Marie WheelerThe podcast du jour is The Sporkful, an audio feast for the ears.
Dan Pashman hosts the show that purports to discuss, debate and obsess over ridiculous food minutiae in search of new and better ways to eat. As he is fond of saying, ‘It’s not for foodies, it’s for eaters.’
Now, I typically listen to all podcasts in order, but Mr. Pashman piqued by interest with the Thanksgiving 2013 episode and its special guest Tim ‘Eater X‘ Janus. I’ve never had an inclination toward competitive eating or even hearing more about it, but the curious disgust that washed over me as I read the premise of the show was to learn how to eat more effectively for the holiday.
The gluttony of Thanksgiving has always appalled me. I love the holiday, I appreciate the rich food, but to eat with such prolonged fervor that you need to release the button on your pants has always been a bit over the top for me. No judgements if you are a button-popper, but it’s just so wholesale uncomfortable!
So, what did I learn from this episode? Well, Eater X isn’t fond of the feeling of over-fullness either and doesn’t train for his competitions as a result. Additionally, he made great sense with how to eat on the big day for better digestion. I won’t spoil it for you, just take a listen.
There is also a long-running debate on sandwiches and what constitutes a sandwich. Pashman has two criteria in the sandwich debate and is very particular on what is and isn’t a sandwich. The first criteria is that the eater must be able to pick up the sandwich and eat it without touching the contents, poorly constructed sandwiches notwithstanding. The second criteria is that the sandwich consists of the contents being sandwiched between two discrete food items; this means that two pieces of lettuce can sandwich a burger. Discussions abound on whether a hotdog or hamburger is a sandwich, and there is even an episode debate on the soul of a sandwich and how a burrito might meet that criteria. Pashman doesn’t agree on the burrito.
The Sporkful is fun and if you are an eater, you might take a listen. Foodies might like it too 😉
