The Sporkful 2p2v40

When Nicole Taylor was writing her first cookbook, publishers were expecting her to focus on soul food — because she’s Black. Like Freda DeKnight, the Ebony food editor we heard about last week, Nicole knew that Black American food was much more than that. Now, several years later, Nicole has released Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations. “Black Americans need this Juneteenth cookbook because we need a slice of joy,” says Nicole. She talks with Dan about her journey from her first book to now, why she wanted to reclaim watermelon from racist tropes, and the importance of writing about celebration in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. This is part two of our series “By Us For Everyone,” a look at how Black American food is represented in media, past and present, and how those portrayals change when Black people are in charge of them.  Listen to part one of “By Us For Everyone” in your podcast feed. It’s called “The Table Freda Built.” The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell, with editing help this week from Oluwakemi Aladesuyi, Hali Bey Ramdene, and Alexis Williams. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Today ahead of Juneteenth we’re launching “By Us For Everyone,” a three-part series about how Black American food is represented in media, and how those portrayals change when Black people are in charge of them. In the 1940s and ‘50s, Ebony was one of the only magazines created by Black people that spoke directly to Black people. It showed Black Americans falling in love, playing sports, dressing in style, gathering together – and eating. Freda DeKnight was the magazine’s first food editor, publishing recipes that were international and sophisticated, challenging the stereotype that Black American food was limited to soul food. Dan speaks with historian Donna Battle Pierce about Freda’s legacy, then meets Charla Draper, another Ebony food editor, at the Ebony test kitchen. After sitting unused for more than a decade, the kitchen and its original 1970s appliances have been restored and transported to New York for a new exhibit by the Museum of Food and Drink. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell, with editing help this week from Oluwakemi Aladesuyi, Hali Bey Ramdene, and Alexis Williams. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Dan’s dreams come true when he visits The Simpsons writers’ room to talk about the role food plays on the show and behind the scenes. Turns out the writers are just as obsessed with food as all of the show’s food jokes suggest. Plus, Simpsons creator Matt Groening explains how new technologies have changed the show’s food jokes over time. This episode originally aired on August 13, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Aviva DeKornfeld, and was mixed by Dan Dzula. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When you’re served a plate with a variety of foods on it, should you put a bit of each on the fork to create one multi-faceted bite? Or alternate between foods? A married couple comes to us for mediation in this dispute. Plus, is it okay to eat eggs that were hard boiled for Easter decorations after they’ve sat in a basket for a month? Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings, hosts of the podcast For Colored Nerds and real-life best friends, Dan to take your calls and resolve your food disputes! They also discuss their own food quirks and quarrels, including how to satisfy a craving for a fake TV cake from 30 years ago, trying Cheez-Its for the first time as an adult, and wedding food anxiety. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The London restaurant Darjeeling Express is the place to go for an outstanding mutton kebab, and for celebrity sightings. But the chef behind this hotspot has no formal culinary training. Asma Khan started her cooking career hosting secret supper clubs in her apartment, when her husband was traveling for work. Now she's staffed her restaurant entirely with women, all of whom learned to cook as housewives and nannies. As she tells Dan, her advocacy is driven by the pain she faced as the second daughter in her family, in a society that prized boys over girls. We also hear the unlikely story of how her restaurant was funded, why she will absolutely never put papadams in a tuna sandwich, and her new cookbook, Ammu. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. This episode was mixed by Marcus Hahm. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

It’s Elkhart, Indiana, 2001. Two inches of Heather Coleman's turkey club disappear from her office fridge. The thief is nowhere to be found. And Heather’s life will never be the same. In this tribute to the hit podcast Serial, we investigate the shocking true story of an office fridge food theft. This episode originally aired on March 12, 2015, and was produced by Dan Pashman and Anne Saini, with editorial help by Chris Bannon and Leital Molad. The Serial theme song was composed by Nick Thorburn. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O’Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Over the past year, Houston has taken in more Afghan refugees than any other American city. When they arrive, Omer Yousafzai is there to welcome them. He owns The Afghan Village restaurant, which has become a community hub and gathering place for Afghans and non-Afghans alike. Dan heads to Houston to share a meal with Omer at The Afghan Village. Over palau and kabobs — cooked with the help of Omer’s nine-year-old son — they talk about how Omer’s time as a defense contractor in the war in Afghanistan inspired him to open the restaurant, the place’s rocky first days, and why some people eat there for free. If you are looking for organizations helping to resettle Afghans and Ukrainians displaced by war, you can check out The Alliance in Houston, and the International Rescue Committee. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com

Actor and comedian Jason Mantzoukas is known for playing characters that are overzealous, exuberant, and more than a little wacky. But these characters are the exact opposite of how Jason felt growing up — like a “boy made of glass.” Jason has a life-threatening allergy to eggs, and that constant threat has forced him to live a life of vigilance. Dan and Jason talk about how that’s affected Jason’s comedy. They also get into New England roast beef sandwiches, food grievances — and to top it off, Dan comes up with a way for Jason to take a break from the allergy. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Ever waited in a crazy long line for some famous pizza or doughnuts or barbecue? Was it worth it? This week Dan goes to Di Fara Pizza with Serious Eats founder Ed Levine. Di Fara is a legendary Brooklyn pizzeria that’s famous for its slices – and its line. Along the way, Dan talks with scientists to find out when a long wait makes your food taste better — or worse. Plus he spends some time with the legendary Dom DeMarco, who ran Di Fara for more than half a century. We’re replaying this episode from 2016 in honor of Dom, who died last month. This episode originally aired on August 11, 2016, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, and Caitlin Pierce, with editing help from Shoshana Gold. Special thanks to Arwa Gunja. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O’Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When Food Network star Duff Goldman got into baking elaborate cakes, he was just trying to pay the bills while pursuing his real dream of rock stardom. So what happened? This week we talk with the Ace of Cakes host about his deep artistic roots, the risks he took as a teenage graffiti artist, and why he almost gave up on the food industry altogether. Ten years after Ace of Cakes ended, Duff is still starring in Food Network shows — but he can’t completely shake the sense that any moment, it could all disappear.  The Sporkful is up for a Webby Award! Head on over here and vote for us. Thanks! The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

During World War II, wherever American troops were sent, they left the canned meat known as SPAM in their wake. When American GIs landed overseas, they often tossed cans of SPAM out of trucks to feed hungry people. Producer Gabrielle Berbey of The Experiment podcast is familiar with that story: It’s how her grandfather first came to know and love SPAM as a kid in the Philippines. But 80 years later, SPAM no longer feels American. It is now a staple Filipino food: a beloved emblem of Filipino identity. Gabrielle sets out on a journey to understand how SPAM made its way into the hearts of generations of Pacific Islanders, and ends up opening a SPAM can of worms. Thanks to our friends at The Experiment from WNYC Studios and The Atlantic. This episode was produced by Gabrielle Berbey and Julia Longoria with help from Peter Bresnan and Alina Kulman. Editing by Kelly Prime, with help from Emily Botein, Jenny Lawton, Scott Stossel, and Katherine Wells. Fact-check by William Brennan and Michelle Ciarrocca. Sound design by David Herman with additional engineering by Joe Plourde. Transcription by Caleb Codding. Special thanks to Noella Levy and Craig Santos Perez. You can listen to the rest of “SPAM: How The American Dream Got Canned” series here. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

André Hueston Mack is one of America’s best known sommeliers. But for most of his career, he’s felt like an outsider. In the rarefied wine world, he likes to wear Air Jordans and a Mickey Mouse watch. He’s been known to describe wines he likes as “bangin’.” Since André was a kid, his obsessions have guided him — through the worlds of fine dining, wine making, and now: ham. Dan visits André at his wine and American ham bar in Brooklyn called & Sons to talk about the ideal thickness of sliced meats, predicting what a wine will taste like when the grapes are still growing, and how Frasier jump started his career.    The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.    

Allie Rowbottom’s great-great-great uncle bought the patent to Jell-O from its inventor in 1899 for $450, then sold it in the 1920s for $67 million — nearly a billion dollars in today’s money. Lately, Allie’s been obsessed with how all that Jell-O money shaped America, and her own family. It’s funded generations of Rowbottom women, including Allie, but it’s also been a shadow they can't escape. Jell-O became a twisted metaphor for all the bad things that happened to them, to the point that they started to wonder: Are we cursed? Please note: This episode deals with eating disorders. If you or someone you know is affected by an eating disorder, you can get more information from the National Eating Disorders Association online or by calling their helpline: 800-931-2237. This episode originally aired on September 24, 2018, and came to us from the podcast Household Name. It was produced by Claire Rawlinson, Sarah Wyman, Dan Bobkoff, and Anna Mazarakis, with help from Anne Saini, Aviva DeKornfeld, and Dan Pashman. Peter Clowney and Gianna Palmer edited the episode, and Casey Holford and John DeLore contributed sound design and original music, with additional engineering by Dan Dzula. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O’Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

After two years of recording interviews from his basement, Dan is taking The Sporkful back on the road! Chef, YouTuber, and cookbook author J. Kenji López-Alt s Dan on stage at Swedish American Hall in San Francisco to celebrate the release of Kenji's new book, The Wok: Recipes and Techniques. It wouldn't be a Kenji interview without some science, so we delve into what's happening, thermodynamically, when you cook with a wok. But we also go deep on how Kenji became the internet cooking science guru that he is today – and how his feelings about that role have changed in recent years. If you've ever googled a recipe plus the word "Kenji," you won't want to miss this conversation. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. This week's episode was mixed by Ameeta Ganatra. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.    

Many of us grew up with rules or customs around food. For Aymann Ismail, a practicing Muslim, that meant not eating pork. But as he got older, he became curious about why eating pork was a line that even less observant Muslims wouldn’t cross. So when a new loophole product hit the market, Aymann was faced with a choice — one that brought up questions of faith, tradition, and whether changing your food habits changes who you are. Check out Aymann Ismail’s writing and podcasts, and find Leah Koenig’s writing and cookbooks on her website. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Editing help this week from Fernanda Aguero. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Do you actually need to heat the oil in the pan before adding onions? Are fresh vegetables always better than frozen? And what’s so special about a shallot? You have lots of burning questions about recipes, ingredients, and food science, and this week, we get some answers. Daniel Holzman and Matt Rodbard, authors of Food IQ: 100 Questions, Answers, and Recipes to Raise Your Cooking Smarts, bring their culinary knowledge to The Sporkful, and take your calls. They reveal the secret ingredient for the best baked mac and cheese, explain when to start worrying about the color of raw ground beef, and separate fact from fiction around salting your pasta water. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. This week's episode was mixed by Marina Paiz.  Transcript available at www.sporkful.com

When cascatelli first went viral, Dan heard from dozens of listeners who wanted to try it, but couldn’t because they were gluten-free. Well, challenge accepted: Dan sets out to make a version of cascatelli without gluten, a project that’s now nearly a year in the making. Along the way, he learns about the science of starch with an Italian pasta researcher; he cold messages pasta execs on LinkedIn; and he meets a kindred spirit pasta maker who tries to make his gluten-free dreams come true. If you thought regular ruffles were a challenge, just wait until you try to make them gluten-free. Buy Banza cascatelli made from chickpeas here!  The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell, with help this week from Mary Diduch, Gianna Palmer, and Nora Ritchie. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Why does eating alligator seem more manly than eating chicken? Is coffee more “masculine” than tea? This week, comedian Michael Ian Black talks with Dan about manliness, and how it relates to food — a conversation they have as Michael decides to order salad at a pizzeria. "Are we really still going through this dumb, ritualistic flexing of our masculinity over the fact that I just want some greens?" Michael asks. "It’s so representative of something so destructive." Michael also shares some controversial pretzel opinions, and Michael and Dan bond over dad life in the suburbs. This episode originally aired on August 6, 2018, and was produced by Dan Pashman, Anne Saini, Aviva DeKornfeld, Rob McGinley Myers, and Dan Dzula. The Sporkful production team now includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O’Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O’Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In the 1930s, after a disastrous famine killed millions of Soviet citizens, Josef Stalin made an abrupt turn in his approach to food. He ditched the idea that his countrymen could live on bread alone, and decided they should eat more joyously instead. The result of this campaign was The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food — one of the only cookbooks to exist in the Soviet Union. This week, our friends at 99% Invisible bring you the story of that cookbook, so universally known that it was called simply “Kniga,” or “The Book.” It included glossy pictures and lavish recipes for lentils and crab salad, not to mention decadent dollops of mayonnaise and plenty of dill. But it was much more than a book of recipes — “The Book” was part of a radical Soviet food experiment that transformed Russian cuisine forever.      Music courtesy of 99% Invisible and Sean Real. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com

Jacques Pépin has spent his career defying expectations. By 1958, at the age of 23, he had cooked for three French presidents. But he left that life to work at a high-end restaurant in New York, then gave that up to cook at Howard Johnson's, making food for the masses. After a life-altering accident, Jacques found his next love: teaching other people how to cook. By the early ‘90s he was one of America’s best-known TV chefs. This week, Dan visits Jacques at his home in Connecticut, where the chef shares his recipe for SPAM, talks about his pandemic pivot to Instagram, and discusses the pleasures of a life spent experimenting. If you want to see photos of Jacques’s menu books, his wall of pots and pans, and more, follow Dan on Instagram. And in other big news, you can now buy tickets for our Sporkful Live event! On Wednesday, March 9, at the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco, Dan will be talking with the one and only J. Kenji López-Alt. It's Kenji's first ever full-length Sporkful interview, and that week his new cookbook The Wok comes out. Proof of vaccination and masks will be required. Get your tickets here. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell. Transcript available at www.sporkful.com