’re seeing: 

The Iran War could have a trickle-down effect on Spring Break travel. In our 3 Things to Know this week, we learned that a large share of expected spring travelers have yet to finalize their plans. With fuel prices jacking up the cost of airline tickets and road trips, many may bail on their trips altogether. Incidentally, urban destinations saw a surge in popularity this year. We also looked at trends in pet ownership, finding that a lot of people plan to add a furry family member this year. Finally, we found another issue Americans across party lines can agree on – namely, that rideshare services should enable women to be matched with female drivers. (PS- Speaking of Spring Break, Tara and I are headed to Mexico with her family, so I won’t be writing next week.)

The current era of social isolation is driving a major uptick in solo dining. Over half of U.S. adults report dining-in at a restaurant all by their lonesome at least a few times a month, with one in five doing it once a week or more. Notably, this appears to be a matter of intentional choice – a whopping 85% of frequent solo diners say they do it as a means of self-care, valuing the “alone time” it affords. There are interesting splits across age groups. Gen Z is the most likely group to dine alone over breakfast. Gen X is the most likely to do it over dinner. I should’ve mentioned in the prologue that eating dinner by yourself at a bar is stellar.

A growing amount of shopping behavior is originating on social media. While the percentage of Americans (~36%) who make purchases directly inside a social media app has held steady over the past few years, those apps have become far more popular places for product search and discovery. In fact, the number of shoppers who say they begin their shopping journeys on TikTok and Instagram has doubled over the past three years. Influencers drive a lot of those increases, by the way. The loser (though still barely #1) is Amazon, which has seen its share of new-product searches fall considerably. As you might expect, the trend skews younger, but not solely. 

Recycling has hit a plateau. Even as a large (and increasing) percentage of Americans worry about climate change and the environment, those concerns aren’t driving more people to recycle their personal waste. Less than half of U.S. adults say they recycle “every chance [they] get,” a number that has held almost perfectly steady over the past five years. There’s a clear economic correlation, as consumers in higher-income brackets are more likely to make the effort. The biggest deterrents cited are the lack of access to services where people live, a lack of space in their homes/kitchens to accommodate recycling, and simple forgetfulness/laziness. 

I bet you’re following March Madness this weekend. I should’ve known when Noelle hijacked my ESPN account to fill out her first-ever brackets this year. Interest in both the women’s and men’s NCAA basketball tournaments reached half-decade highs this year. It’s plainly obvious how much the trend is being driven by increased interest in gambling – the number of men aged 21+ who plan to bet on games jumped nearly 50% over last year. Another big trend is the continued move away from traditional linear TV as the viewing platform of choice. For the first time ever, more people (combined) will watch March Madness via a streaming service (29%) or digital antenna (16%) than via cable or satellite. We also looked at the purchasing proclivities of viewers, finding, for example, that Women’s March Madness viewers are over 2X more likely than the average consumer to be in the market to buy a new mattress.

The most popular questions this week:

How friendly would you say your neighborhood is?

Do you personally know someone who met their significant other at work?

Do you think print magazines will ever make a full comeback?

Have you ever taken non-credit college courses for personal enrichment or professional development?

Do you plan on taking more road trips in the future?

Answer Key: Friendly enough, without being too friendly; Several; No chance in hell; Nope – I don’t miss school at all; My car has almost 200k miles on it – not sure it’s possible to take more road trips.

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Hoping you’re well.

JD 

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