1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: When Will Ferrell said he'd be my guest on Ruthie's 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Table four, I expected some laughs, some great stories, but 3 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: not happy birthday In Swedish. 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 2: Yah more healeva inte who roto yaviska haaleva javiska haalevva 5 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 2: javiska hileeva inteh. 6 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 3: Hurrah, Hurrah, hurrah hurrah. You have to say hooray four times. 7 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:29,479 Speaker 1: When I tell people that I'm doing a podcast with Will, 8 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: their faces light up. Everyone seems to love him when 9 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 1: they remember working with him, or, of course watching him 10 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: on screen in those classic comedies Elf and Anchorman and 11 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,480 Speaker 1: many more. We do have a mutual friend, Saturday Night 12 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: Live creator and producer Lauren Michaels, but we first met 13 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:52,159 Speaker 1: last spring when I was invited to a lunch Now 14 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: walking into a lunch party late can be awkward. Conversations, 15 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:00,319 Speaker 1: stop chairs are adjusted, introductions made. But there I us 16 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: heated next to Will, and all was right with the world. 17 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: He was here in London filming Barbie and I was 18 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: just off to New York. But we promised to continue 19 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: the conversation. 20 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 3: Are you oh great? How are you doing well? 21 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 1: You're not allowed to go to the river cafe anymore 22 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: without me being there. 23 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 3: I know, so frustrating, keeping missing each other. 24 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: All right, where are you, by the way, are you 25 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: in your house? 26 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 3: No, we're in one of the studios here. Oh Hollywood. 27 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: Well would you like to read? Do you have it? There? 28 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: The recipe for. 29 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 3: I do so. This is a recipe for white truffle tagliarini, 30 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 3: not to be confused with tagliatelli. 31 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: Correct correct finer noodle. 32 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 3: It serves four and you need at least one ten 33 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 3: gram fresh white ruffle. I guess you could have more 34 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 3: two hundred and fifty grams of dried Italian made taglierini 35 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:12,920 Speaker 3: or fresh rich egg, pasta, sea salt and freshly ground 36 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 3: black pepper, and twenty grams of unsalted butter. So what 37 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 3: you're gonna do is you're gonna start by You're going 38 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 3: to clean the truffle. You don't want a dirty truffle, 39 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 3: trust me. Brushing the surface to remove any sand that 40 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:33,560 Speaker 3: may be stuck in the crevices. You cool the tagle 41 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 3: arena until al dente. 42 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: Okay, I think you cook it rather than cool it. 43 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, you cook it. That makes no sense. See 44 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 3: I'm like, okay, yeah, you cook that's fine. Cook the 45 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 3: tagle arena in boiling salted water until al dente. Now 46 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 3: in a in a pan large enough to hold the pasta, 47 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 3: gently heat the butter until just soft, adding a pinch 48 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 3: of nutmeg and black pepper, and a few shavings of truffle. 49 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 3: And now after that you add the pasta to the 50 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 3: warm butter mixture and toss again and again to coat 51 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 3: each strand. And then once you've done that, you place 52 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 3: into hot plates and grate the truffle generously over each portion. 53 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: Sounds good, easy, Yeah, So tell me why did you 54 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: choose this recipe of all the recipes. 55 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 3: I chose it. I chose it because it seems relatively accomplishable, 56 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 3: doesn't seem too overwhelming. And I love a good truffle. 57 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 3: I love that flavor. I love black pepper. And it's 58 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 3: also just it's very comforting. 59 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: Yes, it's comforting. And it's also it's such a luxury, 60 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: isn't I mean? The idea of having white truffle. It's 61 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: a very special. It's very short season you have it. 62 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: Can you get them? I guess you must be able 63 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: to get them in California? Of course they must send 64 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: them over from Italy. But did you live in Italy? 65 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: Did you have you ever spent any time there where 66 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: you would have white? 67 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 3: You know, I've I've worked there once, which was great. 68 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: What were you doing? 69 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 3: I was working on Zoolander two. I was working there 70 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 3: for five weeks, but I didn't have to work every day. 71 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,799 Speaker 3: It was kind of perfect. So I'd get some time 72 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 3: off to go and explore and you know, have a 73 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 3: good meal. 74 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: And where were you were? 75 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 3: Just in Rome? Yeah, and that that's such a luxury 76 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 3: to get to do that, and it was. It was 77 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 3: up until that point i'd had I had had a 78 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 3: career of where you're always talking to everyone else who's 79 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 3: gotten to film in exotic places. And the most exotic 80 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:59,159 Speaker 3: place I would get to film is you know, the 81 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 3: San Fernando v uh Or. And so finally this was 82 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 3: this was after after decades, I was finally shooting a 83 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 3: movie in Europe and it was so much fun. It 84 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:12,039 Speaker 3: was great. 85 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 1: I did an interview with John McEnroe recently, and he 86 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: was saying that when he was playing tennis, or when 87 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: he was even performing at evand there was no time 88 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: to eat. You were just working, working, working, So you 89 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: know you're being able to go. 90 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 3: That's usually Yeah, that's and that's usually the case. You're 91 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:34,680 Speaker 3: you're a movie schedules in tens, there's long days and 92 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:37,720 Speaker 3: you maybe have you know, you're catching up on your 93 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 3: rest on the weekend, so maybe have one night a 94 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 3: week ago. But this I had enough time off to 95 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,360 Speaker 3: where I could kind of explore. But there was there 96 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,600 Speaker 3: was also a really fun group of actors who uh 97 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:54,719 Speaker 3: Christen Wigg was working at the time, and she would 98 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 3: organize these fun dinner parties and so that's that's another 99 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,679 Speaker 3: when you can kind of combine great food with great company. 100 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 3: There's nothing better. 101 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: Do you think about a location that you're going to 102 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 1: be filming and wonder what the food will be like? 103 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 3: No, it's I always am envious of people who've able 104 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 3: have been able to like write something specifically, you know, 105 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 3: like Mike White who did White Lotus as a genius. 106 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:28,359 Speaker 3: His locations have been Hawaii, they've been you know, the 107 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 3: last one was Sicily, and then I think they're doing 108 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 3: a third one and it's going to be in some 109 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 3: beautiful location in Southeast Asia. So he's a smart he's smart, 110 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 3: smart guy. 111 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: So going right back, tell me about your family, Tell 112 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: about your mother and father and what food was what 113 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:48,839 Speaker 1: meals times were like in your house. 114 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 3: Well, my folks divorced at an early age, so while 115 00:06:56,200 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 3: my dad did made a really good effort of still 116 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 3: being involved, my brother and I pretty much grew up 117 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,800 Speaker 3: in a single parent household. Of course, my mom had 118 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 3: to work, and what did she do. She did a 119 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 3: number of various jobs, from landscaper to we used to 120 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 3: call her a plant lady at one point, which meant 121 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 3: she was worked for a company that took care of 122 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 3: plants in office buildings, so she'd go from office building 123 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 3: to office building and maintain the plants. And she was 124 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,080 Speaker 3: kind of doing all these odd jobs while she finally 125 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 3: figured out she needed to go back to school and 126 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 3: get her master's degree and later went on to have 127 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 3: a great career in adult education teaching English as a 128 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 3: second language. But it's kind of remarkable to think about 129 00:07:54,440 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 3: now having been a parent myself, you know, being involved 130 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 3: with my wife and we we've always been able to 131 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 3: help each other, and we've always had help around the house. 132 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 3: But to think of the idea of just doing it 133 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 3: by herself, and the fact that she always got home 134 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 3: in time for dinner and made dinner, and she both 135 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 3: my folks are from North Carolina, so she she was 136 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 3: an amazing cook. Every night there would there would you know. 137 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:34,200 Speaker 3: It's the reason why I still I like liver and onions. 138 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 3: It's because my mom would cook. Yeah. She would make 139 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 3: this amazing livered onions where she'd kind of see it 140 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 3: and grill, yeah, and. 141 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: When she cook the onions right down, yeah, and very 142 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: soft onions. 143 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:48,959 Speaker 3: But she just kind of she'd just do it all 144 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,559 Speaker 3: by feel, and she would make or she'd make great 145 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 3: kind of stews in a crock pot, or she'd one 146 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 3: of her great things that we would request that didn't 147 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:04,319 Speaker 3: have and all the time were she'd make a fantastic 148 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 3: fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes that she did herself, 149 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 3: and green beans and sometimes and would make homemade biscuits 150 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 3: and things like that. So and I look back at that, 151 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:21,319 Speaker 3: and my cooking skills are negligible at best. And I 152 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:23,440 Speaker 3: was like, Mom, how did you do that? And She's like, 153 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 3: you know, you just didn't think about it. And I 154 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,680 Speaker 3: was raised to learn how to cook, and I just 155 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 3: wanted to make sure you guys at least had that 156 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 3: one meal every night. And it was it was our 157 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 3: time to kind of uh to kind of sit down 158 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 3: and check in, which I'm sure is a common story 159 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 3: you probably have heard, where you get to check in 160 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 3: about how the day was and how your lives are 161 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 3: going and et cetera. 162 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: When you think about what that memory for you of 163 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: sitting down at the table and that she provided that 164 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: and did that with you know, and maybe maybe also 165 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: cooking was a great pleasure for her also after I 166 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 1: used to come home after work and start cooking and 167 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 1: everybody would say, relax, stop cooking, And actually I found 168 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,679 Speaker 1: it quite Do you find that that sometimes just the 169 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:12,200 Speaker 1: thing of cooking is kind. 170 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:17,840 Speaker 3: Of oh yeah, that the times we're kind of find ourselves. 171 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 3: I think cooking a lot more in the summertime, and 172 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 3: it really can be I'm kind of more of the 173 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 3: Soux chef to Vivoca to my wife. So I'm like, 174 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 3: tell me what, tell me what to do now? Okay, 175 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 3: let me shop this, Okay, what do I do? 176 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:33,679 Speaker 1: Now? 177 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 3: Watch that? Yeah, and you get in a rhythm and 178 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 3: you put the baseball game on and you pour a 179 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 3: glass of wine and it's really nice. It's nice. Yeah, Yeah, 180 00:10:43,600 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 3: it matters. 181 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: And when you would see your dad, would he cook 182 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: for you? Would you? 183 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 3: Yeah? Dad would we'd kind of see our dad. And 184 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 3: then Dad started getting into cooking and he he was 185 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 3: he loved kind of you know, I feel like he 186 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 3: was always grilling a breast of chicken. Yeah, like that 187 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:09,520 Speaker 3: was the main and or he'd there was a local 188 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:13,520 Speaker 3: market with like a really good butcher section and he 189 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 3: would get like sweet Italian sausages and make some pasta 190 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 3: with sausages. And then of course there's the one infamous 191 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 3: time where we were eating something. We're like, Dad, what 192 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 3: is this? He's like, just try it, and he had 193 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,559 Speaker 3: cooked us rabbit. The only problem was he just didn't 194 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 3: connect the dots that at that time, my brother had 195 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 3: a pet rabbit and we were like, Dad, what why 196 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 3: are you serving rabbit? And I think he got mad 197 00:11:45,120 --> 00:11:47,320 Speaker 3: at us for not trying the rabbit, but mad at 198 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 3: himself for not thinking that that would feel weird to us. 199 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,839 Speaker 3: But that was a that was an emotional evening and. 200 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 1: We had that. We had that in Tuscany this summer 201 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: because we have always get rabbits for the little kids, 202 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:00,840 Speaker 1: and they had them in occasion. Then night, you know, 203 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,480 Speaker 1: there was a rabbit, you know, and that that wasn't 204 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 1: too good. But do you think that he kind of 205 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: wanted to cook or do you think he wanted to 206 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: show you that he was taking care of you as 207 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:13,240 Speaker 1: a as a parent. 208 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:17,880 Speaker 3: He I think it was both. I think he learned 209 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 3: to enjoy it and he became pretty good at it. 210 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:25,840 Speaker 3: And there was a stretch over the holidays. We still 211 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 3: laugh about it today where and he would listen to 212 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 3: the local cooking show on like AM radio and KBC 213 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:39,839 Speaker 3: out here in Los Angeles, and it was and he 214 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 3: was like, you know what I want. I want to 215 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 3: cook a Christmas. 216 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:49,479 Speaker 1: Goose at Christmas at Christmas. 217 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 3: And he worked so hard and we we and it 218 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 3: was just as tough as like leather. 219 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: It was just goose is challenge, really hard. 220 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,199 Speaker 3: It was so bum like, yeah, it's okay, it's okay, 221 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 3: you tried your best. 222 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:05,440 Speaker 1: We'll just yeah. 223 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 3: We'll order a pizza. I don't know. 224 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:10,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, but that's that sort of thing of cooking as 225 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: a performance. Yeah. I feel that in the restaurant because 226 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: we have an open kitchen and I serve something and 227 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:18,199 Speaker 1: then I always look to see the expression of something. Oh, 228 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:20,559 Speaker 1: I'm sure when they were eating it. 229 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:28,199 Speaker 3: And I would think you are genuinely seeing a positive expression. Yeah, Okay, Yeah, 230 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:28,480 Speaker 3: I do. 231 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 1: It's kind of nice when they say, you know, try this, 232 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,600 Speaker 1: and then you see them, you know, sharing it. And 233 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: sometimes people send things back now they don't like it, 234 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: and that's fine, right, you know, you just redo it 235 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: or cook it differently or whatever. But it is it 236 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:46,439 Speaker 1: is a bit of a before. I always feel a 237 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 1: bit sorry for somebody's cooking for a dinner party and 238 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:52,120 Speaker 1: bringing it out and they've been working all day trying 239 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: to get it right. 240 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, no, he my dad would get very perfectionistic 241 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:00,760 Speaker 3: about timing things out and has to go in at 242 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 3: a certain time. And yeah, but but I I've seen, 243 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:08,320 Speaker 3: like we spend our summers in Sweden. My wife was 244 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 3: born there and we we over the years, we we've 245 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 3: always gone every summer and and we have a place 246 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 3: out there that's way out in the middle of nowhere 247 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 3: along in this collective of little summer cottages next to her. No, 248 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 3: it's actually, yeah, we're not anywhere near the ocean. We're 249 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 3: we're we're kind of in the woods, and we have 250 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 3: a couple of beautiful lakes around us and that sort 251 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 3: of thing. But it's I know, that pressure that my 252 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 3: debt because and we tend to grill a lot, and 253 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 3: the Swedes are all the Swedes are annoyingly good at 254 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 3: everything with and they don't really try, and they're they're 255 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 3: good bakers and and uh, my wife's cousins will come 256 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 3: and you know that pressure of someone watching over your 257 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,400 Speaker 3: shoulder while you grill something, and they'll they'll be like, 258 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 3: you might want to take that off. I'm like, really, okay. 259 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 3: And I always listen to them and they they they'll 260 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 3: just walk right up and go like, no, I do 261 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,920 Speaker 3: two minutes longer, okay, wow. And they don't use thermometers 262 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,360 Speaker 3: or timers or anything. And sure enough, every time I 263 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 3: listen to them, it's delicious, and it was it was 264 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 3: the right it was the right temperature and the right time. 265 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: I'm trying to think, I'm trying to think of what 266 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 1: sweets maybe can they do comedy? Are they funny? I 267 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: think if Igmar Bergmann and all those kind of they 268 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 1: weren't exactly a lot. 269 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 3: Of they're not considered culturally funny, but I think they're 270 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 3: like a little little, you know, sneaker upper type there. 271 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 3: They're very dry with their humor, very sarcastic, and they're 272 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 3: they're very clever, and they love to they love to 273 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 3: tease in a very gentle way, and so I find 274 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:55,760 Speaker 3: them really kind of funny. 275 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't want to lose my Swedish listeners. 276 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,400 Speaker 3: So right, Stockholm. 277 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: I've been to Stockholm and we ate really really well 278 00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: in Stockholm. There's a real food culture now in Sweden, 279 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 1: you know, and they're all foraging and it's a very 280 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: foody place. 281 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, we're always trying to if we hear of a 282 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 3: new restaurant, we'll go, try to go a couple of 283 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 3: nights into the city and explore. There's an amazing hotel 284 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 3: we've stayed at a couple of times called at Hem, 285 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 3: and their restaurant there is as good as any I've 286 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:36,680 Speaker 3: ever been. They have an excellent group of chefs there 287 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 3: and it's a very cozy place. It's like sitting in 288 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 3: someone's living room. 289 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 1: Do you eat Swedish at home? Does Vivica cook well Swedish? 290 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 3: It's funny because Swedes, for the most part, their day 291 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:53,440 Speaker 3: to day kind of menu or died is fairly just continental. Yeah, 292 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 3: and the only time you really eat specific quote unquote 293 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 3: Swedish food is usually around the holidays. So we always 294 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 3: host a big Swedish Christmas party, which is called a 295 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:09,880 Speaker 3: yule Fest. And we have found this lovely couple, Mark 296 00:17:09,920 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 3: and Lena who have a restaurant out here in La 297 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 3: called open Face, which is all these types of open 298 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 3: face sandwiches and it's a small kind of pop up place, 299 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 3: but the main part of their business is catering. And 300 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:30,880 Speaker 3: she's Danish, I believe, but we found her years ago 301 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 3: and she knows how to cook all the Swedish food. 302 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,679 Speaker 3: So that's our big night where you have all the 303 00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:41,280 Speaker 3: herrings and they cook a ham and Swedish meatballs with 304 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,359 Speaker 3: the lingenberries and all the cheeses and the kaneki bread. 305 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:49,880 Speaker 3: So that's like our big night to have Swedish food, 306 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,960 Speaker 3: and we invite it's a party for eighty people, so 307 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 3: all of our friends. We've been doing it for over 308 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:00,360 Speaker 3: a decade now and everyone. In fact, there was one well, 309 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 3: there was one year we couldn't do it. I think 310 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,200 Speaker 3: we were out of town and people were people were 311 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,159 Speaker 3: upset and thought we'd left them off the list, so 312 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:12,880 Speaker 3: created quite an outrage. But no, that's that's our big 313 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 3: night to eat Swedish food. And then the other big 314 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 3: kind of Swedish meal is is what's called a creft weaver, 315 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 3: which is in August, and that's when you eat crayfish. 316 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 3: And that's really fun too, you know, you just boil 317 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,680 Speaker 3: all these crayfish with the cheese. And of course it's 318 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:34,880 Speaker 3: all done with aquavit and songs. 319 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:38,120 Speaker 1: And yeah, sing me a Swedish song. 320 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:42,879 Speaker 3: I can sing you happy birthday in Swedish. 321 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, yah more. 322 00:18:46,480 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 2: Yoh more yah moreva into yaviskav javiska. I live Javiskava. Hurrah, Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah. 323 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 3: You have to say hooray four times. 324 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:07,400 Speaker 1: I never expected to have a different too. I thought 325 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,399 Speaker 1: that sounds like a kind of marching salt of us. 326 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,440 Speaker 3: It's the funniest. The funniest lyrics in English is like 327 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 3: I hope you live. I hope you live. I hope 328 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 3: you live for a hundred years, but if you don't, 329 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 3: but if you don't, we'll still drink to you. It's 330 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:30,960 Speaker 3: something like that. Yeah, so it's this very The sweets 331 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 3: are so funny with how they accept life and death. 332 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 3: It's just like, I hope you live, but if you don't, 333 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 3: don't worry, We'll still think you don't. 334 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:41,200 Speaker 1: You'll be okay, all right, but on your birthday it's 335 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 1: your birthday. But let's just you know, maybe it's not 336 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:44,639 Speaker 1: going to be forever. 337 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:48,119 Speaker 3: It could be, but maybe it's not. And but anyway, 338 00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:50,120 Speaker 3: the point is we're here and let's have a drink. 339 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:58,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, it'd Swedish accent. Did you know The River Cafe 340 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:02,440 Speaker 1: has a shop. It's full of our favorite foods and designs. 341 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:06,440 Speaker 1: We have cookbooks, linen, napkins, kitchen were tote bags with 342 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: our signatures, glasses from Venice, chocolates from Turin. You can 343 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,840 Speaker 1: find us right next door to the River Cafe in 344 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: London or online at Shopthrivercafe dot co dot uk. When 345 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,959 Speaker 1: you left your home and you had all those meals 346 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,919 Speaker 1: together with your brother and your mother and then your 347 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,680 Speaker 1: father and then did you go to college? Did you 348 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,400 Speaker 1: eat out or did you eat in the dorm? Yeah? 349 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:39,840 Speaker 1: I think was it a rude awakening? 350 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 4: No, it was. 351 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 3: It was pretty good dorm food. I was just happy 352 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:52,000 Speaker 3: to have three square meals, but probably not by freshman 353 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:55,160 Speaker 3: sob As I moved out of the dorms into more 354 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 3: of an apartment situation, That's where it was a little 355 00:20:57,560 --> 00:20:58,040 Speaker 3: more bleak. 356 00:20:58,440 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 1: That's what it changed. 357 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 3: That's where it changed. 358 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, And was that in college. 359 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 3: I was in college and then and then later after college. 360 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:10,359 Speaker 3: You know that those are some pathetic moments in my 361 00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 3: food life where I was like, you know, the struggling 362 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 3: actor and I working in a desk job that doesn't 363 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:24,800 Speaker 3: pay a lot, where literally have twenty bucks that has 364 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 3: to last me the rest of the week. I remember 365 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 3: my my roommate at the time, who had a better 366 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:34,440 Speaker 3: job and a little more money. I was literally sitting down. 367 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 3: I think my dinner one night was was pasta with 368 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:44,080 Speaker 3: and the only thing I had was some mustard, and 369 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:45,440 Speaker 3: I put the mustard on. 370 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 1: That's I don't think that is a far cry from 371 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 1: pasta with white truffles. 372 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:56,560 Speaker 3: And my friend Chare Jerry was like, you can borrow 373 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 3: some of my tomato sauce. I'm like, oh no, I 374 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:03,080 Speaker 3: like I prefer them. Yeah, yeah, but anyway, and. 375 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:04,960 Speaker 1: Then you went to New York? Did you move to 376 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:05,480 Speaker 1: New York? 377 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 3: Moved to New York when I was hired for Stay 378 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,760 Speaker 3: Night Live, And I know I told. 379 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: I told Lauren that we were doing this, and he 380 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:18,760 Speaker 1: was usually Lauren self saying how much he loved to sea. 381 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:24,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, that's such a you spend so much 382 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 3: time in that studio and then those offices, and at 383 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:30,160 Speaker 3: that show, you're not really sitting down in your apartment 384 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 3: for a meal. But that was getting to kind of 385 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 3: go to some of these New York restaurants. That was 386 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:41,480 Speaker 3: That was seven years of getting to explore. In fact, 387 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:46,480 Speaker 3: there was a there was a great place down in 388 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 3: the village on Commerce and Barrow, and I don't think 389 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:55,160 Speaker 3: it's there anymore. It's called Grange Hall, and we had 390 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,639 Speaker 3: so many meals there where my my folks would fly 391 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,879 Speaker 3: in that week to come see the show and we go, 392 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 3: like on a Thursday night to go eat at Grange 393 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 3: Hall and it was like the amazing, very cozy, neighborhoody 394 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 3: place where they I just remember always ordering the Hangar steak, 395 00:23:15,320 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 3: which was like cooked really well and great atmosphere and 396 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:21,240 Speaker 3: just a very I was like, oh, this is the 397 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 3: typical New York place, which Lauren would always point out. 398 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,040 Speaker 3: It's funny, he would always he made a great observation. 399 00:23:29,119 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 3: He was like, you can tell like restaurants it's all 400 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:35,199 Speaker 3: about lighting. And I was like, you're right, yeah, if 401 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,120 Speaker 3: the lighting works, it's inviting and you want to sit down. 402 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,960 Speaker 3: And I also had a really funny meal once with 403 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:45,320 Speaker 3: Lauren at pastise at the old Pastise before he moved 404 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:52,159 Speaker 3: and where Lauren kept saying that that Mic Jagger may 405 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:55,720 Speaker 3: stop by, and I was like, uh huh, yeah sure, 406 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 3: and the meal was almost done, and then all of 407 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 3: a sudden, Lauren was like, oh, he's here, and then 408 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:08,200 Speaker 3: we were both I don't see Lauren get nervous very much. 409 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 3: And then we both were incredibly nervous, and he was like, 410 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,359 Speaker 3: will you sit there? Wait, no, hold on, I'll have 411 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:15,360 Speaker 3: him sit here, and then you sit across from here, 412 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 3: and then okay, oh, hello, Mick. 413 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:18,359 Speaker 1: Hi. 414 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:23,200 Speaker 3: And then and there I was, you know, sitting next 415 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:26,719 Speaker 3: to Mick. I didn't contribute to the conversation at all 416 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:30,320 Speaker 3: because I just sat there. And but Mick Jager couldn't 417 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 3: have been nicer to me and kept he kept pulling 418 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 3: me in and everything like that, but I was too 419 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 3: scared to say anything. 420 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, he was in the restaurant here two ya and 421 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 1: he was and he said, Ruthie, how are you? And 422 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:47,400 Speaker 1: I said, I am so excited because David Letterman is here. 423 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:50,800 Speaker 1: And then I realized I was not the thing you 424 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 1: say to the Jagger I was. I was really excited 425 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:00,920 Speaker 1: that David. And then he's a guy. He's a nice person. 426 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 3: That's so funny. 427 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 1: Do you think that getting to eat in good restaurants 428 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:10,200 Speaker 1: almost was a measure of your success when you when 429 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:12,960 Speaker 1: you were able to go to a good restaurant or 430 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: be taken to a good restaurant. 431 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think to some extent. I mean definitely, you're 432 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:23,399 Speaker 3: definitely all of a sudden in this this new category. 433 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:27,320 Speaker 3: And Lauren, part of the ritual and the schedule of 434 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 3: the show is his big Tuesday night dinners where he 435 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 3: has the host and he invites members of the cast. 436 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:39,560 Speaker 3: So that would either be at Orso or Latanzi or 437 00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:46,520 Speaker 3: all the you know sometimes occasionally Joe Allen's and all 438 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:51,480 Speaker 3: these kind of venerable New York restaurants, And that was 439 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,320 Speaker 3: really eye opening to be Yeah, you kind of felt like, 440 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:58,280 Speaker 3: you know, country mouse in the big city all of 441 00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:02,399 Speaker 3: a sudden that hadn't been so uh my folk. I 442 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,280 Speaker 3: wouldn't say we grew up. You know, we were very 443 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 3: very much lower middle class. We didn't have a lot. 444 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 3: They still would splurge on occasion and take us to 445 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 3: the interesting restaurant that had just opened up, you know 446 00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:23,959 Speaker 3: where we lived, and so they still gave us an 447 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 3: appreciation for I wouldn't say fine, but like, what is 448 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 3: kind of different in terms of culinary thing experiences and 449 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:36,560 Speaker 3: force us to try different types of foods and this, 450 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,600 Speaker 3: that and the other. So I definitely had a little 451 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:43,160 Speaker 3: bit of that in my kind of dining background. 452 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 1: Did you ever work in a restaurant? Were you ever 453 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 1: a waiter? 454 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 2: I never did. 455 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 3: I avoided that because I knew I would be fired, 456 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 3: yeah immediately, I'm. 457 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:57,320 Speaker 1: Not why would they fire? Oh yeah, carry plates? 458 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 3: Or I would have been the one that how many 459 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 3: tables does a waiter usually handle? What? Four to five tables? 460 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 1: Yeah? Maybe because maybe we don't well, we don't like 461 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,400 Speaker 1: to have we share it around. So every waiter has 462 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:14,560 Speaker 1: a section which is about three or four tables, and 463 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:16,920 Speaker 1: then everybody helps, you know, we all you know, you 464 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:21,480 Speaker 1: see managers changing the table class right, everybody does everything. 465 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:24,960 Speaker 3: So you guys have a real team effort. But you know, 466 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 3: if I just I would watch waiters and I'd be like, 467 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:30,879 Speaker 3: I could never keep track of everything. I need. I 468 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 3: need a long I need a long grace period. I 469 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:38,640 Speaker 3: would eventually get it down. So I knew that wasn't 470 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:41,720 Speaker 3: an area that would be a strong suit for me. 471 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,480 Speaker 1: It's a really hard job, you know, you send food out, 472 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,480 Speaker 1: and the way all these young you know, sometimes I 473 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:49,760 Speaker 1: get impatient at somebody on the grill to say, where 474 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:51,440 Speaker 1: is that sea bass? Where is that? And I thought, 475 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: you know, when I was their age, I couldn't cross 476 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 1: the street, you know, and they're they're amazing the way 477 00:27:57,040 --> 00:28:00,520 Speaker 1: they can, you know, send out food. And the mind. 478 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,800 Speaker 3: When waiters just memorize it the order and they don't 479 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:06,360 Speaker 3: write it down. 480 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:08,720 Speaker 1: We write everything down, okay. 481 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:12,240 Speaker 3: Because when you go to a restaurant and the waiters like, yes, 482 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:14,840 Speaker 3: go ahead, and I'm like, I get stressed out for them. 483 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:18,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, but you memorize lines, right, you can do that 484 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:18,879 Speaker 1: or not? 485 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:22,879 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, you obviously. So maybe that's a muscle you 486 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 3: develop if you're. 487 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: But you would be good, probably because you could be 488 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: really nice to people. I think you can get away 489 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:30,760 Speaker 1: with a hell of a lot, you know, if you 490 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:33,680 Speaker 1: are kind of nice, if you're not going to get 491 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:38,080 Speaker 1: annoyed with people, then if you basically like people, then 492 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:38,920 Speaker 1: it's okay. 493 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:42,920 Speaker 3: You know. Well, some of the jobs I worked and 494 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 3: I did survive with with charm and with with confronting 495 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,120 Speaker 3: my mistakes in such an open way that it was 496 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:56,160 Speaker 3: almost disarming. And when they when they said, you never 497 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:58,360 Speaker 3: finished this one thing, and I would say, you are 498 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 3: absolutely right. I didn't and I'm so sorry. 499 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 1: And I worked as I worked as a waitress one 500 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,640 Speaker 1: summer and I promise you my last day there, I'd 501 00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:09,960 Speaker 1: worked there for two months. I was still telling people 502 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:14,000 Speaker 1: it was my first day. It's just like, I'm really sorry, 503 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 1: I forgot that. But I just started this sporting, you know, 504 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,760 Speaker 1: so if you get people on your side, you walk 505 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 1: into that room and you're serving people, it's like an audience, 506 00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:24,200 Speaker 1: you know. 507 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,480 Speaker 3: Bartending is the one thing I thought maybe I could 508 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:31,800 Speaker 3: handle because it's all kind of yeah right there in 509 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:35,040 Speaker 3: front of you. Yeah, And I thought maybe I could 510 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 3: do that. But anyway, yeah, I somehow avoided that. 511 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: You're not but you like going to and you go, well, 512 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 1: you come to the River Cafe and you like going out. 513 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:44,480 Speaker 1: Have your kids ever worked? Have they worked yet in 514 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:45,080 Speaker 1: a restaurant? 515 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 3: They haven't? They should? Yeah, that would be a nice 516 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 3: wake up call. 517 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 1: It's not a bad it's not a bad job for 518 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:54,080 Speaker 1: kids because it's so collaborative. 519 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 3: You know. 520 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:57,240 Speaker 1: I always say if you do something, if you don't 521 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: do your job, then it's not your boss that gets upset. 522 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 1: It's your you know, the person who's depending on the 523 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:06,720 Speaker 1: carpet being swept or the parsley being chopped. It's it's 524 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:13,880 Speaker 1: not a bad idea. If you like listening to Ruthie's 525 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:17,880 Speaker 1: Table for would you please make sure to rate and 526 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:22,960 Speaker 1: review the podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 527 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:33,320 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you. Should I 528 00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:35,800 Speaker 1: ask you your favorite food scene in the movie that 529 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:37,800 Speaker 1: you've been in. Is there one? 530 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 3: The one that's kind of sweet that I'm asked about 531 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,760 Speaker 3: the most, probably is eating the spaghetti and maple syrup 532 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:52,760 Speaker 3: and in elf. Yeah, because that we didn't really plan 533 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,520 Speaker 3: out what. They just put a bunch of stuff in 534 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:57,880 Speaker 3: front of me and I just kind of improvised that 535 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 3: and then ate as much as I could. And so 536 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,360 Speaker 3: hundreds of kids every year ask me, what does that 537 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:12,400 Speaker 3: taste like? Uh, that's the one that stands out probably. 538 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:15,440 Speaker 1: The most great movie, great scene. What are you working 539 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 1: on now? What's what's happening now? 540 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 3: Still kind of on a holding pattern? 541 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:24,600 Speaker 1: Is that with the strike? After the strike? Because did 542 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:27,600 Speaker 1: you eat more when the strike was going on? Did 543 00:31:27,640 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: you have time to be at home cooking. 544 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,360 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, we're still We just were. I mean we 545 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:38,160 Speaker 3: were just out last night at an amazing place in 546 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:43,040 Speaker 3: La called The japan House, which is two chefs who 547 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:49,840 Speaker 3: were formerly the chefs for the the Japanese Ambassador to 548 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 3: the US. They've started this restaurant and it's yeah, really extraordinary. 549 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 3: But yeah, I've been at home more and uh, you know, 550 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 3: kind of waiting for the next thing to kind of, 551 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:04,480 Speaker 3: you know, happen. 552 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:07,960 Speaker 1: When did you start cooking? When did you actually cook? 553 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 1: Or don't you really cook? 554 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,800 Speaker 3: I can't. I can't lie and say that I'm that's okay, 555 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:14,400 Speaker 3: really cook that much? 556 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 1: Your boys? Three boys? Do they cook? 557 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:21,640 Speaker 3: The boys? Yeah, the boys. Our oldest is a sophomore 558 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:25,840 Speaker 3: in college, so I think he's he'll he'll cook a 559 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:29,680 Speaker 3: little bit. It's a really our middle son, who is 560 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:34,280 Speaker 3: the big he's the big foodie of the three. He 561 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 3: really will love to get in there. And he's like, Dad, 562 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:42,240 Speaker 3: should I make smash burgers? I'm like, do it? 563 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:44,760 Speaker 1: And what's a smash burger? 564 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,680 Speaker 3: Yeah? That's where you take the patty and you you 565 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:53,200 Speaker 3: smash it down on the skillet. Yeah, and then you 566 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 3: don't leave it on too long. Then you flip it 567 00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:57,960 Speaker 3: and smash it. So they're they're really kind of thin 568 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:01,800 Speaker 3: and kind of you have a nice char on the outside. 569 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:06,040 Speaker 3: And then but he's he's he's the one who's like, 570 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:10,239 Speaker 3: if we are traveling, he'll look up, Yeah, he'll look 571 00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 3: up like restaurants we should go to and he just 572 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:19,840 Speaker 3: loves all those experiences and through through food and and 573 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:24,280 Speaker 3: he'll just occasionally I think he also finds it really comforting. 574 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:28,360 Speaker 3: Our youngest boy likes it. He's like, Mom, should we 575 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:29,640 Speaker 3: should we bake a cake? 576 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 2: Let's do it, And. 577 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:35,520 Speaker 3: They'll just want to spend the couple hours, you know, 578 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:36,480 Speaker 3: doing something like that. 579 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:39,920 Speaker 1: I think you should just demand that your next movie's 580 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:43,280 Speaker 1: made in London. We can sit in the river cafe garden, 581 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:45,400 Speaker 1: or we can take a walk, or we can have 582 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,000 Speaker 1: food at home, or we can love and maybe I'll 583 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,040 Speaker 1: see you in New York. So the last question, and 584 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:55,280 Speaker 1: thanks so much for taking so much time, is if 585 00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:59,479 Speaker 1: you had a food that you would go to for comfort? 586 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:02,760 Speaker 1: Is was it the liver and onions your mother made 587 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: or is it something that you cook or a Swedish 588 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:10,239 Speaker 1: birthday celebration gake? What would be your comfort food? 589 00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 3: Oh, it's such a good question. Yeah, I mean, we've 590 00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:19,680 Speaker 3: touched on some of them, but the other one that 591 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:24,680 Speaker 3: pops to my mind is I guess it's connected to 592 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:28,040 Speaker 3: we have a chicken coop at our house, and there's 593 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:31,800 Speaker 3: nothing more satisfying than going and getting the fresh eggs. 594 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 3: And I don't know if scrambling up eggs is the 595 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:40,759 Speaker 3: hardest thing to do from a cooking standpoint, Probably not, 596 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:46,640 Speaker 3: but it is. That's one of those connective moments of 597 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:50,279 Speaker 3: when you know, if one of my boys we have 598 00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,399 Speaker 3: to get them up early on the weekend because they've 599 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 3: got a soccer game or a basketball game, that to 600 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:58,719 Speaker 3: go ahead and grab some of those eggs and just 601 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:01,799 Speaker 3: kind of gently scramble them and maybe put a little 602 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:06,240 Speaker 3: parmesan cheese on the top, and toast a couple pieces 603 00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:08,680 Speaker 3: of bread and just sit and kind of talk as 604 00:35:08,719 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 3: we have Breakfast's that's very special to me, and so 605 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:17,600 Speaker 3: I love the connection of all of that together. 606 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:20,279 Speaker 1: Food and love. Well, thank you, and I hope that 607 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:23,280 Speaker 1: we can see each other soon. Yeah, somewhere in London, 608 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:24,040 Speaker 1: New York. 609 00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:26,479 Speaker 3: That would be great. I would love it. Ruthie, thanks 610 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:26,800 Speaker 3: coming on. 611 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:33,520 Speaker 1: We miss you, Sean and I are here. So Will 612 00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:39,320 Speaker 1: Ferrell chose for his recipe Tagulerini with butter and white truffles. 613 00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:43,480 Speaker 4: I mean, it's such a luxury ingredient. Really. All the 614 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:47,360 Speaker 4: chefs get really excited when the tuffle season begins and 615 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:49,719 Speaker 4: you slice your first truffle and smell it and they're like, 616 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,560 Speaker 4: oh my god, that's amazing. When a lot of people 617 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:54,879 Speaker 4: are having truffles in the River Cafe and the air 618 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:58,200 Speaker 4: is filled with smell, it's really intoxicating. 619 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:00,400 Speaker 1: People feel like people maybe. 620 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:01,240 Speaker 4: Getting high on the smell. 621 00:36:01,760 --> 00:36:04,440 Speaker 1: There's also the I think, well, there's there's a choosing 622 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:06,880 Speaker 1: them as well when you have that. You know, they 623 00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:08,759 Speaker 1: bring in the white truffles and they sit at the 624 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:11,239 Speaker 1: table and you look at them for their shape and 625 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:15,200 Speaker 1: their firmness and how they how many holes there are 626 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,719 Speaker 1: and where the cracks are, and how they will be 627 00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:21,000 Speaker 1: to clean and how they will be to shave. But 628 00:36:21,239 --> 00:36:23,960 Speaker 1: it is that sort of smell, you know. We always 629 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:26,479 Speaker 1: just sort of worry that maybe they put truffle oil 630 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 1: on the box to make sure that they could smell 631 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:31,960 Speaker 1: that strong. But that's why we're really careful if we 632 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:32,920 Speaker 1: buy them from. 633 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:37,439 Speaker 4: Because it's such a sort of high value ingredient. It's 634 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,439 Speaker 4: open to people. When I was a younger chef. Maybe 635 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:43,200 Speaker 4: not quite so much now, but people used to bring 636 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:45,480 Speaker 4: them around London in their sort of wheelie cases and 637 00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:48,080 Speaker 4: then two judge dodgy guys would arrive at the back 638 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:49,920 Speaker 4: door of a restaurant and ask if you want to 639 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 4: see what's in their suitcase and you'd be like, what 640 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:56,200 Speaker 4: we let the guess alve in for? And then you'd 641 00:36:56,239 --> 00:36:59,640 Speaker 4: have to sift through, you know that We had one 642 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:02,440 Speaker 4: man turned up with something that literally, I think was 643 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:05,560 Speaker 4: a potato filled with truffle oil, and we were like, 644 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:06,279 Speaker 4: we can't buy that. 645 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,240 Speaker 1: I think the other thing about truffle is that because 646 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:13,920 Speaker 1: it's such a luxury, it's so expensive, so you're careful. 647 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:17,120 Speaker 1: People try to be very very careful. You measure, you 648 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:19,200 Speaker 1: sell it by the gram, so you sell you know, 649 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:23,120 Speaker 1: two grams or five grams or ten grams. And then 650 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:25,919 Speaker 1: there's you know, you have to weigh them. We weigh 651 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:28,480 Speaker 1: them when we get them, we weigh them, have to service, 652 00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:29,920 Speaker 1: we make sure that we have it. But on the 653 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 1: other hand, when you're actually doing it, you just want 654 00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:33,960 Speaker 1: to give more and more and more, don't you. I'm 655 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:37,440 Speaker 1: really the worst person because that thing of having to 656 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:39,719 Speaker 1: judge it do you judge it or do you weigh 657 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,799 Speaker 1: it when you're I freestyle. 658 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,719 Speaker 4: Actually, I shouldn't really say that. I've never I've never 659 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:49,640 Speaker 4: undercut people. No, I just always probably go a bit over. 660 00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:51,200 Speaker 4: But it's the only time you see a little tiny 661 00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:52,240 Speaker 4: scales on the past. 662 00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:54,160 Speaker 3: What's that for. 663 00:37:56,400 --> 00:38:00,319 Speaker 4: I got one of the biggest bollockings of my career 664 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:02,320 Speaker 4: when I was a young chef. God, I thought I 665 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:04,880 Speaker 4: was going to get sacked. Literally, I got taken to 666 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 4: the chef's office and I was literally like torn down 667 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:11,719 Speaker 4: the strip. But it was really like because often you 668 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:14,879 Speaker 4: wrap the truffle in the tissue, don't need to stop 669 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:18,440 Speaker 4: it from getting whatever. And he left the truffle in 670 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:21,320 Speaker 4: the tissue on the front pass and so I was 671 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:23,680 Speaker 4: obviously cleaning down was soapy water, and he was like, 672 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:27,560 Speaker 4: where's the truffle And I was like, oh God, I 673 00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:29,880 Speaker 4: haven't seen it. And then I realized I looked on 674 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,160 Speaker 4: the floor where all the water and all the guys 675 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:32,920 Speaker 4: were cleaning. 676 00:38:32,719 --> 00:38:35,520 Speaker 1: The floor ands with trodden on it in the water. 677 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:43,240 Speaker 1: It's really cool that Will Ferrell chose that living in California, 678 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:47,239 Speaker 1: and but he just said that he just loved that 679 00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:48,120 Speaker 1: was white trefles. 680 00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:01,160 Speaker 3: Ruthie's Table For is produced by Atami Studio for iHeartRadio. 681 00:39:01,520 --> 00:39:04,960 Speaker 3: It's hosted by Ruthie Rogers and it's produced by William Lensky. 682 00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:08,799 Speaker 3: This episode was edited by Julia Johnson and mixed by 683 00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:13,880 Speaker 3: Nigel Appleton. Our executive producers are Fay Stewart and Zad Rogers. 684 00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:17,960 Speaker 2: Our production manager is Caitlin Paramore, and our production coordinator 685 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:18,920 Speaker 2: is Bella Cellini. 686 00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:24,000 Speaker 3: This episode had additional contributions by Sean Wynn Owen. Thank 687 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:26,279 Speaker 3: you to everyone at The River Cafe for your help 688 00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:27,320 Speaker 3: in making this episode