It felt like podcasts were all the rage about 6 or 7 years ago, back when iPods were still a novelty and iPhones had yet to change our lives and make us Smartphone dependent. Podcasts are digitally recorded radio shows, available for you to download (usually for free) and listen to at your leisure. You can download a podcast on everything from current affairs to advice on raising your kids. But you already knew all this, right?
For whatever reason I fell off the podcast bandwagon years ago, but thanks to a need to find alternative forms of entertainment on a crowded subway, I have revisited the podcast section of iTunes and was floored by the number of food-related podcasts available. Everything from food news, cooking videos, and commentary can be found and quickly transported to your portable listening device, whatever that may be. There is one podcast in particular that I’m really enjoying and had to share with you.
Based in Los Angeles, Evan Kleiman hosts Good Food on KCRW radio, a weekly program that shares “great restaurants that you’ve never heard of, the politics of consumption, explorations of cultures through their food customs and some of the most interesting people who devote their lives to various elements of the food supply.” The show kicks off with a farmer’s market report, relaying the latest in what’s available and looking good at the local markets, with dispatches from field reporters who speak with chefs and growers alike. The show also features a segment from Jonathan Gold, the Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer for LA Weekly, that explores some of the lesser known but worth the visit restaurants, detailing their cuisine, dishes, and flavors in the most unbelievable detail, just listening is enough to make you hungry.
It doesn’t matter if you live in LA, in New York as I do, or smack dab in the middle of the country, if you enjoy learning about food, how it’s made, where it comes from, and the best ways to enjoy it, you will love this podcast. It is brilliantly produced; the segments are informative, intriguing, and always so varied that each week is a new learning experience. Last week, for example, I learned about African American food history, the most sought-after citrus fruit in the world, heard food scientist Shirley Corriher answer listener questions on everything from baking with applesauce to substituting sweeteners, and got a breakdown on what the new USDA dietary guidelines mean from expert author Dr. Marion Nestle. Give Kleiman 55 minutes and she will give you an education and great talking points for the week.
To learn more about Good Food, visit their homepage at http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/gf
To download this podcast from iTunes, click here: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/kcrws-good-food/id73331041
To listen to this podcast online, click here: http://feeds.kcrw.com/kcrw/gf
Look out for more podcast reviews as I rediscover this wonderful resource.
Tara O'Keeffe
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