7. We all have a little Umarell inside of us.

It's the best word you didn't know you needed to know.

May 21, 2025

Greetings from Palm Desert and apologies for no letter last week - between flying across the country and watching two chihuahuas bask in the desert, there simply wasn't time to think about business news. (You understand!).

We're here with our friends Rosa and Joe. Rosa is the kind of person who knows how to do everything and knows the best way to do it. In otherwords, she knows how to live well.

I hate the idea of optimizing your life (ie. Soylent), but I'm very into the idea of living well (ie. leisurely dinners with friends). I know they say the best revenge is living well, but shouldn't it be a north star just generally?

To me, living well is not buying expensive stuff — though it can include that based on your values. Living well is finding ways to prioritize things that bring you health and enjoyment, and maybe even doing them in a cost-effective manner. Rosa is full of tips and tricks to help with this.

I've learned many things from Rosa, like how to maintain a Sourdough starter, that dip powder nails will thwart even a nail biter like me, and that Aldi is the best grocery store (fight me).

But the most important thing I've learned from Rosa is now the word "Umarell."

I love discovering words from other languages that express something that the English language cannot (or at least not succinctly). Many from the German language feel part of the English language now - schadenfreude (pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune) and zeitgeist (the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time), for example. In fact both come up with entries from the Oxford dictionary, which seems like an indicator they have officially been adopted.

Some others I find charming:

Hygge (Danish): We all know this one! A feeling of well-being, coziness, and contentment, often associated with warmth, togetherness, and relaxation.
Sobremesa (Spanish): The pleasant and relaxed time spent after a meal, often with friends and family, engaged in conversation and enjoying the company of each other. We've had lots of this on the Palm Desert trip, especially after my sister and her boyfriend Ned arrived.
Forelsket (Norwegian): The euphoria you feel when you are first falling in love.
Meraki (Greek): Doing something with pure heart and putting so much in it, that you leave a little bit of yourself behind.
Cafune (Brazilian Portuguese): — Tenderly caressing or running your hands through your lover’s hair. Feels culturally relevant to the Brazilians, no?🙂
Chaebol" (재벌) (Korean): Chaebol translates to "rich family" or "financial clique". It's a term used to describe the large, family-controlled conglomerates that dominate the South Korean economy and more specifically someone in that family who is an heir to the fortune. For example, anyone in the family that owns Samsung would be a Chaebol. Once my white, American friend who loves K-dramas texted me: "Find me a Chaebol" which my Korean grandparents thought was extremely funny. "How does she know chaebol!?" my grandma asked over and over.
Treppenwitz (German): When you're in an argument with someone and the other person ends with the upper hand. Then once you’re on your own, you think of the perfect comeback. The Germans call it treppenwitz. The French call it l’esprit de l’escalier (literally “the staircase mind” pointing). Who amongst us hasn't experienced treppenwitz, the crux of all the "will they, won't they" RomComs?
Uitwaaien (Dutch): Translates to "blow out" but specifically means the act of getting outside, feeling the wind against your hair and your body, letting the wind sort out your thoughts.
Bon Vivant (French): And last but not least, my favorite word re: living well. Although the Oxford dictionary simplifies it to "a person who enjoys a sociable and luxurious lifestyle," I've always thought of it as the more specific French meaning: one fond of living well, specifically a person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment, especially good food and drink. I might rename this newsletter after it - what do you all think?

In the spirit of research, I decided to take it a step further than relying on the internet to consult our Dutch besties from the General Consulate of the Netherlands in New York. When I asked them what Uitwaaien meant, one who partakes in the practice replied:

"Blowing off steam in a good way, typically achieved through a walk on the beach with lots of wind."

The other, who hates the beach and will not partake, replied: "Yeah uitwaaien is like letting the wind blow against your head until you're tired and calm...I do hate the beach."

"The beach is literally the most special place on earth, but yeah, it’s outside of Amsterdam so people from there don’t understand it," the partaking Dutchman responded.

When asked if our beach hating friend liked the mountains, she said: "I’m not into nature that much lol. I appreciate dunes."

WOW a hot take no one saw coming! Dunes!?

Our friends provided some other fun Dutch words for consideration and I especially enjoyed "domibo," which refers to informal drinks or gatherings with coworkers on Thursday afternoons which is apparently a shift from the more traditional "vrijmibo" (Friday afternoon drinks) that used to be the norm. But, as more people have begun working from home on Fridays, the Dutch naturally moved their socialization with colleagues to Thursday. On all other days, drinks with coworkers is called "escalatieborre."

Language and its evolution is such a fun reflection of culture and values. And what does it say about American/English culture that we don’t have words to reflect things like togetherness, closeness, and coziness to the level other languages do?

Which brings us back to Umarell. It's Italian (as is Rosa) and it's a shining example of Italian culture and values. It refers to retired men who spend their time watching construction sites, often with their hands clasped behind their backs and offering unsolicited advice. Below is a visual depiction.

Umarells are a common sight in many Italian cities, though it originated in Bologna. And really when you think about the men in your life, don't they all have a little Umarell in them? Whom amongst us hasn't watched someone else complete work they don't know how to do while benevolently judging them?

"It's kind of relaxing," Joe said, as he watched a man clean a pool. Joe may be British, but he still can be an Umarell.

The feeling that VCs only care about AI is correct. Data has arrived from our friends at SVB (yes they're still kicking) showing that about 40% of money raised from U.S. venture funds in 2024 came from those focused on artificial intelligence, up from 10% in 2021. "With so much capital deployed to resource-intensive companies in AI and with a dearth of exits leaving venture firms short on returns, there’s not much money left for startups in other markets."

Great news for Brooklynites who love Japan. Greenpoint’s essential Japanese retailer, 50 Norman, took over the space next door. In it, they added home appliance shop Balmuda and kitchenware shop Kama-asa. In June, a new French Japanese wine bar and cafe, Cafe O’te by House Brooklyn, will also open at the property.

Levis is selling Dockers. Levi Strauss has agreed to sell Dockers to brand management firm Authentic Brands Group for $311 million. Authentic plans to market the line aggressively abroad, where khakis are still popular. Also did you know Levis has a female CEO? She appropriately appears to wear Canadian Tuxedos often.

Your handbag just got more expensive thanks to tariffs. Hermès and Louis Vuitton will fully pass on the tariff inflation to the consumer. Hermès increases its prices on bags every year it seems but the brand officially raised prices on handbags, silk scarves, watches, jewelry, and ready-to-wear by 4 to 5 percent, according to an analysis by Bernstein. Prices of fragrances and makeup, however, seem to be the same, indicating Hermès will take the tariff hit on these products. Meanwhile, Gucci sales are down 25% and owner Kering is still unsure how it will "manage" the increase in tariffs upon entering the U.S.

Everyone officially loves Trader Joes and hates Spirit Airlines. Supermarket chain Trader Joe's is the most respected brand in America, according to the annual Axios Harris Poll 100. The survey questioned thousands of Americans to determine the country's 100 "most visible" brands, then ranked them according respondents' views of their reputation. Other brands in the top 10 include Patagonia, Costco, Toyota and UPS, as well as tech companies Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft. Spirit Airlines landed at the very bottom.

That update I promised you on the Herman Miller New Mexico Collection… is extremely disappointing. There are only two items and one of them (*cough* the table) isn’t even that cute. ** Only the chair is showing up on the website now, indicating that the table has sold out?

The Herman Miller x Georgia O’Keefe Museum collab.

Listening

I have a real soft spot for well-written and executed pop music. So mostly that.

THROWBACK! We listened to the Grease soundtrack and Rosa knew every word. We also debated the best Disney movie soundtracks. For me, Tarzan is #1 (I love Phil Collins, sorry not sorry) with Robin Hood being the most underrated. If you disagree, tell me in the comments.