mingyuan

Young people don't talk to each other.

A few days later, back at that Trader Joe's with my post-it note shopping list in hand, I find that the store doesn't carry buttermilk, which I need for a recipe.

Standing in the long checkout line, I turn to the woman behind me.

Do you know what I can substitute for buttermilk in a baking recipe?

I ask her.

She's in her 60s.

The man behind her, in his forties, gets into the conversation, seems happy to offer me solutions.

I tell a friend about the encounter later and they say that every part of them clenched just to hear about it.

They could never imagine doing such a thing and they have no desire to.

I hadn't realised I had any desire to, either.

This article was narrated by Type 3 Audio for Less Wrong.

It was published on January 18, 2026.