Another beauty of a lil read this morning:

Scent, so neurologically intertwined with memory, is an emotional catapult, and I found that even the clumsiest molecular facsimile of lilac would get the job done.

Elsewhere in the world, foraging is second nature—Sweden’s constitution actually enshrines the right of every citizen to pick wild berries. But in the United States it remains a fringe activity. In Nelson’s TikToks, between delivering giddy identification guides and recipes in song, she discusses America’s history of anti-foraging laws and regulations, many of which target Black and indigenous people. “Race affects every act of foraging I commit,” Nelson told me, including her technicolor onscreen persona. “If I’m in a part of the city where the rules are ambiguous, I have to make sure that I seem very approachable, and look like I’m in a good mood, and have makeup on my face. A lot of that translates, on the Internet, as just a happy, fun time—no one’s going to call the cops on a person in some rainbow-chiffon dress. At least, I hope not.”