Episode 16: Astrology, enneagrams, and shoestring fries, oh my!

Courn:     Welcome to Neurotakes. This is Courn.

Chase:     I'm Chase.

Courn:     Let's get into it.

Chase:     Courn, what's your sign?

Courn:     I know you know it's Gemini and you're just using this to upset me.

Chase:     Why are you mad, bro? Why are you mad about this?

Courn:     Because it is my biggest hot take that I just think all astrology is BS. I don't even think that's a hot take. I think so many people agree. But as a queer person, people get so surprised when I'm just like, I freaking hate astrology. That's a really strong word, but I kind of do because I feel like everyone makes it their entire personality. Like you're telling me that all my actions and personality should be based on when my parents decided to boink? That is absolutely insane. What? And there's like 12 options. You mean there's billions of people? And you're like, yeah, we all fit into 12 categories of people of very generalized traits that could really apply to anyone but, I just don't get it!

Chase:     This is why you get teased for being a Gemini, though. Cause it's such a Gemini thing to hate on being a Gemini and to be like, oh, star signs are just bullshit. They're so fake as a Gemini.

Courn:     Maybe I'm proving the point, but I don't know. I think it's fun to read them. I feel like I had a phase where I enjoyed reading my daily horoscope on my iPod touch. But then I grew up. But they're fine. I think they're cool. Like, I think it's a fun thing to look up. I think some of the other, because like, I don't really know what the other things mean. Like, when people are like, you have other signs.

Chase:     Yeah, you got big 3.

Courn:     Yeah. What does that mean? Is that based on other facts or is that also just random?

Chase:     I wish we could have a video of like your facial expression looking at me right now and the attitude in the look, I love it, I think it's great!

Courn:     Like is it based on other stats, so what time you were born?

Chase:     You're asking what does it mean to say like your big 3?

Courn:     Yes.

Chase:     Yeah so it's your moon sign, your sun sign, and your rising. So those are like your big 3, and so those signs are also based on like the location, time that you were born, and the date. And those correlate to then different parts of you because it's not just like your one personality. The argument is that it's like your emotional state and like your emotional personality versus like how you present to the world versus like how you are to yourself and like there's all those other like descriptors so like. Those big 3 are kind of supposed to give you a big picture as to how someone is. It's kind of silly when you think about it. But on the flip side, it's kind of wild that this was discovered, created, whatever you want to call it, thousands of years ago based on the freaking stars. Like that's kind of wild. It's obviously also what we use nowadays is so bastardized from like the original.

Courn:     Yeah!

Chase:     But I get what you're I get what you're saying it's like how are these all these people going to fit into 12 categories.

Courn:     Yeah that's the thing that I just don't get. It just doesn't make sense to me. And I feel like people legitimately use these to make pretty meaningful decisions in their life. They're like, I would never date a Libra. I would never be friends with another Gemini. And I'm like, OK, please don't make real life decisions. I've seen so many. I remember I read a Reddit story the other day that someone did a react video on that was like, oh, I got promoted because I was a certain like sign.

Chase:     No.

Courn:    And I'm like, that makes no fucking sense. Like, do not do that.

Chase:     I don't know. I don't buy into that stuff.

Courn:     I also just think it negates a lot of things about like, I don't know, who you are inherently born as, and your experience, how that shapes you. And we know both those things have a factor, like who you are genetically born, like where you were born, as well as like your experiences and how you lived. So, I just don't get it. I think it's fun, sure. But like, please don't tell me because of where I was born that this is how I'm gonna act because there's literally like millions of other people who have the same exact signs as me. So I don't understand.

Chase:     For sure, a lot of those characteristics are things that could apply to anyone for sure and like when you really look at that like I think that's maybe the more modernized version. I really don't know the history of like astrology, I do know there's like different versions based on like regions like an eastern and western version and there's like a couple things so like yeah, it is kind of silly because they can be broadly applied but at the same time it's kind of fun to be like yeah that's me, ooh!

Courn:     Yeah, no I get it I get the camaraderie? Camaraderie?

Chase:     Camaraderie?

Courn:     Camaraderie, there we go! I get the camaraderie of it I think it's like cute. But also why is it like white people are like always like the biggest into astrology and I just think that makes it funnier to me because like clearly this has like a lot of roots and then I think like ancestral traditions, I think a lot of people of color as well. And it just feels like yeah, kind of got whitewashed and put into generic apps where it's like, this is your sign advice of the day.

Chase:     Yeah. Well, and then you just spend even that, or you spend that even further into capitalism and then like now they can market to you and now they have all this information on you because you got an app and it can collect that data and like all those things. So like, yeah when you like look at that piece it's definitely strange. I have never known someone to like actually make life decisions based on those signs, so that's wild. Granted the dating piece I kind of bought into a little bit, but.

Courn:     Yeah. Okay it's the dating piece I hear so much and I thought I was just making it up because I don't have a lot of friends who are really into astrology. But then every time, like I've been watching Love Island because I like crappy reality shows.

Chase:     Okay, okay!

Courn:     And literally like the first episode, every single girl is just like, okay, what's your sign? What signs won't you date? And they're all so about it. And I'm like, is this just a bigger thing than I thought? Cause I thought this was like a joke and I don't want to be that person who's like, you know hating on people for believing in things and having fun. But like, I generally don't get it, but that's most things in life. That's just being an autistic person. I don't get most things, but you know if it doesn't hurt anyone go off, look at your little star charts, you can look at mine too.

Chase:     That, can we though? Are you gonna, are you gonna know it?

Courn:     You can, but I'd just be like cool.

Chase:     Truly, like a gemini thing to say. I think, like you said there is a camaraderie piece. I will say like I didn't really know my sign growing up because, cult and like definitely growing up in a cult you don't, you're not supposed to go look up your astrology sign because that's like considered spiritistic and-

Courn:     Paganism!

Chase:     Yeah it's pagan, you ain't trying to do that. So like I legit didn't know any of that going growing up. I thought it was interesting, but I was like, oh, whatever It wasn't really until I got to be like 21, did I was like, oh I should probably figure this out. And then honestly like the gays got a cap on astrology science so I feel like there's that piece I don't know, which came first the chicken or the egg but I feel like-

Courn:     What came first the gays? Or astrology? *laughs*

Chase:     *laughs* No that's not what I meant!

Courn:     I know I know.

Chase:     But like, you know I think that's a thing that a lot of gays knew about each other and kind of like that was like kind of the secret or like kind of everyone knows each other's signs so there's that. Have I ever told you my like story as to how I had to like discover what my sign was and learn what my sign was? Have I ever told you about this at the bar?

Courn:     I think so, but refresh me.

Chase:     I was fresh 21, so I was like really starting to like branch out of the cult and I was going to my buddy's bar. I was like a pretty regular there so like all the bartenders knew me but it was the first time I had come to the bar at the point they had a bouncer to like check ID so I like I never had my ID checked and so and I was a little tipsy coming in and I think the bouncer could tell and she was like ID. She looks at it and I was fresh 21, so of course it was a little sus and I had like a baby face and she was like looks at me and looks at my ID and she like looks at me and she's like, what's your sign? Because sometimes they ask you questions to see if it's a real ID, right? To be like, you know, to prove and stuff. And so she asked me, what's your sign? And me as a little J-dub baby, I legit didn't know what that meant and know what I was.

Courn:     Maam, I’m in a cult!

Chase:     Yes! I literally was like, what? And she's like, what's your sign? I was like, I don't know what you're asking. What do you mean? And she's like, like glaring at me. And I was like, I can provide multiple times of ID. If you need to see that my name is real, like, this is really me. I was like, I got a Costco ID. I was like, I can get you. Cause I was just panicking.

Courn:     Costco ID is so real. I would take that. That’s hard to get!

Chase:     That's a thing. I got a picture. I got a name to it. So I was like, I can show you. And so I showed her like literally like my debit card. I showed her like a couple of things. And then she was like, okay. And she like let me in. But then at that point I was like oh, I gotta learn what my sign is I gotta look this up and so then I found out I'm an Aries.

Courn:     You did not tell me that story, that's hilarious.

Chase:     It's so good.

Courn:     I don't know why sign stuff came up so early, I don't know why I had like those Lisa Frank books and for some reason there was a section in one of the planners that was like oh, find your sign and mine was the 2 puppies which was whatever, Gemini and I thought that was cute and I was like hey they're 2 little puppies! That has nothing to do with the sign. It's twins, whatever. But and then as soon as I told people I was Gemini, they're like, I hate you. So maybe that's why I'm biased and I don't like astrology. Because anytime someone finds out you're a Gemini, they're like, that's the worst sign. And -

Chase:     I don't know, man!

Courn:     That's not the worst sign, but why'd everyone tell me that?

Chase:     Yeah, I mean, it's just another way for society to categorize, identify, and then create classes and control people. I feel like when you really get into the nitty gritty, right? Like there's always a joke about like hating on Cancers, hating on Geminis, love certain signs it's like no different than just like loving a certain characteristic or trait of a person. I mean that's like a hot take, that's really the hot take on it. Like you said, it's also a lot of white people that do it, but it does feel like it has like indigenous roots, maybe?

Courn:     Maybe I'm making that up. I don't know. I think some white people cultures did that too, because I'm like, didn't like the Roman Empire, would that be considered white people culture? I think they were doing some astrology.

Chase:     True, Romans are considered white.

Courn:     Greek, like they had a lot of that astrology.

Chase:     Oh well aren't there like Chinese zodiac too?

Courn:     Yeah, okay! Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Chase:     And then you've got like the Indian astrology, like yeah Hinduism ,right? And don't they have something maybe? I'm so sorry folks if you're listening to this and know a bit more about us. This than us.

Courn:     For something that's like a topic I feel like I'm completely drawing a blank on. And I feel like-

Chase:     What? Chinese Zodiac?

Courn:     Yeah. And just like the history. I'm like I just don't know anything about astrology. Maybe just because I just thought it was ridiculous. So I never cared to know. But obviously it's probably rooted in something cool.

Chase:     Yeah, I mean shoot!

Courn:     Ancient aliens you know?

Chase:     Ancient aliens, bro, bro!

Courn:     Hot take, that show was so unhinged, but I loved it.

Chase:     So unhinged.

Courn:     It's so unhinged, but I absolutely loved it but everyone will say that show got really unhinged when I think it's like episode 8 or something. This is when I feel like this is like the test to see if you've really gone down the rabbit hole of aliens. They're like telling you that the Mayan temples were like airports for aliens and they have all these beetles, like scarabs that are like, you know, things that they were buried with. They're like, oh, they're perfectly aerodynamic to be a flying vehicle and that's why I lost it, because everything else was just like, oh yeah you know all the origins, religion have very weird circumstances around flying things and they're like the temples were airports! Insane!

Chase:     Yeah they like stretched it a little too far and then you're like is it? I mean that show hits, it's so good and you have to really laugh at it but.

Courn:     Yeah

Chase:     That's true, truly though if anyone's listening knows more about this y'all should like DM us on Instagram cuz I'm so curious to know more about their experiences with it.

Courn:     Yeah I hope I don't think it's just white people culture like anything yeah it always turns out to be the work of people of color, so.

Chase:     But what's new.

Courn:     Yeah.

Chase:     What's new.

Courn:     What's new. So maybe that's why I hate it. But also another hot take, I really hate like Meyer Briggs, Enneagrams, and other personality tests too. Which to me just feels like astrology with like a little bit more information like I definitely think-

Chase:     I know like, psychology I feel like-

Courn:     Yeah and I know there's some science behind them like the ones, like I think Meyer Briggs the actual one has like official questions and stuff but there's so many tests now online that people make that just have like random as questions and they also are another way just to like I don't know itemize you and categorize you into a very narrow group that also sounds very generic, like half of the descriptions when I read them I think they could apply to a lot of people. I think that one's a little bit more specific but I don't know I've taken the Meyer-Briggs test like 4 different times and gotten like 3 different results and I don't think that's how it should work.

Chase:     Well yeah, we should talk about that I mean like personalities change a lot as you grow up, right? Like your personality as a kid is gonna change hopefully maybe not a lot but like it's gonna change someone as you grow up and so like I think when you take those tests depending on what's going on in life like, you'll probably get a very different result or like maybe a couple different results. I would be curious to see what some of mine have changed and become now if they have changed because when I took them I was like a teenager. And I imagine they're probably different. They might not be. I don't know.

Courn:     Yeah. Every time I take them I just get wildly different things. Like I've gotten both introvert and extrovert categories which really shouldn't happen that much.

Chase:     Well how they measure is probably kind of sus And then when you throw in like the ADHD and the autism factor, that really can impact how you take tests, especially personality tests where there's technically not a wrong answer.

Courn:     I'm like, do you want my masked self or do you want my unmasked self? And that's hard for me to gauge where the line is. And we also know that people aren't always the most reliable narrators of their life or understanding the reasons why they do behaviors. Like, I feel like I'll think something about myself and then my partner will be like, you're not like that.

Chase:     Yeah.

Courn:     And vice versa. I'd be like, oh, I'm not like that at all. And he's just like, you are.

Chase:     Absolutely.

Courn:     And like, that's not against self-diagnosis of tons of things, but I definitely think it helps talking with someone. Because some of those questions, I think people are like, oh, you know, I like to help others. And I think some people intrinsically think that they like to help others, but I'm like, do you?

Chase:     Are you just a people pleaser?

Courn:     Yeah.

Chase:     Yeah. I mean, we talked about this in the diagnosis episode, I think, of when I read some of those questions for ADHD I was like oh no, I don't lose my things because I like very strictly routinely put my things back in the exact same place so I don't lose them. So on the surface, I was like, no, I never, I don't lose my keys. Like they always go in the same hook. But like the fact that they always have to go back on the same hook is the determining factor as to, yes, I would lose them otherwise. So, yeah, those questions are a little sus at times. I'm not gonna lie.

Courn:     Yeah.

Chase:     Yeah. I should take those tests again and just see.

Courn:     I took one this morning.

Chase:     Did you really?

Courn:     Yeah, I did and I tried to like-

Chase:    Which one?

Courn:     I took whatever I had to look up because only some of them are free. The official Myers-Briggs is not free.

Chase:     Yeah.

Courn:     For some reason.

Chase:     That's stupid. And see there's another thing right? That's what? Classist?

Courn:     Yeah. This information should be readily available but actually if it is like I don't know, important.

Chase:     But again so they're also only collecting data from people who couldn't afford to take the test aka upper middle white class people. Wow that was such a jumble of words.

Courn:     Yeah, but I tried to take it again and I was like well I'm gonna try as my masked self because I feel like I've done it as unmasked and I kept getting extrovert ones. I wanted to see if I could get the INTJ again, which is what I got in high school and I got it again and then tell me why I scroll down it's literally like you know who's a INTJ also, and it says Elon Musk, why would you advertise that?

Chase:     That's not good!

Courn:     I'm not even lying I think it's so funny and it was like Michelle Obama, that’s the 2 intjs.

Chase:     I'm not gonna lie, I feel like intj is very common for autistic folks because Jess also has that like.

Courn:     I feel like also like a lot of shy people, I know I feel like a lot of my friends would also get around that like intj, like introverted and I'm not exactly sure what all the acronyms stand for. I'd have to look at it but yeah. I think that's the one that's like slightly less emotional.

Chase:     Yeah, because I have ESFJ so it's like extroverted, sensing, feeling, judgmental.

Courn:     Yeah yeah yeah.

Chase:     Which that doesn't actually mean like judgmental to people it's like judging or something it's like has to do with how something else but yeah. Once a winner always a winner, what can I say?

Courn:     I think it's weird too because I think people also use those like, I've had to take them for a lot of like job stuff.

Chase:     I‘ve heard of that!

Courn:     Like to sort you on teams, which I think is a really weird way to assess your like teammates skill, like without context. Like I think you also could just like ask those questions, like almost all the assertions I feel like they make on those things are just like, oh, like you're not great at talking to people, but you're really intuitive. And it's like things that I think like most people, for the most part, know about themselves. Like, it's just like, you care about others. And I'm like, yeah.

Chase:     I'm not a monster.

Courn:     Yeah, thank you for that. Like, I don't know, it just makes me feel like I don't, and I think this is also very like autistic/ADHD thing where you're very aware of yourself.

Chase:     Yes, you’re corrrect!

Courn:     Like I feel like I'm very aware of my actions and how I present as a person. And it wasn't a surprise reading those results. Like you're like, oh cool. Like this isn't new information. Like, so it makes you think are just more people not that aware of how they present or what they're like? Because I just feel like that information wasn't helpful to me.

Chase:     Well, then like just tie back into the previous episodes of like trauma, trait, you know, like those things can be kind of masked as each other. And then how do you know that that's actually what is presenting in those personality quizzes or any of those questions about who people are? Because you're like, yeah, do I like to help people? Yeah. But then also like when you pause, like, do you actually, what's the motivation?

Courn:     Or do you like looking like a good person?

Chase:     Yeah. And like, does that then still make you someone who likes to help people or is it not? So like there's so many layers to those questions that it's a little sus. Yeah.

Courn:     Yeah, they're also I think very alienating questions too that I think don't help if you're somewhere in the middle. Like as I took it this morning I was looking through some of the questions this particular test had, but it asked a lot of questions around like, oh, when you make a decision, do you consider other people's feelings or do you consider like cold hard facts? And I was like, both, obviously.

Chase:     Could you argue that personality tests and quizzes are very like binary almost as well?

Courn:     Yes, like I think they are, Because then even with my test results, it told me I was along like 60/40 for almost all of my things, which actually isn't very helpful because you're telling me like if I had answered 2 more questions a different way, I would have been categorized completely differently. Like, I don't know. All these things are experienced in a spectrum and not someone's like, oh, I only think with cold hard facts or I really love caring about people. Most people are somewhere in the middle.

Chase:     Like a mix of both and it will depend on context. And what decision you're making.

Courn:     There's 0 context. Like I'm just like, what are we talking about? Cause like every time I think about like social justice stuff, I'm like, oh yeah, we should think about cold hard facts but also like they're like we should trust like firsthand testimonies of things, like that can be really powerful so I was like literally doing either or every question I was like I don't think I'm answering this right.

Chase:     Yeah, you know what quiz we haven't covered?

Courn:     What?

Chase:    The BDSM quiz.

Courn:     I haven't taken that, I don't think I'd be very exciting as an ace person. I don't know what's on it, but...*laughs*

Chase:     I don’t know! I know some folks who are ace who took it and got some answers.

Courn:     What is it? Does it just like, I don't know, tell you your kinks and stuff?

Chase:     Yeah, it might be known as like the kink quiz. I'm not sure if there's a specific title. There's probably also multiple ones. But yeah, it's like basically a kind of like a either like agree, disagree type scale or strongly agree or something like that. I can't remember.

Courn:     It's like you like licking feet? Strongly agree. That’s what I’m imagining.

Chase:     No kink shaming here. Let me preface.

Courn:     No, no, no. I think that's cool, but that's just what I imagined.

Chase:     Yeah. It'll be sentences of like, I really enjoy when my partner does blank to me or something. Right. And it'll like, or it's like, I really enjoy performing blank on my partner or something/ I think it's kind of a thing, but no Jess and I took that a couple times throughout dating so it's just kind of fun to-

Courn:     That’s cute!

Chase:     See what people are interested in and whatever else but that also like we laughed because the results when I took that the first time versus like how like those results years later, completely different based specifically on experiences and what you learn to like, like.

Courn:     That's based on the person so much, on your sexual partners and stuff.

Chase:     Oh yeah, partners and all that good stuff.

Courn:     I mean that can be said for any of these tests, they are so much based on your experience.

Chase:     And context, like you said so.

Courn:     So just take tests with a grain of salt. And this is coming from someone who was obsessed with those stupid Buzzfeed and Facebook quizzes for years. What Disney princess are you?

Chase:     What breakfast food are you?

Courn:     I could not stop taking those. I don't know why.

Chase:     I spent hours doing those quizzes like in the summertime like just listening to music videos and like my quizzes.

Courn:     In my defense I was like in ninth grade, eighth grade when I was taking those but I remember sharing because you had to share them to get the results on Facebook and then I would I would just immediately delete it.

Chase:     Oh yeah, oh yeah, because you don't want people seeing that you're actually just a corn dog.

Courn:     But tell me why I got hate crimed when I they said I was Mulan in the Disney princess one. That's not a hate crime, but I was offended.

Chase:     No, yeah, because you're like how'd they know?

Courn:     How'd they know? There was nothing asking, you know.

Chase:     Did they ask if you like rice?

Courn:     No, no it was like you're strong and independent and, yeah.

Chase:     Yeah, so that's our hot take on some stuff we could we could go on about them but what other hot takes you got? Hot take, Neurotake!

Courn:     I have a million honestly I would-

Chase:     Oooh, wait wait into like quizzes, we should go into body types, remember when we talked about that at the very onset of like some brainstorming?

Courn:     I don’t remember what that was about.

Chase:     Did you know that they're like in the fitness world there are like attempts at classifying people's body types?

Courn:     Like that's not, that's-

Chase:     It's not like a quiz you take but you can like there's like diagrams be like are you this type of body type? Are you this?

Courn:     Oh is that the one where it's like like-

Chase:     An ectomorph?

Courn:     Yes okay, because then we looked into that and it was super freaking weird.

Chase:     Super messed up. Super messed up.

Courn:     Because initially I remember thinking I was like oh, like what do you mean like pear shape? Triangle shape?

Chase:     That’s a good guess!

Courn:     Which I mean some of those shapes go into it but yeah it was not what I was expecting.

Chase:     Again, just ways to then classify people incorrectly and inaccurately to then tell them they have a problem in which you are the solution. Like it's just capitalism at its freaking core.

Courn:     Yeah, also it's like what are you doing with that information? I think there's some instances where I'm just like, oh, when you acknowledge that someone has a body type that can not be another body type, I think it can be helpful. Cause I feel like if folks are coming in and they have like, I know expectations for their fitness, like if you are a wide set person and you have like a wide set like body type, like you're not ever going to look like a model and vice versa. Like there's definitely like limitations there, but that doesn't feel like what it's being used to do.

Chase:     That's a great point. I missed that completely.

Courn:     Cause I don't know. I just, I don't know.

Chase:     That's a good point though. No, I like that.

Courn:     People have different body types. Like, I don't know. I think it can be useful in that regard to know what your body type is to be like ohm that's not a body type I have, that's not worse or less. I think it's because there's values attributed to what each body type is, we know the skinnier whatever it means to be more feminine, curvy is like the better body type-

Chase:     But not too curvy, but not too curvy, remember! They're just sweet spots.

Courn:     But it's like oh if you have a really like straight body type or a triangle body type as like a girl, then you're not attractive. So I think it's just those body types are used to shame you. And especially when you see the photos too, like when I looked up the body types they're just like look I mean they don't have clothes on, they're like kind of look like diagrams I don't think they're very like flattering.

Chase:     Always white people.

Courn:     Yeah like they just made me feel bad looking at it.

Chase:     Yeah and then spin that enough to be like, wow I don't feel good about myself and then you're like I'm gonna hire a trainer here's my money make me look like this. I hate it, I don't like it at all, but no it's it's another weird one so I was like all body types are my personal hot take that I hate them and I don't like using them and I get where you're coming from where you can like set some expectations but I think coming from like a like the muscle and body fat and the obesity and the fat phobia piece I cannot stand it, because again there's so much individuality in each of us. Like you said there's billions of people on this earth and you're trying to categorize us into 3 categories of body types get out of here and-

Courn:     Yeah!

Chase:     Let's not even factor in the ableism around that.

Courn:     Correct.

Chase:     Like those, like disabled bodies and disabled people do not fit into those categories because they're just not assuming that. So.

Courn:     They're very limited. I think that's the thing. I don't think there's enough of them to be actually useful to help you. It's just like, oh, a fun fact that I can use to sell you stuff and make you feel like shit.

Chase:     Cause it’s always value.

Courn:     Like, oh, it's not, like, I think the affirming part, like, oh, it's not your fault. That's just how you're born. But then also I think the second piece that comes with it, that's like, oh, intrinsically, you were born worse. Your body type is worse.

Chase:     And you need to fix it and change it.

Courn:     Yeah.

Chase:     Yeah. To be successful, to be loved, to be valued, et cetera.

Courn:     Yeah. It's that underlying belief. Then I'm like, cool. You want to say someone is a body type, but what do you mean by that?

Chase:     Yeah.

Courn:     It's not nice.

Chase:     And of course, I don't know, as someone who has been a very like thin person and perceived by society a certain way. Like I've got a lot of skinny privilege to speak from in that regard, but I mean we had a whole phase of like bootylicious and curve coming in and of course at that point, you know, skinny was not looked at as valuable and stuff. So, I don't know.

Courn:     Now, we are very back to like heroin chic. Like it's very much there again. Like I don't know why when I was growing up, I wanted boobs really bad. Cause that was like the thing in the 2000s.

Chase:     Same, same.

Courn:     Was to have big boobs. Then I got them, no one liked them. I didn't like them either.

Chase:     Too big.

Courn:     But now everyone's like, oh no, no one likes boobs. It's all about butt. And I'm like, goddammit. I got this Korean body type.

Chase:     This Korean corn dog.

Courn:     I'm built like a boulder in the front, flat pancakes in the back.

Chase:     Sturdy.

Courn:     Sturdy.

Chase:     Sturdy body type. That's my body type sturdy.

Courn:     I’m not sturdy, I'll fall over.

Chase:     Like a Pringles can.

Courn:     Yeah. There's just so much weird shit about body types. It's like literally stuff you can't fucking help.

Chase:     You can't change that shit.

Courn:     And there's just like a whole industry, a million dollar, billion dollar industry, just like feeding on people's insecurities.

Chase:     Correct.

Courn:     Me finding out that bbls are actually so fucking dangerous was insane to me!

Chase:     And painful and-

Courn:     Like the fatality rate is actually so bad!

Chase:     It never lasts either I had a client get one.

Courn:     I'm curious about that too, I hear that like-

Chase:     You have to get them again like, it's like it's an upkeep essentially.

Courn:     I hear it's counterintuitive too if you're like trying to lose weight, which obviously I don't really care about that, but apparently like you can like, as you gain weight with the BBL, it also redistributes fat in weird places.

Chase:     Cause your body's always trying to maintain like homeostasis in which it was like literally born like the genetics and like how you were raised and whatever kind of like dna script you were relatively given like your body's kind of always going to revert to that. Like there's only so much you can do but. If you are worried about body types, folks, please do some research and realize it doesn't matter.

Courn:     It really doesn't.

Chase:     Like some people are just born with some way and they just look that way.

Courn:     Yeah, and I'm like all power to you if you want to, you know, spend your life and all your time like working on your body, I think that can be really admirable. But I just think, in every person who spends so much time on their body and is at the gym for like, you know, 4 or 5 hours a day, like there's something deeper there that it's just like, there has to be some internalized like body dysmorphia. And like, I'm not trying to like diagnose other people but I'm like if you feel that strongly that if you don't work out for 1 day, that your body's just gonna not be what you want, that alarms me.

Chase:     Yeah, I'm not gonna lie it's very freeing to not worry about my body as much as I used to like I was, I was that obsessed person and well then, also I'm very fortunate to like have found a partner who doesn't value like my body in that way and like finds value in me as a person outside of all that because my body has changed like looks wise quite a bit since we like started dating and now to like now, the love I receive has not changed. In fact, it's actually almost increased because I'm like just being authentic, which is so wild.

Courn:     That’s how it should be!

Chase:     And that's how it should be, folks.

Courn:     Yeah, a complete 180, a hot take I was thinking about today as I just built some Legos. I think about this every time I make Legos because I get so frustrated building them. I actually don't really like the process. But why am I paying so much money for me to make it myself? Like that is actually so smart of them. They're like, okay, okay, this is gonna go.

Chase:     We're not gonna assemble it for you, but you've got to build it. Look how cool that is.

Courn:     That's part of the experience. That's part of the fun. And I get that people really enjoy the building process. I do not. If I could buy it pre-made, I would. Respectfully. And I've had people tell me, they're like, oh yeah, that's why it's like, you know, cheaper is because like-

Chase:     No, it's not.

Courn:     It's not cheap. Okay, tell me why that stark tower costs like $500 that is not cheap okay those pieces literally cost in a mold like fractions of cents that's a lie okay the design is cool, yes

Chase:     It took time to build it, yeah!

Courn:     But then it took like 10 hours to make but I'm like-

Chase:     At minimum wage, what's minimum wage in Portland right now? Like 15, 16 bucks? 15 times 10 hours. Let's do the math real quick. 15 times 10. That's easy math. 150. So it's $150 in labor that they just saved because you're building it. Yeah, you paid money.

Courn:     I just find it insane. But also if it is to save money, tell me why if you try to buy secondhand Legos and like a lot of people sell their made pieces and like they're clean, you know, they're way cheaper. So it's cheaper to go and buy it second hand, already made.

Chase:     Oh I didn't know that. Is it just because it's second hand though?

Courn:     I mean, maybe but I also think it's like the fun is gone for some people because I'm like my family loves building Legos and like they will spend hours doing that. I do not like it. I get frustrated. Also I have beef with Lego instructions because it doesn't show you where the piece is actually going to place. Like it doesn't show a little shadow.

Chase:     Like an arrow here?

Courn:     Like it should be highlighted with a fake Lego block exactly where the 2 pieces are like are connecting and it doesn't. You have to look on the next instruction and I make a lot of Lego stuff, I make a lot of mega stuff and mega does have it selected so that is why I buy more mega sets than Lego, but tell me why the Lego sets are also just so freaking expensive like?

Chase:     It's the name!

Courn:     Because I had to buy the new Animal Crossing sets because like there's barely any Animal Crossing merch out there, it's a big deal and I want to buy them. But yeah, tell me why I was like, I think it was like $90 for this small set that I built in less than an hour.

Chase:     Well, you're also paying for the licensing at that point. But is the licensing really that much more? I don't know. I feel like that's kind of also fake news.

Courn:     I don't know. They make so much. I just think they also they make so much money off Legos. Legos have gotten so sensationalized that I don't know, so many adults buy them and they're for adults now like all the merch they do. It's like all like Star Wars stuff. It's like Lord of the Rings stuff, like it's Animal Crossing. You know that's not for children, like that's for adults, these sets are hard to make okay.

Chase:     That's a hot take!

Courn:     But I'm just like, my partner really likes building Legos, I do not. But I just find it so funny because people are just like paying to make stuff, I don't know. Like it's just like I get so stressed out from it and I feel bad. Maybe that's just me. Like I have to do everything perfect and I always mess up and you have to go back like 20 steps and then I'm just fucking pissed.

Chase:     Yeah and see that's why I haven't gotten back into them because I feel like the perfectionist in me would stress over the mistakes made rather than the enjoyment of like, oh I'm just gonna go back and do it. This took me 2 hours to get to this step but now I gotta go back an hour. And you're like, that doesn't sound like exciting to me.

Courn:     It also just feels like an overconsumption thing too where people buy a bunch, and I'm definitely guilty of this too and then you buy them and make them and then what, they just sit on a shelf for the rest of their life?

Chase:     Yeah you get to look at them.

Courn:     You don't unbuild them and build them again. No no no no no.

Chase:     Why don't you do that?

Courn:     That's taboo. I don't know why. It's not like a jigsaw puzzle. Everyone who's really into legos you do not unbuild them and build them again.

Chase:     Why? That seems silly.

Courn:     Some of the pieces honestly are hard to get off if you try to build it again.

Chase:     That's a good point, that's a good point. Some of them are built in where it's like oh that ain't coming off.

Courn:     Yeah. And like they come in bags too with different numbers so like if you just put all the pieces out it would also be very daunting to find the right ones.

Chase:     Okay, but see that feels like something that's up with the manufacturer to be like you can't rebuild this again. Like it's a one-way street to build it ain't getting coming back apart because you're gonna have to put all these pieces in the bags.

Courn:     Yeah, it's just like a lot of work and I don't know people who collect lots of Legos. They're just all collecting dust and you have so many and they don't really have a purpose other than looking cool, which like is a purpose to me, I get it. But also cleaning them is a nightmare even with a duster thing they get so gross and-

Chase:     You gotta air dry or blow them, right?

Courn:     Yeah but it's still it's still like as messy.

Chase:     Yeah, fragile.

Courn:     It's really annoying stuff breaks off, like you really need to have them in glass shelves. And then at this point it just feels like you're passing along an heirloom.

Chase:     Oh boy! Glass shelves!

Courn:     Cause I know folks who buy like every Lego set and it's like just imagine how quickly that fills up, cause those are not small sets.

Chase:     Oh, yeah. No, I got a buddy. Yeah. No, I got a buddy who collects a lot of them and like that's a lot of his decorations and I'm like okay sure.

Courn:     Yeah so I'm not yucking anyone else who likes to build Legos but-

Chase:     For sure! That is a hot take though, that's a hot take.

Courn:     Anything that I have to build I actually think is like, I should pay dramatically less.

Chase:     Ikea!

Courn:     Yeah and that's why Ikea is cheap, they don't charge me more!

Chase:     Correct.

Courn:     That's what I'm saying

Chase:     Ikea used to be pretty cheap. They're getting a little risky now with some other stuff is getting popular. So.

Courn:     Yeah, someof their base items are still good prices, but like they just will like purposely make I think like trendy lines of stuff that you, a lot of it's like re-releases to older stuff.

Chase:     Oh totally.

Courn:     Like that giant clock and I just bought one, and I was guilty of it and it cost I think like 60 bucks which is like kind of expensive for an IKEA.

Chase:     For the quality. For the quality.

Courn:     Yeah and like they release that same clock whatever I think 10 years ago for like half the price so inflation I guess but.

Chase:     So what I'm hearing is I just need to hold on to my Ikea stuff long enough and it's gonna come full circle.

Courn:     I've been saying this forever.

Chase:     This is why I hoard stuff because I'm like it'll come back eventually. This is justification for me hoarding everything.

Courn:     It usually takes a lot of years though for it to actually worth like enough money that it would be like like 50 plus years.

Chase:     I'm not gonna lie, I had some sneakers that I bought probably close to 10 years ago and like I take good care of my sneakers. They're low-key kind of back in style. They're like these big chunky heeled like sneakers.

Courn:     Let's go!

Chase:     That are like literally kind of back in, they look a little bit they're like an old like almost like Yeezy type of boot, like an old boost, but yeah like low-key they're back around so I don't have to throw anything out I get to keep it forever!

Courn:     That's what I want to do but then I just don't have storage for it all. So.

Chase:     Storage is pretty brutal I will say.

Courn:     I'm like our garage is packed to the brim with just so much shit and I didn't label any of it so.

Chase:     Ooh, Courn!

Courn:     I'm not good, I'm not, I'm weirdly so bad at organizing like big things, little things are fine but.

Chase:     Can I give a hot take on organizing?

Courn:     Yeah, tell me.

Chase:     Oh where do I even begin? You know those organizing shows that people watch? Or like the cleaning shows?

Courn:     Marie Kondo?

Chase:     Yeah, there's like a couple of them. They're so fun to watch for sure because like the transformation you're like, wow what a mess. Wow it's so organized.

Courn:     Yeah.

Chase:     That shit is never realistic nor sustainable. It is such a waste of time and money and resources for everyone.

Courn:     Check on those people in 6 months, not even!

Chase:     Not even, give it like yeah, give it like a month! Like even when we organize at the house, I'm like oh yeah that's so great and then we can't read something and I kind of, and I'm like this is ridiculous it also feels like a very neurotypical thing to organize like that and like have it all designed well because if I can't see my shit. I'm not gonna use it. No object permanence! Like the moment something goes in like a solid box, doesn't exist. I gotta buy another one, put in a clear thing or like leave it out oh yeah I'll use it all the time I'll come back to it it's great but like those organizing shows it's a joke. It's a shame.

Courn:     I never really watch them. I'm like-

Chase:     Because it kind of looks nice. Like wow it's all organized. That might be the control freak in me though.

Courn:     Don’t they just get rid of people’s stuff? Like isn't that like the premise, you just get rid of all their stuff.

Chase:     Kind of. You do kind of get rid of like the stuff you don't use but like I don't know, am I not using it because I can't see it or am I going to use it now because it's organized. It just seems really unrealistic and it's so expensive all those products especially once they get popular with shows then they get their own line and then like you gotta buy our stuff and then it's just so expensive to organize stuff when you could just like put it in a drawer.

Courn:     Correct. I'm also, I don't know, I thrive in like just a little bit of chaos. Like I just don't like everything perfect all the time because I also just can't keep it and I think maybe something those shows don't account for, maybe they do, I haven't watched them, but I think like half of it, yes, is the space. A lot of people just don't have space to house all their things. So there's no way for it to be clean because you can't put everything away. And that's even regardless of getting the things you don't need. Okay, a lot of people live in small, one bedroom apartments, you cannot fit all your stuff.

Chase:     I was just gonna say!

Courn:     But also a lot of it's like human behavior and stuff too. Like I don't know, a lot of ADHD people also just can't keep spaces clean. It's not like a character flaw. It's literally just how your mind works and you think very visually. You get lots of stuff out. You don't always have time to put it away. And like, I don't know, I clean my closet every freaking week because every week it is a mess and everything in my closet has a place. I even try to put everything away right after the fact and I cannot. I consistently make a mess every week no matter how hard I try and I feel like I have the ideal situation. I have tons of time and I still can't do it.

Chase:     You got a lot of space. It's a whole room.

Courn:     Yeah, but now I just close the door. The clothes pile up. I just close the door. Don't have to look at it.

Chase:     Yep. Yeah. No, for real. Well, then I don't know. Like for me, after a long day of work, I'm exhausted, man. I don't want to come home, fold my clothes, put them on the closet. Like I'm taking my clothes off. I'm throwing them on the chair and I'm putting a comfy shirt on and I will deal with that pile of clothes in the weekend like, at best.

Courn:     I think it's a bigger conversation too unlike I think people thinking it's really easy to get organized-

Chase:     Just get organized, just get a planner!

Courn:     Oh yeah. Ooooh!

Chase:     What happened?

Courn:     I popped it!

Chase:     What happened?!

Courn:     Ewwww! There’s stuff inside!

Chase:     Oh, no Courn just popped their squishy, their fidget, we got a pause!

Courn:     BRB!

*hold music plays*

Chase:     All right, we good, we good, we back!

Courn:     I'm low-key traumatized.

Chase:     Hands are washed.

Courn:     I don't know why cottage cheese just came out of that squishy ball.

Chase:     You need to close that lid so you don't look at it. Cause I think you're gonna get PTSD.

Courn:     But then it's gonna get all on the lid and then I-

Chase:     You're gonna have to throw the whole thing away.

Courn:     Yeah I also got that as like a gift, so I don't know where it’s from.

Chase:     Okay I will I will look up where to find it and get you another one. Do you want to put like a little napkin over it?

Courn:     No, it's fine!

Chase:     Just scoot it behind your computer!

Courn:     I just don’t want to look at it!

Chase:     Out of sight yeah r.i.p we're just talking about organization right and like how it just feels like such a neurotypical and like-

Courn:     Yeah, I think I think it's people just like, oh yeah, I just get a calendar or get a planner and I do all of those things. And like they work for a little bit. They work with certain stuff. I think they work to the point where I'm still messy and still falling behind, but if I didn't use them at all, I would not be able to do anything. So yeah, they work, but-

Chase:     Just like all these things that forces you into what you should be and should not be in society and like what is allowed, which is kind of bullshit because guess what? We all live in our own homes. I'm gonna live in my home however I want.

Courn:     Also we all got limited time. I'm sorry but like it's it takes a lot of time to organize stuff and when you only have like an hour of free time a day I'm not gonna spend that you know putting everything in my to-do list and cleaning up my laundry and I just want to rot on the couch.

Chase:     Yeah, tell me you're middle and upper class without telling me you're upper and middle class. Like, low-income people are not worried about perfectly organizing their closet. Like, get out of here. They're literally just trying to get through their day, feed their family, feed themselves, like, live. They're literally just trying to survive. So yeah, and of course those shows are always like we're gonna go do so-and-so celebrity home like of course they got time money and resources to organize, get out of here!

Courn:     That's actually so toxic to do it for celebrities, they can just like hire an organizer or something.

Chase:     Well, that's what they did. That's why they're on the TV show.

Courn:     I guess, yeah.

Chase:     There's a hot take, Neurotake.

Courn:     My hot take is that I think most standards of beauty on women are very pedo adjacent. Like a lot of them.

Chase:     Oooh. Sure. Go off!

Courn:     Like I just think about this a lot. Like I don't know, I just feel like a lot of guys, and this isn't all guys, but I feel like a lot of them like like very small, short women that like have hairless arms and legs, which we know that most women have hair there. They want them like very innocent and cute. They want him to look eternally youthful. Like that's a really cute thing. Like I feel like girls that have like really big eyes, like small mouth are like much more attractive. And why is that? Because all those traits literally describe children. And I find it so wild. Like every time I see a six-foot guy dating a four-foot 6 girl that looks like she could pass for like 14, it actually hurts me inside. Because I'm just like, you need to check that man's computer. You need to check that man's like search over the years. Because that shit is wild to me.

Chase:     You are correct. It's not that dark because I feel like the fetishization of girlhood is a whole thing. That is absolutely a thing. Yeah, no, it's creepy as hell. It's not good. Hairless, like thin, small frame. Like it's, oh yeah, it's absolutely there. I think about that all the time. It's really creepy.

Courn:     I just think the fascination with like very petite women and all the features. I think the hairless thing gets me a lot that men are like, oh yeah.

Chase:     The hairless.

Courn:     Women should be hairless. I'm just like, you just want a child because women are not hairless and I don't care what you feel about shaving but like that's weird.

Chase:     I gotta give you a weird experience I had about that. Yeah, it's weird. I used to get Brazilian waxes when I was very like femme presenting and I remember like seeing a guy or dating a guy he was like why do you do that? I was like because I want to and he's like, well like you shouldn't, kind of thing, right? And then I was like what do you mean-

Courn:     Don't tell me what to do!

Chase:     Yeah but he basically was like like like women and adults have hair like, you should leave it that way. Because like, it was like the reverse, but it was still creepy, right? Like still telling you what to do,

Courn:     You shouldn’t tell someone what to do, but like had a point!

Chase:     Exactly. Exactly. And he basically was just like, nah, like, you should just leave it because you're an adult like there's it's like he was like trying to say it's like a good thing it was kind of weird how he presented it but yeah it was like reverse.

Courn:     Yeah that's, what don't don't bring it up like that.

Chase:     Still weird but like it is the point of like that's kind of like the marker of like adulthood and like you're a consenting adult, you're the you have the ability to consent because you've like had life experience but it's weird, the opposite is weird-

Courn:     Yeah and I feel like too, I feel like the fact that like men are so grossed out with periods and stuff and they only want to deal I feel like with women's genitalia when they don't have a period also gives me like kind of pedo vibes. And I'm just like, you do realize that women experience this. Underage girls also have periods too. But it's just, it feels like a very taboo thing.

Chase:     Just misogyny threaded through all of that though. Come on. Like look at lesbians. Lesbians don't give a damn if you're on your period or not for the most part. I won't speak for everyone but like most women loving women in relationships are like not gonna give a damn.

Courn:     Yeah I think I just got on a weird side of tiktok so I keep seeing stuff where people are just like talking about like oh, like casual pedophilia that's like in whatever like insinuated and enforced by society and stuff.

Chase:     We do need to talk about that!

Courn:     And it's so true, like all these little things. I even saw a video that was talking about like, you know, like why are they show sex scenes of high schoolers? And like, that's a pretty common thing you see in most shows. And like, you could debate whether those shows or are for teenagers or they're for adults, but it is a weird thing to like actively show pretty, like I don't know graphic sex scenes of what are supposed to be underage children doing sexual acts, like we know children do that but like you watching it as an adult is really weird. But then it's like an even bigger thing where it's like, why are we casting, you know, high 20 year olds to play high schoolers and middle schoolers? Because then I think it gives people a pass to be like, oh, like Noah Centineo, he was so hot in that. And as an adult saying that, when you're like, oh, he was playing like a 16 year old. Like, like, are you normalizing? I don't know. Liking children. Like, I know he's, he's not a child when people were saying that, but it feels like it's almost normalizing it when you have like adults playing children and they even look like children. It's like kind of blurs the line where it's like, oh, of course people think it's okay to like that person who's being perceived as a child because that's what we're taught to. And that's not saying that's okay. But I do think society has like, I don't know, a lot of agenda around normalizing child relationships and sexual depictions of children. Like it's very gross.

Chase:     It's disgusting. We don't stand for it here folks. Let's just make that clear. But you have a good point.

Chase:     I think about that, because you know you've got stories and shows that want to talk about high school and like you know make things relatable and you know I get that, but again you have these adult actors playing portraying a minor.

Courn:     Yeah.

Chase:     But then like is it worse than to have a minor portraying a minor because then they're like around adults, but there's no safety precautions, it's kind of like both are not great situations but like you said the, it just keeps spinning around.

Courn:     I don't think there's a clear solution but I do think that they should stop showing high schoolers having graphic sex.

Chase:     That's a hot take!

Courn:     Like I don't know people like love euphoria, I think that show is very traumatic and there's parts of that are really visually beautiful but also there's some very graphic sex scenes. Also sex education too and you could argue that some of those like whatever they’re seniors, they're like 18 or 17, whatever there's very graphic sex scenes, full genitalia out in that show. And I'm like, those are children. And I understand that like children need sex education, but like as an adult, you should not be consuming content of children having sex, even in a fake capacity.

Chase:     Yeah. Well, also your sex ed should not be coming from a Netflix TV show. That's, but that's the reality of living in America.

Courn:     I mean, that's the only place you're gonna get it.

Chase:     That's literally the reality of living in America. God, ooh, I don't like that. Yeah, that just hit me.

Courn:     That was not a good take to end on.

Chase:     No, that's okay. We can end on ethnic foods.

Courn:     Yeah.

Chase:     I hate that term.

Courn:     I don't know what itm like is there, like a what is that short for something, like does that mean something, is there a historical context of using the word ethnic like, your ethnicity? Like.

Chase:     Well there's like ethnic food aisle in the grocery store sometimes.

Courn:     Cause last time I checked like ethnic doesn't actually mean like brown people like in my like, that would be the thing like what is your ethnicity which could be anything like if anything it's all-encompassing word that's become associated with brown people.

Chase:     Ethnic literate just means what? Not white, like literally anything other than white.

Courn:     That's the social connotation.

Chase:     Yeah.

Courn:     And it's also just too broad of a label. So it does feel just like, I don't know, like people are like, oh, that's the ethnic food section. What does that mean?

Chase:     All their food is so ethnic. What does it even mean is a good point.

Courn:     Yeah I'm just like I like I if I heard so I don't hear a lot of people say that but I do see it still like in grocery store aisles or like descriptions of Google listings or whatever places. This is an ethnic food cart. Isn't like every food cart pod have different food types? Is that not what makes it? I don't know.

Chase:     You're right. It probably has something to do with like ethnicity and like ethnic but even ethnic is kind of a strange word.

Courn:     I feel like to me, it's it's slightly actually no it's much worse than saying diverse, but I think it's the same intention where people use it to describe things when they shouldn't. Like, like a person can't be diverse. Like a group of things has to be diverse. And I think that's how I feel about ethnic, like saying this is an ethnic food. It's just like, what does that even mean? But you're like, oh, these are all different types of ethnic foods. Like this is because there's so many different types, which would include white people food too, would it not?

Chase:     Well, what you just said is like, you can't have diversity in one thing, it has to be a group because it has to be something you compared against. it's always has to have a comparative and so the ethnic again is just compared to someone else, white, and so like you know that's a good point that you can’t-

Courn:     I feel like that connotation just kind of like got slapped in there but when I think about like oh what it actually means to have an ethnicity, or ethnic that doesn't say anything.

Chase:     It does feel like just an excuse or a placeholder for using the real terms and describing it and trying to like avoid using that while still having the credit. It's kind of like what appropriation it feels like. A version of appropriation of like, oh we're just gonna say like we want access to this, but we don't want to really give credit, nor do we want to do the work, so we're just going to create this umbrella term.

Courn:     And also it's going to mean a million things. I think that's the thing. It's just so non-specific. It's not helpful. Like just say what type of food it is. Because like I feel like literally when everyone says ethnic food, it literally could be something just like, oh, it's like Taco Bell or something. You're like, that's not freaking ethnic food.

Chase:     No!

Courn:     Like I guess it anything is ethnic food because anything comes from an ethnicity? I don't know.

Chase:     And that's and-

Courn:     Are we assigning that to all foods?

Chase:     Yeah and I like that you talk about it because the fact that it's like confusing means that like it just doesn't make sense and we should stop using it personally. That's my hot take.

Courn:     Because I'm like I don't really understand when I think about it but I understand how people are using it yes, they're just using it to describe I don't know food from brown people, so.

Chase:     Flavored food?

Courn:     Just say that.

Chase:     Food with flavor.

Courn:     But I don't know, I feel like white people be like I don't really like ethnic food that much and I'm like, so what do you like? That's like 99% of the food, what do you mean?

Chase:     Also a lot of white food came from indigenous and other cultures so like you know like a lot of those foods didn't really, those aren't original foods.

Courn:     No they're not.

Chase:     So like you kind of are always eating ethnic foods, like I don't know you probably should look at what it's like food original to like Britain, like British food is probably closest to like the white people?

Courn:     Chips! chips and meat that's kind of-

Chase:     That's it? Yeah that's what I'm saying it's like-

Courn:     Fish and chips!

Chase:     Filet o fish!

Courn:     Filet fish.

Chase:    Ew those are terrible. I've only had that sandwich once.

Courn:     That's just the one thing my partner when they went to England, they told me that they actually have the worst food in the world and they think they have the best food and literally everything is so unseasoned and like I would say he's a foodie, he likes good food and he has good food taste so when he told me that he was like literally everything is so bland!

Chase:     He also likes spicy food, right?

Courn:     Yeah!

Chase:     So like I feel like that's another, if there's no spicy food.

Courn:     But he just told me the french fries like are so bad and they serve it with everything.

Chase:     Unseasoned with salt? Vinegar. Yeah they eat with vinegar, right?

Courn:     Like steak cut, mushy, no salt!

Chase:     Steak cut is a terrible fry, why has red robin built a whole model on a terrible version of a fry?

Courn:     I agree. It’s just too mushy.

Chase:     It's just same thing with in and out, in and out has built an empire on terrible fry quality.

Courn:     I've never had In-N-Out.

Chase:     Don't waste your time. I'm serious.

Courn:     That's fair.

Chase:     Like mushy fries? Are you kidding me?

Courn:     My hot take is that it's shoestring or nothing and then I think shoestring is the just dominant crunch fry shape.

Chase:     Creme de la creme! Yeah you throw a little salt, a little rosemary, a little garlic on that.

Courn:     Get some truffle oil in there. I don't think it's real truffles but I don't care because it tastes amazing. Get out of here with your steak cut.

Chase:     I didn't know truffle was a mushroom. It comes from mushrooms. It's an oil. Pigs sniff that out. I learned that in Stardew Valley.

Courn:     Yeah! I also learned that most of it is fake, alike to crab on the market. Most of the thing is synthetic because it's very expensive, so it's very watered down.

Chase:     Yeah, and does crab actually taste that good? Like real crab? I don't think so.

Courn:     It tastes fishy. Like it tastes seafoody.

Chase:     The fact that we have to coat it in butter and garlic for it to taste good means it doesn't taste good people.

Courn:     That's how I feel about like 99% of meat.

Chase:     Vegetables! That too.

Courn:     And vegetables too. But respectfully people be like oh my god this steak is so good.

Chase:     Covered in garlic and salt and parsley and whatever.

Courn:     Yeah, you go kill a cow and eat the meat and cook it with no seasoning and tell me it tastes good.

Chase:     Yeah, I can't argue with that one.

Courn:     Chicken tastes like absolutely freaking nothing.

Chase:     Oh, especially a chicken breast. Blech, dry.

Courn:     Yeah.

Chase:     Well, that's a hot take. That was a good one. That was a good one. On that note, let's go. Let's go get some shoestring fries. Let's go get the-

Courn:     Yeah!

Chase:    The supreme french fries.

Courn:     Let's go. I got truffle oil at home. Not even joking.

Chase:    Okay boujee!

Courn:     Okay so, let's go.

Chase:    All right.

Chase:     Bye.

Courn:     Bye.

Chase:     Hey folks, a quick disclaimer here. Courn and I speak directly from our own experiences, and while we try our best to amplify marginalized voices and present accurate information, the thoughts expressed here are definitely not a reflection of all neurodivergent, AAPI, or queer folks. So if you have any suggestions, comments, or thoughts, feel free to email us at hello@neurotakespod.com. Thanks!