The topic for this episode of Check Please! is malaise. ma·laise /məˈlāz,məˈlez/ noun * a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify. We chat about the things we like to eat when we feel like sickly Victorian orphans, revisit my freaky alternative health childhood, analyze the plot of Safe (1995) starring Julianne Moore, and interview Taipei author Tao Lin about his low Vitamin A diet, the leeches he ordered in the mail, the eczema on his *******, and his forthcoming book “Self Heal.” Note: We are well aware Josh sounds like a robot in this episode, and we are not proud of it. The reverb issue will be fixed by the next episode. Listen, we’re just cooks after all! Thank you for listening. As always, Bella This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bellacastillo.substack.com/subscribe