2024 Teaser

1m
We’re back with a new batch of cultural mysteries! This year, we’re putting out more new episodes—like many more of them. We’ll be diving down a new rabbit hole every two weeks all year long. Starting with a question hiding in plain sight: why do so many coffee shops look the same? We’re also heading back to the early 1990s to ask if you can successfully sell a soda by celebrating that it’s just… OK?
You can hear these episodes and more on Decoder Ring — now in your feed every two weeks beginning Feb. 14. Make sure to follow us so you never miss an episode.
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Transcript

Hi, I'm Willa Paskin, the host of Dakota Ring, Slate's podcast about cracking cultural mysteries.

And this year, we're back with more new episodes, like many more new episodes.

We'll be diving down a new rabbit hole every two weeks, all year long.

We're starting with a question that's hiding in plain sight: Why do so many coffee shops look the same?

No one had told these cafes to look the same.

There was no like parent company like a Starbucks to be like, you have to look like this.

And we're also heading back to the early 1990s to ask if you can sell a soda by celebrating that it's just okay.

Right next to the Coke, there's this gray product and it just says okay on it.

And I was like, what, what is this?

This is crazy.

And it had this really funky, like fruity soda, Dr.

Pepper, like it tasted wild.

You can hear these episodes and more on Decodering.

Now on your feed every two weeks.

Make sure to follow us so you never miss an episode.

episode.