Freya Has Entered the Chat

A furry new family member, some big projects — and a brief hiatus

Hi readers! A few weeks ago, Andrew and I surprised our boys with the ultimate Christmas gift: an eight-week-old golden retriever puppy. Teddy, 10, has been begging for a dog ever since he learned to talk, and this was a decision long in the making. It happened, by chance, that the puppies from our chosen litter were ready to go home just in time for the holidays. Everybody, meet Freya!

Freya is sweet and feisty, with enormous meatball paws and fur as soft as a mink. She’s a Very Good Girl. But as anyone who has ever added a small, sentient being to their household —human or canine—knows, the unbearable cuteness comes bundled with a lot of new responsibility. Our days now include early mornings, ruined carpets, and saying “leave it” one thousand times before noon. We’re happy. We’re also… adjusting.

Which brings us to the actual reason for this note.

Consumed is going to take a short break—about two months—while Jane and I both attend to some major, time-intensive projects.

On my end, in addition to my fuzzy new friend, I’m deep in a book project with a very tight deadline. I can’t say much about it (ghostwriting remains, by design, a little mysterious), besides that it will require my full and undivided attention in the coming weeks.

At the same time, Jane is beginning to teach a new food writing course — Eat the Press! — that she developed for undergrads at George Washington University. Building a class from scratch is serious work, and she’s doing it with the care and thoughtfulness you’d expect if you’ve ever learned from her writing.

Rather than half-doing Consumed during this period, we decided to pause, regroup, and come back with the energy and attention this space deserves.

A practical note, especially important for our paid subscribers: your billing will be paused for the duration of the break. You don’t need to do anything on your end. You won’t be charged while we’re away, and when we return, things will resume as normal.

We’re incredibly grateful for this community—for the readers who’ve been here from the beginning, for those who joined more recently, and for everyone who reads, cooks, and thinks about the state of the food system alongside us. Consumed exists because you make it worth sustaining, and that’s not something we take lightly.

While we are officially on hiatus, Jane may still pop into your inbox with a topical piece of food policy analysis or a fun tidbit off the headlines from time to time. (Sometimes, she just can’t help herself!) In March, we’ll be officially back with a new buying guide, news, analysis, and, if you twist my arm, more puppy photos.

Until then,