Carla Hall: Episode Link
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Carla Hall, a guest on the podcast ‘Hot Flashes and Cool Topics’, discusses her new show on HBO called ‘Chasing Flavor’. She explains that the show explores the heritage of food from different perspectives and traces the history of dishes. Carla shares how the idea for the show came about and the importance of understanding the stories behind dishes. She also talks about the process of choosing the six dishes featured on the show and the challenges of filming during the pandemic. Additionally, Carla discusses her passion for advocating for women’s health, particularly menopause, and the importance of sleep and self-care. She emphasizes the need for older women to have new experiences and the value of their wisdom. The conversation touches on topics such as aging, caregiving, and the impact of isolation on older adults.
TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome back to Hot Flashes and Cool Topics. Today on the podcast, we have one of our favorite humans on the planet, Carla Hall. Welcome back to the show. It is so great to be here.
Did you hear the exhalation? I feel like you all are a warm hug. you get me. You’re my tribe, I love being here.
– Well, thank you. Well, you’ve been busy. You know, after watching your new show, you’ve been all around, so. – Well, let’s talk about that first. You have a new show on HBO. It’s called Chasing Flavor,
and it’s really unique. It’s six episodes of 30 Minutes, but you actually kind of traced the heritage of food from a different perspective. So, can you talk about how… how it came to be and why you wanted to be a part of it?
– So it came to be, it started as a conversation that I was talking to someone at a dinner party and I said, you know, when I meet people and I’m in a lot of cars where they’re drivers and if someone’s from somewhere else and even if they’re from the States,
I was like, you know, instead of asking how are you, I would say, you know, what’s a dish that you miss from home? I’m not going to be a part of it. I’m not going to be a part of it. I’m not going to be a part of it. I’m not going to be a part of it. I’m not going to be a part of it. I’m not going to be a part of it. watch how their faces change and how they become very engaged in the question.
You know, it’s not like a yes, no thing. And so I was telling that story at a dinner party and my literary agent’s husband, you know, he was like, wow, that’s kind of cool. And he goes and tells someone who was the president of a production company.
Two weeks later, I get a call and said, Hey, want to come in? in and talk to us?” And I was like, “Oh, okay.” And then six weeks later, we’re shooting a pilot, and then,
not a pilot, like a sizzle, and then a year later, we’re actually shooting the show. And yeah, it was crazy. But interestingly enough, when I was talking to someone who worked with me on The Chew,
they said, “Carla, you had mentioned doing something like this 10 years ago. So it’s it’s funny how you forget, like you put something out into the world, you forget about it, and then there it is.
– It just pops back in. And, you know, watching it, it’s like you’re doing time travel with food. – Yes. – And it really was so interesting just learning this history ’cause I am a big history buff.
So that whole part of it, really my two favorite things, history and food, you know? – Yeah. Yeah, so can you tell us that about just or share a little bit like what it’s like?
You don’t have to give away the whole episode, but how you start out and how the traveling goes. So we start out with these beloved American dishes and we end up tracing it back.
So you go to one place and you talk about it and then you get a colonel. kernel of history and you’re like wait, let me go to that place And then you go there you get more of the stories like oh wait a minute Let me go to this place and the thing is it’s not the definitive Half of food because when you look at food,
it’s like a tree So did you go down this branch of that branch? Do you go out on this leaf of that week? you know, so you make choices and There were so many surprises and I just think that there’s so much of our culture wrapped up in the story of food that we forget and we we focus on the dish itself.
But what we’re trying to remind people and make people curious is that if you don’t know the story, you really don’t know the dish. So by taking a dish like 3 ,000 years ago, you’re like, Oh,
wait a minute, what? You know, it becomes really kind of fun and exciting. So can we let’s start an example like your chicken pop high? How would you even begin to trace the history of that?
– So we look for dishes that have deep roots. And so when you look at chicken pop pie, many times they go back to England, so the pasty,
right? And when you look at those ingredients and also you’re looking at different cultures and different cultures. culinary historians who have a different perspective on the dish as well.
So you’re trying to make sense of everyone’s stories that you are putting together. And we have a lot of producers who were, you know, researching and doing all these things. By the way,
I chose chicken pot pie because it runs parallel to my culinary career. So I had to do chicken pot pie. Um, and so. when you look at where the British went,
so they came to the States, obviously, but they also went to Jamaica. So then you’re looking at the pasty and you’re like, wait a minute, what does that have to do with our chicken pot pie? But it’s all of the other cultures who were there to think about who was in the States versus who went who was in Jamaica.
And so that’s how food travels. So food and culture is like a butterfly effect. for one thing, you know? And then you could actually, we haven’t done the show yet. If we get another season,
you could go to Jamaica and then spin off and go and trace Curry back to India. – Yeah, that was what, one thing I learned so much about this show was how much,
and you bring it up quite a bit, erasure there is in this. And that, that was just complete. fascinating. Just, you know, of course we know that,
we know that, but to really get to hear these people’s names. And one of them was James Heming. And can you share a little bit about him because of the White House connection and everything like that?
– Yeah, so James, James Hemings was the, I mean, I guess we say chef of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Heming’s brother. And he was actually trained in France.
So you’ve been hearing a lot about James in the last decade or so. I mean, there’s a foundation who is talking a lot about James. And so James was responsible for bringing back and continuing the making of ice cream in the White House.
And much years later, you have Augustus Jackson. So if James Heming’s brought ice cream here, it was Augustus Jackson. Jackson who was also an enslaved chef at the White House who was there for 20 years,
moved to Philly, and was the father of ice cream who created the idea of how ice cream was made, but he wasn’t given the credit,
and then that credit goes to a white woman. And so, and it’s interesting because even in telling the story, people say, oh, he didn’t pack ice cream. his invention. I mean,
what black man at that time, you know, before slavery ended, you know, in the 1860s, what black person was making a patent on something, right? So that was also very important in terms of the voices and the culinary historians were telling the stories.
Because if you own the, if you own the public, and the, and the, and the books and, and, and the media, that’s going to be the perspective of your history.
And so you dig and try to get to another perspective and what was actually the truth of how there are more people adding to this experience than what is actually taught in school.
It was really interesting. How did you choose six dishes? Because, like, how do you know? that down? – Well, it’s a committee. There’s a network.
There’s a lot of discussion. We had so many other things that we wanted to do, but also keeping in mind, this was shot during the pandemic. So we shot it at the end of 2020 on and to,
I think the end of January 2021. So that’s when we were shooting. There were certain places we couldn’t go. So for barbecue, we really wanted to go to Korea because the Korean barbecue was so well known,
but the quarantine restraints prevented us from going there. So a lot of it was time and place and where we could go and get in and get out. But also it was these deep stories that we wanted to tell.
Like, I don’t know, I don’t know. wanted to do pancakes because I think pancakes are something that you can have wherever also if you’re traveling to a country you can find flour you can find milk you can find eggs but still so you can hold on to your culture right um there was a strawberry shortcake and there was a strawberry festival that I wanted to go to and then we get to do that so we need we need more
seasons we definitely Yeah, I know what I’d love to about the stories in the shows where the people used what was available to them.
Yeah, it’s just the the barbecue one where they went to Virginia. Can you share a little bit about how like just going out chopping,
you know, the the baster. baster. The wand. You’re referring to the wand. Yes. What I loved about that barbecue story, I live in Washington,
DC. I mean, Virginia is right there. It’s in the name, the DMV. I have heard very little about Virginia barbecue. And when we think about not only our forefathers,
but but honestly, the making of barbecue, as we know it, have right there in Virginia. So the trifecta are the Europeans because they did the whole hog and our forefathers were having these political events,
bringing people to the yard, you know, but then you had the enslaved who was basically using all of their spices and tricks and all of that.
And then you’ve had the Native Americans who were digging the pit or the barber of color. and digging the pit So it was a trifecta. So you need all three of those cultures to create what we now know as our American barbecue But then it was all about that basting one and we went into the sticks grabbing a stick and putting some clock on it And you know making our thing and people were just you know,
the ingenuity was amazing but but also tracing that and then being in when we went to a crop in Ghana that ingenuity that you see and you’re like okay I mean and as a black woman I was really excited just to see the ingenuity in like my homeland my motherland of Africa and seeing how as we as a people you know where there’s a will there is a way I mean for anyone but I’d love the,
I love singing in my culture and the contributions. And, you know, because I think every culture, and that was the whole thing of the show, I want you to see a piece of your history and feel a sense of pride,
you know, no matter who you are and what those contributions were. – How has the response been since the show came out? – It has been so great.
Everyone says, “Where can I see more seasons?” seasons?” You know, you know, and you know, and you know, it’s funny ’cause I did an interview and in DC,
and they wouldn’t have said this on air, but they said, “You know, we just wanted you to come “because we really like you, Carla, “but didn’t we watch the show, and it was really awesome, “you know?” (laughing) I’m like,
“Thanks, I’ll take that, I will take that.” So I think, right, whatever, it takes, it’s just really nice to show people the different side of myself and to do a show where there’s travelogue.
But if you think, anybody who watched The Chew, so I was the one who did a lot of the field pieces. And so this show started really at The Chew.
And so this is the glorified version of the field pieces that I did, where I got to leave a studio and talk to people and talk to people and talk to people and talk to people. you know, like the girl on the street. And I love people.
I think that is my superpower, the fact that I’m curious about people and that I really love people. Right. I think, yeah, that definitely, well, when you start out with your question to people and like you said,
people light up when they talk about their favorite food. And then when you were in Nashville and Colleen and I right near Nashville and, you know, we talk about a race but that’s not,
that’s still going on. Erasure is still going on. So can you share a little bit about the hot chicken and I will never call it Nashville hot chicken again. Oh my god.
So, so I really wanted to do hot chicken because of my connection to Nashville. And I don’t know if you remember, I had a restaurant for a very short period of time,
Carlisle Southern Kitchen. Kitchen there in Brooklyn. And I remember before it opened, it was maybe like 2015 and I was in Nashville and I went to Princess Hot Chicken and I said to Simone and Ms.
Jeffery, I said, “Oh, I’m opening up a hot chicken place, “a natural hot chicken place in New York.” And the reception was not as warm as I had hoped, but it was kind of like asking for their blessing And I was like,
“Oh, I’m opening up a hot chicken place And I was like, “Oh, I’m opening up a hot chicken place And I was like, “Oh, I’m opening up a hot chicken place in my head, that’s what was happening. And when I didn’t get that I said, Oh, they must be sleepy. It wasn’t until I’m shooting this show and I’m talking to them.
And I hear Ms. Jeffery’s talk about how Princess Hot Chicken became natural hot chicken. And that became just hot chicken and how over the years, the decades that we know of,
and because she changed it to Princess Hot Chicken on that earth. early 40s, the erasure of their name. And in that moment, I realized I was a part of that. And I was just looking at Simone,
and I felt such shame. And I was like, oh, my God. And later she said, she saw it in my face that I didn’t get it until that moment. And so we have to think about that in a lot of places,
when you are are thinking about only the dish, you don’t know the history of it. And so you do, like it’s like making someone’s name, like a nickname,
like their Matthew and you call them Matt and then it’s Em. And you know, and so their name gets dwindled to the smallest, you know, letter. And so that’s what we’ve kind of done over the years.
And so that was really emotional. You know, and the entire. crew, I’m looking up at them and my eyes are getting red and they’re crying. And, you know, and she talks about how,
you know, people do the dumpster diving, they can’t even throw out their trash, because people are trying to figure out what the recipe is. And it makes you think. And so whenever I refer to hot chicken,
I’m like, Princess, you know, like their legacy was pretty almost a race. And I very pleased that she’s getting the attention that she should get.
But you look at other brands and no diss to Hattie B’s, but they have more opportunities and money available to them to grow that brand over the one that started it.
And I think that’s such an important lesson. I mean, it’s an educational, your show is, it’s educational, it’s it’s fun. There’s travel, you know, you know. So that I just– – A little bit of everything.
– A little bit, but I love it. And it’s just the important, I think it’s very important to learn these lessons. – Well, when we know better, we do better. – Yeah, that’s exactly right.
– Yeah, you know. And, you know, we have to talk about your big birthday coming up in May. May Because you have seen Carla everywhere talking about getting her sexy back.
So where did that come from? But you know, it was interesting. So I decided I’ve been thinking about this 60th birthday I mean,
I’m all about milestone birthdays So my 40s about turn 40 when I turn 50 and and 60s is a big one and also the age at which you know know, people don’t want to really talk about their age.
And I decided to have a photo shoot of my birthday and it was one of the stylist who made this shirt for me. They said, “Sexy.” I’m like,
“Oh, my God !” You know, so that is, everything came about when I tell you that photo shoot was amazing. Like the photographer was great, the hairstylist,
you know. you know, and the stylist and then the designer of some of these outfits that I wore. So I am over waiting for somebody to do the thing that I want to do.
If I want to do it, I produce it, I make it happen. And so my team, we talked about, I said, “Look, I want to do this photo shoot.” And I went being under the pictures.
I said, “I don’t know.” But I know that if we have these pictures, we can pitch them. And to the paper who that doesn’t really have a budget, you know,
that’s not going to send somebody to me to have this photo shoot, but we’ll already have them. And it’s about doing that and doing the things that I absolutely want to do. Yeah. And it just,
it’s just another part of just women our age, just, you know, sharing the confidence that you can. have. Yes. When I tell you,
so I’m working on a one woman show, that’s another thing that I want to do because I was a child actor. I mean, I did theater from 12 to 17. And I thought that was going to be my career. And this is me choosing something else that I want to do.
So one of the, and it’s all these vignettes about my life. So one of the vignettes about menopause I’m I’m calling the vagina that’s sat by the door, taken from the book,
the spook who sat by the door, because we are underestimated, right? And it’s like, we have all of this wisdom and we can honestly take over the world if we don’t ask for permission. If we just get in there and do it.
– Absolutely. – We can take over. – Absolutely, exactly. – Absolutely. – And we’re over waiting. Like, who’s permission do we need? – Yeah. – Exactly, who are we waiting for?
And if I, whenever I hear young women say, “I’m sorry,” I said, “Don’t be sorry.” And if they say it 15 times without the promise, I said, “Don’t be sorry.” I want you to hear my voice when you’re somewhere and you say you’re sorry,
don’t be sorry. Like, don’t be sorry, you know? – ‘Cause that is true. – We’re like training. – They say we’re sorry for things that some people– else did to us. You know, like somebody read into us with a grocery cart and we say,
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” You know, we were, that I was in your way. God. – We were having a conversation. We were doing this like zoom thing where we were talking to women about menopausal.
‘Cause you know, that’s what we talk about a lot. – Yeah. – And we were talking about how you can break up with your doctor. If they’re not giving you the answers, the looks on these women’s faces, faces is like I never thought I could do that I can break up with my doctor like they work for you you don’t work like you don’t have to apologize if you come in and you share something you learned and they’re like no
I don’t think so and I’m sorry I guess I’m wrong no it’s it’s for you and I think this time of life we really need to get over that I’m sorry that I don’t deserve better.
It’s just, it’s time. It is time and, you know, there’s so much talk about, you know, care and the lack of knowledge when it,
as it surrounds menopause. And if you broke up, if we broke up with enough doctors because they don’t know what they are doing, then we will change the the trajectory of doctors actually going into a field that can help us.
I mean, there are enough OBGYNs. You’re gonna have a baby, but what happens when those babies, the female babies are transitioning to our age and who is here to actually advocate for us and what is happening with our bodies?
I think it’s really important for those of us at this age to be able to do what we want to do, to be able to do what we want to do, because it’s really important for us at this age because it’s really important for us at this age to be able to do what we want to do, because it’s really important for us at this age because it’s really important for us at this age we’re going to change it for the next
generation of young women and talk more about menopause and talk about it openly. I try to say menopause at every chance I get. If I’m on TV and I can’t remember something, I said pause for the menopause.
That’s awesome. Yeah, no, it’s so true. Trying to get the word out is the biggest thing in this space. And, you know, just before calling Colleen and I started doing this podcast I didn’t realize that our OB /GYNs only had at the most what was it eight hours of study on menopause eight hours for how many years could this go on 40 50 years that you have of your life you know more life more of your life is probably
going to be a menopause than your child bearing years hopefully Hopefully. Hopefully. That’s the plan. Yeah. That’s right. Yes. Yes. And they just no one it’s so connected with aging in a negative connotation.
And I just think that, you know, who cares? Like, exactly. Exactly. I mean, honestly, who cares? I was with my acupuncturist and and so she will ask me,
well, how are things going? What do you want to work on the day? And I always like balance and my brain fog. And so she said to me, “Well, why do you want to work on your brain fog?” I’m like, “Why, what?” Because I can’t call banana when I see it.
No, but she said, yeah, she said something so interesting. (clears throat) Just like, you’ve had a lot of lives and so your brain can only hold it so much of it.
So why stretch yourself out about remembering all the things? And you know, as soon as she said that, I just released this anxiety about not remembering the things and even when I’m talking about it,
if I can’t remember, I’m like, oh, well, that’s fine. I’ll move on to the next thing because I was… so stressed about it, like I had to remember everything. And so even though I’m not pressuring myself to look a particular way,
I want my brain to function in the same way. And it doesn’t. And so I have to give myself grace and permission to be okay with those changes. Yeah, absolutely.
Like, just like you said, you know, I don’t really, I’m not trying to look this certain way. and how we’re just really, we just want to be healthy, but you’re so right about giving yourself some permission and grace.
And you know what? If you can’t remember banana, there’s going to be somebody else in that room. You just make your hands that shake. It makes me a better charades person.
That thing, that’s just all my husband do. all day is, you know, that thing. And then it’s like a fun guessing game, you know, keeps the marriage alive.
You know, and it’s contagious because they start forgetting too. So they’re not any help anymore. You’re like, that thing. Oh, right. The thing. Yeah. Then we’ll remember it two hours later.
Yes. Oh my gosh. Or the middle of the night. Yeah. In the middle of the night. Wake up. You just say the word and then you know what they’re talking about. – Yeah. – 100 % exactly,
exactly. – And so much of the conversation now for women is women’s health ’cause it was neglected for so long. And even when they were testing things,
they would test them on men for women’s products and that’s only recently in the ’90s changed. So I know that you’re very aware you’ve done cognitive testing and that you have– have concerns about how are you working to keep your cognitive health strong?
So, yeah, so I’m taking all of these, I do this cognitive test called WAVI. I’ve been getting the NAD drips, which is a complex B vitamins.
It comes in drip form and it also comes in pill form. The pill form, it’s a very low dosage. I mean, you know, and, you know, people feel differently about the IVs.
It gives me energy and I find that it helps my mental acuity. And I also started doing it for my mom because my mother has mild dementia.
My grandmother had Alzheimer’s. And so I was talking to a doctor about that. And I said, according to my DNA, I took one of those tests and said, oh, I am carry the marker for early onset Alzheimer’s.” And I said,
“So what’s early?” And she said, “I’m sorry, not early, late, “late onset Alzheimer’s.” And she said, “Oh, it’s 70 to 80.” I’m like, “That’s not late.” – That’s not that long.
– That’s a decade. – That’s not mad. Look, I can see that right from here. – I had one marker too. I had one marker also. Yeah. – Yes. and so a study was done that said if you do cardio,
at least three times a week, three to four times a week, you can change that by 85%. So I can delay that to like 80 to 90.
And when I think about, and that is a motivator to get out to walk, to do whatever, because that’s gonna give you my brain health. And at the end of the day, day, it’s all about getting oxygen to the brain.
So if you’re, if you’re a brain, if every, if the, the, the blood vessels are shrinking is to energize them with oxygen. And so I’m like,
say no more. Okay. I got you. Yeah. Yeah. Just, yeah, it is. It’s all about just trying to live this healthier life because it’s a different mindset.
We were exercising when we were younger to fitness size, whatever. Now we’re exercising to stay healthy and to have to keep our health longer because we plan on living longer.
That’s absolutely right. I mean, with the technology and with doctors, you know, aside from menopause, we’re going to catch up. Everything is getting better. Besides menopause, right? Slowly picking up.
up on women’s illnesses, then they’ll catch up. Yeah, but it is, it is changing. It’s just, you know, it’s catching up. More women were given access to the information that would,
you know, do wonders. So what are you looking forward to in your 60s, 60s? I’m looking forward to having conversations like this.
I’m looking forward to bringing away and just sitting around with a group of people and talking about their experiences very openly. And also,
I just want to inspire people, especially older women, to have new experiences to do something that scares them because I truly believe that when you do that,
it changes the mapping of your brain. It changes your output. It makes you look forward to the next thing. You have not just one more chapter,
several chapters left. I mean, even at 60, I feel like I have several chapters left. And I want to be on this journey with other women who are like me. I choose to work with women who are older.
I choose to work with, because I want to be the beneficiary of their wisdom. You know. Right. Yeah exactly. And what you’re doing definitely you know this travel I mean what a great way to see the world and to learn about our history and where these foods come from and this is kind of I was going gosh Carla it’s in such great shape like I’m watching the show and you’re eating this wonderful food and I’m like look
at her and then I saw you peddling that ice cream bike and I’m like she’s in good shape. And you were in Ghana, and you were, you know, you had that you were baking the grits.
And I went, Well, no wonder she’s in great shape. Look at her, you know, you know, in my head, I want to be sit enough to run for the bus train or playing, right?
But also, I want to pause. okay. Pause for the minute. Oh,
we can relate. I know. Okay. I was supposed to say that, but whatever it was. Um, but, but yeah, I, I really want to have enough energy to do the things that I want it to do.
And so even sometimes, and I feel it too, you know, I get the efforts and I just. want to sit on the couch, that’s fine. But also, if I if I drag that out too long,
then I get complacent. And then and that means I don’t want to do something else. And then months go by, you don’t want to do the thing. And you know what I mean? And so and I’m okay with sitting on the couch.
I mean, I will have my downtime, but I want to vary it, you know, and I want to have new experience. even if those new experiences are going to another country and meeting new people and all of that.
Yeah exactly if I sit too long like you said you can place it that could lead to depression. I mean I yeah I mean it really like it’s been really rainy thank goodness we saw the sunshine today in Nashville but it’s been you know I’m like yeah it’s been kind of stinky it’s been really stinky I’m like I need my light.
I need it. Yeah. How important is sleep for you? Because we always talk about like what’s important as we get older and sleep is really top of my list. So how important is sleep for you?
You know, I didn’t realize how important sleep was. I, years ago about, I feel like it was about eight years ago. Somebody said, what are your top 10 favorite things? Eight of the 10 things had to deal with sleep.
sleep from my weighted blanket to my noise canceling bows, night, night airpieces to like a weighted mask to all of the thank you.
All of these different things to listening to audible like all of these things to your fan. I know you have a portable fan. – What? A fan? (laughing) A fan that is like,
that doesn’t make a lot of noise to my magnesium, my progesterone nails on that list. Like all of those things, I have always been a fan of sleep.
Like even when I was in college, I’m like, ladies, it’s 11 o ‘clock in the dorm, certainly I’ll be in bed. I mean, so I’ve always been one’s account. count the hours of sleep that I get, like always.
And so now it’s just, you know, grown up version. And so I don’t wake up, you know, that was that was actually one of the telltale signs when I was hitting my menopause.
And I was like, why am I waking up? I was always hot at night because my metabolic rate was so high. So I got hot around 2am. But I was waking up. And I was like,
I didn’t know when I woke up. that was one of the factors until I looked at a list, because I’ve never, I would never wake up in the middle of the night. So sleep is really important. Oh, it’s so important for longevity,
too. I mean, I didn’t realize that until we did the show, how important sleep was. We were talking, and also when we were talking to Dan Butner from the Blue Zones, how important community and connection and interaction,
because there is a loneliness epidemic. in this country, especially after the pandemic. And how important that is for longevity. There’s so many aspects of longevity that people don’t put together,
you know what? They’re just puzzle pieces, but they’re not putting it together. – They’re not putting it together. So, you know, we’re at the age where we’re younger, seeing the OBGYN and having kids,
or we’re older and we can’t remember anything and we’re taking care of our parents, right? So my mother, I’m at the stage where with my sister, we were taking care of my mom. And so we had to move her from Nashville up to the Maryland DC area to be with us because she didn’t remember that she wasn’t doing all the things.
She wasn’t eating. She wasn’t going to her exercising classes. She wasn’t going to the club meeting. She wasn’t doing those things. that were keeping her basically energized and and not depressed.
And so when we moved her, it was it was just like this thing, when am I going back home, but we’re like mama, but we can see you up here. And we had to tell some little tiny lies just to say,
Hey, the place is already furnished, and we’re going to move you in. And then you’re going to go back home knowing that that we were furnishing that place for her. So that has been huge and she is thriving mainly because she’s around people.
She is now eating as a social activity. She was wasting away. She was losing like five pounds a week. It was just crazy. And now it is completely changed,
but she was depressed for that loneliness. And it absolutely, we saw a huge difference from before the pandemic and after the pandemic. And we couldn’t visit her as often.
And so it’s been really great to sort of find her in a place where she has the activities and the exercise and eating. – Wow, that is such an important message too.
Because so many of our listeners are going through what you’re going through with that sandwich generation or just, you know, just try it out. to help out and trying to know what to do is so hard.
Like it just. – It is. And like, you know, my mom is in a very, very similar situation and she’s in Florida and I’m trying to get her up here. And it’s like, she just forgets to eat or she’s,
you know, we try to get her to do yoga and she’ll go sometimes and she won’t go other times and she’s isolated. It’s so, that isolation. isolation is so unhealthy for them. – But also just for the occupational health and language skills,
they’re losing them and they’re constantly watching the news. And the other thing that speaking of losing something, so my mother had been paying for this insurance for her long -term healthcare for years,
it’s 92. And they’re just, and then so when she stopped, the memory thing came she didn’t pay one payment and they cut her off and and they were she a merit prize they she was paying for years and they were just looking they’re like oh i’m sorry you know that’s yeah acceptable and i mean they’re raising their rates anyway because now my my parents have passed away but i’m my husband’s parents but his father is
really going through some issues now but yeah it is there because his mother is really still with it real well but she’s like oh I don’t know they’re raising my rates they keep raising my rates and we finally just said well how much more can we help you out you know because it’s crazy it’s great but to cut off people when you know that they are probably at this age where they’re going to forget.
They’re going to be taken advantage of. That’s what. Well, that’s exactly it. I mean, it’s predatory. And so right at the time when they need it, and it was about, I want to say four days after the fact.
So she got this, this notice, we didn’t know about it. We, my sister had just started taking over her bills. She stuffed it in some book or whatever. And then we were like, wait,
what? What? And then we found out like, like four to four. five days after the fact, they were like, oh, no, sorry. – That’s unacceptable. – That is unacceptable. It’s cruel and in your right,
it’s predatory. And that, you know, that we, it’s tough that this time of year and how to take care of our parents and our respect our elderly people.
But it is important, you know, that’s a big issue too, is what do we do, you know, people move, move people. people live in different areas, and it can be confusing to our parents if they have to go somewhere else,
but then that interaction with their family is so important. – It’s true. – Yeah, it took about, it took, it has taken two months for her to settle in, into a routine,
and now she really enjoys being there. I mean, you know, and now I have all of these friends who are 106 .95. 95, and I go, and I hate this, Doris, you know,
I’m melden. They love it. I’m sure they love it. And you had your mom on your Nashville episode on the Prince’s Hot Chicken episode.
Yes, that was yes, Prince’s Hot Chicken episode, yes. And that was great to see. She was so cute and great to see you’re out there. Well, I’m glad you’re here. settled in.
Maybe we can get my mom to be her, you know, next door. Although she’s got. Yeah, come on. It’s really, it’s exactly, it’s really hard. They just giving up independence is something that they really don’t want to do.
And I remember someone saying to us on an episode that it’s changing your mindset because it’s saying, I still get to do these things for her. She’s still here, so I get to do them versus.
I’ve got to do this and I’ve got to do this. And yeah, it’s, I get to talk to her. I get to, you know, and it’s really, it’s so hard on us to see them reach a point where they need that help because we’re used to them doing it for us,
you know, 100%. 100%. And I, and so, and to, and again, to your listeners, so my sister was like, well, let’s do a trial with mama at home with companion care and someone said,
to us, well, why not do the trial at the senior place? So, I mean, my mother is still independent, so she’s living in an apartment. And I moved ahead with doing the trial there ’cause we could have always go back home.
And it has proven to be the right decision. And she has friends that she looks forward to seeing there. And she still calls her friends at home. A lot of FaceTime.
FaceTime is happening. And if you can figure out the piece of technology to, and I think there’s some programs where you can even get on their computers and manage it from wherever you are,
if they’re having problems on the computer, all they have to do is just open it, you know, and then everything else you can do. I mean, it changes everything. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that is great.
Well, I’m glad to hear that she’s doing well. and that you’re busy and doing what’s next. Um, so I told you about the one woman show.
I’m working on a new cookbook as we speak. It was going to be a while. I don’t know why I’m mentioning it because done it. No one asked me about it because I’m literally it’s at the proposal stage,
but I’m excited about it because I wanted to do a baking book years ago and then I ended up doing so. soul food. And I can’t, I’m a tourist by the way,
so I can’t do anything that I don’t feel wholehearted that I have to buy in. So if I’m waffling, it’s never going to happen. I will procrastinate. But this is the right time, so I’m excited about working on that.
And oh my gosh, you know what else I’m working on? I’m going to do an HGTV show. So I may be a national. national for quite sometimes. I’m going to redo my childhood home.
I’m pitching this show that would be a Nashville for a while. And if you need assistance to come and hammer and even though we don’t know how we’ll bring the coffee,
whatever you need. Would that be amazing? I mean, I’m telling you, I would absolutely have your all over. Either we can do the hot flashes and whatever, you know, hot topics and hot flashes and a broken down house.
– ‘Cause the air would be out, yeah. – Exactly. – We’d have fans set up everywhere. – Yeah. – That is so great. That is great. I would love that. ‘Cause yeah, I still am in love with my childhood home.
So I hope it all works out for you. I hope that does. – Yeah. Well, Well, we are just thrilled to have you on again. It’s so much fun whenever we talk to you. Thank you so much.
Oh, my gosh, it’s thank you all so much. Thanks for being a fan of Lori King and her products. Oh, yeah. Oh, absolutely. Care beauty. Yeah. We didn’t even get into talking about this.
She’s a huge fan, which you introduced us to her. And I know it’s and and it’s just like been great. And I. I’m where I’ve got my care beauty on right now I’m a serum I’m always treasure my mask I’m good with the mask I forget to use it you can tell a difference when you do that especially here oh yeah you you absolutely can you know it’s funny because when I and I swear this is like that that Nashville the
back as we never say it back we keep talking But I don’t, but so my makeup artist, they’re like, Curly, your face is drinking up the makeup.
What is going on? And if I don’t put that mask on, they’re like, you need the mask. Where’s the mask? You need the mask. – Really? – It changes your makeup ’cause it just, the moisture,
otherwise the makeup goes into your skin and it actually makes you look older. So, I guess, I don’t know. got to start being better at that. – It’s like after you take that makeup off. – Don’t tell Lori or Celeste off it.
– If you can do it once or twice a week. – That’s right. – Yeah, just get that on. – Absolutely, and it seems like we have more things to do once or twice a week. (laughing) – No, 100 % exactly.
Okay, this is like one time a week, just one time. Have your husband do it, you know? – Yeah, yeah. honey, do it for Valentine’s Day. Oh, there, okay. Try it yourself.
I will. I will. Well, thank you so much. We could talk forever and we appreciate you taking the time to speak with us.