1 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:09,800 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Savor, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: Radio and Stuff Media. I'm Lauren voc Obam, and my 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,319 Speaker 1: irreplaceable co host Annie Reese is out this week, but 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:19,319 Speaker 1: we have for you today an interview that we did 5 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: around our New Orleans trip with one Dr Howard Knyers. 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: We didn't actually get to meet up with Howard while 7 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: we were in New Orleans, but we caught up with 8 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: him on the phone afterward. And Okay, Howard his day 9 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: job is rocket scientist. He is an engineer with NASA 10 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: at the John C. Stennis Space Center. He tests rocket engines. 11 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: He's also a barbecue pitt master, which is where you know, 12 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: the part where we interviewed him for a food show 13 00:00:44,120 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: comes in. Um. He grew up in South Carolina with 14 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: whole hog barbecue, which we've talked a little bit about 15 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: on the show before, back in our Asheville episodes. So yeah, 16 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: Howard bends his skills and talents in engineering to barbecue, 17 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 1: to to designing an educating with barbecue rigs. He once 18 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: famously designed and implemented a whole cow barbecue, which is 19 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:13,160 Speaker 1: a feat. There's video, It's incredible. Yeah. He's also the 20 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: host of a PBS video show called Nourish Um, which 21 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: in their own words, is a show about food, what 22 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: it says about who we are, where we're from, and 23 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: the ties that connect us. And yeah, yeah, it's it's 24 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 1: a video series where there's two episodes a month and 25 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: they they explore uh, just the people in the culture 26 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: and the science behind food, which um, yeah is a 27 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: thing that we here at Saber perhaps obviously behind. So yeah. 28 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 1: So uh Howard is is based in New Orleans and 29 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: we we absolutely do that. We had to interview him 30 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: on our journey there. So yeah, I'm gonna let Pasted 31 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: Lauren and Annie and Howard take it away. So yeah, 32 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: I like to I like to start these things off 33 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 1: with a with a kind of official him. Who are you? 34 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: Hi'm notot the Howard Conyers Um a pit master who 35 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: also is known as the rocket Scientist, like an actual 36 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: rocket scientist, Yes, like a real rocket scientist that pays 37 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: the bills, not one of those fake rocket scientists. New Um, 38 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: how did okay? Many questions stemming off of that first thing, Um, 39 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: how how did you come to be a rocket scientist? 40 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: I want to board people because this is a food show. 41 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: But nine years nine years of education all the way 42 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: from growing South Carolina and public schools when in North 43 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: Carolina and t and study and follow environment engineering and 44 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: then I went to do university and got a PhD 45 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: and mechanical engineering. So that's how I became a rocket scientist. 46 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: For our start working with NASA and UM and you 47 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 1: started doing the pit master thing. Because being from South Carolina, 48 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: you you grew up with some whole whole hog barbecue. Yeah, yeah, 49 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,959 Speaker 1: that's growing up that's what barbecue was. Whole hog. I 50 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: learned from my father when I was a young a 51 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: young person. We didn't have a restaurant, but that's how 52 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: I saw the whole hale barbecue tradition. Could you talk 53 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,359 Speaker 1: a little bit about about that tradition that you grew 54 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: up with, Like like what was what was a barbecue? 55 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: Like a barbecue was like um, fourth did July, Christmas, Thanksgiving, 56 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: we will start with with slaughter hog. We invite our 57 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: family or we have like a big family gathering. We 58 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: had had a lot of uncles where I was from, 59 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: I had now uncles and they had had a lot 60 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: of first cousins. So we have a big gathering and 61 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,560 Speaker 1: that gathering would have barbecue that was generally the meat 62 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: of choice, um, and that's where we will cook before 63 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: that dinner. The next day, we will start cooking barbecue 64 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 1: that night, or we'll starting slaughter the day before. But 65 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: it was kind of something embedded in the community. A 66 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: lot of families cook barbecue before for their family gatherings. 67 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: It wasn't just my family, and so we have barbecue 68 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: restaurants with a lot of us. Did it generally at 69 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: home use a technique that was fast down. Then we 70 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: were doing at church for like homecoming celebrations where the 71 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: church anniversaries um. And so that's kind of how that 72 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 1: tradition came part of my life very early. How did 73 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:28,840 Speaker 1: you get back into into doing the whole hug once 74 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: you moved out to Louisiana. When I first moved by 75 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:34,359 Speaker 1: in New Orleans, you know, you get home sick. In 76 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: New Orleans is a great food city. And when I'm 77 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: boved here, they claimed they had they said they had barbecue, 78 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: and they a couple of places had Carolina barbecue and 79 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: their menu, but when I tasted it, it wasn't Carolina barbecue. 80 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,359 Speaker 1: They didn't do the little things. They didn't well, they 81 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:51,360 Speaker 1: didn't do a lot of things to make Carolina barbecue, 82 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: and so like that kind of motivated me said, you 83 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,039 Speaker 1: know what, if I'm gonna get it, I'm gonna least 84 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: do something to U show what what Carolina barbecue as 85 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: I knew it was. And so they had this barbecue 86 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 1: fund Regel Halls to calls that it was a good 87 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: cause to get behind where they were raising money for 88 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: kids with brain cancer. They could barbecue, and I said, 89 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 1: you know what, that would be something I will do 90 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 1: to try to see if I share what I know 91 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: about barbecue Carolina barbecue. Yeah. We we talked to um, 92 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: one of our interview subjects whose name I'm forgetting completely 93 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: right now, in a barbecue restaurant in New Orleans. Um, so, 94 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 1: is there kind of like a resurgence barbecue over there? 95 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: Is there are people getting back into it? Um? I think. 96 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,480 Speaker 1: I think people are getting into it and they're trying 97 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: to adopt other styles of barbecue, because of New Orleans 98 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: has its own like grilling traditional. I don't necessary barbecue, 99 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 1: but they call it barbecue. But I use barbecue very mean, 100 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: whole animals, whole hall. But they used barbecue to do 101 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 1: like smoke sausage or ribs or port steaks. But the 102 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: barbecue city, New Orleans is going upunt our resurgence because 103 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:08,480 Speaker 1: I believe this thing called halls for the calls and 104 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: also along with the national trend of like I hate 105 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:13,480 Speaker 1: to say it, Texas barbecue. I'm gonna say moder in 106 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: Texas barbecue, not old school Texas barbecue. I'm gonna saying 107 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: moder in Texas barbecue. Um is. Uh. We're kind of 108 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: giggling over here in the background because there's there's so much, 109 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 1: so much inter barbecue community shade that happens, um And 110 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: when you said Texas barbecue like that, we were like, oh, 111 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: is there is there literal beef involved? Uh, it's no beef. 112 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,200 Speaker 1: But like East Texas barbecue reminds you a lot of 113 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: the South. There was cooking pits, direct heat pits until 114 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:49,040 Speaker 1: the probably the seventies, where they're starting to indirect spoken 115 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: stuff they're they're known for these days. It wasn't it 116 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: wasn't really. I mean, Daniel Vaughan have wrote ostensively on 117 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: like how the pits looking Texas at one point, but 118 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: now everybody associated barbecueit Aaron Franklin and the Mula family 119 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: and to see but um too is only one I 120 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:09,880 Speaker 1: think it's still using the drake he pits, but everybody 121 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,600 Speaker 1: else is using something that was started by the Mula family. 122 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 1: Oh that's fascinating. We're gonna okay, that's a whole separate 123 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: avenue of of of question. But getting getting back to 124 00:07:22,160 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: so um, how did you? How did you get involved 125 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: with that? Nourish? How to kidding with Nourish? What a 126 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: great show. But they wanted to do a documentary on 127 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 1: my story. And after I was in Denver, Colorado for 128 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: this fan called Slow Food Nations two years ago, maybe 129 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: maybe a year ago this time probably a year ago 130 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: a little over a year ago, and the producer was 131 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 1: there and they wanted to do a documentary and he 132 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: did a documentary, asked me, what a long story short, 133 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: would you consider hosting a show? And I say sure 134 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 1: if I get to go interview the subjects and share 135 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 1: something line knowledge of what I thought something and culture 136 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: all about. Yeah, And it was digital. So like for me, 137 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: that was exciting opportunity because it's a lot of I 138 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,200 Speaker 1: saw digital as the way of the future with food shows, 139 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 1: I mean, I mean just media in general, and it 140 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: was an opportunity to kind of explore what that was 141 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: all about We want people to go watch the show obviously, 142 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: but um, but could you talk a little bit about 143 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: what what you've learned from your guests on on on 144 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: that show. What I have learned from my guests on 145 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:35,080 Speaker 1: the show is just like how similar we are across 146 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: the South, but also like Southern food isn't much more 147 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 1: than what we think about. It's a lot deeper. And 148 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 1: I would say one of the things I learned is 149 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: like to travel food. When you start looking at like 150 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: when I had I had the opportunity to talk to 151 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: David Shield Dr David Shields from the Carolina Gold Foundations 152 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 1: then South Carolina, just understanding the journey of like say 153 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,319 Speaker 1: something that simple as corn like a guinea flint cord, 154 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: starting Cuba and then work their way back to West 155 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:07,839 Speaker 1: Africa and then come back to the States. Or looking 156 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: at the UM, looking at the rice, uh, the upland 157 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: rice seeing with the Americans, UM seeing it in the 158 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 1: Seattle as of Soccerrolina and then going to Trinidad after 159 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: War eighteen twelve. Understanding those kind of nuances that travel 160 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: food is very fascinating. And then when you when people 161 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,320 Speaker 1: start coming to new places, they still try to bring 162 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 1: a part of them with them, because that's a the 163 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: food dish may look a little different, but the roots 164 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: of it are a lot are the same. In many cases. Absolutely, 165 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: we we we heard we heard New Orleans be described 166 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: as as like like the South is north from there, 167 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 1: like as being the highest point in the Caribbean rather 168 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: than the you know, a point in the South. I 169 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:01,679 Speaker 1: would say New Orleans is very a different city from 170 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:04,559 Speaker 1: the rest of the South. Um it's it's really a 171 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 1: different city from the restaurant state. So the international city, 172 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: I would say it's definitely the northern most Caribbean city. 173 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: It has a lot of people they say that statement, 174 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:14,800 Speaker 1: but they also understand why it's the order of both 175 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: cities in the United States the others. The others start 176 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: thinking about the Haitian Revolution and who owned the territories 177 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: at certain time before New Orleans became part of the 178 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,719 Speaker 1: United States, And when you understand that, you can understand 179 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 1: why there's just white people say it's that Caribbean connection, 180 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: because there was a lot of countries like Haiti and 181 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,200 Speaker 1: the people from Haiti and the sugar came and who 182 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 1: owned what at certain times with France having territories in 183 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: the West Indies and with New Orleans, with Louisiana before 184 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,560 Speaker 1: the Louisiana purchase and everything. So that's the reason this 185 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: thing is a Caribbean has that so much a Caribbean field. 186 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:57,760 Speaker 1: Do you feel like you're you're you're a you're a 187 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,840 Speaker 1: solid part of the food community there now? Um? And 188 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,839 Speaker 1: and if it's so, if not, then but but if 189 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: it's so, um, I guess what was it like being 190 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: part of that community? I mean, I guess I'm a 191 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: solid part in a way, but I'm I have a 192 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:21,480 Speaker 1: have a unique perspective in the food community. I mean, like, yeah, 193 00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:22,960 Speaker 1: I have a solid party to say, But I can't 194 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: say the food community pays my bills. But what I 195 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:28,560 Speaker 1: what I could say is the knowledge base I bring 196 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: to the food community and the conversations are looking at 197 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:36,079 Speaker 1: the African American food ways in New Orleans and the 198 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 1: contributions of West Africa and New Orleans across the South 199 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:45,480 Speaker 1: has made me part of the food conversation. And I 200 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: know sometimes people those took the African American community as 201 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 1: well as the indigenous communities are often overlooking Southern foods 202 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:56,200 Speaker 1: and being a Southerner, I think I was raising the South. 203 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 1: I wasn't raising the north, So I don't I see 204 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:03,319 Speaker 1: it a little bit different because this is all I know. 205 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know what it was like. 206 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:10,040 Speaker 1: I don't think of like for me, I don't hardly 207 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: ever use the word so food because I don't I 208 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 1: never knew what that word was until I went to college. Wow. Yeah, 209 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: uh huh um has has has learned it about food, 210 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: taught you more about science, it has um. Really, what 211 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:29,199 Speaker 1: I really like about the food thing is I think 212 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:32,440 Speaker 1: people don't realize how much science is in food, and 213 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: we're newish. I was hoping to bear to do some 214 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: of that. Like we were talking about grinding grits. Nobody 215 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: would think there's a friction as a factor of friction 216 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: and making sure it came I mean making grits or 217 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: heat dissipation or viscosity. We're thinking about barbecue sauces, or 218 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: thinking about thermo dynamics with using the pit versus occasion 219 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: micro wave with a coppacina or something like. So there's 220 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 1: a lot of in technology involved in the cooking process. 221 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:05,480 Speaker 1: And I have learned that when I was going some 222 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:08,880 Speaker 1: of these restaurants and they start using the induction um 223 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,560 Speaker 1: burners Like that's really fascinating to me as a person 224 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:15,679 Speaker 1: of a science because you need a certain type plot 225 00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:18,120 Speaker 1: maybe from a certain material for that principle to work. 226 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 1: So it's super fascinating. We do have more of our 227 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: interview with Howard, but first we're going to take a 228 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:37,520 Speaker 1: quick break for a word from our sponsor, and we're back. 229 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: Thank you sponsor, and back to the interview. So you 230 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: you grew up on a farm. Yeah, correct, and you 231 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 1: I've read that you directly credit growing up on a 232 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:56,320 Speaker 1: farm with you becoming a rocket scientist and getting into 233 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:58,080 Speaker 1: STEM in the first place. Could you could you talk 234 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: a little bit about that. I agree with that I 235 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 1: wouldn't be a rocket scientists without growing on the farm 236 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 1: because I've seen the real applications of science and technology 237 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 1: and engineering and mathematics on the farm. For instance, let 238 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: me give you example. We were trying to put up 239 00:14:16,559 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 1: this barn and as an engineer, you have you can 240 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 1: have like cables, and you're trying to use cables to 241 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: help pull something up and support things temporarily until you 242 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,840 Speaker 1: get amounted securely. And we use a lot of engineering 243 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: principles to help get that. UM, I guess you would 244 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:37,160 Speaker 1: said that being in place, but our rafters and getting 245 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: raftors in place. So seeing things like that early on, 246 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 1: or understanding about Furti Lizars. You're seeing like Furti Lizars. 247 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:47,400 Speaker 1: They say, oh, what is a tin? Tin? Tin? Like 248 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: what is that in the science cash when they're talking 249 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: about nitrogen or fosterus and potassium. But people on the 250 00:14:55,240 --> 00:15:00,880 Speaker 1: farm might said it's called soda or liquid soda in Harmonia, 251 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: but that's all it was. But it wasn't They didn't 252 00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:06,040 Speaker 1: use the word nitrogen until in the school. And you 253 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: look at what I think the modecule ammonia. Ammonia is 254 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:11,160 Speaker 1: like in age four or something like that. I believe, 255 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: going off memory, it might be in agh three. So 256 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 1: please don't shoot me. But you look at those compounds. 257 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: You look at those chemical compounds and not really understanding 258 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:23,200 Speaker 1: what they mean, but you understand. I put it on 259 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: my crops, my field gonna turn green. I mean, if 260 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: you get enough road to go with it, they're gonna 261 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: turn really green. And they don't have a weed problem 262 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: in this field. So I mean, like you see all 263 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: those nuances are applying like organic chicken newers to the field. 264 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: Like what was the benefit of that versus a synthetic fertilizer. 265 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: I mean, that's I've seen so much science going and 266 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 1: I sound very poor. I was very fortunate to have 267 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:51,520 Speaker 1: a really hands on application to understanding the sciences. I 268 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: mean a lot of people in the city, especially living 269 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:55,760 Speaker 1: in New Orleans, they don't get the opportunity to have 270 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: those hands on exercises. But that's all I had. I had. 271 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: All I had was hand on exercises. The book was 272 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: just a kind of reinforcement life farm was a lab 273 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 1: and you you went on to kind of apply these 274 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 1: mechanical engineering that you learned through school to make a 275 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:25,600 Speaker 1: pretty cool uh pit right, designed a pretty cool things. Yeah, 276 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: which which pitt you're talking about? You talking about the 277 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 1: cook a cow? No, but talk about that. I want 278 00:16:35,080 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: to know about that now. So so I didn't ask 279 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: this question first, how many times have you heard anybody 280 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: cooking cows in this country whole coal? Zero times? So 281 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:54,520 Speaker 1: I had this crazy well that it wasn't really crazy idea. 282 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:58,000 Speaker 1: Also side, it wasn't crazy, but a lot of history books. 283 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 1: When I started researching barbecue and they're talking about how 284 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: I cook barbecue, they start saying, they start having the 285 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 1: references to cooking whole cows. But nobody in my community 286 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,360 Speaker 1: could hold cows. And I have seen or I talked 287 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: my father about cooking cows like, no, I hain't never 288 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:15,399 Speaker 1: heard of that. You're talking some craziness. But I had 289 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:17,159 Speaker 1: to show him. I had to show him in the 290 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: article or some books like it cooked house cows. To 291 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,360 Speaker 1: my wife from concerts, she said, I need to cook 292 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: a cow, so I cook the cow. So I had 293 00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: to design and engineer a pit that ham through this 294 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:32,200 Speaker 1: massive I guess beasts so I could cook them. Because 295 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,440 Speaker 1: once I once you start the cooking process of a cow, 296 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:37,719 Speaker 1: you can't really touch them and it's not like flipping 297 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:43,560 Speaker 1: a pig. So we for like six months of my life, 298 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: four months of my life, I started designing and building 299 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: a pit. When I came with the concept of sam 300 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 1: cook cow that I knew I had to start building 301 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:54,080 Speaker 1: something too bad to handle this, And I put like 302 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 1: about four months of design time and offer on to 303 00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,720 Speaker 1: go into coming up with a concept to cook this 304 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:03,600 Speaker 1: cow out and do all my bases, all my checks there. 305 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,520 Speaker 1: For two months we started building and I can't take 306 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:08,600 Speaker 1: credit for building the pit. My father built the pit, 307 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:11,119 Speaker 1: but I went to Cyncrolina twice back to the shop 308 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:15,320 Speaker 1: to do some building and do some checkouts. My verifications 309 00:18:15,359 --> 00:18:18,080 Speaker 1: that we was on better flip and rotate this cow 310 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: doing the cooking. So that was pretty unique, if you 311 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 1: would That's where I would say rocket scientists collided with 312 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:30,880 Speaker 1: being a pit bastard. If people want to say we're 313 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,159 Speaker 1: cooking colloid, where Howard Kanygers cooking collide with that? I 314 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:38,880 Speaker 1: would say cooking the cow without any instrumentation, without any 315 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 1: I didn't use any thermometers, And that's where the engineering overlap. 316 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:50,280 Speaker 1: That was the intersection. And I can't say that I wasn't. 317 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:55,719 Speaker 1: I was impression on how it came out. Oh my goodness, 318 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:58,240 Speaker 1: what was it? Was it delicious? Was it was it? 319 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:01,159 Speaker 1: Every everything is juicy and wonderful as as a as 320 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:05,200 Speaker 1: a whole whole hug. It was better. The history book 321 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:06,760 Speaker 1: said it like this, and this was I'm gonna give 322 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 1: your give you the opportunity to kind of see if 323 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:11,680 Speaker 1: you can imagine this. The histories book says this was 324 00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 1: the best barbecue you can have. But imagine taking for 325 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: my beef lovers, not my vegans, and meeting all your 326 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 1: favorite cuts of steak in one or two bites. Ah 327 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: and and I just both went to a place. Oh 328 00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 1: all right, that's how, that's how. We'll just drive it 329 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:41,760 Speaker 1: all your cuts some beef, your favorite cuts of steak 330 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,200 Speaker 1: in one or two bites. Was that like a one 331 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: and done thing? Will you ever do that? Will you 332 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:52,439 Speaker 1: ever cook a whole cow? Agod? I don't know it? 333 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:56,359 Speaker 1: Maybe it I don't know that that was. I mean 334 00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:59,000 Speaker 1: I had the capability now, which is always a plus, 335 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:05,360 Speaker 1: and he with for me the capability. I have the capability, 336 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:09,080 Speaker 1: but I don't know do I have to. I mean, 337 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: like I will do it when it makes sense, but 338 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:18,320 Speaker 1: I think it's not something you do every day. Um yeah, yeah, 339 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:20,119 Speaker 1: it was a lot, but it was a very unique 340 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 1: experience I did with it. Um. But like for me, 341 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,840 Speaker 1: I have at this point, I have cooked every animal 342 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:31,120 Speaker 1: raised in the American South on the farm, just domestic 343 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:35,200 Speaker 1: cook a turkey, pig, lamb, goat, and a cow hole. 344 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:38,719 Speaker 1: And I have cooked in the pits above ground as 345 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: well as below ground. I don't know what more I 346 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 1: can do it that moment. I suspect you'll think of something, 347 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: and it's like anybody we to do buy and say 348 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:54,320 Speaker 1: they want me to cook a whole camel or something, 349 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: or or Australian cooking kangaroos, something different with state side. 350 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: I don't, but you could. The reason I say that 351 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:04,359 Speaker 1: you're laughing, but when you go into other cultures, other 352 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,480 Speaker 1: cultures eat what they have available. And so if I 353 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: wouldn't want to cook something that they wouldn't eat, I 354 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,280 Speaker 1: raber cook something I think they will eat, but maybe 355 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:19,359 Speaker 1: put a South Carolina barbecue perspective to it so they 356 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:21,199 Speaker 1: can get it, so they get a taste of what 357 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 1: their plan to get. But with the food that mean 358 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: something to them culturally, right of course? Yeah, um do 359 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:37,440 Speaker 1: I do? NASA folks like to cook, they do. Um, 360 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 1: I don't know how much. I mean, everybody like to cook. 361 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,240 Speaker 1: Everybody like to eat, so I mean everybody likes to cook. 362 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:50,680 Speaker 1: Do you all ever have like office potlucks? Yeah? I don't. 363 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 1: Sometimes I don't really cook that with your potlucks. Sad 364 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: to say, I just I'm lazy. I don't. I cook 365 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:00,480 Speaker 1: a few I mean I cook a few things. I 366 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:02,280 Speaker 1: like to cook well, And what I mean, I really 367 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 1: like baking. People don't really notice, but I really love bacon. 368 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 1: I'm the guy who has a bunch of kitchen, akee parks, 369 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: and equipment because I like cook baking and that was 370 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:16,119 Speaker 1: something I did with mom, and so that's something I 371 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:17,880 Speaker 1: really enjoyed doing. I just don't do it a lot 372 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: people They want me to cook animals. I just like, 373 00:22:21,080 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 1: y'all missed out on my bacon. It is that's it's 374 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: it's it's a great physics and chemistry experiment every time, 375 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: every time you make a cake or something, that's exactly 376 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:36,679 Speaker 1: while we couldn't run through the house on while I 377 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: was baking cakes. So growing up, she's like, the cake 378 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 1: on fall because we didn't use box mix, so you 379 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:43,840 Speaker 1: made everything for stratch and she's like, don't run through 380 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:48,959 Speaker 1: the house. Especially my grandmother, and she was perfectionist. She 381 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,439 Speaker 1: her cake, every cake that she ever served had to 382 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:53,639 Speaker 1: be perfect. If it wasn't perfect, you had to go 383 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: to the trash can. They went to the trash I mean, 384 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,639 Speaker 1: and the cake would taste fantastic, but if it didn't 385 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:05,160 Speaker 1: look par it went straight to the trash can. Wow. 386 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 1: Oh that's the opposite of what I am. I'm not 387 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: to make it pretty baker, but I love I love 388 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 1: doing it. I'm like, look, it's gonna taste good. Yeah, No, 389 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:18,679 Speaker 1: she wanted to look She wanted to taste good, but 390 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 1: she wanted to look good if it don't. And so 391 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 1: I think I kind of take that approach sometimes to 392 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 1: my hogs, Like why when I cook, animals are cooking it. 393 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,359 Speaker 1: Like I want my barbecue to be almost perfect. I 394 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:33,520 Speaker 1: wanted to look like it's supposed to look every time, 395 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:37,640 Speaker 1: even if I can't control it. So I go back 396 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,960 Speaker 1: and study cooks that have done in the past to 397 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:43,399 Speaker 1: kind of reflect what I did wrong, what can I 398 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:47,640 Speaker 1: do better? What was the conditions that impacted my cooking process. 399 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,399 Speaker 1: I think I'm a little maybe a little anal about 400 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: the process. But okay, that's what you get when you 401 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:58,919 Speaker 1: get a rocket scientists who cooks barbecue. Do you still um, 402 00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 1: how often a year do you to do a whole hog? 403 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:06,400 Speaker 1: So last year, well I only cooked one whole hog. 404 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 1: This year I only cooked twice. This year I did 405 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:12,520 Speaker 1: a event a Charleston with B. J. Dennis and I 406 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:15,480 Speaker 1: cooked the lamb and a hall and a pig. It 407 00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:17,200 Speaker 1: wasn't need a hog, it was a little pig. It 408 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,920 Speaker 1: was asib is olymp pig. Um. We did the event 409 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,720 Speaker 1: with B J. Dennis and Charleston and then I cooked 410 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: the cow in New Orleans and I haven't cooked anything 411 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:32,679 Speaker 1: that was all I cooked this year. Hm, go figure, right, 412 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: I think Newish. I think Newish got in their way 413 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:42,280 Speaker 1: of it. Actually we understand that one. Yeah, but that's 414 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: all I cooked this past year. And it may it 415 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: may be the same type of thing in future years. 416 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:49,639 Speaker 1: It may it maybe ebbs and flows, and I just 417 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:51,959 Speaker 1: kind of go as haw the university says, I need 418 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 1: to go with it. Yeah. You you kind of touched 419 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:04,919 Speaker 1: on earlier or that you're involved in the slow food 420 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:10,119 Speaker 1: movement and sort of um, healthier, fresher ingredients. I focus 421 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 1: on that. Could you talk about that a little bit? Yeah. 422 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:16,200 Speaker 1: I'm like, even before meeting slow foods, like the mission 423 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: of slow foods, good clean, fair like it resonated to 424 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:22,399 Speaker 1: my whole upbringing of Like I used to run the 425 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 1: garden on the farm, so I was very accustomed to 426 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 1: eating fresh and seasonal ingredients. Um. And I think there's value. 427 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: There's immense value to that because you limit how much preservatives, 428 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:38,440 Speaker 1: how much hormones is in your food. So like I'm 429 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: a I'm an advocate for it and getting involved with 430 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:45,000 Speaker 1: a slow food movement. It's something like the mission I 431 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 1: believe is there, the antenna is there. I mean hopefully 432 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:51,919 Speaker 1: what I hope in this whole slow food movement or 433 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:58,080 Speaker 1: in like eating better quality foods, it comes more um 434 00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:02,760 Speaker 1: how I said, yeah, not only equitable, but I guess 435 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: like racially, like when I go to the farmers markets 436 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 1: in general of various places, like you don't really see 437 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:10,480 Speaker 1: I don't really get to see a whole lot of 438 00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:12,920 Speaker 1: African Americans by stuff from farmers market. It looks like 439 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,360 Speaker 1: it's very one sided. And I know it's an income thing, 440 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:22,160 Speaker 1: but I would love to see get more inclusive. Yeah. Uh, 441 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:26,080 Speaker 1: that's what I want. I mean because I know that 442 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:29,120 Speaker 1: there's benefits to it, but I know, I know there's 443 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:33,639 Speaker 1: a very much economic driver because by the organic tomato, 444 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:37,199 Speaker 1: there's a lot more than a non organic tomato, but 445 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 1: the flavor is two totally different experiences. We are not 446 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:45,879 Speaker 1: quite done with our interview with Dr Conyers, but we're 447 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:47,680 Speaker 1: going to take one more quick break for a word 448 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:59,679 Speaker 1: from a sponsor, and we're back. Thank you sponsor, and 449 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: back to the interview. One thing that you you mentioned 450 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 1: earlier that m is really important to us on this 451 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:11,760 Speaker 1: show is sort of um expounding what the South means 452 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 1: because like you said, people do have this sort of 453 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: outside of the South and sometimes even in the South. 454 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,240 Speaker 1: That's one idea of what Southern food is. And it's 455 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:24,120 Speaker 1: so much more than that. And I read um one 456 00:27:24,160 --> 00:27:28,680 Speaker 1: of your hopes with with being on Nourish is um 457 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: showing what makes the South special and unique? And in 458 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:38,680 Speaker 1: your mind, what is that? What makes the South unique 459 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:48,040 Speaker 1: and special? Um? Like for me, like the South has 460 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:53,639 Speaker 1: a even though no matter how the vad the South 461 00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:58,560 Speaker 1: was in terms of food, like people will cross over 462 00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:05,359 Speaker 1: Dan's could be very racists or surrogation wise, but like 463 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:08,640 Speaker 1: you will find instances where if people food would bring 464 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:13,400 Speaker 1: people together. And that's something I think is unique about 465 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:16,359 Speaker 1: the South. Well, food brings people together everywhere, but the South, 466 00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:21,679 Speaker 1: with its dark history of slavery, food has a It 467 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:23,439 Speaker 1: has the ability to bring people together to have a 468 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:27,159 Speaker 1: conversation and hopefully those conversations will help to make the 469 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:31,920 Speaker 1: South better, make it more one unit. Um, they help 470 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 1: people understand people differences. Is also there the similarities um, 471 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:42,520 Speaker 1: I think the South is. I don't know what I mean. 472 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,000 Speaker 1: No matter what it's bad about the South and some 473 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,240 Speaker 1: people might I love it. I love the good and 474 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:50,880 Speaker 1: bad of the South. It's one of those things that's 475 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:53,920 Speaker 1: really hard to describe though, And and I guess you 476 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:56,320 Speaker 1: would say, like the rules, I grew up in a 477 00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:59,440 Speaker 1: rural area. In the rural area is a lot different 478 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:10,040 Speaker 1: from the city area, and I love both. Do you 479 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:13,720 Speaker 1: get to go back home often? I tried to. I 480 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: try to go home. Well, I tried to go home 481 00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:19,840 Speaker 1: for about four times a year. I went home four 482 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:21,480 Speaker 1: times this past year, and I think I saw my 483 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:24,960 Speaker 1: parents probably six or seven times. So it came out here. 484 00:29:26,280 --> 00:29:28,400 Speaker 1: So that's I go home because my family is there, 485 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,520 Speaker 1: and no matter where I'm go in life, like family 486 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:33,240 Speaker 1: is important. And I think that's one of the things 487 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: I learned about growing up in the South. Like families 488 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: is everything. Do you have any any projects coming up, 489 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:48,160 Speaker 1: any anything food wise or rocket science wise that you're 490 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 1: excited about? Um, actually I'm excited. I mean I haven't 491 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,080 Speaker 1: really talked a lot about it publicly, but I wanted 492 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: so there. I did an episode on grist for Ner, 493 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:03,920 Speaker 1: but I want to I have a grizmell and I 494 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: want to take this gritzmel and bring it back in 495 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:11,200 Speaker 1: the operation so people in my community could see what 496 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 1: the Grizmill meant especially too. I will say to the 497 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: black I mean to me, I want to hear the 498 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:21,000 Speaker 1: black families talk about how they survive. We're using the grismeal, 499 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: the significance of it to the community, how they shared 500 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,280 Speaker 1: and work together. And so I'm working on trying to 501 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 1: bring a Grizmel back to life that I have a 502 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 1: stone Burg Grismell, because I think it's so many stories 503 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 1: and in history to be documented behind that, and I 504 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 1: think those are where my next projects really lies is 505 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:46,440 Speaker 1: taking more taking time to really document and preserve those 506 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:49,600 Speaker 1: stories from experts. Because people may say Howard Keyes is 507 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:51,960 Speaker 1: an expert, but the people who are really experts in 508 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:55,440 Speaker 1: my mind are the people like my father, my mother, 509 00:30:55,880 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 1: my aunts and uncle's who truly lived this. This thing 510 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:06,360 Speaker 1: we guard we treat so special. I'm just a I 511 00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:09,120 Speaker 1: guess I'm just a mouthpiece, and I'm kind of ambassador 512 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 1: and I'm a cheer leader. I cared it for it. 513 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 1: I'm a guardian keeper, but I won't take the time 514 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:21,160 Speaker 1: to really preserve the expert's opinions and knowledge base and 515 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:26,520 Speaker 1: people in my community. That's that's important, and we have 516 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 1: the technology to do it, so that's that's kind of 517 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 1: what I'm working on. Oh it's wonderful. Um is a 518 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 1: is New Orleans home now? Or do you still think 519 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:46,920 Speaker 1: of the Carolinas? Carolina's will always behold, But I mean 520 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 1: I'm slowly realizing I'm in New Orleans. I mean, like 521 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:55,680 Speaker 1: I I love South Carolina and I would never I 522 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:57,360 Speaker 1: can never take that for granted. I mean that it 523 00:31:57,400 --> 00:31:59,280 Speaker 1: has a special place in my heart. But New Orleans 524 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:03,440 Speaker 1: has has it's starting to get They won't say it 525 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:06,400 Speaker 1: will be equal, but it's it's definitely rising for me 526 00:32:06,520 --> 00:32:09,640 Speaker 1: because the things I see in New Orleans I can't 527 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:13,000 Speaker 1: see any place else in the country. And the food 528 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:15,840 Speaker 1: experiences I've been able to being a part of, I 529 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:18,880 Speaker 1: don't think I've do that anywhere else in the country, 530 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:20,840 Speaker 1: whether even if it was in a place like New York. 531 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: New Orleans have something special, Louisiana have something special. I 532 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:27,840 Speaker 1: think people, I mean, people get caught up from New Orleans, 533 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:29,920 Speaker 1: but I think people need to also look at like 534 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:34,720 Speaker 1: areas like Apollucious, and there's so much fascinating culture in 535 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:38,800 Speaker 1: the areas like Oppilucious or units Louisiana. There are small 536 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:42,040 Speaker 1: towns that I think people are missing the boat. They 537 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 1: always focused on New Orleans. We we were you were 538 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:52,400 Speaker 1: talking earlier about about equity and um, you know, getting 539 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:56,800 Speaker 1: getting poorer segments and black segments of the community more 540 00:32:56,840 --> 00:33:00,520 Speaker 1: of an opportunity to enjoy these food that costs a 541 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: little bit more, or that you know, not everyone has 542 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: access to due to transportation issues, things like that. Could 543 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:10,080 Speaker 1: you speak a little bit about about what you think 544 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:16,840 Speaker 1: New Orleans could do better? Um, I think there's an 545 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:19,600 Speaker 1: education that needs to occur in the whole space. It's 546 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:23,160 Speaker 1: not I think it's an education. You have to educate 547 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 1: people on why this food is better because we will 548 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:29,000 Speaker 1: spend well. People will spend money or whatever they seem 549 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,880 Speaker 1: valuable if they have it. But I think there's a 550 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: lack of education the wis better and so that may 551 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 1: be an opportunity to do it better. Um. I think. 552 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:45,600 Speaker 1: Um sometimes the access to it, the location of it 553 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:49,479 Speaker 1: is New Orleans is not a big place. But I 554 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:53,720 Speaker 1: can't expect a family who who's struggling with transportation the 555 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:56,400 Speaker 1: better only come to the farmer's market for a few 556 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,400 Speaker 1: things and they can't get everything they need on their 557 00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:05,200 Speaker 1: grocery list. That's kind of tough. Yeah, So those are 558 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:08,719 Speaker 1: kind of my thoughts on it. Is there anything that 559 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:11,680 Speaker 1: we we haven't asked you or that you would like 560 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:16,480 Speaker 1: to talk about before we before we wrap up here? Um, 561 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:18,680 Speaker 1: I just like if people ever want to get in 562 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 1: contact with me. I mean, I have a website, Howard 563 00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:26,200 Speaker 1: Conyers dot com. I do come speak, Uh, I do. 564 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: I do go speak and share my knowledge of food science, 565 00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:36,000 Speaker 1: engineering two different audiences, because I think it's important to 566 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: like people don't notice about me. I really want to 567 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:42,160 Speaker 1: help inspire the next generation that they can do anything 568 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:45,719 Speaker 1: they want to do. And I have a I love 569 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:48,400 Speaker 1: I want to make sure people from not only urban 570 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:52,520 Speaker 1: areas have inspiration, but I want people from rural areas 571 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,320 Speaker 1: that have inspiration. If they can see it through my work, 572 00:34:56,400 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: that's even better. And so that I offer myself up 573 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:04,799 Speaker 1: to society of like to try to try to get 574 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:09,000 Speaker 1: back where I can where it makes sense. That's that's great. 575 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:11,720 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak 576 00:35:11,719 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 1: with us. No, no, that's no problem. Oh yeah, I 577 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 1: don't know if y'all knew I was. I was one 578 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:19,680 Speaker 1: of the Southerners of the Year for this year. Oh yeah, yeah, 579 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:23,560 Speaker 1: I got names one of something living Southerners of the year. 580 00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:39,359 Speaker 1: Thanks nice, that's wonderful whatever that means. Put you over that. Yeah, 581 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:42,480 Speaker 1: I'm still thinking about the cow thing. I don't know, 582 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:45,120 Speaker 1: I'm kind of crazy for that, for the whole cow thing. 583 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,080 Speaker 1: But I enjoyed it. It was it was a pleasure 584 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:50,000 Speaker 1: to cook the whole cow. It was a pleasure to 585 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,560 Speaker 1: do this podcast interview. And I thank you for taking 586 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,120 Speaker 1: time to want to talk to Howard Conyers. I mean 587 00:35:56,160 --> 00:36:02,680 Speaker 1: that was a delight. Yes, thank you so much. And 588 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:06,200 Speaker 1: back to the present. Oh, thank you, Thank you again 589 00:36:06,280 --> 00:36:09,799 Speaker 1: so much to to Howard. Um and yes again if 590 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:11,839 Speaker 1: you if you want to learn more about his work 591 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,200 Speaker 1: or possibly get him to come on out and teach 592 00:36:14,239 --> 00:36:18,719 Speaker 1: your your classroom or organization or whatever about about barbecue science. Um, yeah, 593 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 1: just go to Howard Kanyers dot com. That's h O 594 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:26,000 Speaker 1: W A R D C O N y E R 595 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:30,640 Speaker 1: S dot com. Uh. Yeah, what a what a pleasure. 596 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:33,880 Speaker 1: It's it's it's always so amazing to get to talk 597 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:36,560 Speaker 1: to other people who are just as nerdy about the 598 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:40,680 Speaker 1: science bits as I am. Um. So yeah, that's that's 599 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:43,480 Speaker 1: our episode for today. If you would like to get 600 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,480 Speaker 1: in touch with us, you can do that thing. We 601 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,200 Speaker 1: are available at a number of ways. You can email 602 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:52,799 Speaker 1: us at Hello at savor pod dot com, or you 603 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:55,880 Speaker 1: can find us on social media. We are on Facebook, Twitter, 604 00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:58,960 Speaker 1: and Instagram at savor pod. We do hook to hear 605 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:01,239 Speaker 1: from you. So favor is a production of I Heart 606 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,240 Speaker 1: Radio and Stuff Media. For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, 607 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 608 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:10,120 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows. Thank you as always 609 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:13,120 Speaker 1: to our super producers Dylan Fagan and Andrew Howard. Thanks 610 00:37:13,120 --> 00:37:14,759 Speaker 1: to you for listening, and we hope that lots more 611 00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:23,600 Speaker 1: good things are coming your way.