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And why hunger in America became partisan… When Julián Castro sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, he made hunger one of his key campaign issues. The former HUD secretary and San Antonio mayor joins us to discuss food policy, the power and limitations of boycotts, and what he thinks will be different under President Biden. But first: Secretary Castro gets the true Sporkful treatment when he and Dan discuss his DIY iced tea sweetener, his favorite hot sauce, and the politics of sharing nachos.// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The laws of gastrophysics at work… How do background music, the shape of a spoon, and your DNA affect your taste? These are just a few of the questions that psychologist Charles Spence looks at in his research in the emerging field of gastrophysics. This week, we talk with Charles about the hidden factors that influence our eating experience. Then, Dan and his daughter Becky put the gastrophysicist’s theories to the test at a neighborhood ice cream stand. The results of their homespun experiment may surprise you!// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

And the importance of representation in food photography… Elle Simone Scott once said that a food stylist’s job is to tell the story of the food — and in her work on shows for Bravo, Food Network, and America’s Test Kitchen, she’s gone to great lengths to do just that. Combing through boxes of cereal for the best-looking cornflakes? Check. Throwing ice cubes across the room to capture the perfect splash? No problem. Elle joins us to share some food styling secrets — and gets real about her background in social work, why representation matters in food photography, and her ongoing battle with cancer. She also tells us about her new America’s Test Kitchen podcast, The Walk-In.// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

What foods do Sporkful listeners resolve to eat more of in the new year, and why? And what’s Dan’s New Year’s food resolution for 2021? All is revealed in this annual tradition. Plus we replay one of our favorite episodes of the year… Earlier this year (before Covid), Sotheby’s put a trove of Georgia O'Keeffe items up for sale. It included documents that were far less valuable than her paintings, but to us, much more exciting: O'Keeffe's box of grease-stained, handwritten recipes. Dan goes to see the recipes himself and talks with art experts to find out what the recipes say about the artist.// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Our gift recommendations…Fruitcake has long been the butt of jokes, an inedible brick that people receive around Christmas, don’t eat, then regift the next year. But it’s also been a beloved baked good for generations. And one of the most famous is Jane Parker Fruit Cake. Jane Parker was the private label brand of supermarket chain A&P. But when A&P went bankrupt, this beloved fruitcake was nearly lost to history. We talk to the two brothers in New York City who rescued it. Also, we talk with Nikita Richardson, senior staff editor at New York Times Food, about her favorite gift ideas. Plus, Team Sporkful offers their own recommendations for the holidays! For links to all the products mentioned on the show, head over to sporkful.com. // Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Do roses really smell like poo-poo-oo?... From tortilla chips to tree bark, from fancy cheese to toe cheese, there’s a world of smells all around us that tell us a lot about food, drink, and everything else. So says legendary food scientist Harold McGee in his new book, Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s Smells. Harold joins us to explain the connection between wet dog smell and fermented cabbage, and why we should have more “smell empathy” for others. Then we chat with Nik Sharma, whose new cookbook, The Flavor Equation, lays out the six components of flavor: aroma, sight, taste, emotion, sound, and mouthfeel. Why does tomato juice taste better on an airplane? Nik explains. Plus, Dan and Nik bond over their potato chip selection strategy.// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Plus, dishing on Patrick Stewart’s weird lunches… You may think you know LeVar Burton. After starring in the seminal 1977 mini-series "Roots," he hosted "Reading Rainbow" and starred alongside Sir Patrick Stewart on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." These days he hosts the podcast "LeVar Burton Reads," where he reads his favorite short fiction. But did you know that, as a teenager, LeVar bought steaks and lobsters that “fell off the back of a truck” and brought them home to his mom? Or that he’s very particular about his PB&J sandwiches? In this episode, LeVar dishes on Sir Patrick Stewart’s weird lunches on the "Star Trek" set, and shares his favorite children's books about food. And as proof that he can make anything he reads sound amazing, LeVar favors us with dramatic readings of recipes. // Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Bryan Washington on how meals can fill silence… In Bryan Washington’s acclaimed debut novel, Memorial, Benson and Mike, a couple living in Houston, are going through a rocky patch in their relationship. Mike leaves to take care of his sick father in Osaka, just as his mother comes from Osaka to visit — which leaves her stuck with Benson instead. Each character’s personal progression unfolds alongside their changing approaches to food and cooking. But like a recipe that keeps evolving, the story resists simple answers. In this episode, Bryan explains why he finds food such a useful literary tool, and how its role in his characters’ lives mimics its role in his own. He also reads from two of his non-fiction essays from The New Yorker: “Bread Pudding and the Comforts of Queer Baking” and “An Adopted Obsession with Soondubu Jjigae, Korean Silken-Tofu Stew.”// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Why Tex-Mex is just as legit as Mexican food…José Ralat’s job at Texas Monthly magazine is so unique that when he got it last year, it made national news. One headline read: “The Job You Wish You Had: Taco Editor.” Yes, taco editor. And this fall the magazine is releasing its special Taco Issue, which only comes out once every five years. José has traveled more than 10,000 miles around the state eating tacos in preparation for it. In this week’s podcast, we tag along as he hits the road in search of the best that Texas has to offer. Plus he explains why Tex-Mex deserves more respect, and why America’s regional tacos are just as legit as Mexico’s. Buckle up! // Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Listeners call in with food issues… The perimeter of a jelly donut is devoid of fruity goodness, while the epicenter is a blob of jelly mess, says listener Larry in New York. Dan thinks he has the solution. Barbara and Bruce clash over how to dissect a corn muffin. Can they find muffin peace in their marriage? Plus, Matt calls in to talk about pancake toppings, then realizes his issues run much deeper. It’s been a long week. Join us for a break!// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Is the ideal cookie chewy, crispy, or crunchy?... Earlier this year, “Salt Fat Acid Heat” author Samin Nosrat and “Song Exploder” podcast host Hrishikesh Hirway teamed up to create “Home Cooking,” a podcast where they answer listeners’ cooking questions, make lots of bad puns, and share their passion for cookies, among other foods. They join Dan this week and accept a challenge: How much time can the three of them spend analyzing the most minute details of cookies? Plus, Dan and Samin resolve their olive beef. This week is heavy enough — we’re going for pure escapism.// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

And why some make the transition faster than others….Over the years on The Sporkful, Dan has explored an idea that’s changed the way he understands food in the U.S.: You can track an immigrant group’s assimilation in America by looking at whether their food is perceived as American, or foreign. Why is pizza accepted as American, while wonton soup is considered foreign — even though Chinese immigrants came to America in large numbers before Italian immigrants? This week we continue to explore this question with Professor Krishnendu Ray, who first explained this concept on our show, as well as chef and recipe developer Yewande Komolafe, and cookbook authors Madhur Jaffrey and Priya Krishna. Show Notes: Krishnendu Ray’s book The Ethnic Restaurateur Yewande Komolafe’s “10 Essential Nigerian Recipes” Sporkful Episode “Why Hibachi Is Complicated” (Stitcher Premium) Sporkful Episode “When Will Indian Food Be American?” (Stitcher Premium)// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Remember when bad office coffee was our biggest problem?... “The time has come for us to change the coffee brand that we offer and we want your input!” The email came from Myiesha Gordon in the HR Department. Like many others, Myiesha hated the office coffee. This week on The Sporkful, we follow her as she sets up a taste test, and an office-wide coffee election. We'll find out why office coffee is so important to people, plus we'll talk to a caffeine researcher about whether it makes us better at our jobs. Then a behavioral economist weighs in about whether coffee is something companies should be spending money on. // Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

To be a star, he couldn’t be himself… Before the James Beard Awards and the James Beard Foundation, there was the man himself. Beard was the first celebrity chef of the TV era, preaching home cooking and fresh, local food even as frozen TV dinners gained popularity. But he also had to navigate the complexities of being a closeted gay man in a time when the kitchen was considered a place for women. Food writer John Birdsall talks with Dan about his new biography, The Man Who Ate Too Much, which traces Beard’s life from his start at queer cocktail parties in 1930s New York, to his winks to the queer audience as he became more famous, to the eventual need to change his public persona into a professorial bachelor, too obsessed with food to have time for a wife. As we hear, even today, James Beard remains one of the most misunderstood people in the food world. // Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

And one woman’s quest to share his story... In 2016, Jack Daniel’s announced the company would make changes to its official history. They planned to honor Nathan “Nearest” Green, the formerly enslaved man who taught the real Jack Daniel to make whiskey. They didn’t realize, however, that this announcement would cause an uproar — or that it would inspire a woman named Fawn Weaver to set out on a quest to unearth the full story of Nearest Green. This week, we talk with Fawn about what drew her to this story and what she’s doing to honor Green’s legacy, with help from his great-great-granddaughter Victoria Eady Butler. // Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

A lot’s happened this year… After starting his own catering company and going to the Culinary Institute of America, Kwame Onwuachi enters the world of fine dining. Soon, investors want him to open his own restaurant. But when he does, things go wrong – fast. His comeback involves a secret restaurant, the show Black Mirror, and a white guy named Mufasa. (In honor of our 10th anniversary we’re re-releasing three all time favorite stories, as selected by listeners, each with a brand new update. This is Part 2 of our conversation with Kwame Onwuachi, and it includes the update at the end. Part 1 is in your feed right now.)// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

In honor of our 10th anniversary we’re re-releasing three all time favorite stories, as selected by listeners, each with a brand new update. This story is in two parts. Part 2 is in your feed now, with a special update… In 2019, Kwame Onwuachi became one of the fastest rising star chefs in America, and his DC restaurant Kith and Kin was widely considered one of the best in the country. But he went through countless twists and turns to get there. His story is so wild that he wrote a memoir, Notes From A Young Black Chef, that's now being made into a movie starring Lakeith Stanfield. Kwame shares the first half of that story live on stage, in conversation with Dan, at the Miracle Theatre in Washington, DC.// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

The next chapter... In honor of our 10th anniversary we’re re-releasing three all time favorite stories, as selected by listeners, each with a brand new update at the end. In this episode we follow one woman's attempt to recover from an eating disorder over the course of a year. We hear what it’s like to wake up each morning and have to fight a battle not only with food, but more importantly, with yourself. We also hear from her husband and explore her decision, early in recovery, to become a baker.// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Three years later... A famous sandwich shop in Aleppo, Syria, played a key role in changing Shadi Martini’s life forever. Today on The Sporkful we hear the rest of Shadi’s story, and conclude our quest to find out what happened to the shop during the civil war in Syria. (In honor of our 10th anniversary we’re re-releasing three all-time favorite stories, as selected by listeners, each with a brand new update. This is the conclusion of the first story.)// Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.  

A quest for a sandwich… In honor of our 10th anniversary we’re re-releasing three all time favorite stories, as selected by listeners, each with a brand new update. This first story is in two parts. The second part is in your feed now, with a special update at the end. Before Aleppo became an international symbol for the devastation of the Syrian civil war, it was Syria's food capital. Today, we go on a quest to find out what made a beloved sandwich shop there special, and whether the restaurant and its owners have survived the conflict. // Get 500+ more great Sporkful episodes from our catalog and lots of other Stitcher goodness when you sign up for Stitcher Premium: www.StitcherPremium.com/Sporkful (promo code: SPORKFUL). Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.