“Did you see that Lily Tomlin was on Ellen again?”

“What’s that?”

Location Overheard: HUB

I’m not sure what the “what’s that?” was in reference to here. But whether it was about either Ellen or Lily Tomlin I am severely disappointed in this person’s reaction of not knowing either individual. What a disgrace to the 21st century. For those of you who don’t know, Ellen is clearly in reference to the popular daytime television host Ellen DeGeneres while Lily Tomlin is an American actress, comedian, and singer who is now popular for her show Grace & Frankie with co-star Jane Fonda. Both women are absolutely hysterical and are practically legendary.

So, for this blog post, I will be featuring Lily Tomlin and her very entertaining role as Frankie in Grace & Frankie (Thank you to whoever brought up Lily Tomlin on Ellen because now I get to talk about one of my favorite shows).

Grace & Frankie (2015)

Grace & Frankie is a Netflix Original that has featured five brilliant seasons of comedic gold and entertaining storylines. Season 6 has been renewed and will be uploaded to Netflix in 2020. The show features two women, played by Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, whose husbands leave them for each other. In an attempt to get over the shocking news, Grace and Frankie, who are polar opposites, become close friends as they try to navigate their new worlds. Frankie, who’s an eccentric and earthy aspiring artist, who smokes a bit too much marijuana and sages the beach house in her free time finds support in Grace, who’s a fashionable businesswoman addicted to pain medication who drinks martinis at eight o’clock in the morning. Both go on various adventures together as their ex-husbands Sol and Robert begin their new lives together as husbands.

I started this series over Christmas break and finished all 5 seasons by the time I returned to Penn State and even got my mother addicted The episodes are only twenty-five minutes long and the plot is light and funny. I highly recommend starting this series if you want something new that won’t drain you of energy by attempting to keep up with the storyline and characters.

Lily Tomlin even earned four Emmy nominations and one Golden Globe nomination for her performance in Grace & Frankie. 

Honestly, I just hope I age as well as Lily Tomlin and still have the ability to be so quick-witted even at the age of 79. And to whoever it was that was unaware of Lily Tomlin, well, I just hope that one day her hysterical presence will enter into your life in one way or another.

“On a side note edamame is so subtle but it is such a game changer!”

“Yes, I know! Have you ever had it warm and salted?”

“No, but I think I could spoon feed it to myself every day and not get sick of it.”

Location Overheard: Pollock Commons

I suppose it was the Asian Edamame Pad Thai on the menu that sparked this particular discussion at the next table over. I guess this dish was a hit amongst the group. Anyway, according to WebMD, (not really sure why WebMD has an article about edamame) edamame is “just a fancy name for boiled green soybeans.”

Edamame is simply immature soybeans, found in a lot of East Asian cuisines. In Japan and Hong Kong, the name edamame literally translates to “stem peas” because the beans were often sold with the stem still intact. Well, apparently these fancy little green soybeans have a lot of health benefits that go unrecognized.

High in protein: Apparently one cup of cooked edamame provides around 18.5 g of protein.

May lower cholesterol: Eating 47 grams of soy protein per day can lower total cholesterol levels by 9.3%.

Rich in vitamins and minerals: In 100 g of edamame: Folate (78%), Vitamin K1 (33%), Thiamine (13%), Riboflavin (9%), Iron (13%), Copper (17%), Manganese (51%).

Rich in fiber: Edamame is rich in protein, antioxidants and fiber that may lower circulating cholesterol levels.

Edamame is also considered one of the most versatile beans to cook with. Here are some ways that you can prepare edamame!

The Japanese typically eat edamame as a side dish. Salt and garlic are typically condiments for edamame.

Just like at Pollock, edamame can also be placed in Pad Thai which makes a tasty dish.

Edamame can also be baked in the oven with salt, pepper, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Similar to the snack called “kale chips” which is made with the same ingredients, crispy edamame can serve as a new side dish or a snack.

Overall, I suppose I learned that edamame is a bean that you can literally add to anything and enjoy the health benefits that come along with it. It was really interesting to hear someone get so excited over these little green beans, but I suggest that it is a valid thing to get excited over. The United States Department of Agriculture even stated that edamame beans are a “soybean that can be eaten fresh and are best known as a snack with a nutritional punch.” I had no idea that edamame was notorious for being such a game changer.