WEBVTT - Listener Mail XXII: Visions 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:12.160 Hello, and welcome to Saber Protection of iHeartRadio. I'm any 0:00:12.160 --> 0:00:12.720 Reo and. 0:00:12.600 --> 0:00:15.000 I'm Lauren Bolblabaum, and today we have an episode of 0:00:15.120 --> 0:00:16.079 listener Mail for you. 0:00:17.160 --> 0:00:22.239 Yes, you know we love these. Yes, Oh, y'all are 0:00:22.280 --> 0:00:26.759 so delightful you are, and we love that you take 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:30.480 the time to write in and you share these stories 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:33.320 with us, and we love how you interact with each 0:00:33.320 --> 0:00:37.560 other after hearing from each other. It's the best. It's wonderful. 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:40.520 It's been a minute since we've done one of these. 0:00:40.560 --> 0:00:44.080 And I counted on you, Lauren, because I was just like, 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:46.760 I don't know what number. This is, no idea. 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:49.080 I did have to look it up. This is number 0:00:49.120 --> 0:00:52.080 twenty two, just my favorite numbers. 0:00:52.159 --> 0:00:58.160 Oh it is okay, great, cool, Yes, but yeah, thanks 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:03.680 as always to everyone for writing in. We've got some 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:04.760 really good ones today. 0:01:05.200 --> 0:01:10.200 Yeah, yeah, some real meaty ones. Yeah. Truly truly a 0:01:10.319 --> 0:01:14.279 spot of joy in a really heck and weird world 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:17.240 that we're living in right now. So so thank you 0:01:17.319 --> 0:01:22.520 all so much. But yeah, you want to dive in, yes, 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:24.080 I will start. 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:26.920 And I do have to say I have loved how 0:01:26.920 --> 0:01:33.000 many people have written about pasta Sality, especially after Lauren's 0:01:33.240 --> 0:01:39.119 pretty Uh. I won't to say not intense, but just like. 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:41.520 Slightly slightly harsh. 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:46.919 Yeah, you know that's okay. Yeah, but that didn't stop 0:01:46.959 --> 0:01:47.280 you all? 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:48.480 No as well? 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:51.920 It should shunt. Yeah, no, it shouldn't. So we've got 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:57.880 some pasta sality emails here. Kelsey wrote, when Savor's latest 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:01.040 episodes started in my cueue this afternoon, I was prepping supper, 0:02:01.480 --> 0:02:05.600 specifically pasta salad. I had not glanced at the title 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:09.720 or synopsis before listening. It was very fun listening to 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:13.320 you talk about pasta salad while I made some. When 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:15.920 I make pasta salad, it is usually because it is 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:18.600 hot out and I am trying to avoid cooking late 0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:21.840 in the day. It is always a what have I 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:23.440 got and how can I use it? 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:23.959 For centure. 0:02:24.880 --> 0:02:29.160 Occasionally I crave a lemony garlicky feta and olive strewn taboule, 0:02:29.720 --> 0:02:31.880 but no one else in my house really wants that, 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:35.840 so it's just for me. Tonight's pasta salad is fusilli 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:40.160 with grated parmesan dice, tomato dice, bell pepper, corn, and 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:44.520 chopped pickled chilis. The dressing is salsa, canola oil and 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:48.440 a bit of mayo, a squirt of ketchup with cumin, coriander, paprika, 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:53.000 and regano all run through the food processor to smooth 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:56.880 and emulsify. It'll be served alongside grilled Smoky's and a 0:02:56.880 --> 0:03:04.560 green salad. I have to say all of your sometimes 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:11.240 I'm so envious of your dinner situations listeners when I 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:14.360 hear what you do and how you have these go 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:19.639 to recipes. My mom, she was a big to boulet. 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:26.760 Oh she loved it, but similarly, my brothers and dad 0:03:26.840 --> 0:03:29.720 didn't really like it, so it was just for her also. 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:35.640 But yeah, I mean that sounds that sounds delightful. That 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:39.600 sounds like the tabulet one sounds like exactly what I 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:41.600 would like to eat. That other one if you left 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:50.080 out the pasta, I would be great with it. But uh, yeah, 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:52.640 it's just a personal thing that I'm going to have 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:57.080 to continue working through, you know or not? 0:03:57.280 --> 0:03:58.560 Yeah, sure, lean in. 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.320 Yeah, But I also appreciate like it's a like a summertime. 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:06.200 It's a fun time. I can make this. I have 0:04:06.240 --> 0:04:09.920 to say, this is something I have to work through. 0:04:10.520 --> 0:04:13.480 If I see like I have to put something in 0:04:13.520 --> 0:04:15.360 a food processor. 0:04:16.000 --> 0:04:19.960 Oh oh man, we need to get you like one 0:04:19.960 --> 0:04:22.880 of those little immersion blenders. 0:04:22.320 --> 0:04:23.160 That you just have. 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:27.719 Oh it's so easy, Annie, I know. 0:04:28.080 --> 0:04:32.200 E'sye. I know, I need to work through it. Okay, 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:36.960 we both have things. Maybe we'll think about more. 0:04:37.120 --> 0:04:44.440 There you go. There, that's always always room for self consideration. Sure, yes, uh, 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.880 Cale wrote, Hi Annie and Lauren, your recent episode on 0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:51.359 You Guessed It? Pasta Salad had me considering whether or 0:04:51.400 --> 0:04:54.200 not it is a dish I actually enjoy. I loved 0:04:54.200 --> 0:04:56.039 the butt when you say how it's never really the 0:04:56.120 --> 0:04:58.480 main event, but more of a side option at potlucks 0:04:58.480 --> 0:05:01.960 and barbecues. This is eventually what I decided as well, 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:04.520 and ultimately it's a side I most often try to 0:05:04.560 --> 0:05:07.320 avoid due to my sensory issues with certain food textures. 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:11.200 Lo and behold. A few days later, my partner lovingly 0:05:11.279 --> 0:05:15.080 made pasta salad as a main dish for dinner. I 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:17.520 took this as a sign from the universe that maybe 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:19.599 it was time for me to give it another chance, 0:05:19.760 --> 0:05:22.600 especially because the dish was a childhood favorite of my partners, 0:05:22.680 --> 0:05:24.800 as her mother would make it on hot days because 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:29.800 of its simplicity and well general coldness. The verdict, I 0:05:29.800 --> 0:05:31.479 can now say I am a big fan of my 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:34.960 partner's pasta salad. It is still up for debate whether 0:05:35.000 --> 0:05:37.880 I enjoy all pasta salads or just this one. But 0:05:37.960 --> 0:05:39.919 I do think any dish made with love is a 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:44.200 dish worth trying, regardless of past experiences. While my partner's 0:05:44.200 --> 0:05:46.400 mom passed away some years ago and I never had 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:48.719 the pleasure of meeting her, I feel so lucky I 0:05:48.760 --> 0:05:50.880 get to meet her in all the wonderful qualities and 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:54.080 traditions my partner shares with me. Thanks so much for 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.080 continuing to be a bright spot in my week and 0:05:56.120 --> 0:05:59.200 for allowing me the opportunity to cry about pasta salad. 0:06:00.440 --> 0:06:11.000 Oh always, absolutely, we support crying about food. Oh but yeah, 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:15.480 that is so lovely. That's really cool. 0:06:15.800 --> 0:06:20.239 That is that is and there is something special about 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:25.880 someone sharing something that is important to them, that has 0:06:26.120 --> 0:06:31.120 this history, maybe to their family or something. And so 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:34.960 there's something about that that I do think adds an 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:40.200 extra like, okay, I can taste how much you love this? Almost? 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:45.120 Yeah? Yeah? And of course any personal dietary restrictions notwithstanding. 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:48.080 You know, if if someone makes a dish with love, 0:06:48.400 --> 0:06:50.560 you know, even if you're even if you think you 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:52.800 might not like it. Try it, Try it, you might 0:06:52.839 --> 0:06:57.960 be so pleasantly surprised. Yeah, yeah, when you can. When 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:01.120 it's when it's safe too, you know, yeah, have fun 0:07:01.120 --> 0:07:01.560 out there. 0:07:01.640 --> 0:07:07.320 But yeah, yeah, don't make yourself miserable. But no, Generally, 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:10.240 when people make something, I think they want to share it, 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:13.160 and they're happy to share it, and so if you're 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.200 open to it, I say, go for it. 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:16.640 Absolutely no. 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:26.600 Bass the salad. Okay, Now we have a note from 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:32.520 Ric about a couple different things. Ark wrote, Dorito's are 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:35.920 an interesting snack. I can't recall anyone coming close to 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:39.640 making a similar slash clone of the chip. They are 0:07:39.680 --> 0:07:41.720 a chip I enjoy, but it is also a chip 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:43.800 that I need to be in the mood for. They 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:46.840 do hit the spot when in the mood. If I'm 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:50.360 going to have a walking taco, I will take Dorito's 0:07:50.480 --> 0:07:55.840 over Frito's. While Frito's are the original, I think Dorito's 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:59.040 make a better walking taco. I've also used them in 0:07:59.120 --> 0:08:02.080 a taco salad instead of regular tortilla chips to give 0:08:02.080 --> 0:08:05.840 a bit of a twist. They do have a variety 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:08.440 of flavors, but there is something about the original nacho 0:08:08.480 --> 0:08:11.040 and cool ranch flavors. I've tried a couple of different 0:08:11.040 --> 0:08:13.640 flavors over the years, but nothing really struck me. If 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:16.000 I go overseas at some point again, I'll have to 0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:18.720 look and see what is there and even compare their 0:08:18.760 --> 0:08:24.400 base nacho to what we have here. Oo Oh, pasta salad. 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:26.800 I know you are definitely going to hear a lot 0:08:26.800 --> 0:08:30.480 of strong video here. While I don't mind pasta salad, 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:32.600 I think there are very few that are done really 0:08:32.640 --> 0:08:34.880 well to the point that I want to have more. 0:08:35.360 --> 0:08:38.400 During the summer or at potluck type gatherings, I'll grab 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:41.720 a small bite to try. I think a large majority 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:45.400 fall into the It's fine, but nothing really special or 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:49.280 memorable going on. The dressing really makes a difference on it. 0:08:50.000 --> 0:08:53.520 I generally encountered it either being overdressed or underdressed, and 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:56.240 when overdressed it seems like it will be an oil 0:08:56.280 --> 0:09:00.920 bomb or a Mayo bomb. Yes, with the dressing, I 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:03.400 think an oil based one works better for the most part. 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:05.520 While I like a good Mayo for the most part, 0:09:05.559 --> 0:09:09.040 I think mayo and pasta don't really go together. Well. 0:09:09.720 --> 0:09:12.640 Maybe someone can change her mind, but I haven't found 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:15.880 one I liked yet. Seems like it is more common 0:09:15.920 --> 0:09:20.120 with elbow macaroni for some reason, and oil and vinegar 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:24.640 with the appropriate herbs works better. As Lauren mentioned, she 0:09:24.920 --> 0:09:28.679 might like an orizo based pasta salad more. Those are 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:33.080 generally simpler and not overdone. Just cook up some orizo ads, 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:36.400 some good chopped olives, dice cucumber, some sliced cherry or 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:40.080 grape tomatoes, a little finely diced red onion or shallot, 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:43.400 and a little asiago. Then at a dressing of your choice, 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:47.360 a simple herb red wine vinaigrette would go well. I 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:50.120 don't have a recipe handy, but I do remember having 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:53.360 one like this that was definitely one of the better ones. 0:09:54.559 --> 0:09:58.840 Also a wild thought, maybe if we take a sosa 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:05.280 pasta salad add some doritos to it. Finally, I can't 0:10:05.320 --> 0:10:08.040 remember if you've done an episode on lentils. I've been 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:11.400 cooking with them a lot more recently. They are so versatile. 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:18.560 We we have a November of twenty twenty two, the 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:24.160 sentimental lentil episode. Yes, classic title. Hats off to Annie 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:25.360 for those titles all the time. 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:33.080 I have to say, I'm loving this sort of Madman esque. 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:34.920 Let's just add doritos to it. 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:42.920 Yeah, it does. Why let's go Yeah, walking taco withas 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:46.280 I do think that sounds really good. That sounds slightly 0:10:46.360 --> 0:10:50.560 overwhelming to me, Like Dorito's are already kind of like 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:54.600 a heightened flavor experience, and so I'm like, would I 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:58.160 be able to handle a walking taco dorito situation? 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:01.680 Only one way to find. 0:11:01.520 --> 0:11:07.680 Out, right, And yeah, like why not put some cool 0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:14.400 ranch Dorito's into your nice orzo pasta salad? I don't 0:11:14.760 --> 0:11:16.600 see where we could possibly go wrong? 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:23.560 No, I mean at least the experiment will give more knowledge, 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:26.319 more data, and you can go from there. 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:27.760 Which is always worth having. 0:11:28.200 --> 0:11:32.880 Yeah, it is, And I really hope more listeners continue 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:36.880 to write in about pasta salads and perhaps experiments with Dorito's. 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:42.400 I think that would be great. Love that. 0:11:42.920 --> 0:11:45.360 I love that other people have strong opinions about this. 0:11:46.320 --> 0:11:49.280 That's I mean, I shouldn't be surprised. We have strong 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:50.760 opinions about just about every. 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:55.960 Food out there. But yeah, here we are. Yes, it's fantastic. 0:11:57.280 --> 0:11:59.760 Well, we do have a bunch more listener mail for you, 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.160 but first we've got a quick break for award from 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:14.640 our sponsor and we're back. Thank you sponsored, Yes, thank you, 0:12:15.800 --> 0:12:19.880 and uh Okay, Nova wrote first, let me thank you 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:22.760 for doing an episode on cultured meats. I was very 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:25.120 sad to hear that bistro and vitro was never a 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:27.520 real thing. I'll have to wait a bit longer to 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:30.360 sample some lab meat, though apparently not in my home 0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:34.080 state of Florida. To make it more relevant, I've been 0:12:34.120 --> 0:12:36.640 waiting for a Saber Classics episode to come up on 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:39.400 chocolate chip cookies to write you this email, but decided 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:41.640 to throw caution into the wind and send it anyways. 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:44.880 Based on your cultural references, I deduce that both of 0:12:44.920 --> 0:12:47.320 you are in my age group or thereabouts, so you 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:50.920 probably remember the days of the chain email. You may 0:12:50.920 --> 0:12:53.120 have even seen this one come through your inbox at 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:55.120 some point in time, because it's been around for a 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:57.760 long time. I received it in two thousand and nine. 0:12:57.960 --> 0:13:00.520 It was possibly a chain letter even before or email 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:03.160 was commonly used. I always had my doubts as to 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:06.880 its authenticity, but either way, I have made these cookies 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:10.440 several times and they are yummy. Indeed, it's a bit 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:13.560 long winded, so feel free to paraphrase Okay and then 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:19.400 Nova pastes in this chain email. That is a thing 0:13:19.600 --> 0:13:25.560 that exists, so okay, let's go into it a little background. 0:13:25.679 --> 0:13:28.080 Nieman Marcus, if you don't know already, is a very 0:13:28.120 --> 0:13:31.000 expensive store. They sell your typical eight dollars shirt for 0:13:31.080 --> 0:13:34.400 fifty dollars. Let's let them have it. This is a 0:13:34.559 --> 0:13:39.320 true story. Good mark of any actual true story on 0:13:39.360 --> 0:13:39.880 the internet. 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:40.440 Okay. 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:42.800 My daughter and I had just finished a salad at 0:13:42.800 --> 0:13:45.160 Anemen Marcus cafe in Dallas, and we decided to have 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:47.880 a small dessert. Because both of us are such cookie lovers, 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.280 we decided to try the Nemen Marcus cookie. It was 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:52.000 so excellent that I asked if they would give me 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:54.200 the recipe, and the waitress said, with a small frown, 0:13:54.280 --> 0:13:56.400 I'm afraid not, but you can buy the recipe. 0:13:57.000 --> 0:13:57.200 Well. 0:13:57.240 --> 0:13:59.520 I asked how much, and she responded, only two fifty 0:13:59.600 --> 0:14:02.080 it's a great deal. I agreed to that and told 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:04.800 her to just add it to my tab. Thirty days later, 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:07.560 I received my visa statement and the Nieman Marcus charge 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:10.600 was two hundred and eighty five dollars. I looked again 0:14:10.679 --> 0:14:12.480 and I remembered I had only spent like nine to 0:14:12.559 --> 0:14:14.840 ninety five for two salads and about twenty dollars for 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:17.360 a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, 0:14:17.400 --> 0:14:21.360 it said cookie recipe two hundred and fifty dollars. This 0:14:21.560 --> 0:14:24.760 was outrageous. I called Neeman's accounting department and told them 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.200 the waitress said it was two fifty, which clearly does 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:30.520 not mean two hundred and fifty dollars by any reasonable interpretation. 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:34.160 Nieman Marcus refused to budge. They wouldn't refund my money because, 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:36.240 according to them, what the waitress told you is not 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:39.400 our problem. You've already seen the recipe. We absolutely will 0:14:39.440 --> 0:14:43.000 not refund your money. I explained the accounting department lady 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:46.120 the criminal statutes that governed fraud in the state of Texas. 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:48.280 I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau 0:14:48.320 --> 0:14:50.840 and the Texas Attorney General's Office for engaging in fraud. 0:14:51.120 --> 0:14:53.800 And I was basically told, do what you want, don't 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:56.160 bother thinking of how you can get even, and don't 0:14:56.200 --> 0:14:59.560 bother trying to get any of your money back. I 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:02.520 just said, okay, you folks got my two hundred and 0:15:02.560 --> 0:15:04.720 fifty bucks, and now I'm going to have two hundred 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:08.640 and fifty dollars worth of fun. I told her that 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:10.360 I was going to see to it that every cookie 0:15:10.400 --> 0:15:13.000 lover in the United States with an email account has 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:15.480 a two hundred and fifty dollars cookie recipe from Nieman 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:18.760 Marcus for free. She replied, I wish you wouldn't do this, 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:20.880 and I said, well, perhaps you should have thought of 0:15:20.880 --> 0:15:23.760 that before you ripped me off and slammed down the phone. 0:15:24.280 --> 0:15:26.960 So here it is. Please, please, please pass it on 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:29.720 to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid two 0:15:29.800 --> 0:15:31.680 hundred and fifty bucks for this, and I don't want 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:35.120 Nimon Marcus to ever make another penny off of this recipe. 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:40.840 And then the recipe follows, I'm not going to read 0:15:40.880 --> 0:15:43.440 it out right now, but you can absolutely Google. You 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:47.680 can email as or Google if you want the purported recipe. 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:52.560 Nova finishes the email. If you are planning a new 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:56.640 cookie esque episode, may I suggest Stroopwaffle. Growing up, we 0:15:56.640 --> 0:15:58.880 would visit my family in the Netherlands every few years, 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:01.400 and these guys were a special treat for us. But 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:03.680 more recently they have been popping up at restaurants all 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:08.840 over the US. Okay, several things. First of all, yes, 0:16:09.240 --> 0:16:11.360 for some reason, I was just thinking about streep Waffles 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:13.480 the other day and how we have not we've been 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:15.480 remiss and not talking about them. 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:20.360 Indeed very important. Yeah. 0:16:20.920 --> 0:16:25.040 Second of all, you're correct about us being of an age. 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:27.640 I'm like a couple years older than Annie, but certainly 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:33.400 I remember chain emails and physical chain letters. I even 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:36.520 remember the Ya horror books by Christopher Pike from the 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:40.240 late eighties or early nineties called Chainletter and Chainletter too, 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:45.080 the Ancient Evil. Yeah. 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:47.600 Oh yeah, it'd be like, if you don't send this 0:16:47.680 --> 0:16:50.360 to ten people, that's the end. 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:55.640 For you, right, yeah, yeah, And this one functions on 0:16:55.720 --> 0:16:58.200 like a slightly. It's not a threat to you, but 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:01.880 like you're sticking it to the man if you continued 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:07.280 the email, which which is a great way to motivate 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:11.960 people to send along an email. That is an urban myth. 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:18.639 It has indeed been debunked. One weird detail that proliferates 0:17:18.760 --> 0:17:21.000 within the myth is that the writer found the charge 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:25.680 on her visa statement, but Nieman Marcus only accepted American 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:28.960 Express until nineteen ninety nine, which is years after the 0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:35.320 story began circulating. This is one of our points of evidence. 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:38.159 I had to look into this, so okay, Niam and 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:41.920 Marcus maintains that they have never charged customers for recipes. Furthermore, 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:44.680 they didn't even have a company recipe for chocolate chip 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:48.159 cookies in the mid nineties, but apparently people believed this 0:17:48.280 --> 0:17:52.119 story and were writing into them, like absolutely incensed, to 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:54.280 the point that by nineteen ninety seven they were so 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:56.800 fed up with this rumor that they had their executive 0:17:56.880 --> 0:18:00.520 chef create a chocolate chip cookie recipe and they posted 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:04.520 it online for free, with like explicit notice that anyone 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:07.439 was free to distribute or print it as they wished. 0:18:09.520 --> 0:18:11.760 Oh my goodness, this. 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:14.719 Was in nineteen ninety seven. You can still find that 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:19.520 recipe on their website. It is different than the one 0:18:19.680 --> 0:18:23.639 in the chain letter. The chain letter version uses powdered 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.040 oatmeal and like a grated chocolate bar. The company version 0:18:27.160 --> 0:18:33.240 uses instant espresso. They both sound pretty good anyway. As 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:37.720 of twenty sixteen, which is when Facebook had an iteration 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:42.639 of this tale circulating, Nieman Marcus's VP of communications told 0:18:42.760 --> 0:18:47.359 Eater that she had not received an angry email about 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:50.919 the whole thing in six or seven years, and you know, 0:18:51.320 --> 0:19:02.760 good for her. Wow, not done yet. So this is 0:19:02.880 --> 0:19:06.479 not the first urban myth about a customer being like 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:09.520 sneakily overcharged for a recipe by some kind of uppity 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:14.440 retailer and then taking revenge by distributing said recipe. Snopes 0:19:14.600 --> 0:19:17.360 found iterations of this going back to nineteen forty eight, 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:22.440 when this cookbook titled Massachusetts Cooking Rules Old and New 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:26.600 printed a recipe called twenty five dollars fudge Cake along 0:19:26.880 --> 0:19:29.520 with this story about a woman who enjoyed a slice 0:19:29.520 --> 0:19:31.760 of cake on a train, asking the chef for the recipe, 0:19:31.760 --> 0:19:33.760 and being billed twenty five dollars for it, which at 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:36.720 the time was a lot more outrageous. In the nineteen sixties, 0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:41.359 the villain was the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and it was 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:44.080 a three hundred and fifty dollars red velvet cake recipe. 0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:47.520 In the seventies, it was Missus Fields and a two 0:19:47.640 --> 0:19:51.640 hundred and fifty dollars chocolate chip cookie recipe. Some versions 0:19:51.680 --> 0:19:55.040 of that story shifted the blame to Marshall Fields the 0:19:55.080 --> 0:19:59.600 department store, and Snopes thinks that that is probably where 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:02.320 it to Nieman Marcus the department store. 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:09.480 Fascinating. That is so interesting to me. 0:20:11.480 --> 0:20:16.840 It's really wonderful in a kind of sick way. 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:23.760 Wow, because I feel like every chain letter I got 0:20:23.920 --> 0:20:28.880 what the end wanted, some action from you. This one 0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:33.639 I guess spreading this recipe. Yeah, but if it's not 0:20:33.680 --> 0:20:37.000 really their recipe, I don't know that's interesting to me. 0:20:39.320 --> 0:20:42.840 I mean, it's a part in my use of an 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:45.040 industry phrase. But it's a great way to go viral. 0:20:45.119 --> 0:20:49.440 I guess they clearly did. I can't believe that me 0:20:49.640 --> 0:20:51.639 and Marcus is still like, please. 0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:54.800 Leave us alone about the heck and cookies. 0:20:56.160 --> 0:20:59.480 The recipe is all for free. 0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:03.240 We didn't even have one, but we made one for you. 0:21:03.280 --> 0:21:09.840 Please leave us alone. Wow, this poor VP of Communications, 0:21:09.880 --> 0:21:11.919 this woman who made it up through the chain of 0:21:11.960 --> 0:21:17.640 command at name and Marcus and has been plagued by 0:21:17.760 --> 0:21:23.440 accusations oh god decades. 0:21:26.400 --> 0:21:27.080 Wow. 0:21:28.840 --> 0:21:33.560 Yeah, wow, whole thing. So thank you for sharing that. 0:21:34.200 --> 0:21:36.919 Yes, thank you for putting that on our radar. 0:21:37.160 --> 0:21:39.280 We got to look into it. How wonderful. 0:21:40.320 --> 0:21:45.679 Wow. I had no idea. That's now I want to 0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:48.800 I want to go in all further deep dive. 0:21:50.520 --> 0:21:53.080 Right like urban legends about I'm sure that others are 0:21:53.080 --> 0:21:55.199 out there now now, I'm like, these can't be the 0:21:55.200 --> 0:21:55.800 only ones. 0:21:57.000 --> 0:22:06.280 Yeah, okay, well listeners right in if you've got any more, Yeah, okay, 0:22:06.320 --> 0:22:10.240 but in the meantime, do you have more listener mail? 0:22:10.280 --> 0:22:14.440 For you. Yeah, Janet wrote one of your episodes, asked 0:22:14.440 --> 0:22:17.840 to send you my interesting cooking projects. I feel like 0:22:17.880 --> 0:22:21.400 many concepts and food differ only by tradition. For example, 0:22:21.440 --> 0:22:23.920 every culture has a version of things like bread, fried dough, 0:22:23.960 --> 0:22:27.840 and dumplings. To test how different or similar food concepts are, 0:22:28.200 --> 0:22:32.760 I like to make hybrid monstrosities a midway point in 0:22:32.800 --> 0:22:40.280 between two disparate food ideas. This one is Lamington pizza. 0:22:40.440 --> 0:22:43.959 I took the idea of a baked dough circle topped 0:22:44.000 --> 0:22:48.440 in cheese, sauce, various herbs, especially basil and other vegetables 0:22:48.520 --> 0:22:51.439 or meats. I combined it with the idea of a 0:22:51.560 --> 0:22:55.720 square of sponge cake dipped in chocolate sauce and coated 0:22:55.760 --> 0:23:00.879 in desiccated coconut or sometimes other nuts, oftenandwich with cream 0:23:01.000 --> 0:23:04.719 and jam. This resulted in me making a marscapone and 0:23:04.800 --> 0:23:09.440 sliced pineapple jam filled square bakedo dipped in tomato, chili 0:23:09.480 --> 0:23:13.119 and chocolate sauce and covered in sliced roast almonds and 0:23:13.320 --> 0:23:18.159 fresh basil. Thus it is a completely new abomination because 0:23:18.200 --> 0:23:23.720 the pineapple is inside the pizza. It was generously filled, 0:23:23.760 --> 0:23:26.159 so it was a rich dessert. Both soft and crunchy, 0:23:26.280 --> 0:23:29.560 with the brightness of the basil counterpointing the sweet sour 0:23:29.640 --> 0:23:32.960 of the jam, the richness of the marscapone, and bitter 0:23:33.119 --> 0:23:36.439 umame of the chocolate sauce. It was so much better 0:23:36.480 --> 0:23:39.600 than it had any right to me. If I made 0:23:39.640 --> 0:23:43.720 it again, I would definitely coat it in desiccated coconut 0:23:43.920 --> 0:23:48.320 to pair with the pineapple. Please find picture attached and 0:23:48.440 --> 0:23:50.040 picture wells attached. 0:23:50.720 --> 0:24:00.879 Yeah, I would absolutely try that. It does look slightly 0:24:00.960 --> 0:24:07.199 like an abomination. It looks a little aggressive. That's a 0:24:07.200 --> 0:24:10.200 good word for it. Yeah, threatening, Aura, Yeah. 0:24:10.680 --> 0:24:16.320 It's a little menacing. But I adore that you're doing these. 0:24:16.920 --> 0:24:18.919 Yeah, like, why not? 0:24:20.400 --> 0:24:24.119 Absolutely you might. I mean you could discover something. Maybe 0:24:24.160 --> 0:24:28.560 this will become a whole thing we don't know, or 0:24:28.600 --> 0:24:30.760 it could be the stepping stone to something. 0:24:30.440 --> 0:24:33.600 Else, right, And really you never know until you try. 0:24:34.320 --> 0:24:37.560 You never know until you try. I do love I 0:24:37.600 --> 0:24:39.959 know that's what it is. But I love your continued 0:24:40.280 --> 0:24:42.120 usage of desiccated coconut. 0:24:43.080 --> 0:24:45.879 Uh oh does that make you feel like like like 0:24:46.000 --> 0:24:46.920 mummies are about? 0:24:47.280 --> 0:24:52.439