Once upon a time, I clung way too hard to the idea that people could expect particular acts of intimacy after a certain number of dates. I’m not sure where these expectations came from, but it’s probably safe to blame reruns of Seinfeld and Friends. I was desperate for a yardstick to help me determine what was “normal.” This probably should have been a clue that I wasn’t actually into the people I was dating, and that I had some stuff to figure out about my own sexuality, but alas.
Without a modern-day Emily Post to answer these questions, we must wonder: What reveal do you save for the fourth date, something you would only share when a particular threshold of trust has been met? Of course there’s information I hide because I know it’s not cute, like the fact that in over a decade of vehicle ownership I have never once washed my car. But what about the real treats, the juicy stuff? Honestly, you’d have to stick around a lot longer than four dates.
In today’s episode of Normal Gossip, we answer the question: Would you ever disclose the location of your secret cache of tasty morsels? If I had a secret mushroom grove, I might just take that knowledge to my grave. Not necessarily out of a mushroom-hoarding impulse, although if I liked culinary mushrooms I’m sure that would play into it. No, I’d keep my secrets because I like to be mysterious. Know thyself, know thy chanterelle.
Kelsey is joined this week by Avery Trufelman! Avery is the host and producer of Articles of Interest, which was named one of the best podcasts of the year by the New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and more. Avery is also a member of the Radiotopia family!
Avery talked about the role of gossip in the fashion world, plus the nature of trends and lessons on pandemic hair. Then Kelsey brought us into the world of an epic quest for love, friendship, and mushrooms.
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