Will you eat the Impossible?
Real fake meat is here, plus the week in review.
Kia ora and welcome to The Spinoff Weekend. In today’s newsletter, we’re jumping on the plant-based craze to find out why everyone’s talking about Impossible food. Plus, we’re celebrating the 10-year anniversary of New Zealand’s left turn flip-flop, asking what you can do to avoid long Covid, and looking at whether you should head to Ukraine to help out (probably not). Plus, Today FM’s first day on air, and Aldous Harding’s new album, reviewed. Don’t forget to pour yourself some freshly brewed Coffee Supreme for this one. Relax, you made it. Welcome to your weekend.
-Chris Schulz, senior writer
Is New Zealand ready to eat the Impossible?
It looks like meat, cooks like meat and tastes like meat, but Impossible Food’s range of meat-like products does not come from cows. They’re designed in a lab, made in a Californian warehouse, and, for the first time this week, shipped to Aotearoa ready for supermarket shelves. What are excitement levels like? “It’s completely mind-blowing,” says one Auckland restaurant owner who’s been cooking with the product for several months. “It’s like they’re playing a trick on your brain. It’s so clever … that’s their genius. It feels impossible. There is no difference.” Will it take off? And what will New Zealand’s beef and dairy farmers make of it? Find out here.
I’ve had Covid and here’s my advice
Keep a diary. Rest. Purchase a point-and-shoot thermometer. Rest. Build a network of friends to bring you supplies. More rest. They’re the tips Emily Writes received after asking her newsletter readers for help on surviving a case of Covid. Emily hasn’t had it, but she’s worried about getting it. “I have a fair bit of anxiety around Covid-19,” she writes. “I have an immune compromised child and I’m very worried about how he will cope. Not only that, but my husband and I are worried about how we’ll be able to manage his medications and treatments if we get sick.” If you’re wondering how to prepare, you can read her story here, and join her Substack newsletter (it’s great) here.
If you’ve had omicron and you’re wondering how to keep long Covid at bay, Charlotte Muru-Lanning asked an expert for some tips.
With many Covid restrictions soon on the way out, Reweti Kohere asked parents of immunocompromised children how they feel about it.
It’s been two years since we first went into lockdown to restrict the spread of Covid-19. Siouxsie Wiles looks back and asks, where to from here?
The great NZ give-way U-turn – a decade on
Toby Manhire loves a good deep dive into New Zealand roading regulations. Recently, he put together this incredible report on how orange traffic lights are actually yellow. Then, on Friday, he celebrated the 10-year anniversary of New Zealand’s give way rule changing overnight – you know, the one where left turning cars no longer had to give way to those coming from their right. Before the big change, people were pessimistic: “Chaos looms,” the New Zealand Herald warned. Outrage built over the weeks building up to the decision, with the AA’s Dylan Thomsen remembering “there was a lot of nervousness ahead of it and there were a lot of people expecting chaos and carnage on the roads.” Was all that fuss worth it? Find out in Toby’s piece here.
If you’re still fuming about petrol prices, have you considered an e-bike? Felix Walton interviews several owners and says now is the perfect time to get one.
What happened when the heavens opened
Everyone jokes about Aucklanders not knowing what to do when wet weather happens. This week, they really got some weather. Stewart Sowman-Lund headed out to investigate. “I spent much of Monday doing what every journalist has to do at some point in their career: running around in a storm,” he says. “Auckland experienced one of its worst ever downpours, with almost 80mm of rain recorded in a single hour. The flooding was unexpected and genuinely shocking – a street near my house became a lake, with parked up cars half-submerged. It appeared that in many areas, the street drainage could simply not keep up with the rainfall. Auckland comes to a standstill during a light shower so two hours of torrential rain was enough to break it.” Many businesses and homeowners are still cleaning up. You can read Stewart’s report here.
If you were surprised by just how much flooding there was in Auckland, don’t be. Julie Fairey reports that some parts of the city are actually designed to do that.
Want to fight in Ukraine? You’re free to go
As Russia’s senseless war against Ukraine enters its second week, veterans have been getting on flights and heading over to help out. “I just can’t stand by,” one American vet told the New York Times. If you’re feeling tempted to do the same thing, there’s nothing stopping you. But, as Marnie Lloydd reports, you could end up just getting in the way. Plus, it’s incredibly dangerous. “People fighting without adequate military training is a major concern,” Marnie reports. “Despite good intentions or bravery, war crimes can be committed. Civilians who are already bearing the brunt of the conflict, or other people protected by the laws of war, may end up being harmed.” You can read her full report, with more detail on the issues facing volunteer soldiers, here.
For more on Ukraine, this AP report from a stranded reporter in Mariupol is tense, horrifying reading. Meanwhile, The Guardian asks five experts the question: How do we solve a problem like Putin? Finally, The Daily podcast examines the Chechnya war in 1994 and finds many similarities to Russia’s tactics being used today.
Everything you missed on day one of Today FM
It’s been a huge media week thanks to the launch of Today FM, Magic Talk’s replacement that’s finally here after being delayed by Tova O’Brien’s employment battle. What’s it like? Toby Manhire and Alex Casey took turns tuning in for the first day and found a few technical mishaps, but overall say “it was pretty good”. Winston Peters wasn’t happy, Tova and co-host Mark Dye had a debate, and Duncan Garner apologised for the way he left three. One show stood out: Polly Gillespie’s evening slot. “With all the gusto of a daily vlogger, Polly took to reliving her day for the audience in granular detail,” writes Alex Casey. “She woke up at 5am and texted Tova. She wished her friend a happy birthday two days early and sang her a 50 Cent cover (two days early). Then things took a sharp turn. Read Toby and Alex’s full recap here.
Today FM wasn’t the only thing to launch on Monday, with new channels Eden and Rush being unveiled on Three. Tara Ward has all you need to know.
If you're enjoying The Spinoff Weekend and value what we do, please consider joining The Spinoff Members. All this beautiful content is made possible by our members and we wouldn't be here today without their support. Donate now. Is your business or organisation keen to support us? Ask us about our organisation memberships.
Everything else we loved this week…
“I’m sorry.” That’s Zac Guildford in his first interview since being sentenced on fraud charges. He tells NZ Herald’s Katie Harris he’s been diagnosed with ADHD and says: “If I had my time again I would be that 100-test All Black.”
What do you do if you need a submarine? If you’re Tom Cruise, and you’re shooting two Mission: Impossible movies back-to-back, you lawyer up and take on Paramount, according to this bonkers story from The Hollywood Reporter.
“Stay low, hands up, eyes up, keep talking, defence wins ball games, do your homework, eat your veges” are words thousands of young Wellington basketball players heard every morning while training with Kenny McFadden. Madeleine Chapman pays tribute to the famed coach.
Still confused about cryptocurrency? Can’t tell your bitcoins from your NFTs? New York Times (paywalled) has put together a brilliant explainer that will fill in all the gaps in your knowledge, and then some.
You need to hear Erny Belle. Charlotte Muru-Lanning meets the Ngāpuhi songwriter at Pt Chev Beach in her delightfully dark profile.
If you’re sick of binning your Briscoes frying pans after just three months, one Kiwi company has a solution with their 100-year cast iron guarantee. Reweti Kohere finds out how Ironclad Pan Co is doing it.
Wellington Paranormal has aired its final episode after four seasons of some of TV’s finest freaks and demons. To celebrate, Alex Casey ranked them all.
Why has New Zealand’s best adventure park, Matakana’s excellent Action Ninja World, been closed all summer? A High Court decision and a feud between neighbours, according to our recent report on the still unresolved situation.
Finally, it’s here! Aldous Harding’s fourth album Warm Chris is out now, and it’s a perfectly warped autumn soundtrack for whatever you’re doing. It’s like “eating doughnuts on dark days,” according to The Spinoff’s first impressions.