Happy Tuesday, and welcome back to another day of reading your favorite email. Here’s what we’ve got for you:

• Before The White Lotus, there was Chuck and Buck: We take a look at one of Mike White's first films and discuss how it's the most underrated movie about male friendship.
• The fittest teams in Major League Soccer: The fitness experts behind the Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy share the wellness pillars they follow above all others.
• An unforgettable Edinburgh getaway: We’ve got a green guide to Scotland’s capital.

Why Chuck and Buck Is the Most Underrated Movie About Male Friendship

For Mike White, awkward tangles of psychological dysfunction make up an integral building block of childhood, the monsters forever lurking under the bed of those unable to grow up. During that fragile formative period, friendship presents a particularly fraught obstacle course for school-aged boys, caught between companionate love and the heteronormative fear of being perceived — mistakenly, or worse, correctly — as a big homo. The long-estranged buddies at the bruised heart of Chuck and Buck map two forking paths outward from a primal scene both thrilling and possibly traumatic, one through denial and the other through doomed obsession. Searching for a cause behind the current male friendship recession, one would do well to start with this needling portrait of the panic driving men to sublimate or outright reject intimacy. Fellas, is it gay to have feelings for another guy?

In yesterday's poll, we asked if you put ketchup on your hot dogs, and the results were incredibly close. About 52% of you are down for ketchup on your dog, and 48% of you are against it. 

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What We Learned From the Fittest Teams in Major League Soccer

The Columbus Crew were crowned MLS Cup Champions for 2023 back in December, as they zipped around their home pitch in a clinical takedown of the previous year’s titleholders, the Los Angeles Football Club. But what made the Crew’s victory in Cincinnati most impressive wasn’t just the high-octane performance they gave that night through extra time; it was the fact that it was the second consecutive week they won a game that lasted so long.

It’s safe to say, then, that the Crew didn’t win a title just because they were the highest-scoring team in MLS last year. All those goals, particularly the ones scored past the 100-minute mark in late-season playoff matches, had something to do with the players’ extreme dedication to fitness.

For the world’s best soccer players, it takes deliberate choices — made every single day, in virtually every single thing they do — to compete at the highest level. Here are precise details on how they do it.

Excerpt: Meet Bobby Gunn, a Bare-Knuckle Boxing Father of Two

Undefeated in the underground, old-fashioned sport of bare-knuckle boxing, Canada native Bobby Gunn is a middle-aged father of two who works as a powerwasher in New Jersey when he’s not smashing opponents in the face while putting his own battered mug at risk. Written by former Rolling Stone, GQ and Esquire magazine editor Stayton Bonner, Bare Knuckle: Bobby Gunn, 73-0 Undefeated. A Dad. A Dream. A Fight Like You’ve Never Seen. from Blackstone tells the 50-year-old’s story. Here’s an excerpt of the third chapter, “Suburban Brawler.”

The Secret to an Unforgettable Edinburgh Getaway

Edinburgh is the greenest city in one of the world’s, at least, greener countries. In fact, it was named Europe’s leading sustainable destination for 2023 by the World Travel Awards. This is, in no small part, thanks to Edinburgh’s continued dedication to responsible tourism.

There are lots of Edinburgh guides out there, so how do you parse through everything? I found that by putting together an itinerary that capitalizes on just that (the aforementioned dedication to responsible tourism), I was able to tap into a really special side of Auld Reekie. That’s the thing about sustainable companies — their passion for environmentalism seeps into their real offerings, whether it’s a five-course dinner or a bike tour. They serve as a living, breathing testament to the fact that you can still travel responsibly and get an authentic experience, and that green travel isn’t as other as it’s often made out to be.

Here's how to enjoy Edinburgh, in all of its convivial glory, with the help of both properties and operators (fully vetted) who are prioritizing sustainable tourism.

The 8 Most Romantic Restaurants in LA

When it comes to romance, there are several ways restaurants can show up: great views, great location, and of course, great food and drink. The crème de la crème incorporates all three of these elements, plus something more, a certain je ne sais quoi that can’t really be defined but puts people in the mood to fall in love. These Los Angeles restaurants have just that.