#30 - Be Stupid and Angry
One of my favorite productivity writers opined on our tendency to get curious about and lost in whatever intellectual fodder is within our reach. So it’s...
#29 - Letting the Oil Run Off
When we sold the food business my parents started in the early 1980s a few years ago, I was deeply concerned it would kill my father. That’s because it was...
#28 - California Love ❤️🔥
The last time I felt so far pushed to the emotional brink was the week school closed because of the pandemic. The cultural epicenter of America is on fire. I...
#27 - What's Good, 2025?
Greetings and New Year’s salutations from The Mustard Sandwich. This is awkward because I just moved the newsletter over to Buttondown from Substack, yet I...
#26 - Collecting Sticks
A meditation on building a creative practice.
#25 - Democracy is Not Dead
But the Democratic party might be.
#24 - Stand on Purpose
“The human heart is the first home of democracy. It is where we embrace our questions. Can we be equitable? Can we be generous? Can we listen to our whole...
#23 - Suffering as Grace
And a reminder to stop and take care
#22 - Public School Feminism
The other day, I was standing outside mid-afternoon with one of my…superiors, and I asked him a question about dress codes at our school just as a pack of...
#21 - I was such an asshole
Sometimes I think about the past and feel like an asshole. Like there was that one time we went to Big Sur as a family. Per usual, we were arguing loudly in...
#20 - Stillness Yields Synthesis
Lately, my desire to do great community organizing work is colliding with my opposing desire to do absolutely nothing. To talk to absolutely no one. I see...
#19 - Suburban Dad for President
This Guy, 2024 I find it shameful and unfair that our political landscape has reduced us to the point of collective desperation where we are yearning for...
#18 - The Backyard at Longview
with a writer's note at the end
#17 - Considering the Caboose
A meditation on last meals and corrosive consequences
#16 - Watermelon Girls
The internet is going berserk over the fact that the copper who arrested Justin Timberlake for drunk driving in the Hamptons was so young he didn’t recognize...
#15 - Peggy
WWII Waves. Peggy isn’t in this photo (at least not that I know of). This personal essay was previously published on my website, which I am remodeling. That...
#14 - The Siren Song
Reflecting on opportunities
#13 - Ode to a Creep
A travel tale of sorts
#12 - A Useful Childhood
Daddy at the factory. I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day about being a kid and staying home from school, which made me realize...
#11 - Banana Season
And some thoughts on self-celebrating
#10 - A Tale of Two Braids
on conditioning, chaotic personalities, and holding contradictions
#9 - On Being a Tiny Pilgrim
Reflecting in gratitude on Easter
#8 - Daddy Stories
Really, how did he do it?
#7 - I'll Take Potpourri for $200
On coaching, karma, and getting away
#6 - Peace Through Commerce
The final part of a story about flourishing
#5 - The Fruits of Flipping Bitches
The second part of a story about flourishing
#4 - When Life Shakes You Down
The first part of a story about flourishing
#3 - I Just Work Here
But I still have some hot takes.
#2 - A Trip to a Warehouse ☕️
No roach in the drain this time.
#1 - In Media Res
With a surprising number of celebrity references.
#003 - Tending to the Blaze
This is Swati and you’re reading The Mustard Sandwich, a munchable and highly lunchable periodical spotlighting curious food stories, busy eaters, and...
#002 - Coffee, Gum, and a Brownie on The Hill
Welcome back to The Mustard Sandwich, a snack of a newsletter featuring everyday stories on people and food. If you're a new reader, thank you for joining us...
#001 - Origin Story: A Musty School Lunch
Welcome to the first issue of The Mustard Sandwich, a snack of a newsletter featuring everyday stories on people and food. Like all good sandwiches, each...