What I'm listening to: The Sporkful
I have been listening to podcasts for maybe 5 years now. The medium itself is only about 12 or 13 years old. Think of them as streaming radio shows. Especially for the last year, as I've had a train commute of two hours every day, I have burned through episodes like you can burn through a jar of Nutella.
Most of the ones I listen to have to do with news, with real life stories, or with TV. As I was thinking of what I could recommend in this blog I realized I wasn't listening to any podcasts about food. I figured it would take a while to make a short list, listen to a few episodes, and figure out what would be worth recommending.
However! In one of those strokes of luck that don't happen very often, not only I found one whose philosophy of food aligned with mine in a perfect way, but it is extremely interesting and entertaining. It is called The Sporkful: It's not for foodies, it's for eaters. It's host, Dan Pashman, is a food writer who also hosts the Cooking Channel web series "You're eating it wrong". About the podcast itself, well, the website description is pretty good:
Dan Pashman, creator and host of the podcast.
“The Sporkful isn’t for foodies, it’s for eaters. Each week on our podcast we obsess about food to learn more about people. We’re known for our thoughtful discussions about race, culture, and body image, as well as for our funny and absurd conversations with comics about how they like to eat certain dishes. (Hey, the world of food is broad.) The Sporkful won the 2017 Webby Award for Best Lifestyle Podcast and has been nominated for two James Beard Awards.”
A few of my favorite recent episodes:
- Prison Ramen Saved My Life: A former prisoner talks about how he learned to cook once he was in prison, how he learned to build community through food, and the small comforts that help you enjoy life in difficult circumstances.
- How to Read a Taco: A college professor teaches a course called "Taco Literacy", where he teaches his students to "read a taco" and learn about Mexican history and culture.
- The Ethics of Supermarket Lines: Interview with writer Nicole Taylor about her experiences as a food writer of color and take some questions from listeners, one of which is, is it OK to leave my cart or basket in the supermarket line so others can push it along, while I go get my food items? (Spoiler alert, of course not! what kind of question is this?)
How do I listen to a podcast?
Most people listen from their phone by downloading a player. Apple has their own, Android has many available (I use Podcast Addict). In the app you can search the stream by name (like "sporkful"), subscribe to it (which creates a shortcut), and download individual episodes.
Usually, you can also listen from your computer by going to the podcast page, in this case www.sporkful.com.
Do you listen to any food podcasts? What do you recommend?