Field of Play

Go Panthers

It only took the elimination of the Washington Professional Football Team, the Seahawks, and the Patriots for me to jump on the Carolina Panthers bandwagon but here I am. I endured a lot of internal conflict about cheering for the Panthers this season, stemming primarily from my deep rooted love of the Washington Professional Football Team1, intense pride for the state of North Carolina, and ever-evolving feelings about Cam Newton. But on this Sunday of Super Bowl “Don’t Call Me L” 50, I’m all in on #keeppounding.


  1. If you lived in North Carolina before 1995, then you might remember seeing the Redskins (back when we could call them that) on TV every weekend instead of the Panthers. ↩

Audible

Will Sia’s New Album Bring Her Out from the Shadows for Good?

I don’t remember if I personally first heard Sia’s ‘Chandelier’ in 2014 or 2015, but whenever it was I was immediately hooked. The album, 1000 Forms of Fear spent significant time in rotation on my music listening device throughout the first half of 2015 and on into the late summer early fall. Now, the recently released follow-up, This is Acting, is picking up right where its predecessor left off.

I love this description of Sia’s sound and style from Carrie Battan’s recent review in The New Yorker:

Which is not to say that Sia’s music feels anonymous. She is one of the most distinctive and acrobatic vocal performers working today, her high-register rasp instantly recognizable. Her songs sit somewhere between balladry and modern dance-pop. Everything is in service of a larger-than-life chorus, each song a vehicle for anthemic catharsis. She is wiser and more world-weary than the girlish Katy Perry, more impassioned than the ice-cool Rihanna, more demure than the slinky Beyoncé. Sia is a balladeer at heart, and she is at her best when she uses her voice as her primary tool.

If you give the new album a spin, check out the first single ‘Alive’, as well as ‘Reaper’, ‘House on Fire’, and ‘Footprints’.

Locally Notable

Business Insider picks Bida Manda as best in NC

For Business Insider’s Best Restaurant in Every State write-up, contributor Emmie Martin selects Raleigh’s Bida Manda as North Carolina’s best. No arguments here. The BI piece is short on details, so if you have any reservations about checking out Bida Manda, check out Walter Magazine’s 2013 profile of the restaurant. Here’s a taste:

With one of the few true Laotian restaurants in the United States, these two twenty-somethings are introducing Raleighites to the fresh and unexpected cuisine of their tiny native country. They’re doing it with the help of a local community rooted at N.C. State that has risen up to make their dream a reality. And they’re doing it in tribute to their parents, who have been prevented by post–9/11 visa restrictions from traveling here to witness their children’s achievement.

With ingredients common to the food of its neighbors in China, Vietnam, and Thailand, and with techniques inherited from its years as a French protectorate, Laos’s food is a tantalizing hybrid. Flavors are refined but surprising; dishes are familiar but refreshing, and always beautiful.

The accolades for Bida Manda are well-deserved and are a great testament to Raleigh’s ever-evolving culinary scene.

Quoted

Collards

“It wasn’t going to be instant grits. It was going to be like long, slow-cooked collard greens.”

Short Cuts

Autoblog: The last Land Rover Defender has rolled off the line

I’m not as ardent a fan of the Defender series as some of my fellow O&F contributors, but this caught my attention nonetheless:

It’s worth remembering that while the original Series I was in many ways ingenious, it was also to some decree dictated by its post-war circumstances. A massive shortage of steel led to the adoption of an aluminum body, not any sort of worry about corrosion or concern for lightweighting. And it wasn’t yet the status symbol seen at luxury hotel valet lots, but rather an agricultural vehicle halfway between a tractor and an old farm truck, useful for innumerable tasks around the farm but also capable of a (slow) jaunt to town.

It will be interesting to see what Land Rover has in store for us next.

O&F
Brief

Is Growth Bad for Business?

Are Raleigh’s growing pains causing problems for downtown businesses? WTVD 11 says yes. Indy Week says no.

Indy Week’s argument is more convincing, but I’ve also always been on the side that found the sharp criticism of Raleigh’s ordinances to be a bit over-dramatic.

Locally Notable

Poole’s Diner makes The National Eater 38

More accolades and notoriety for Poole’s Diner in Downtown Raleigh:

Christensen has firmly planted herself at the crossroads of high-low dining: beyond the macaroni, her menu changes nightly, offering dishes homey in flavor and meticulous in execution. During a spectacular spring meal, that meant delicate flounder filet over turnip greens creamed with pureed turnips, and fried soft-shell crab over early tomatoes with Brussels sprouts slaw.

Via Indy Week

O&F
Stitches

Need Vol 3.2

I’ve been a member of Need almost since the beginning, and while I do find most of their offerings interesting, I rarely find myself itching to open up the wallet on an entire volume of goods. But Vol 3.2: Forward got me really wishing one of my New Years resolutions hadn’t been to spend less money.

Personal favorites are: Thermal Henley; The Weekender Bag (oh that bag!); Techloom shoes; Thermal Bottle; Element Tee (oh that tee! In black AND white); the 1/4 Zip Running Hoodie and I even considered the Pomade Mixer Kit.

Yes, I did just reel off almost half the items offered in the latest volume. Go check it out for some great workout or casual gear to start off the new year!