When you think of bubbles, what pops into your mind? Is it rainbow colored soap? Carbonated soda? Perhaps even social distancing bubbles? This week, we’re jumping into a world filled with fizz, iridescence and deliciousness. We’re talking about how to make bubbles. How to eat them. And the unexpected ways in which they’ve shaped our culture and history. We’re looking at how the pandemic led to a domino effect from a gasoline decrease to a CO2 shortage and, eventually, a craft beer crisis. But bu...
Apr 02, 2021•25 min•Ep. 109
When you think of corn, you might think of the 90s metal band (spelled with a ‘K’ and embodying a raucous explosion of angst and anger). More likely, corn conjures images of a summer barbeque: bright yellow ears grilled, buttered, and eaten straight off the cob. However, the story of corn is more expansive and complicated than these contemporary reference points. Right now, industrial corn farming consumes 96 million acres of United States farmland (the US is the world’s largest producer of the ...
Mar 29, 2021•26 min•Ep. 108
We’re spotlighting a new show on HRN: Fields . Fields brings you the stories of people who are working in urban agriculture—for money, for fun, to feed the hungry, and for entirely other reasons. In each episode, hosts Melissa Metrick and Wythe Marschall delve into different foods grown in cities. Moreover, they investigate the whys behind getting up in the morning and working as a farmer in the shadow of skyscrapers. You don’t need to be a farmer to enjoy this podcast, or even a foodie! With th...
Mar 19, 2021•42 min•Ep. 211
Surplus is usually defined as what’s left over when the demand, or need , of a population has been met. However, in the context of the food system, this definition leaves us with more leftovers than answers. What might be referred to as surplus food faces a core contradiction: while approximately 35% of the food we produce goes to waste, about 50 million people in the U.S. are experiencing food insecurity. This number has increased from previous years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which begs the...
Mar 12, 2021•25 min•Ep. 107
From coffee shops to cocktail bars, the world of beverages has been turned upside down by the pandemic. You can’t always drink what you want. And now, more than ever, you can’t always drink where you want. But even before Covid-19, transformations in the production line, farming practices, and workplace inclusivity have affected what we drink. In this episode, splash into the world of beverages – from the drinks we sip on to the places we imbibe. We’ll investigate the ways access, history, legis...
Mar 08, 2021•30 min•Ep. 106
Seeds are the source and symbol of life. In our modern food system, with fewer and fewer people physically involved in the practice of agriculture, it’s easy to forget that our sustenance comes from the heroics of these persistent organisms. With spring just around the corner, we’re sowing the seeds of knowledge and empathy through four unique stories. We dig into why some seed sellers’ shortage of seeds was actually due to an abundance of zealous home-gardeners. We harvest ideas from an episode...
Feb 27, 2021•27 min•Ep. 105
It’s the final episode of our series on global trade, and we’ve got our eyes set on the future. In the past, trade was hindered by distance and limited communication, which today’s internet and fast travel routes have helped to mediate. These days, trade is confronted by new issues: global inequalities that force people to migrate, machines so efficient they’re making human labor redundant, and alarming threats to cybersecurity. We’ll start by looking at the borders that still divide countries, ...
Feb 20, 2021•27 min•Ep. 104
So far, our series on global trade has focused on ingredients that are either sweet or spicy, and that shaped international trade routes. As our stories make clear, there are ups and downs when talking about the globalization of our foodways. So this week, we go from sugar and spice to bites! We’re going to talk about the role that animals have played in the history of the food trade. Then, we have two stories about bite-sized foods with global footprints. Note: This series started with episode ...
Feb 16, 2021•27 min•Ep. 103
We continue our global trade mini-series with one of the most distinguishing elements of a cuisine: spice. Where would any regional food culture be without its unique blend of spices? Where would Italian food be without oregano, or Thai food without the bird’s eye chili? Historically, spices are associated with a nation, a region, or perhaps a dish. Yet, in our contemporary world, the average home cook can find the world in their spice rack. Although we can’t encapsulate the entirety of historic...
Feb 05, 2021•27 min•Ep. 102
This week we take a break from our series on trade to present one of HRN's newest shows, Let's Talk About Food. Hosted by Louisa Kasdon, LTAF is a live storytelling event; because everyone has a food story. From our first mouthful of applesauce in front of our adoring family, to our first bite into a jalapeño pepper, and everything in between, food is at the heart of the human experience. We love it. We need it. Food is family and ritual. Fun and work. Sophistication and guilty pleasure, scar...
Jan 29, 2021•20 min•Ep. 211
The desire for sweetness is biologically hardwired in humans, according to Dr. Gary Beauchamp, longtime former director and president of the Monell Chemical Senses Center . It is an evolutionary response that developed way back when sweet things were hard to find in the natural environment. Now, we can find sweets just about anywhere . Part of our global trade mini-series, this episode focuses on all things sweet! Ironically, the history of sugar comes with some bitter truths. Stories include th...
Jan 23, 2021•34 min•Ep. 101
Trade is innately human. Whether it’s baseball cards, lunchbox items or recipes, people have been exchanging goods, services, practices, and ideas since prehistoric times. Driven by curiosity and power, or most commonly money, trade has created the modern, globalized world we know today. To better understand the past, present, and future of trade’s huge web of interconnectivity, we’re traveling back in time with Meat and Three’s first ever 4-part mini-series. We first look at history's most sign...
Jan 15, 2021•24 min•Ep. 100
This week we're presenting the first episode of Back Bar , a rollicking deep dive into the events, phenomenon, relationships and human foibles that shaped the world’s most iconic drinks. Hosted by food and beverage writer Greg Benson and featuring guest appearances from industry luminaries like Derek Brown, Robert Simonson and Sother Teague, Back Bar’s vaudevillian approach to storytelling is a refreshing cocktail of history and humor. In this first episode, Greg tells the story of the Sazerac, ...
Jan 08, 2021•48 min•Ep. 211
What policies and movements will shape food production in 2021 and beyond? In our year in review, we feature two conversations with Lisa Held – one with Jenna Liut on Eating Matters about the environmental and agricultural implications of four years under the Trump administration, and another with Katy Keiffer on What Doesn't Kill You, about what to expect from the Biden administration on climate and agricultural policy. Dylan Heuer speaks with Colby Duren, the director of policy for the Intertr...
Dec 21, 2020•30 min•Ep. 99
Inspired by the passage of Measure 109 in Oregon and Initiative 81 in Washington D.C., this week we're exploring the state of drugs – particularly the agricultural, scientific and culinary aspects of them. Tash Kimmel explores the science behind cannabis and cravings. Ryder Bell ponders the rise and fall of coca, and how the global war on cocaine shrouded the medicinal crop in infamy. Kat Johnson holds a cosmic conversation with the CEO of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps to learn how his company is ad...
Dec 05, 2020•32 min•Ep. 98
Today we’re spotlighting Episode 1 of the new HRN series, Cooking in Mexican from A to Z. They’re mother and son, but also award-winning celebrity chefs, restaurateurs, and cookbook authors. Aarón Sánchez and Zarela Martinez will take you on a culinary journey featuring regional ingredients that are the soul of Mexican cuisine. From chilis to chocolate and everything in between, Aarón, Zarela and special guests will share stories, tips, techniques, and quintessential recipes in spirited kitchen ...
Nov 27, 2020•38 min•Ep. 211
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we’ve been thinking about the many ways this holiday bolsters colonial narratives, as well as opportunities to push back on them. This episode spotlights individual people, dishes and ingredients that are decolonizing our food system. We’re looking at our Thanksgiving plates and beyond to explore efforts to reclaim food sovereignty in Native American culture, the African diaspora, and Puerto Rico. We start by revisiting the Thanksgiving myth and investi...
Nov 20, 2020•26 min•Ep. 97
This entire year has been one huge change after another, forcing us all to take a deeper look at how we used to live and wonder what the future holds. Our stories this week explore how society is rapidly changing before our eyes. Dylan Heuer looks at how Covid-19 is affecting the way mothers balance work and life. An excerpt from HRN’s Queer the Table featuring Soleil Ho shows how assumptions about the audience for food writing and restaurant reviews are being upended. Alicia Qian ponders pumpki...
Nov 16, 2020•25 min•Ep. 96
We are living through uncertain and unprecedented times. What better way to find a bit of escape and solace than through food? Comfort food is a broad concept that means different things to different people around the world. This week’s episode starts with a look at the history and meaning of comfort food. We learn about a Danish concept revolving around sharing quality time with loved ones over a meal. We take a look at how the world does chicken soup from Turkey to Scandinavia. Finally, we dis...
Nov 06, 2020•22 min•Ep. 95
This week on Meat and Three we’re embracing the spooky spirit of Halloween. From zombies to witches, we’re exploring the odd… the occult… and the taboo in the world of food. First, we’ll delve head-first into real-life brain eating with organ meat expert, and cookbook co-author Michael Harlen Turkell. Then, we’ll learn about the New York rat infestations spurred by Covid-19 with rodentologist Dr. Bobby Corrigan. Ryder Bell takes us into the mysterious world of ghost kitchens and we travel back i...
Oct 31, 2020•24 min•Ep. 94
During the pandemic, outdoor and indoor spaces are being reconceptualized to better suit new ways of living, working, and eating. In this episode we’ll explore the ways familiar spaces are shifting to become more hygienic, more profitable, and more accessible. We start with a story about the expansion of outdoor dining into New York City’s sidewalks and streets. Then we travel to outer space to learn how astronauts are abandoning freeze-dried foods for home cooked meals. We wander through a park...
Oct 23, 2020•26 min•Ep. 93
Interacting with our food goes far beyond just tasting it. A typical trip to the grocery store can involve smelling and feeling your produce, giving it a tap to see how it sounds, and taking a good look at it before you add it to your shopping cart. This week, each story hones in on one of the four senses that accompany taste. We wax poetic on the importance of feeling your food and wonder whether this has been compromised by the coronavirus. Then take a nose dive into the science behind smells ...
Oct 18, 2020•25 min•Ep. 92
This week, we’re exploring the creative strides being taken — both on the large-scale and individual-level — to avoid excess waste. Alicia Qian visits a driveway in San Jose, California that has become a hub for stocking up on vegetables and restoring community. Then, Tash Kimmell heads to Oakland, where a grocery store and cafe is using a circular economy model to promote sustainable shopping. In Brooklyn, Matan Dubnikov and Karina Peña-Andreatos explore how one restaurant created local partner...
Oct 09, 2020•27 min•Ep. 91
Fall’s arrival is accompanied by colorful leaves and cool weather, as well as a new season of food podcasts here at HRN. This episode of Meat and Three is jam-packed with sneak peeks into our newest series. We’ll journey across the U.S. and around the world with chefs, entrepreneurs, and a former state senator. Each show is dedicated to giving us a taste of a unique and rich corner in the world of food. The first destination for exploration is the Midwest where we’ll learn about what has influen...
Oct 03, 2020•20 min•Ep. 90
A couple weeks ago we covered school lunches for our adult listeners, but this week we let the kids take over! Time for Lunch is HRN's first-ever kids' show, and this episode is all about going back to school. What do kids in Japan have for lunch at school? When in history were school lunches first served? Do you like to have pizza on Fridays? It’s that time of year where kids all around the world are going back to school! No matter what school looks like for you this year, chances are that lunc...
Sep 25, 2020•19 min•Ep. 211
Whether it’s for a Rosh Hashanah brisket or an end-of-summer barbecue, more and more people are buying meat from local suppliers. This week on Meat and Three, we spotlight the people who prepare our meat before it reaches our plates. We hear from butchers who are working to introduce consumers to new cuts and create more localized food supply chains. We investigate an innovation in retail that allows for socially distant shopping and we explore the staggering distances some small meat producers ...
Sep 19, 2020•24 min•Ep. 89
On this week's episode of Meat and Three, we explore what happens when food is consumed through a screen. From a simple TV or computer monitor to the more complex VR goggles, the sensory experience of food is fundamentally shifted with the mediation of a virtual barrier. Kat Johnson first ponders the significance (or lack thereof) of fruit cameos on cable news. Next, Tash Kimmel looks at how urban foraging is aided through a virtual platform. We then move to the world of virtual reality. Emily K...
Sep 11, 2020•23 min•Ep. 88
On this week's episode of Meat and Three, we are heading back to school. This year, the first day at school looks a lot different. From daycares to universities, every institution is operating under a different model – and that includes their plans for how students will eat. We bring you reports from cafeterias, take a look at how schools are supporting students who require subsidized lunch, and explore some tips for teaching young kids about nutrition from the comfort of their homes. Further Re...
Sep 04, 2020•22 min•Ep. 87
From piping hot pizza to the satisfyingly boxed Chinese food, takeout and delivery have been a part of our lives for over a century. This year, however, delivery went from a convenience to a necessity. Covid-19 forced restaurants and supermarkets to adapt quickly. The country has been faced with the question: How can we get food safely and efficiently? One answer has been delivery. First, we take a step back and see how takeout and delivery have been at the forefront of social and economic chang...
Aug 29, 2020•29 min•Ep. 86
Over the summer, consumers called out food companies for racist imagery, names, and political positions. We saw a wave of hashtags, open letters, and boycotts – and in many cases, companies were pressured to make changes. For our season eight opener, we step into the tumultuous landscape of food branding. Two stories this week focus on how high schoolers are holding brands accountable – from a California teen who launched a boycott on Trader Joe’s to a group of students who stood up to Goya’s CE...
Aug 21, 2020•27 min•Ep. 85
