The August 5 Edition
The clean athletes facing anti-doping hell | The cat video star inspiring beer brands – and helping science | He’d discovered his biological mum was a nun – then came the name of the father | Scientist David Suzuki, 87, on what matters most | The bestselling author, her assistant and the manuscript that came from left field
‘You lose no matter what’: The clean athletes caught in the anti-doping crossfire
Handling a pet’s medication was just one way an athlete was branded a cheat. Calls are now growing for a rethink of the entire drug-testing system.
- by Chip Le Grand
‘You must tell no one’: The secret Brendan’s dad wanted kept for a lifetime
Brendan was nearly 30 when he finally tracked down his biological mother. Then came an even more stunning revelation.
- by Brendan Watkins
How a ‘demanding cat’ called Phineas became a cult influencer – with merch
A disarmingly wobbly ginger tabby has become a social media sensation . He’s also helping his neuroscientist owners educate people about a rare brain disorder.
- by Tim Elliott
When the bestselling writer’s assistant bowls up her own book
Author Sally Hepworth didn’t know her assistant, Amy Lovat, had written a book. Now the pair are besties who say “Pah!” to professional boundaries.
- by Susan Horsburgh
Keeping stories alive: The end-of-life podcasts capturing family history
Go pro, or DIY – the new approach in capturing a loved one’s memories. Plus: get ready for the weekend with these fresh diversions.
- by Konrad Marshall, Melanie Kembrey, Damien Woolnough, Frances Mocnik, Lenny Ann Low and Jill Dupleix
My tropical holiday is striking a bum note with my friends
That’s always going to happen, writes our Modern Guru, unless you get gastro.
- by Danny Katz
Mixing it up in the bedroom
Paul Connolly’s Kitchen Sink Drama is a slice of domestic life, captured masterfully in only 100 words. This week: the swap.
- by Paul Connolly
‘The important thing is not succeeding or failing, but …’ David Suzuki’s life lesson
The 87-year-old Canadian geneticist, environmentalist and academic on his proudest achievements – and what he wants to be able to tell his grandchildren.
- by Benjamin Law
What’s the shelf life of wine in soft packs?
Not to be confused with cask wine, there appears to be a trend to packaging higher-quality wines in pouches.
- by Huon Hooke
Vietnamese banana bread pudding with coconut caramel sauce
A twist on a traditional bread-and-butter pudding, Helen Goh’s version uses coconut milk and bananas for a flavour blast.
- by Helen Goh
Beef soboro don
Soboro don is pure comfort food and a real crowd-pleaser in Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s house. Soboro in Japanese means “to crumble”; here it refers to a protein – fish, meat, eggs or tofu – that’s cooked down to a crumbly texture.
- by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Review
Sydney
This egg-yolk yellow cafe and its ‘Happiest Meal’ is a sunny way to start to the day
Sydney’s ridiculously popular Happyfield cafe leaves all other joints that don’t take bookings for dead. This naturally begs the question, why?
- by Callan Boys
Review
Melbourne
An old Victoria Street Vietnamese favourite springs back
Inner Melbourne’s Thy Thy Counter and Canteen is the latest iteration of a much-loved Viet-Naarm institution.
- by Dani Valent
Good Weekend letters to the editor: August 5
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