This is the episode where Jay and Jacob don their cowboy hats, pull on their boots, and take the listeners to Tex…nope, not there - it’s Nashville. Home of hot chicken and hockey. Country music and cutting edge comedy. Parthenons and Moon Pies. Jacob gets quizzed on his memories of a family spring break trip, and Jay reminisces about a childhood trip to the now-shuttered Opryland. Then they get to the food. It’s another live tasting in the second half, with Nashville-born Goo Goo Clusters of all...
Feb 24, 2025•38 min
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob eat more Kit Kats. But this time, they’re Japanese! Not only are the bars from Japan, and the flavors most definitely local to Japan, the wrappers are also mostly written in Japanese. So despite all the help from Google Translate, they are only about 85% sure about what they are eating. But that doesn’t curb their enthusiasm in this in person recorded taste test, and the history of how Japanese Kit Kats became a juggernaut of candy bars. Order a sample box...
Jan 27, 2025•35 min
Step right up for Jacob and Jerry’s deep dive into the quirky world of state fairs! They kick things off with some carnival-sized history lessons (they did see the country's largest pumpkin), before diving mouth-first into a live review of iconic NC State Fair foods. Will cajun chicken tenders triumph over bologna fries? Tune in for laughs, history, and the ultimate fair food showdown!
Dec 04, 2024•32 min
This is the episode where Jacob and Jay smoke. Wait, what? Nope... Jay and Jacob just talk about smoke. What is it, actually? What are some of the good things it can do, and some of the bad things it’s responsible for? Then when it comes to the food segment, they talk about one of the best things smoke can do: make meat taste fantastic. But how does it get into the meat? What’s all this about a smoke ring? What are their favorites and which cuts are they afraid of? Not only does smoke elevate th...
Oct 21, 2024•33 min
Due to technical difficulty, the Smoke Episode had to be delayed! So Jacob and Jay schemed to bring out an unreleased episode where they try some questionable jelly beans. Do they actually enjoy their experience? Will they recommend these beans? Why are they echoing? (It's due to recording on an iPhone) Find out in today's episode!
Oct 07, 2024•23 min
(Please Note: This is an older recording. Some references may be outdated) This is the episode where Jay and Jacob get hot and spicy. No worries - there won’t be an “Explicit” warning on this one - it’s not that kind of heat and spice. It’s actual heat they’re talking about: fire. What is fire, actually? A gas? A liquid? An illusion? Jacob digs out his chemical engineer hard hat to talk details, as well as his experience torching a field. Fire is definitely destructive, but is it all bad? They t...
Sep 16, 2024•40 min
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob stop their usual work so they can work on something else - just like Labor Day, the only holiday where you celebrate something by not doing it. From humble, almost disastrous, beginnings to the first Monday off of fall, it has come a long way to be a holiday with minimal parades and no section of its own at Hallmark. And what to eat on Labor Day? Are there traditional foods? Is it all just about grilling? Is it really “the last cookout of the summer”? J &a...
Sep 02, 2024•29 min
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob come back … again. They’re not sure if it’s Season 4 (or Part 2 of Season 3 that left you wondering if it would ever happen #Yellowstone). But either way, they’re back and it’s time to catch up. It’s been 2 years and a lot has happened in the lives of these Reed men, including a lots of read-ing. In the first half, they’ll catch up on all the happenings, then it’s time for a deep dive into a vat of ketchup. Or catsup. However, you spell it, ketchup is an i...
Aug 26, 2024•30 min
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob get bored. No - not that spelling. They get board! Anyone who knows Jacob well, knows that he is a board game nerd. In fact, it may or may not be true that his lovely wife had to put him on a board game budget. As it turns out, board games have been around a long time - we’re talking painted on cave walls kind of old - and people (not just Jacob) still love ‘em, as evidenced by the board game aisle in your favorite toy shop, book store, or ginormous discou...
Jul 24, 2022•39 min•Season 4Ep. 2
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob return to the airwaves after a hiatus of sorts, for Season Three (or something like that)! You could say that they’ve been on a super long lunch break, but the truth is, not many Americans take long lunch breaks anymore. It seems like the days of the three martini lunch (or the three iced tea meat and three) are gone. It’s not universal, however, and Jay (the pharmacist who can’t leave the building) and Jacob (the minister/student with flexible hours) are ...
Jun 17, 2022•32 min•Season 3Ep. 1
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob have a choice. Actually, they have lots of choices and that’s part of the problem. Or is it? In today’s world we have seemingly endless choices - an aisle full of cereal options at the grocery store, ever growing numbers of streaming services to show an ever growing amount of video content, and in some areas of the country, literally a church on every corner. One study says multiple options are good for us. Another says maybe not. (There are also lots of s...
Oct 09, 2021•36 min•Season 2Ep. 1
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob go back home - and eat. It’s Part Two of the episode on Yemen, when they get down to the nitty-gritty (or the Vitty-Gritty?) of the country they called home for almost a decade. Though Jacob was just a wee lad at the time, he has stories about a dish or two that he has not forgotten. Jay forgot some of the names of things, and regrets not trying even more things than he did, but there are still many taste memories his palate easily recalls. They cover salt...
Jun 26, 2021•33 min
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob go back home. And it may not be where you think. Jay spent ten of his formative young adult years in the country of Yemen, and since Jacob was only one-and-a-half years old at the time, he had to go along. It’s an important place for the Reed family, and it’s going through a rough time at the moment. They talk a little about the rich history of the country, how it has changed, and what’s going on now. They might even share a few favorite and/or odd memorie...
May 06, 2021•40 min
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob go green. No, not that kind of green - that is, they love the environment and all that, but this discussion is all about St Patrick’s Day. Where did it come from, why is it celebrated, and hey, why is the Chicago River green? Who is this dude, what’s his real name, and is he even Irish? And most importantly, what should one eat if one really wants to eat like the Irish? If my grocery store runs out of corned beef and cabbage, is that a big deal? If I wear ...
Mar 17, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 7
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob explore their inner hipster. That’s right, it’s all beards, beanies and skinny jeans from here on out. Uh, not. But they do give plenty of signs so all listeners can spot a hipster in the wild - or in the mirror. Is hipster culture truly vital? Well, that might be considered mainstream, and would therefore go against the hipster manifesto of being individual and authentic, until it’s not. It’s all very confusing. But we love them, because without them, one...
Feb 14, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 8
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob go full-on geek. Or is it full-on nerd? Well, they do explain the difference, so be sure to listen and choose for yourself. Either way, this revelation probably comes as a surprise to no-one, but it’s more than admission: it’s a celebration. The last few years have been great for geeks, whether it’s the prolific development of all things Star Wars, the awesomeness that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or the fact that Jacob convinced his brand-new wife th...
Jan 22, 2021•33 min•Season 3Ep. 7
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob get married. Not to each other. That would be weird. But spoiler alert: Jacob’s new wife Lindsay joins them on the podcast to talk about ... weddings. Weddings of a sort have been around since the beginning, and will be till the end. They’re kind of a big deal, aka “vital.” And of course, good weddings have good vittles, and in the case of both weddings (father and son) there are stories. From a coffee toast to shipped-in barbecue, these gentlemen made the...
Dec 24, 2020•38 min•Season 3Ep. 6
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob go on a diet. Wait, isn’t it the holidays? Isn’t this a terrible time to talk about diets? What is a diet anyway? Is it a good word, a bad word, or does it even mean what we think it means? They talk about what it took to get rid of the Freshman Fifteen (or Forty, as the case may be). They look back at crazy fad diets of days gone by (prepare to be shocked and amazed.) They count how many dollars Americans spend on diet products (not really; it would take ...
Nov 23, 2020•33 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob help get you ready for the holidays, with a full fountain of Flavorites. That’s right, we skip directly to the drumbeats and share all kinds of recommendations to keep you occupied while you’re in the car on the way to Grandma’s, when you should be studying for finals, when you’re under quarantine or isolated for the thirteenth time this year, or when you need to escape from family for a minute or three. They share their favorite shows to binge-watch, book...
Nov 09, 2020•34 min•Season 3Ep. 4
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob talk about the election. No, it’s not just a petal on Calvin’s tulip. It’s a vital part of life as an American and we are right in the thick of it as this episode drops. Not to worry, they aren’t going to tell you who to vote for; this is not a political podcast. They don’t even predict a winner - that job is left to a particular bakery. But if you’re interested in voting with marbles and hearing about winners (and losers) among candidates not afraid to ea...
Oct 26, 2020•34 min•Season 3Ep. 2
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob take a road trip. Or is it a vacation? Is there a difference? Well, yes, there is. At least they think so. They recount some of their favorites, and give tips on how to plan: the Vittles and Vitals Road Recs, one might call them. Mostly, though - as expected - they discuss planning trips around restaurants (and pennies), the ideal snacks for the road, and how to keep Mom happy (it’s mostly about coffee.) Of course, the best Road Rec is to find a podcast an...
Oct 06, 2020•38 min•Season 3Ep. 1
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob talk summer camp. After a hiatus brought to you by a severe lack of available cellular signal in rural Texas, Jay and Jacob are back in the studio for Season Three. Summer camp memories are strong, and it's not all holding hands, crying, and singing Kumbaya baya the faya. (Just say it out loud. You'll get it.) Jay talks "circle of life", summer camp style, and the untimely demise of the site where he met the 7th grade version of a now-famous person. Jacob'...
Sep 22, 2020•37 min•Season 3Ep. 1
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob converse about their addiction. To books, that is. They throw thankful shade on those who got them into reading, those who currently feed the addiction, and the books that sustain them. No genre is left behind. (Actually, that’s not true - they have standards. But they do read widely.) They talk numbers of books printed, numbers of books read, and numbers of books in the house that are yet unread - they are legion. And food isn’t left out. If anyone though...
May 18, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 10
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob sit back, put on some tunes, and chillax while talking about said tunes. Music is kind of a big deal. It goes back (we think) to days long before recorded history, and based on the enormous industry it is today, it's not going anywhere. And no wonder, given that it can transport you to another culture, evoke a memory, or just make you want to dance, dance, dance. On the edible side, some very famous musicians have sung some ... less famous songs...about al...
May 06, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 9
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob reminisce about college. Well, Jay reminisces, and Jacob projects two weeks forward when he can reminisce, too - at least for undergrad. Things have changed a bit since Jay’s days of standing in line in the coliseum to register for classes, writing Fortran code in the computer lab, and actually typing papers on a typewriter - not a laptop. Apparently the current situation for chemical engineering students requires a potent laptop. Who’d a thunk? As for col...
Apr 20, 2020•35 min•Season 2Ep. 8
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob talk eggs, bunnies, and exploding carts. That’s right, it’s the Easter episode. Of course, they definitely know the heart of Easter: that would be Jesus. But the random facts out there about how the holiday began, why we hide eggs, and the history of the Reese’s holiday shapes are mind-boggling. You’ll be amazed at the number of Cadbury Eggs created daily. You’ll be astounded at the lesser-known traditions of Florence (Italy, not Alabama). You’ll discover ...
Apr 06, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 7
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob hunker down in the V&V studio to talk about…hunkering down. Anyone else feel like they are living in a movie right now? Quarantining? Social distancing? We’re all going to have a new vocabulary when this crisis passes. In the meantime, what are some fun ways to pass the time? What does one eat in quarantine? Though this is a unique time, Jay has hunkered down before. (Jacob, too - he just doesn’t remember them as well.) Stories include: snow days (incl...
Mar 23, 2020•32 min•Season 2Ep. 6
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob take on one of the lesser-known holidays. Well, lesser-known if you don’t come from a math family like they do. March 14 (or to put it another way, 3.14) is Pi Day, when mathematicians celebrate the mysterious, transcendental, and often (or always) irrational ratio known as Pi. They talk about where and when Pi Day started, how it’s celebrated, and share a little about why Pi is vital to everyday life. And of course, it would be silly to celebrate Pi Day w...
Mar 09, 2020•35 min•Season 2Ep. 5
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob get trendy. That’s a stretch for Jay - he’s not usually up on trends. Fashion? Optional. Hairdo? No hair, don’t care. Food trends, however, make life interesting, and health trends…well, he’s in the biz, after all. Jacob on the other hand, knows all the things. With hipster tendencies and all the coffee gadgets, he’s a virtual expert. Listen as they discuss everything from Pelotons to Nap Bars, star fruit to cold brew. La Croix is one of the most well know...
Feb 24, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This is the episode where Jay and Jacob talk all things pink and chocolate. Not necessarily the same things, but on Valentine’s Day, the odds are good. The history of this day of love may not be what you think. Yeah, you’ve heard of St. Valentine, but how did things go for him in the end? Not too good. Yet somehow, it’s a happy holiday for most, unless you’re an ethically frozen cockroach in a meerkat exhibit. Lots of couples are hand-in-hand on this day, and few holidays are as connected to vit...
Feb 10, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 3
