It's the weekend! Let's read about a pandemic

It's been a packed few days of writing for me, but none of it is online quite yet. Instead, here's a round-up of articles worth reading for the weekend...

On Tuesday I recommended Ed Yong's book I Contain Multitudes. This week he wrote a very thorough overview of the COVID-19 epidemic in the US for The Atlantic. There's a good chance you've already read it, as it's deservedly been widely shared, but don't miss it if you haven't.

If somehow you're still not convinced that COVID-19 is extremely threatening, take in this photojournalism from the New York Times in Bergamo, Italy. Dr. Kerry Meltzer writes about her experience treating COVID-19 patients in their 20s and 30s. Scott Alexander takes a deep dive into the question of whether wearing a surgical mask reduces one's risk of getting aerosol-borne diseases, which doubles as a lesson in why seemingly simple questions like this can be so difficult to answer. Joe Nocera reports on how government bureaucracy delayed coronavirus testing in the US. Texas Monthly on how the grocery chain H-E-B planned for the epidemic better than the federal government. Daron Acemoglu, co-author of Why Nations Fail and The Narrow Corridor (which I'm reading now), warns that Trump's style of governing in this crisis is leading the US toward becoming governed by a "Paper Leviathan." Yuval Noah Harari on preserving privacy, freedom, and global cooperation in the wake of the pandemic. Joseph Majkut on the parallels between climate skeptics and COVID-19 skeptics. Andrew Sullivan writes about living through the AIDS epidemic. Jordan Weissmann looks at the relief bill and whether it will be enough for bars, restaurants, and other small businesses to stay afloat.

Social distancing

To cook: I've become a huge fan of the Mala Market, a family business in Nashville that imports the best Sichuan ingredients I've come across. They recently got in a new shipment of Sichuan "peppercorns" that are extraordinarily fragrant, much better than what you typically find in Asian groceries. In combination with their 3-year aged Pixian chili bean paste, you can make incredible ma po tofu. I've also been enjoying their sesame paste, which is a little runnier than most of the ones you come across and delicious on noodles. Their recipe blog will give you plenty of ideas to cook, and they also sell Fuchsia Dunlop's definitive book on Sichuan cooking.

To drink: You knew I'd include an aquavit cocktail eventually. Give me some credit for making it three issues without one. The previous newsletter included a drink that called for a barspoon of amaro Sfumato, so here's a cocktail that will put that bottle to additional use. It's a riff on Tommy Klus's popular Scotch Lodge cocktail, co-created with Tommy, Nathan Gerdes, Molly Wolfe, and Jake Parrott for an event in Portland a few years ago. The Norse Lodge:

1 1/2 oz Aalborg Taffel aquavit
1/2 oz Combier Rene Rouge cherry liqueur
1/2 oz Sfumato
1/2 oz Cocchi di Torino sweet vermouth
2 dashes Regan's orange bitters

Stir, serve on the rocks or a big cube, and garnish with an orange peel.

Newsletter details and obligatory self-promotion

Subscribe here. Read the archive. Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, or my blog. Buy my books.