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👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
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.