This episode is part of a special series in collaboration with Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies https://online.ucpress.edu/gastronomica , whose forthcoming issue is entirely devoted to COVID Dispatches—in it, authors from around the world offer short, intimate portraits of early responses to the food crises of this pandemic, and hosts from the journal’s editorial collective will be joined by some of the featured authors to share their stories, and to hear how things have or haven't cha...
Aug 09, 2020•32 min•Ep. 91
This episode is part of a special series in collaboration with Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies , whose forthcoming issue is entirely devoted to COVID Dispatches—in it, authors from around the world offer short, intimate portraits of early responses to the food crises of this pandemic, and hosts from the journal’s editorial collective will be joined by some of the featured authors to share their stories, and to hear how things have or haven't changed in the past few months. Stephen Mei...
Aug 02, 2020•33 min•Ep. 90
A conversation with Alicia Kennedy . Alicia Kennedy wears many hats. A food and drink writer from Long Island—now based in San Juan, where she’s covering the local culinary scene—Alicia’s written for NYLON, The New Republic, Time, and the Village Voice, to name just a few. She also hosts Meatless , a podcast on meat consumption and culture, and currently writes a weekly newsletter on the goings-on of good media. Mentioned in this episode: Alicia's newsletter: https://aliciakennedy.substack.com /...
Jun 28, 2020•35 min•Ep. 89
A conversation with Donna Kilpatrick and William Matovu. Heifer International works all over the world to use agriculture as a path out of poverty. Under its umbrella is Heifer Ranch, a regenerative, organic and humane ranch, run by 3 women, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Donna Kilpatrick—who oversees operations of Heifer Ranch—and William Matovu—who oversees Heifer’s work in Uganda—are joining me today to discuss the flaws of our current food system, and how alternate systems can offer lasting chang...
Jun 14, 2020•48 min•Ep. 88
A conversation with Andrew Genung. Andrew Genung is a Hong-Kong based writer and regular contributor to Eater . He also writes a twice-weekly newsletter, Family Meal, that covers the goings-on in and around the food/media world. Photo Courtesy of Andrew Genung. Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jun 07, 2020•34 min•Ep. 87
A conversation with Esther Kim. Esther Kim is a writer and editor of the Asian American Writers' Workshop's Transpacific Literary Project . We discuss the stickiness of the "Asian-American" genre, Eddie Huang and appropriation, how a fistful of rice created a democracy, and our duties as Asian-American writers. Michael Pollan, The Sickness in Our Food Supply Ishay Govender-Ypma, Navigating the use of a knife and a fork at the dinner table . Photo Courtesy of Joe Liew. Meant To Be Eaten is powere...
May 31, 2020•25 min•Ep. 86
A conversation with Lori Flores . Stony Brook University associate professor history Lori Flores's research and writing focuses on Latino life, labor, and politics in the United States from the post-WWII era to the present day. We discuss farmworkers' rights amid (and beyond) the pandemic. Link to the Food52 story we discuss here . United Farm Workers https://ufw.org/ Coalition of Immokalee Workers https://ciw-online.org/ National Center for Farmworker Health http://www.ncfh.org/ Food Chain Work...
May 17, 2020•40 min•Ep. 85
Conversations with Malcolm Harris and Julia Bainbridge . This episode, we’re talking about loneliness—versus solitude, versus self-isolation. My first guest, author, editor, and critic Malcolm Harris and I discuss what it’s like to be young in America today: how obsession with productiveness and our human capital, has us feeling perpetually burnt out, anxious, and lonely. During the latter half, I speak to Julia Bainbridge—writer, editor, and fellow podcaster. Her show, The Lonely Hour , explore...
May 10, 2020•43 min•Ep. 84
This episode of Meant to be Eaten was produced in collaboration with Gastronomica Journal . Melissa Fuster, from Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies, is in for Coral Lee. A conversation with Chhaya Kolavalli . The local food movement has been criticized for its overwhelming whiteness. How has the movement responded to these critiques? And what are the implications of these responses? Chhaya Kolavalli confronts whiteness in Kansas City’s local food movement, examining diversity work and di...
Apr 05, 2020•40 min•Ep. 83
This episode of Meant to be Eaten was produced in collaboration with Gastronomica Journal . Melissa Fuster, from Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies, is in for Coral Lee. A conversation with Eric C. Rath . Many of us know about sushi, but have you heard of funazushi? Historian Eric C. Rath shares his tasting notes from trying Japan’s most ancient form of sushi. The lessons learned from his two-day tasting spree in Japan allow us to ponder about possibilities of sushi’s future, taking a vi...
Mar 29, 2020•37 min•Ep. 82
This episode of Meant to be Eaten was produced in collaboration with Gastronomica Journal . Melissa Fuster, from Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies, is in for Coral Lee. A conversation with Azri Amram . Can food serve as a tool to build bridges in times of conflict? Azri Amram takes us to the Palestinian town on Kafr Qasim, the site of a massacre in 1956, which today serves as the site for food tours, motivating dialogue between Palestinians and Israeli-Jewish “food tourists”. Azri Amram...
Mar 22, 2020•47 min•Ep. 81
This episode of Meant to be Eaten was produced in collaboration with Gastronomica Journal . Bob Valgenti, from Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies , is in for Coral Lee. A conversation with Rose Wellman . Jello is a beloved dessert and also an unexpected source of religious debate. Anthropologist Rose Wellman shares the fruits of her field work in Iran as part of our series of deeper dives into recent articles in Gastronomica. Dr. Wellman’s research explores the many ways that jello and t...
Mar 15, 2020•37 min•Ep. 80
This episode of Meant to be Eaten was produced in collaboration with Gastronomica Journal . Bob Valgenti, from Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies , is in for Coral Lee. A conversation with Krishnendu Ray . Street Food—emphasis on street, that “dwelling place of the collective” and site of liveliness. Sociologist Krishnendu Ray returns to the podcast to explore the vitality of street food, its vendors, and why cities should protect these spaces from the homogenizing gaze of the Global Nor...
Mar 08, 2020•40 min•Ep. 79
This episode of Meant to be Eaten was produced in collaboration with Gastronomica Journal . Bob Valgenti, from Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies , is in for Coral Lee. A conversation with Laurie Bertram . What motivates the passionate defense of a recipe? Historian Laurie Bertram expands on her recent Gastronomica article dedicated to the curious case of Icelandic vínarterta—a cake whose origins and most adamant defenders are, surprisingly, not found in Iceland. Cherished and defended b...
Mar 01, 2020•40 min•Ep. 78
A conversation with Rebecca de Souza. Do food pantries completely miss the point? Rebecca de Souza thinks they might. In “Feeding the Other,” Rebecca demonstrates how “food pantries stigmatize their clients through a discourse that emphasizes hard work, self help, and economic productivity rather than food justice and equity.” We discuss the power and significance of stigma, and why food pantries are unable to combat hunger. Photo Courtesy of Rebecca de Souza. Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Sim...
Feb 23, 2020•35 min•Ep. 77
After a decade of building up sustainable farming, ethical trade, and community development in Africa, Jeff Abella—and his partner, Ishan—founded MOKA farms in Cameroon, and thusly— MOKA Origins, a bean-to-bar/bag chocolate and coffee that inspires "real social change". Jeff is here to explain—well, first and foremost, what “bean-to-bar” is, the challenges and unique rewards of building MOKA Farms up in Cameroon, and how it feels to have been *fair trade* before fair trade was cool. Photo Courte...
Feb 09, 2020•37 min•Ep. 76
A conversation with Carol Pak. Carol Pak is the founder of Makku , America's first canned craft makgeolli company. We discuss why she markets Makku as she does (the can reads "rice beer"), and whether craft-beverage-crazed America s ready for makgeolli (as more than just a novelty "Asian" beverage). Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Feb 02, 2020•42 min•Ep. 75
A conversation with Amy Trubek. Amy Trubek's research interests include the history of the culinary profession, globalization of the food supply, the relationship between taste and place, and cooking as a cultural practice. We discuss the sustainability of restaurant culture and work. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Vermont, and part of the new editorial collective leading Gastronomica . Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Simplecas...
Jan 19, 2020•41 min•Ep. 74
A conversation with Daniel Bender . We’re all very concerned with saving food–from preservation to curation to nostalgia to archiving to salvation– but Daniel Bender, an editor of leading food studies journal, Gastronomica, and history professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough—took a step back to ask, “what exactly are we saving food from?” Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/priv...
Dec 01, 2019•38 min•Ep. 73
A conversation with Amanda Hesser . Amanda Hesser is CEO and co-founder of food, home, and lifestyle brand, Food52 . Now in its 10th year, Food52 has evolved wildly from the recipe-sharing site it used to solely be, and recently closed a very large funding round (which we’ll get to in a bit). Amanda and I will be picking up where UK food writer Sybil Kapoor and I left off last week. We discussed what “taste” means, how it is biologically, culturally, and socially constructed, and why it’s import...
Nov 17, 2019•44 min•Ep. 72
A conversation with Sybil Kapoor . UK food writer Sybil Kapoor’s recently released book, “ Sight Smell Touch Taste Sound ”, builds on “Taste”, published 16 years ago. In both, she presents cooking as a sensory practice, one that does not require great skill, knowledge, or willingness to follow a recipe...Only a willingness to engage and think critically with all five of our senses. We discuss the concept of “taste”, whether it is truly our own or constructed, and if it is possible to alter. Join...
Nov 10, 2019•43 min•Ep. 71
A conversation with Mukta Das. Following her studies of both Chinese and Indian history at SOAS , Mukta Das’s research interests have continued to exist at this intersection of South and East Asian cuisine and culture. Mukta has been following a group of South Asians who have adopted Cantonese cities and culinary identities– and we’re here to talk about the complexities of “heritage making” as an outsider, in a country whose identity is now split. Join Heritage Radio Network on Monday, November ...
Nov 03, 2019•45 min•Ep. 70
A conversation with Kristin and Mark Kimball. Kristin and Mark Kimball are the owners of Essex Farm . Located in Essex, NY, the farm offers members unlimited access to produce, meat, dairy, eggs, and dried goods year-round. We’ll be discussing the realities of running the world’s first full-diet, free-choice CSA, Kristin’s latest memoir, Good Husbandry , and why there exists such a disconnect between producer and consumer... and what we can do to close that gap. Join Heritage Radio Network on Mo...
Oct 27, 2019•51 min•Ep. 69
Korsha Wilson is a food writer, culinary school grad, and host of Heritage Radio Network’s “A Hungry Society”– a podcast dedicated to creating a more inclusive food world. We’ll be discussing an essay she wrote for Eater earlier this year, "A Critic for All Seasons", in which she explores what would restaurant criticism look like if it represented diners like her. Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https:/...
Oct 06, 2019•39 min•Ep. 68
Robin Sloan is concerned with the intersection of media and technology. His first novel, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore , was a New York Times Best Seller, translated into more than twenty languages. George Saunders called the book “a tour-de-force” and Robin kindly requests that no one say anything else about any of his writing, ever. We discuss his latest novel, Sourdough , which was published in 2017. Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priva...
Sep 29, 2019•36 min•Ep. 67
Eater's Director of Editorial Strategy, Sonia Chopra , on Mexican-Punjabi cuisine, code switching, and how food helps preserve the intactness of ourselves. Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Sep 22, 2019•39 min•Ep. 66
Jen Monroe returns to the show to discuss her recent dinner series concerning bees . We discuss a brief history of colony collapse disorder, pollinator health 101, the effects of monoculture farming, why we should care, and if/how we can actually save bees with food and art. Image courtesy of Ola Ola Studio. Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Sep 15, 2019•48 min•Ep. 65
Elizabeth Minchilli is an ex-art-historian turned lifestyle and travel writer, turned food writer. She is the author of multiple books, including Eating Rome , Italian Rustic , and The Italian Table . We talk about the intersection of architecture and dining, the importance of considering space alongside food. Meant To Be Eaten is powered by Simplecast . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Aug 11, 2019•22 min•Ep. 64
What makes good food, good? PhD students at SOAS University of London Francesca Vaghi and Brandi Miller join Coral to discuss why ""good"" food is often contigent on nutritional, economic, political, or moral conditions, and why the distinction changes across cultures and scale. Francesca is a final year doctoral researcher based at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, and the Thomas Coram Research Unit. Prior to starting her PhD, she was awarded an MPhil in Medical Anthr...
Aug 04, 2019•42 min•Ep. 63
A conversation with John T. Edge. John T’s work examining, documenting, and exploring the diverse food cultures of the American South is oft-referenced, and widely trusted and revered. A Writer, thought leader, and director of the Southern Foodways Alliance , He also makes regular appearances on Iron Chef and NPR’s All Things Considered … the common thread being John’s belief in and pursuit of the cultural narrative that food so uniquely affords. It's HRN's annual summer fund drive, this is when...
Jul 28, 2019•27 min•Ep. 62
