Sweet Tea: Get outside

Tell me if you recognize this feeling: You’re outside, maybe in the woods or by a shore, enjoying a beautiful day, and you think, “Wow, I am so lucky to live here.” I feel that all the time in Atlanta, walking in the paths of old rail tracks or gazing up to gold light above the lacework shade of tall, green trees.

There’s a reason Southern writers get so poetic about their surroundings. How could you not? What place makes you feel this way, full of awe and gratitude for simply being there?

CHATTANOOGA LEVELS UP ITS NATURAL WONDERS

Chattanooga wants nature to be a part of everyday city life.

Earlier this year, Chattanooga was named North America’s first National Park City after a spirited campaign by the city’s political, cultural and environmental leaders (and, of course, the good people of Chattanooga themselves).

Chattanooga is just the third city in the world to be chosen by the National Park City Foundation, joining London and Adelaide, Australia.

It’s great news for a city that’s become a blueprint for blending urban life with a cultural appreciation of nature. But what does it actually mean to be a National Park City?

• A commitment to restoring and preserving nature and wildlife habitats
• A focus on the health and well-being of its residents
• A culture that embraces regular outdoor events and recreation

IT’S ALL GOING DOWN AT THE LIBRARY

Lamenting the lack of third spaces in your area? Consider the library.

If you’re not making use of your local library, you’re missing the hottest hangout in town. Seriously. “Chilling at the library” is the biggest green flag imaginable. A library card should be a status symbol (but only if you, you know, actually go).

Chances are a library near you is, at this very moment, planning something cool or plotting new and devious ways to uplift the community. I love these recent triumphs:

“Maybe AI can do it better than you, but you are robbing your soul of being able to make something,” he told the Kentucky Department of Education.

PRALINE LORE

My body is writing a newsletter, but my soul is eating a praline.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the history of desserts recently, because the AJC published a cool article on rustic fruit dishes with silly names.

Consider the praline, a New Orleans-coded treat that boils down centuries of history into one sweet bite.

• The praline came to the U.S. from France and was originally made with almonds. One theory says Ursine nuns introduced the sweet, and taught young women how to make them in preparation for married life.
• Of course, the dessert was adapted. Pecans, much more available in the South than almonds, became the star. Even the sugar in pralines speaks to the history of enslavement on sugar plantations.
• Pralines were also a symbol of opportunity. In the 1800s, women of color who were shut out of any other employment often sold pralines to make money.