Below you’ll find past editions of The Hotpot. Browse through all the short essays, and if you’re not subscribed yet, please feel free to join us.
23.6 A bottle of water costs nothing at home. Two dollars at the gas station. Free at a wedding, in a silver bucket — and somehow worth more there…
The Hotpot | By Lisanne 5.6 You're seven, and your teacher says: work hard now, so you're ready for the next grade. You're seventeen, and it's: get good grades,…
Welcome to our 1000th subscriber. I'm immensley proud and grateful to be wrapped in so much love. I’m still processing, still a bit stunned to parse much meaning from what’s…
We’ve spent decades building digital walls—ad blockers, "skip" buttons, premium subscriptions—just to protect our peace from this kind of noise. If a brand isn't part of the niche vocabulary of…
6.1 Around one third of Americans have cut off ties from their family. Once considered taboo, going no contact with your family is now being openly discussed by people…
If you want to raise the standard of a group, improving the top performers usually matters less than lifting the base. It’s easy to focus on the highest achievers. The…
21.11 Everybody wants the dream. The fancy dinners with your name handwritten on the card. The public speaking deal for a group of entrepreneurs. But very rarely we…
The Hotpot No. — 17 juni 2026 The middle ground is the worst possible place to be commercially. The thoughtful, nuanced creator — the person who considers both sides, who…