1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: You are listening to Ruthie's Table four in partnership with Montclair. 2 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 2: When I met my husband, Richard, an architect, he was 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 2: so keen for us to work together. He wanted me 4 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 2: to change my career and become an architect too. In 5 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 2: the end, our partnership took a different shape and I 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 2: opened the restaurant five steps away from his office. He 7 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 2: did the drawings, I made the soup, the River Cafe began. 8 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:24,479 Speaker 2: Tina Fey has been on Ruthie's Table four and she's 9 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 2: in fact our first returning guest. When we first met, 10 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 2: she spoke about food being a major part of her life, 11 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 2: but she only brought one half of her team. The 12 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 2: other half, Jeff Richmond, is now here with us. A composer, producer, director. 13 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:42,599 Speaker 2: Jeff is Tina's creative partner and he's her husband. He 14 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 2: says he does all cooking. Tina and Jeff have collaborated 15 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 2: together on almost everything, and now they're here in London 16 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 2: to open The Mean Girl's Musical at the Savoy Theater. 17 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 2: I am going an opening night today. We're going to 18 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 2: talk about love, marriage, work, family and most of all food. 19 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:05,040 Speaker 2: What a team here, so you know the kind of 20 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:07,479 Speaker 2: drill as we read a recipe. When you were here, 21 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 2: we had the slow cooked tomato sauce, and in the 22 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 2: winter we use the jars of tomatoes. And right now 23 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 2: we have beautiful tomatoes in season, so we made a 24 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 2: fresh tomato sauce. 25 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: You want to read it, and I'll just kind of 26 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: underscore it. 27 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 2: Out the piano. Yeah, all right. 28 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 3: This is a recipe for tagliorini with San Marzano tomato sauce. 29 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 3: Two hundred grams of San Marzano tomatoes, skinned, seated and chopped, 30 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 3: three hundred grams of taglierini. 31 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 2: And I say that right. 32 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 3: Two garlic clothes cut into slivers, three tablespoons of extra 33 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 3: virgin olive oil, a handful of fresh basil, extra virgin 34 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 3: olive oil. Here come the instruction part. Jeff here commons 35 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 3: the instruction part. Fry the garlic in the olive oil 36 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 3: until it turns golden brown. Add the tomatoes and season oil. 37 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 3: Cook for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. Put the taglierini in 38 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 3: boiling salted water. Drain and combine with the sauce. Add 39 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:12,679 Speaker 3: torn up basil and extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately. 40 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 3: Take that Stanley Tucci like Pucci. 41 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 2: That's beautiful. So we're here and we were thinking when 42 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 2: we were here last. Do you hear about it a 43 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 2: couple of months ago? An, so we weren't quite in 44 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 2: the This is now June is getting into this summary season. 45 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 2: How's your garden. 46 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: It's lovely. I planted lettuce, lots of lettuce. Lettuce is 47 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: coming up, Tomatoes all over the place. Yeah, And I 48 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: had to rush home to be sure I was getting 49 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: all everything in the ground. 50 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 2: I remember zucchini. We were doing zucchini. 51 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: I got zucchini in this last week. The flowers, lots 52 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: of flowers. 53 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 3: Yeah. 54 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:50,720 Speaker 1: I like to put a lot of flowers in the 55 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: garden to attract the pollinators. Yeah, and mix them all 56 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: in so that the bees show up. You got to 57 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: give something to the bees. 58 00:02:57,560 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 2: Could you ever think of doing. 59 00:02:58,600 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: Honey, Yes, I'm thinking about it all the time. And 60 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:05,800 Speaker 1: you can ask Tina. I've already found a little place 61 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: over the hill, and see all the people are oddly, 62 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:12,680 Speaker 1: you're not that oddly nervous about having home of bees. 63 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 2: No, I don't think so you should just have them. 64 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 2: We were going to do it. We always said about 65 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 2: doing it on the roof of that building. Of Beauties 66 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 2: and Fason Hammersmith. 67 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 1: Nice. The weather's been very nice. It's been wet in 68 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: a good way. 69 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 2: Here it's really cold, and we're getting things late, like 70 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 2: the melons from you know, melons start coming actually early 71 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 2: May and now they're coming later. And so it's just. 72 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: The whole farm of the table thing. You're like, oh no, 73 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: the climate change. We got to, i know, plan. 74 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 2: Think about what we're going to have and what we 75 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 2: don't have. And a lot of our vegetables we grow here. 76 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 2: We do have English you know, blueberries and strawberries and 77 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 2: all that, but a lot of the interesting vegetables come 78 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 2: from Italy. 79 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: I suppose it's not that much difference because when we 80 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: go all right, we're in New York. We get a 81 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: lot of our argetables in New Jersey and stuff in 82 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,360 Speaker 1: the seasons, right, but then in the off season it's 83 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: coming from you know, California, Florida, which is like the 84 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: same distance. You know, I guess that makes perfect. 85 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 3: You foraged your ramps this, did you forge? 86 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: I did? I was, So this is kind of fun. 87 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: So over the hill and this was the year. We've 88 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: had this home for like four years and with a 89 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: beautiful back end of the property that goes over the back, 90 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 1: and I said, well, let's clear it out this year, 91 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: so we just see what's down there. We'll put a 92 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: little house or a little building or something, or a bench, 93 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: something for simple people. And they had cleared it out 94 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: and I went down there and I said, oh my gosh. 95 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: From my childhood, here's rams. 96 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 2: Talk about wraps. I'm not really sure. 97 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: Are like something probably called something a spring onion or 98 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: a garlic, but they're very short lived. They pop up 99 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 1: in the kind of the wet part of the early spring, so. 100 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 2: It's like wild. 101 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: Garlic, really strong garlic, very strong, and it's delicious and 102 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: delicious to cook with and when you eat them, they 103 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: come out your poores. 104 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 2: You sweat garlic for a couple of days. So tell 105 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 2: me about growing up and food in your house. What 106 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 2: did you grow up with? You said, your mom, coach, what. 107 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:14,279 Speaker 1: Did my grandparents? So I lived. We grew up in 108 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:19,280 Speaker 1: rural in the country, and it was very where did 109 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: you grow up? I grow up in West Virginia and 110 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: then we moved to Ohio. When were West Virginia. My 111 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: dad was a coal miner and he got it. 112 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 2: He said, we gotta get up in both places. He 113 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 2: was a coal and. 114 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: When we went to Ohio he was many things. He 115 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: he you know, he just kind of kept balancing around. 116 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: It was different left. 117 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 3: West Virginia to get out of coal, could get out 118 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 3: of get out of the coal mining business. 119 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 1: So no matter what it was, it was never crazy lucrative. 120 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 1: But I was three boys and my parents and my 121 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 1: grandparents on my father's we all lived together. So it's 122 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: like the Waltons, if anybody's familiar, and it was, you know, 123 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: three boys, nobody's nobody's afraid of eating. Everybody loves to 124 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: eat and eating together, breakfast and lunch and dinner. 125 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 2: Breakfast. 126 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 3: You're talking about eggs every day, bacon before going to biskits. 127 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: Yes, biscuits, the whole, the whole. 128 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 3: Baby, red eye gravy. 129 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 1: Gravy, not red eye gravy, just regular what they call 130 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,720 Speaker 1: just white gravy. It's made with like bacon fat. And 131 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 1: by the way, it's flui flour. Oh, it's like you 132 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:19,919 Speaker 1: just bacon thill it and then you make a rube 133 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 1: by putting it in flour of course, into just bacon drippings, 134 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,560 Speaker 1: salt and pepper, and then if you add just whole 135 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: milk stir it, pour it over the most delicious hot 136 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:32,599 Speaker 1: biscuit right out of the oven. 137 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:36,839 Speaker 2: Like it's like a yeah that savors songs just sweet 138 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 2: as well, So it's very typical, probably something to fill 139 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:42,680 Speaker 2: up people as well. That was that a sub Did 140 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 2: you have toast as well? 141 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: Or would you do sometimes? 142 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:44,719 Speaker 2: Oh? 143 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, and toast? 144 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 2: Did your grandparents were they born in the United States? 145 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: Did they have they were they did it? 146 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:51,320 Speaker 2: You know? 147 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: Kind of the interesting when my grandparents when they were young. 148 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: So this is in the twenties and thirties and in 149 00:06:56,480 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: the forties, and in those days, people that worked in 150 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:02,800 Speaker 1: coal mines worked in the coal mines. They lived in 151 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: towns that were built by the coal mining companies, and 152 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 1: so in those there was it was full of immigrants. 153 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: So my grandmother, you know, learned all her cooking from 154 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: Italian immigrants and Irish imagy, so like we would have 155 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:20,679 Speaker 1: Italian food at home. I had nyochi all the time, 156 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: but I never knew it was called nyoki. It was 157 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: called two fingers because of the way you make it, 158 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: where you roll the dough and you do this, So 159 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: I never heard of it as nyoki until I was 160 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: like a grown man. Delicious but they the food was 161 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: so good and it was so important to them. And 162 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: the other thing I just remembered about that was that 163 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: they all the ladies would get up. There was very 164 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: really a community. The women would get up, send all 165 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 1: the men to the mind into the mine at like, 166 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,920 Speaker 1: you know, six o'clock in the morning. That was first breakfast. 167 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: Then about nine thirty all the ladies would have second 168 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 1: breakfast to get which together they would like see their husbands. 169 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: They gone that they had nothing to do but cook 170 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: do that, so second breakfast. We often have second breakfast. 171 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 2: When don't get to breakfast. You a too breakfast person. Yeah, 172 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 2: so you get up at six thirty six. So when 173 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,320 Speaker 2: you described that was your your you and your brothers 174 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 2: would have breakfast at six thirty before. 175 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: Your dad before we went to before we went to school, 176 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 1: we'd all have breakfast like six thirty seven. 177 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 2: And then he'd go off to the mines. And then 178 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 2: did he take a kind of lunch with him, do 179 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 2: you think down there? 180 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: Yeah? 181 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, your mom would have to make it at the miners. 182 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, my dad wouldn't make it because the. 183 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 2: Cornish miners here. You know, there's a thing called the 184 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,200 Speaker 2: Cornish pasty and somebody told me once that that was 185 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,679 Speaker 2: for the miners who would put everything. They'd make this 186 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:39,679 Speaker 2: kind of meat stew type thing and they put it 187 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 2: inside this pastry. It's like a big heavy thing. And 188 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 2: then yeah, yeah, exactly, and then you go down into 189 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 2: the mine. 190 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: Make perfect sense, doesn't it. You want to have something 191 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 1: that you can pull out of a thing, not get healthy, dirty, 192 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: and eat really quickly. You know. 193 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 2: Was it fearful him going down? 194 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: I think it was for them, you know, And we 195 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: were by the time we were I was six or seven, 196 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 1: we had moved and just lived in Ohio. But I 197 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:05,240 Speaker 1: think those yeah, as early days. 198 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:07,680 Speaker 3: It's yeah, do you think that part of it was 199 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 3: the reason to move was that he didn't want you 200 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 3: and your brothers to have to do that job. 201 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: You find the real cool story nuggets. That's that's true. 202 00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: You didn't want us to do that. 203 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, and your grandparents moved with you. Yes, it's actually that. 204 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:23,800 Speaker 2: In a lot of these interviews, the role of the 205 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 2: grandparents and food. You talked about your Greek Yeah family 206 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:27,840 Speaker 2: as well. 207 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:30,719 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean my grandparents were I didn't really they 208 00:09:30,720 --> 00:09:33,840 Speaker 3: were gonery, but again, very communal in the neighborhood and 209 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:42,200 Speaker 3: somebody's grandma was always baking cookies, like baking gourlaika and. 210 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: Had a lot of still like first generation Greek. 211 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 3: It was really Greek. 212 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,559 Speaker 1: Yeah, and yeah, the food is delicious. 213 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, but also the grandparents kind of I always say keep, 214 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 2: you know, they bring the food with them and keep it. 215 00:09:57,080 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 2: The mother's adapt the children really conform, but the grandmother's keep, 216 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 2: you know, keep the food. People talk a lot about 217 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 2: their grandparents' food. I remember their grandparents. 218 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 1: It's a huge part of because my mother didn't know 219 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:15,440 Speaker 1: how to cook very until she got married. That's what 220 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: I remember. And that my grandmother Parlen, Parlean, beautiful Arline, 221 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 1: and her mother's name was Icy. Those are some older 222 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: those names. Are they from the hills? I'm not even 223 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 1: sure you know? They were all Welsh, Irish Scottish. Yeah. 224 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 2: So you kind of grew up in this household where 225 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 2: both of your well you had breakfast as well. Did 226 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 2: you have breakfast? 227 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:43,720 Speaker 3: We didn't have that kind of no, that kind of 228 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 3: like bacon and eggs. Breakfast was maybe on a weekend. 229 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 3: I grew up some regular suburban you know, box of 230 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 3: sugar cereal in the morning. 231 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 2: Food was important in your house. Everybody really cared about 232 00:10:54,920 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 2: the food in your house to And I always think 233 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,520 Speaker 2: it's interesting when you think what next. So then you're 234 00:10:59,559 --> 00:11:01,319 Speaker 2: in you're up in this house and you do probably 235 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 2: with your children, I've done it with mine, where you 236 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 2: really food is about getting together in the evening, it's 237 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:10,679 Speaker 2: about talking. It's about tradition, as you're saying. And then 238 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 2: you go off to college and it's what, So you went, 239 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:15,200 Speaker 2: you went to Kent State. What year were you in 240 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:15,839 Speaker 2: Kent State? 241 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 1: Eighty one? 242 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,080 Speaker 2: When I saw that you'd been there, just so resonates 243 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 2: that you hear somebody's been to Kent State, it means something. 244 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 1: When I went there was ten years. 245 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. 246 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:29,640 Speaker 1: So in nineteen seventy and in the States, when there 247 00:11:29,679 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: was so much civil unrest, there. 248 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:34,600 Speaker 3: Were anti Vietnam, anti Vietnam. 249 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 1: The States had just announced that they were going to 250 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,320 Speaker 1: push into Cambodia, so everybody and they wasn't going to 251 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,840 Speaker 1: end so all these you know, students whose lives were 252 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: at risk, you know, they were going to protest, and 253 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:48,520 Speaker 1: there was a lot of protests, protests that eventually became 254 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 1: not quite as peaceful. They brought sin in the National 255 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 1: Guard to kind of sit on the students, which resulted 256 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:59,199 Speaker 1: in after a couple of days of just mayhem for 257 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: students getting shot and killed, and that is kind of thing. Yeah, 258 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 1: that was a historic event. 259 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 2: So I just come to London from New York kind 260 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:10,920 Speaker 2: of you know, we all knew what we were all protests, 261 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 2: we were all doing that, but to actually be killed 262 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 2: in the I had a college was something I remember. 263 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:18,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I just read the day that it happened, 264 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 1: because I grew up near Kenton, Ohio, and announcement on 265 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 1: the news that this had just happened, and it was 266 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: you know, everybody was just scared. It was nerve wracking. 267 00:12:29,120 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 2: So what did you do in college for food? Did 268 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:33,439 Speaker 2: you cook? Or did you just grab a sandwich? Did 269 00:12:33,440 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 2: you just have fast food? 270 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,200 Speaker 1: I didn't live on campus, I lived off campus. So 271 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 1: you tried to get to find a way to buy 272 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,719 Speaker 1: a booklet of food and eat in the cafeterias and 273 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:43,719 Speaker 1: it was like a ticket program. We tore them off 274 00:12:43,760 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: so so much. We would also eat about every meal 275 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:51,960 Speaker 1: at a diner called Perkins Perkins Sure, and we would 276 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 1: eat a lot of meals there. And you would go 277 00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: there after class and say they're really late and just 278 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: drink a lot of coffee, occasionally cooking and other piece that. 279 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 2: Did you cook at home? Did you ever cook your mother? 280 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:10,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, Jeff and his brother, my brother, both the cooks 281 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:13,120 Speaker 1: and one brother. Never really glomed on you, but it's 282 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:17,040 Speaker 1: very it's that kind of masculine cooking. I guess it's 283 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: that kind of barbecuing meat, but inside too. But yeah, 284 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: like roasts and starch. 285 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,760 Speaker 2: What do you cook on these chick. 286 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 1: A lot of chicken. I cooked a lot of roast 287 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:32,720 Speaker 1: chickens because that's what everybody loves. Shoulders you have a special. 288 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 2: Way of cooking a roast chicken. 289 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: Everybody has has different techniques. Yeah, I've gone a couple 290 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 1: of different lately. I was doing a thing like a 291 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:42,680 Speaker 1: chicken in a pot. It would take a whole chicken 292 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: and I would put in the pot with the lid 293 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: on on top of the stove for h for a while, 294 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: then take the lid off and put the whole thing 295 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,719 Speaker 1: in the oven with but still leaving a lot of 296 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 1: liquid in it. But normally it's just old school roast, 297 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:01,000 Speaker 1: you know, nothing fancy like not putting butter under the skin. 298 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:08,320 Speaker 1: Just a chicken cooked by itself. Food like the big 299 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 1: pizzapie you know all these. 300 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 2: The River Cafe is excited. We're opening the River Cafe. Cafe. 301 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,160 Speaker 2: Come for a morning Briochian cappuccino, a plate of seasonal 302 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 2: antipasty on the terrace, or an ice cream or a 303 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 2: paratibo in the sun. We can't wait to open, and 304 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 2: we cannot wait to welcome you. When you first met 305 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 2: in Chicago, what was food like there? 306 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 3: Chicago is a really good food city. There's like really 307 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 3: delicious food there. But it was also we would work 308 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:50,680 Speaker 3: late and we would end up at this amazing old 309 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 3: school diner every night after the show. 310 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:56,320 Speaker 1: Called the Golden Apple. Golden Apple, which also may kind 311 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: of makes sense in a family way because we I 312 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:00,960 Speaker 1: ate their probably twice a day. 313 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:02,680 Speaker 3: So there was a stretch where we would eat there, 314 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 3: but go before the show and then again after. 315 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: And it was in the same waitress. 316 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:10,520 Speaker 3: I know Donna who there was actually like an NPR 317 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:15,160 Speaker 3: this American Life podcast about Donna. 318 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 2: In chicag because she was everybody went yeah, and it's 319 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,960 Speaker 2: so that felt was she kind of young from Oklahoma. 320 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 2: She liked those movie waitresses and diners. I remember She's 321 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 2: always a diner scene and this that waitress was slightly sassy, 322 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:29,520 Speaker 2: and she was like. 323 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:33,720 Speaker 3: She was more elegant driving Oklahoma woman maybe in. 324 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:36,760 Speaker 1: Her fifties, her fifties. 325 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:39,560 Speaker 3: And real warm, so warm. 326 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 1: And she was so and people love just loved her. 327 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 1: She was witty. Yeah, she was kind of famous. But anyway, 328 00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:48,680 Speaker 1: that was still that was another extension of family and 329 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: eating being a regular, a regular and it was Greek owned. Sure, yes, 330 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 1: of course. 331 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 3: Of course, I'm a big fan of a late night breakfast, 332 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 3: so like a scrabbled eggs and a Belgian waffle. Could 333 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 3: also eat a lot more twenty three. 334 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, hot hot veal. 335 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:05,960 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, our. 336 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 3: Friends got out that used to get the hot veal 337 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 3: every night. 338 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: Picture this piece of veal deep fried. There's a place 339 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: called the Athenian Room. 340 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, that place. I've talked about that a lot. Yeah, 341 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 3: it was a little Greek place a little better than 342 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 3: a diner. But they would do these kind of Greek 343 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:26,160 Speaker 3: lemon chickens on rotisseries and then they would let the 344 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 3: fat drip onto the French fries to the French. 345 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: Fries, so they were like the cottage fry or a 346 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,360 Speaker 1: f and there was so much lemon and even vinegar 347 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: on the everything. Yeah, it had a bite and a 348 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: tank and the skin was so crispy. I had never 349 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 1: had a chicken that taste. To get that one, like, 350 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 1: I'm always chasing that chicken. 351 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 2: Was it part of falling in love? Your love for food? 352 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 3: Yeah? 353 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:51,320 Speaker 2: I think so. Could you date somebody who didn't like 354 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 2: food or didn't care about food? 355 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: I don't think, because I think there's a I think 356 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: there's a weird disconnect with people who don't live. 357 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 3: I don't understand someone who like doesn't care about food. 358 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 1: Oh tenerous to do this hilarious bit when we were 359 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:08,480 Speaker 1: first dating. It has to do with chocolate cake, and 360 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: it's so stupid, but this is one of the reasons 361 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:12,680 Speaker 1: that I fell in love with her. And she would 362 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: we would be at the improv theater doing something and 363 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:17,399 Speaker 1: somebody would have cake and you would come up and 364 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,159 Speaker 1: you would put chocolate cake right here, covering up one 365 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: of your teeth, and you would just start talking and 366 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:24,560 Speaker 1: it looked like you had just had a tooth knocked out, 367 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:27,959 Speaker 1: but you would play it like like like you didn't know. 368 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 1: I don't know. 369 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 2: Why. 370 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:30,119 Speaker 1: Why was that so funny? 371 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:33,000 Speaker 3: What this marriage is basedek? 372 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 2: What do you think about food? 373 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 3: I think we wake up in the morning coffee and 374 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:37,560 Speaker 3: plan dinner. 375 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: Do you very much? So we have our We look 376 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: forward to our coffee in the morning so much. 377 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:51,400 Speaker 2: Breakfast, No, not the eggs and the biscuits, and biscuits 378 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:52,200 Speaker 2: been an egg? 379 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:55,719 Speaker 1: How do you make your eggs different ways? You normally 380 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:59,399 Speaker 1: like either sunny side up or over easy. I've been 381 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,720 Speaker 1: trying to give better at poaching eggs. Oh, yeah, okay, 382 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 1: because it's delicious. 383 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:04,400 Speaker 2: I like a poach. 384 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 1: I do too. Yeah. 385 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,360 Speaker 2: I think with the poached egg My slight is that 386 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:10,479 Speaker 2: you don't have to be afraid of putting too much 387 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 2: vinegar in the water. 388 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 1: See. That might be it, because I put like a capful. 389 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:17,080 Speaker 2: Don't worry. I mean, I don't think, but I don't 390 00:18:17,119 --> 00:18:19,120 Speaker 2: think you need nor do you need a lot of water? 391 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,080 Speaker 2: So then you don't need a lot. But I think 392 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:23,240 Speaker 2: that vinegar chemical something is. 393 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:24,399 Speaker 1: Tightens it up. 394 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:26,119 Speaker 2: Yah, maybe it really makes it. 395 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:27,359 Speaker 1: Do you need to swirl the water? 396 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 2: No, I don't. 397 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: Oh, I didn't know that. That's what I had learned, 398 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:34,320 Speaker 1: that you vinegar and then take a spoon and get 399 00:18:34,359 --> 00:18:36,840 Speaker 1: the water. I see, and then when you drop the 400 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:39,640 Speaker 1: egg in the middle, it shapes it quicker. 401 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,159 Speaker 2: Do you eat eggs and do I do eat? I? 402 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:45,400 Speaker 3: I uh have perfected a boiled egg. 403 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 2: I like a hard boiled egg. That's a really hard 404 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:48,120 Speaker 2: thing to perfect. 405 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:51,200 Speaker 3: I have so many different word and just cover it 406 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:53,320 Speaker 3: with water, bring it to a rolling boil, turn it 407 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 3: off lid for ten minutes, exactly perfect. 408 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:58,240 Speaker 2: And then you peel it. Do you peel it on 409 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 2: the and put my ustard on it? 410 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 1: Must the egg situation. The other one it's hard, it's 411 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 1: tricky and it always looks so good. Is when somebody 412 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 1: does a soft boiled egg and they put it in 413 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:11,240 Speaker 1: an egg cup. 414 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:19,639 Speaker 2: Yeah, they do. They have soldiers, they soldiers. You have 415 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,159 Speaker 2: that thing. And I never could quite perfect that thing 416 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,639 Speaker 2: of putting your spoon in and not getting shell. 417 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:27,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, but I sure wish I could. 418 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,399 Speaker 2: When you then started working, when you have then had 419 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,640 Speaker 2: domestic life in New York and you're both working, did 420 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:36,680 Speaker 2: you fit food into the when you're working on a set? Yeah? 421 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:39,120 Speaker 3: So for seven years we were on set and. 422 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,359 Speaker 2: Was that thirty rock? Yeah? And you did the music? 423 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:44,160 Speaker 1: Yeah? 424 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, they were, they were. They all good eaters. 425 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:49,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean we all love food. 426 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:50,240 Speaker 2: Island loves food. 427 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:53,359 Speaker 3: And you know, it was real that neighborhood at the 428 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 3: time is in Long Island City. It's it's grown a lot, 429 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:57,359 Speaker 3: but at that time it was a real kind of 430 00:19:57,359 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 3: food desert. There wasn't a place to order in from whatever. 431 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:04,359 Speaker 3: We'd have catered lunch. That was Jesus. And then we 432 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 3: had an amazing woman. 433 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:07,159 Speaker 2: I've probably talked about her a lot. 434 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:08,880 Speaker 3: I can't forgive me if I repeats, but this woman 435 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:12,520 Speaker 3: Angel who was So you have your catered lunch, but 436 00:20:12,520 --> 00:20:14,439 Speaker 3: you also have what they call craft services, which is 437 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 3: a table just of constant snacks and they bring different 438 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:19,320 Speaker 3: things out and it really is what when you're having 439 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:21,920 Speaker 3: a long, arduous day, it's one of your biggest joys. 440 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 3: And like angels walking around with garlic knots or whatever. 441 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 3: And she was from Long Island and she would bring 442 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:31,919 Speaker 3: in all these Italian delights from Long Island, like fresh 443 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:34,920 Speaker 3: like breads and tomato pie mazzarella. 444 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:38,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, real good, this delicious food and. 445 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:42,199 Speaker 3: Yeah, and like Italian cookies and stuff. And it was 446 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:44,640 Speaker 3: your only joy. Yeah. And so there was almost never 447 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 3: any meal at home like during that time. 448 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 2: But I think creatively how you work within food and 449 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:54,320 Speaker 2: being hungry or not wanting to eat. Some people don't 450 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:56,880 Speaker 2: want to eat when they're acting. People I've talked to 451 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:58,200 Speaker 2: say they don't like to eat. 452 00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 3: Well. Sometimes if you're you don't want to feel weighed 453 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:06,399 Speaker 3: down or a heavy meals. It's a being a writer 454 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 3: slash performer all that time was tricky because if I'm writing, 455 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 3: I absolutely have to carbload. I truly, I think my 456 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 3: brain needs like the bagel whatever, it needs bagels to function. 457 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:23,440 Speaker 3: And then but if you're an actor, you think like, well, 458 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 3: I still need my costume to fit or whatever. But 459 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 3: I mean, I never was successful back twenty years ago 460 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 3: whenever one was on like Atkins and stuff like that. 461 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:32,880 Speaker 3: I can't do that because my brain won't work. 462 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:39,359 Speaker 1: When I'm working. I use food as my reward at 463 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:41,240 Speaker 1: the end of everything, So I try not to eat 464 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,879 Speaker 1: or snack or do anything too much coffee and stuff. 465 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:46,360 Speaker 1: But I'm really looking forward to I'm going to push 466 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:48,200 Speaker 1: through and then I'll go a little late at about 467 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:50,760 Speaker 1: eight o'clock, I'll go in. I'll make myself a nice, 468 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:51,960 Speaker 1: little one person dinner. 469 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 2: Sometimes I'll be. 470 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 1: And I may have a little and I have a 471 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,879 Speaker 1: little a cocktail in that, and I feel that's what 472 00:21:57,920 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 1: I've worked all day for. This is what I've worked for. 473 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, you you you always would rather delay having the 474 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,600 Speaker 3: nice meals at the end rather than taking a dinner break. 475 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 3: So oftentimes if we're in a we're really working hard 476 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:12,399 Speaker 3: on something, I'll be going to bed and be like 477 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 3: frying a steak and to me, I'm like, that's that 478 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:17,720 Speaker 3: seems like a nightmare. 479 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:25,159 Speaker 1: That's a good one. Food, glorious food, sausage. 480 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 2: And if you like listening to Ruthie's Table four, would 481 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 2: you please make sure to rate and review the podcast 482 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:38,720 Speaker 2: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, o, wherever you 483 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:40,080 Speaker 2: get your podcasts. 484 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:44,120 Speaker 1: Thank you and uh estion. 485 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,760 Speaker 2: Let's talk about mean girls and food and the musical 486 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 2: and what it's like doing. Is this your first experience 487 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:58,040 Speaker 2: of working in Britain in London? Tell me about that. 488 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,840 Speaker 1: I love it. I think it's the more is charming 489 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:03,760 Speaker 1: that that area. I mean we're staying over of course 490 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: in the West End and the theater district and I 491 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 1: just love it. I love walking around. The food is 492 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: great on your recommendation. I've eaten so much at jay 493 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 1: Sheky's that they know me when I. 494 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:18,120 Speaker 2: Get in there. Were we like a regular regular. 495 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,679 Speaker 1: So nice tonight, thank you come in and so I 496 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:25,200 Speaker 1: like having a place to go like that, you know. 497 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 3: And you then it's been sort of been like room service, 498 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 3: breakfast and the late meal, and that's probably. 499 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:32,120 Speaker 1: That's it for me. Be it for your service, breakfast, 500 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: late meal. 501 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:34,719 Speaker 2: No lunch. What do you did you get now? 502 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:36,200 Speaker 1: I've been not doing a big lunch. 503 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,160 Speaker 3: We were at rehearsals, were out by the National Youth Theater. 504 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 3: It's a space that we were using, so it was 505 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,520 Speaker 3: up in Camden and we didn't really know where to 506 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 3: get lunch. 507 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 1: There was hardly anywhere to go. 508 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 3: I found a Greek bakery though, I got and Casey Nicola, 509 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:52,719 Speaker 3: our director, who's also Greek, we destroyed a box of 510 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 3: Greek cookies one day. 511 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 2: What are Greek cookies? And there there. 512 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 3: Are lots of kinds, but they're all similar, I would 513 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 3: say to Italian cookies. They're not overly sweet. 514 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:04,320 Speaker 1: They're great. 515 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:06,840 Speaker 2: And start telling me about the music, Okay, about what 516 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 2: it is? Sure? Okay? 517 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,000 Speaker 3: So the musical is Mean Girls, and it's adapted from 518 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 3: the two thousand and four movie that I wrote back 519 00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:17,040 Speaker 3: in the days that originally starred Lindsay Lowen and Rachel McAdams, 520 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:20,919 Speaker 3: and and we did it as a Broadway musical. It 521 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:24,119 Speaker 3: was extremely successful there. We were nominated for twelve Tony Awards. 522 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:27,439 Speaker 3: And it's basically taking these characters that many people know 523 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 3: the movie, especially like you know, millennials. I feel a 524 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,120 Speaker 3: lot of ownership of the movie and letting new actors 525 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,960 Speaker 3: sort of make them their own and having the characters 526 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 3: sing and the Jeff wrote all of the music with 527 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 3: our lyricist nel Benjamin, who she also was part of 528 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 3: the team that did Legally Blonde, which I know people 529 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 3: loved over here. And Casey Nicola, our director directed Book 530 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:54,680 Speaker 3: of Mormon and Aladdin, all these successful shows. 531 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:55,919 Speaker 2: And the show itself. 532 00:24:55,960 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 3: It is a really fun, joyful, energetic musical. There's a 533 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,119 Speaker 3: lot of great dance, and again it's just like young 534 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,400 Speaker 3: people with so much life in them. 535 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,479 Speaker 1: And it's very funny too, so thank you. 536 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:11,359 Speaker 3: And they're funny. 537 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:13,680 Speaker 1: They're funny people. That is another thing. They are all 538 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:14,879 Speaker 1: funny people. 539 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:16,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, And it is like the movie. I tell people, 540 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 3: you know, it is a it's a PG thirteen. You 541 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,800 Speaker 3: can bring your twelve thirteen year old kids. 542 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:22,440 Speaker 2: It will be fine. 543 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,800 Speaker 3: You can also come with your lady friends. 544 00:25:25,800 --> 00:25:27,119 Speaker 2: I said. We used to find in New York we 545 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 2: had a lot of hen parties which come, of course, 546 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:31,680 Speaker 2: it would be wonderful chaos. 547 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 3: It's just a really good fun evening out. And we've 548 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:37,040 Speaker 3: continued to work on it. We did a movie version 549 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:39,280 Speaker 3: of the musical that came out this past January that 550 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:44,960 Speaker 3: also was successful and thank you, and so we took 551 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,200 Speaker 3: some stuff that we learned in that process. We've never 552 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:51,679 Speaker 3: stopped kind of ye tinkering at and I think it 553 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:54,199 Speaker 3: continues to get better. So this London version is I 554 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 3: think even more refined and tuned. 555 00:25:57,760 --> 00:25:59,480 Speaker 2: Up than the Roadway version. 556 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:03,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think a storytelling because we decided we really 557 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:06,959 Speaker 1: did that thing where you realize there's just there's just 558 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 1: too much. If we can get rid of some things 559 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:10,359 Speaker 1: and say we don't need so many songs, we can 560 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: tell the story better. I just think it's it just 561 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:16,159 Speaker 1: moves so quickly. It feels like we're This is the 562 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: version that's. 563 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,120 Speaker 3: The learning curve for me as the book writer, because 564 00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:21,359 Speaker 3: it's you know, that's the first and only movie I've 565 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 3: written as Mean Girls, and that I took me a 566 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:27,200 Speaker 3: long time. It was hard to know because for comedy 567 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,439 Speaker 3: people writing sketch comedy, you don't ever think about telling 568 00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:33,480 Speaker 3: a story like story is your enemy in sketch comedy. 569 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 2: And so then I had to figure like, how do 570 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:35,600 Speaker 2: I tell this story? 571 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:37,840 Speaker 3: And then to take what in a movie is a 572 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:40,320 Speaker 3: three act structure and you have to turn it into 573 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,640 Speaker 3: a two act structure. It's honestly taking me this many 574 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 3: years to sort of be like, oh, right, we can 575 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:47,119 Speaker 3: like to figure out. 576 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:49,400 Speaker 1: Three acts to two acts? Is so troubling. 577 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:51,200 Speaker 3: It is. It's a real pain in about pain. 578 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:53,639 Speaker 2: Taking a book and saying I'm going to knock up 579 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 2: for chapters, absolutely yeah, and. 580 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 3: I'm going to be ending and put it in right 581 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:00,919 Speaker 3: right and moving in the how of cards of you know, 582 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 3: even this story of teenage drama. Oh, it still has 583 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:06,719 Speaker 3: to make sense and it's plotting, and my brain is 584 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:08,400 Speaker 3: so slow on that kind of thing. 585 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 2: And so in two thousand and four, there was a 586 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:15,040 Speaker 2: lack of probably knowledge the way we've grown about body image, 587 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:17,639 Speaker 2: the way young girls are thinking about the way they 588 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:20,280 Speaker 2: dress and not being constrained by the way their weight 589 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:24,520 Speaker 2: is or looking at fashion magazines and advertising and high 590 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:26,520 Speaker 2: school image and whatever. 591 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:27,119 Speaker 3: You know. 592 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,840 Speaker 2: That was in twenty four. Twenty years later. There's still 593 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,879 Speaker 2: a long way to go, probably, but we have reached 594 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:36,840 Speaker 2: a different level of looking at some of the issues 595 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,360 Speaker 2: that you looked at in two thousand and four, How 596 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 2: do we we did you adapt it? 597 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:43,639 Speaker 3: We did? Know, yes, we do. Some of the sabotage 598 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 3: that happens in the original movie still happens. You know. 599 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:47,880 Speaker 3: Regina is like still saying like, I need to lose 600 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:50,760 Speaker 3: three pounds because again we talk about food noise that 601 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,200 Speaker 3: people experience. And I do think the younger generations are 602 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:58,160 Speaker 3: much healthier with their body acceptance, but at the same time, 603 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:01,919 Speaker 3: it's still a shaming still exists. So I think it 604 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 3: is still something that young women struggle with. Some young 605 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:09,640 Speaker 3: women fall like try to shape their bodies to wherever 606 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:12,359 Speaker 3: the Kardashians are telling them to go now, you know, 607 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 3: like it was you know, we took our butts out, 608 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,119 Speaker 3: Everyone take your butts out now. So there's still a 609 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:21,439 Speaker 3: lot of weird body scrutiny and issues for women. But 610 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,240 Speaker 3: it's funny because I've seen people sort of looking back 611 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 3: the original saying, you know, like, oh my gosh, it's 612 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:31,520 Speaker 3: so insane when you know, Regina supposedly has gained weight 613 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:33,880 Speaker 3: in the original and you know, looks a very healthy size, 614 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 3: And to me, I'm like, no, that was always part 615 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 3: of the joke was that this how insane this is 616 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:42,440 Speaker 3: that this young, healthy woman is is mortified by her 617 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 3: body being that much bigger. Like that was always part 618 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 3: of the I don't want to say satire, but like 619 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:50,760 Speaker 3: it is. It's like, that's how insane it is that 620 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:53,880 Speaker 3: this woman who has everything and is perfect is thinking 621 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 3: that she needs to lose three pounds. And if anything, 622 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:00,640 Speaker 3: it's only ever been meant to highlight how but that is. 623 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:04,239 Speaker 3: And hopefully you can recognize it and laugh about it 624 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 3: and discard that behavior going forward. 625 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I just have one last question to ask you, 626 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,600 Speaker 2: because I asked it to everybody. Then we'll go and 627 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 2: have some food. Is that if you if things aren't 628 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 2: going well, or if you've had a bad day, or 629 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 2: you're worried about something and you want to think about 630 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:21,360 Speaker 2: what you can do. You can call friend, you can 631 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:23,520 Speaker 2: go to day, you can go to bed and sleep 632 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,360 Speaker 2: it off, but you might also want to eat something. 633 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:27,760 Speaker 2: And so if there was something that you would turn 634 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:30,200 Speaker 2: to for have a cask, I guess we can call 635 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 2: it comfort. Is there something that from your childhood you'd 636 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 2: go back to or right now or I remember yours 637 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 2: was the Greek pie. 638 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:41,640 Speaker 3: Was it? 639 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it was. I think would that still 640 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 2: be the case or is there you had some? For sure. 641 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:50,920 Speaker 3: I've just been on Fire Island again recently and for 642 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 3: whatever reason that our town on Fire Island has the 643 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 3: best fresh bagels. 644 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:57,400 Speaker 2: That come over on the boat every morning. 645 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 3: So I would say, like a fresh soft sesame bagel 646 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 3: with whipped Temptya cream cheese. 647 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:08,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's right, that's that's great for me. It 648 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 1: would be like not that I eat a lot of pizza, 649 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:14,120 Speaker 1: but if i'm if it's late at night, I would go, 650 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:17,280 Speaker 1: I want to order a delicious, thin, crisp out of 651 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:20,560 Speaker 1: a hot oven pizza and not worry about anything because 652 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 1: that would be my. 653 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:23,040 Speaker 2: Pizza is good. 654 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:24,080 Speaker 1: It's pizza. It's good. 655 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:27,640 Speaker 2: Pizza is good. It's like tomato pasta or pizza. Yeah. 656 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:31,360 Speaker 2: All right, we'll see your opening nights something. Let's do it. 657 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:33,200 Speaker 3: Thank you, Thank you, ruth Thank you. 658 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 1: I was a nice it was fun, easy right. Thank 659 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:45,720 Speaker 1: you for listening to Ruthie's Table four in partnership with 660 00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: Montclair