What the heck is casual beta?

“Doing things casually” is a phrase Tommy has been saying at least as long as we’ve been friends, and I’ve tried to adopt this mantra ever since. It’s the sort of master-of-none idea of not taking any activity too seriously. Our friends like to wet their feet in everything: rock climbing, cycling, paddling, gardening, and of course—cooking. Instead of trying to be professional at anything, we want to be amateurs at everything. To me, doing things casually is more focused on the people you’re with than the hobby itself. Do we want to be stronger climbers and more well-rounded in the kitchen? Of course! But most importantly, we want to create memories with the people we love.

The word “beta” comes from rock climbing terminology, and it’s basically the instructions on how to climb a particular route. More specifically, it’s like a secret trick to completing the pitch—a side pull you’ve never found before, a sequence of holds to get you to a bomber jug, or even an inventive body contortion that allows you to balance at the crux. We use this word in everyday speech to ask someone their knowledge on something they specialize in or have unique info about. For instance: If you come to Austin and are looking for a great place to eat, I might give you taco beta. And if someone shows you a new, better way of doing something, you say “that’s good beta.”

Tying these together, Casual Beta is our attempt to bring you raw, unfiltered instructions in the kitchen and beyond. We plan to discuss the best ways to cook Tommy’s favorite Vietnamese dishes, our take on the perfect breakfast taco, and how to meal prep for a ten-day road trip with a bunch of foodies, to name a few. We aren’t pros, and we’re not trying to be—but our hope is that we can inspire even one group of friends to sit down and share a meal.