274. Read. Look. Drink.

We’re voracious consumers of culture. And each week, a member of our team shares the words, images, and beers that inspired them.

Read.// “Maps were love letters written to times and places their makers had explored. They did not control territory—they told its stories.” I wonder if my GPS has any secret places that only it knows. Some mapmakers in the past used to create “phantom settlements,” or bogus locations, as copyright traps. A cartographer’s fictional town appearing on another cartographer’s map was proof that it had been copied. But what if the made-up town became real when you possessed the original map? “The Cartographers” is a novel by Peng Shepherd that came out last year, and which imagines a world where phantom settlements can become real, revealing long-held secrets.

Look.// The 150-year-old banyan tree in Lāhainā, Maui is sprouting green shoots. Its trunk and limbs were burnt and scarred. The tree is nearly a block long; many community events were held under its branches until the August wildfires destroyed the town. My sister and I once strolled in its leafy shade. We promised each other we would visit it again, as hope returns to the island.  

Drink.// Wolf Brewing Co.’s Lemon Thyme Saison

Wolf Brewing Co.’s Saison reminds me of secret places and growing hope. Hints of citrus and fresh herbs are comforting reminders that mystery and optimism often go hand-in-hand. The billowy foam that tops the glass bursts with the aroma of a clear morning in a new, yet familiar town.

Words by Paul Kan