Thoughts on the Table

Join us in our journey through this fascinating subject as we touch on the concept of authenticity and on how culture influences our appreciation of flavor. Conversely, in the second part of the episode, Jason and I discuss some cooking trends that affect the flavor of food such as the tendency to finish cooking pasta in its sauce and to alter traditional recipes to make them visually pleasing for sharing on social media, more so than with our guests!

Today’s issue contains extracts from the first six episodes where Jason and I discuss flavor and taste, as well as cultural differences between Italy, North America, and Japan. Among other topics, we touched on why as an Italian I would never try to put salt on pasta, whether eating spicy food can damage our taste buds, the reason why desserts tend to end the meal, why many people learn to appreciate "spoiled" foods like Gorgonzola and Natto, what exactly astringency is, and the path to appreciating subtle flavors. To wrap up the selection, I couldn’t help but include extracts from episode seven, a recording that took place right in the center of Milan on Jason’s impressions from visiting Italy for the first time.

Bread and Spirits is an Instagram feed that unites Italian cuisine and cocktails enthusiasts around the world. Born out of the March 2020 lockdown from the combined talents of Jasmina and Stefano, Bread and Spirits is visually stunning, informative, entertaining, and very much unique. In this episode, I have the pleasure to record Jasmina and Stefano’s first audio interview and capture their incredible energy and passion for food and drinks, but also for human connections and communication. (Music by www.purple-planet.com)

Is a cookbook on a cuisine a mirror of what takes place in its people’s kitchens? Or does it reflect more the desires and needs of its intended audience? And if that’s the case, are these desires of a practical nature, or for something that people like to dream about? These are some of the questions that Diana Pinto has been asking herself while going through lots of cookbooks as part of her “2-week cookbook project.”

Join us in this episode to hear more about the true cuisine of Italy by going over some unexpected Italian dishes, such as Mostarda, Bagna Cauda, Prosciutto and Cantaloupe, as well as evidence of many dishes wrongly labeled as "non-authentic" that are eaten daily all around the Peninsula, like Spaghetti alla Bolognese, Gnocchi al Pesto, Lasagne al Pesto, Carbonara with Pancetta, and Strawberry Tiramisu.

My guest today is Chicca Maione, an extraordinary cooking instructor for both in-person and online classes on Italian cuisine. Based in Castagneto Carducci - Bolgheri, Tuscany, Chicca shares her fascinating story, from her Neapolitan origins to the amazing experience of cycling all over the world for over ten years, before settling in Tuscany and seeing her love for food and cooking materialize into a new career. In the episode, Chicca Maione also goes over her philosophy on food, how to bring joy into the kitchen, and the benefits of cooking every day. Finally, she talks about the food she cooks the most (Italian-Mediterranean).

Geoff (We Regret To Inform You, Alone Together, Dietetics After Dark) answers my questions on podcast sound design and gives me a glimpse into the fascinating world of professional audio production. (Music by www.purple-planet.com)

This episode's guests are podcasters Becca and Sarah from Dietetics After Dark, a highly trending podcast on food-related scandals, misconduct, fraud, and drama. In the episode, we learn more about Becca and Sarah, how Dietetics After Dark came to be, and how it's made behind the scenes.

Thoughts on the Table is back with a new guest, Diana Pinto, and a very special episode. As she describes it, Diana became interested in noting variations across different cookbooks. Incidentally and unexpectedly, this brought her to challenge the concept of authenticity or at least the implication that there's one true way to cook traditional Italian dishes, a claim that we see so frequently on social media and that risk having a deeply damaging effect.

During the episode, we discuss becoming absorbed into a new culture by learning people’s language and their values. We also talk about the immense richness of the Italian food traditions and the importance of capturing them faithfully to make them more accessible to other cultures. Finally, Wendy describes her current culinary projects and how podcasting has become such a central channel for her.