Jacob Grier

Cincinnati chili is the obvious answer for me, but Cincinnati chili pizza is the real winner.

(We only cooked this with the noodles on it this one time as a stunt, but without pasta it's actually a pretty great pizza topping.)

For context, this was after harvesting chanterelles in the forest, drinking fresh hop beers by the camp fire, and waking up to pourover coffee and espresso brewed by a fellow camper. PNW to the max.

I am armed and ready.

(Alternate caption: Too much PNW?)

There's a Portland boomer antifascist ukulele band and I AM HERE FOR IT

Whatever you do, leave your dog at home.

Trump Is Destroying the U.S. Constitution and Amassing Unprecedented Powers by Sending Federal Troops to Invade American Cities Lincoln faced a real insurrection and still did not go as far as this president

Good read from @theunpopulist.net on Trump's anti-constitutional deployments to Portland and other cities.
www.theunpopulist.net/p/trump-is-d...

A shelf on a utility pole with a bunch of toys and a sign that reads "Friend swap! Take an item. Leave an item. Spread joy!)

Another heartbreaking scene from war-ravaged Portland (all the toy stores were firebombed by radical leftists).

Left was me, right was Jacob! Both in round pans hence the perfect shape. And he made both doughs so it was an unfair quiz. I just applied the toppings chaotically.

Texas and Florida have become national models for using the police state to wage culture war battles From library books to abortion, gender, and even food, the culture war is now feeding the police state.

I've got the cover story on the latest issue of @reason.com. It's about how culture war legislation on everything from library books to lab-grown meat is feeding the police state reason.com/2025/10/06/c...

Sometimes Seabird posts are actually about seabirds...

What will it take for us to eat lab-grown steak? Lab-grown meat is gaining traction. But before we consume it, we need to believe in it – and that's where design comes in. Jane Englefield explores what's at stake.

It's Seabird Sunday, our weekly roundup of interesting links shared on the Seabird app. First up, the design challenges of selling lab-grown meat:
www.dezeen.com/2025/09/24/l...

Motion granted. Guard blocked from activation in Portland. Story to come @oregoncapitalchronicle.com

A chanterelle mushroom held in a hand above a mossy forest floor

Displaced from war-ravaged Portland, we sought refuge in the Oregon forest and survived on foraged chanterelles.

What Happens When Socialists Are in Charge? Portland Offers a Glimpse.

Contra the headline, this is mostly a story about ranked choice voting leading to more diverse representation and arguably showing a moderating influence so far, and the "socialists" haven't really had a chance to change the city much yet.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/u...

Me, a close-up magician wishing on a monkey's paw: "I wish America would bring back larger coins."

Paraphrased: "I liked the parts about the quirky coffeeshops. I didn't like the parts pointing out that the person I voted for is calling the city war-ravaged and threatening to use the full force of the military against people living there, bringing that up is divisive."

A conservative family member told me this article would have been better if it had stuck to coffee, completely oblivious that this is a genuine threat against the place I call home. If you live in a red state suburb you can comfortably pretend none of it is real.
slate.com/life/2025/09...

It's like the mirror test for animal cognition, but reversed and for the president of the United States.

Spoiler: they were both good.

We did jokingly talk about scenting my next book with peated scotch. It's not happening, but I wouldn't mind if it did.

My next Slate pitch: biking to 100 Portland coffeeshops in the nude.

A map of Portland highlighting 100 different coffeeshops

Or in map form... I hardly ever use Strava, but in hindsight I wish I'd used it for this. www.jacobgrier.com/blog/2025/10...

As a follow-up to my piece in Slate, here's a post with all 100 of the coffeeshops I biked to on my #biketobeans tour of Portland.
www.jacobgrier.com/blog/2025/10...

The Steve Horwitz Memorial Foundation Join the conversation

Hello new followers! Did you know I've got a starter pack of like-minded folks?

Damn, didn't log on expecting to be attacked like this. But as an amateur magician I've gotta admit that outfit has a useful number of pockets.

End of an era as Upright Brewing announces closure — New School Beer + Cider Upright Brewing will close at the end of 2025 and shut down their brewery and homebase in NE Portland if no new buyer is found. The Upright Beer Station in N. Portland will remain open as a taphouse ...

Man, this one bums me out. One of the best to do it in Portland! newschoolbeer.com/home/2025/9/...

Got my parents a gift card there for their anniversary and they really enjoyed it. High on my list to visit next time I'm in Houston!

The real tapes:
slate.com/life/2025/09...

It’s Called America’s “Weirdest” City. But Just Wait Until You Hear What’s Going On in Its Coffee Shops. Biking is just better with a caffeine buzz.

Life in the war-torn city of Portland, which has the lowest levels of violent crime in the US and hasn't seen civil unrest since the last time Trump deployed forces there to stir it up. Heavy preoccupation with the cultivation of roses and roasting good coffee. slate.com/life/2025/09...

Frankenstein’s Sheep Cloned and genetically modified animals are jumping the lab and entering the black market, possibly forever altering our ecosystems.

The saga of Montana Mountain King:
nymag.com/intelligence...