As We Eat

Milk - the quintessential wholesome beverage. But in 1930s New York City, it sparked a decade-long battle of epic proportions. Pitting dairy farmers against corporations, unions against consumers, this "Milk War" plunged the city into chaos as supplies dwindled and public safety hung in the balance over...a glass of milk? Listen in to this utterly captivating and unbelievable true story. A...

Milk - the quintessential wholesome beverage meant to "do a body good." But what sinister secrets lie beneath the pure white surface? Listen as Kim and Leigh tell the shocking tale of a scandal that plagued 19th century New York, when corrupt dairies were essentially poisoning the city's children for profit. This diabolical saga exposes the dark underbelly of an industry gone rotten. F...

Dig into the seedy underbelly of the food world, where corporate titans wage secret wars over seemingly innocent products like eggless mayonnaise and hot coffee. From multi-million dollar legal battles to covert smear campaigns, this episode exposes the cloak-and-dagger tactics used by Big Food to protect profits - even if it means burning victims along the way. Get a tantalizing taste of the crim...

From daring bootleggers to shocking corporate misdeeds and culinary espionage we uncover the criminal underbelly of oleo misadventures.  Crimes Against Butter and the Margarine Misdeeds Who knew that something as innocent as butter could ignite a war between industries and the public? The latest episode of the As We Eat podcast dives into the criminal underbelly surrounding a popular butter altern...

Unveiling the Dark Side of Love: Food & Crime In the lavish courts of 17th century France, where opulence danced hand in hand with intrigue, one woman held sway over the hearts of the elite. Her name was Catherine Monvoisin, but history remembers her as La Voisin, a figure shrouded in mystery and infamy. Join us as we peel back the layers of deception and delve into the dark kitchen of La Vois...

Come with us on a journey of deadly liberation as a popular apothecary brews a recipe for freedom, liberating over 600 women from abuse at the hands of those who should have protected them.  Sources We Found Helpful for this Episode A Woman to Know: Giulia Tofana Guilia Tofana: World’s Most Dangerous Apothecary   The Role of Women During the Italian Renaissance  Books We Think You’ll Enjoy Reading...

Indulge your senses and delve into the dark world of food and crime in our latest episode. Join us as we unravel the chilling tale of Christiana Edmunds, forever etched in history as the Chocolate Cream Killer of Brighton. From obsession to poisonings, this Victorian-era saga will keep you on the edge of your seat, questioning the thin line between love and madness. Tune in to explore the enduring...

Welcome to Season 4 of the As We Eat podcast, where we'll be delving into the intersection of Food & Crime, unearthing fascinating stories from history. Today, we journey back to 19th century Paris, France, to uncover the enigmatic tale of Marie Lafarge, a young woman whose life took a dark turn amidst the backdrop of privilege and deception. In this episode, we explore Marie Lafarge's...

This season we will be focusing on the intersection of Food & Crime. Come along with us as we investigate poisonings, discover adulterated food-stuffs, and infiltrate organized food crime circles. It should prove to be a decadently deadly, fraught with fraud, culinarily criminal journey!

We’re wrapping Season 3 with some of our favorite things. Though it is always hard to pick a favorite episode - it’s like being asked to choose a favorite child, or cat - we each share a cookbook that has won an award from being the funniest read, to providing the newest perspective.

Can you believe that it’s time for our Annual Pie Episode. Neither can we. But we’re super excited to have had the opportunity to talk with Kate McDermott, author of Art of the Pie and as Kim calls her, Head Baker at Pie Cottage. Join us as Kate answers some listener questions and shares the experience of writing a cookbook. We started this season with a cookbook by Edna Lewis who recounted storie...

Join us on a journey of unexpected joy found right in Kim’s pantry, all thanks to the timeless culinary companion, "The Joy of Cooking" by Irma Rombauer. In today's episode, Leigh and Kim dive into the story of finding the inspiration to transform some stale tortilla chips and a forgotten can of green chiles into a delicious Tex Mex dish, and why Joy has earned its place as a culinary...

While we take a holiday break, we wanted to share a past episode that we hope will inspire your pie making endeavors for the Thanksgiving holiday. We return to the origins of pie specialties as Leigh surveys the ingenuity of pie bakers and cooks who built empires on fairly basic pie recipes originating in Western Europe. Next, Kim speaks on how the thrifty utilization of excess egg white plus a fi...

Some of the books on our cookbook shelves wander in because they are or were all the rage, some are there because we’re interested in a particular cuisine. But some of there as part of our legacy of cooking and have become iconic. Join us as we discuss one of America’s iconic cookbooks. A cookbook that’s in its ninth edition and spans over nine decades of guiding home cooks from the oven to the ta...

In this episode, we dive into the world of Dwarven cuisine with the 'Smoked Sausages and Kraut with Dwarven Mustard' recipe from 'Heroes' Feast.' Discover how this hearty dish comes to life, and follow our culinary journey bridging the gap between imagination and reality. Join us in celebrating the magic of food and the connections it weaves in our lives. Transcript 🎧 Click he...

Cookbooks take many approaches to inspiring readers to try new foods or to revisit familiar ones as a way to find common ground, especially amongst people with a shared fandom. In this episode, Kim and Leigh discuss “Heroes’ Feast,” the official cookbook for the popular Dungeons & Dragons game as an example of how fandom-based cookbooks blend food and immersive storytelling to unite communitie...

It would be ridiculous to suggest that one dish can represent all the mystery and majesty of human civilization, but inspiration can be a powerful force. In this episode, a single dish from the 1903 edition of The Settlement Cookbook sparked a deep conversation about the transformative power of food and its role in shaping civilizations, from the bustling immigrant communities of the late 19th cen...

From a culinary guide with the goal of assimilation to a symbol of cultural recognition, we’ll dive into a cookbook that bridged cultures and funded social programs. This cookbook taught immigrant women to cook American dishes and became a cultural talisman passed down generations. It’s a story that showcases how one cookbook became a powerful tool for integration and resilience. The changing of t...

Food uniquely bridges our history and culture, bearing stories of resilience, connection, and sustenance across generations. Today, we dive into the flavors and heritage of The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen through a recipe that spotlights three indigenous ingredients woven into a rich tapestry of ancestral foodways. Hey there, it's Leigh, and I'm excited to dive into a really remark...

It seems that the faster and more urban our lives grow, the more we seek ways and means to “return” to our roots - including the foods we eat. Realizing that he knew very little about the foodways of the Oglala Sioux community where he was raised, Chef Sean Sherman began the task of researching and sharing the ways and means of food indigenous to North America. In this episode, Kim and Leigh refle...

As We Eat continues its exploration of seminal cookbooks with tried and true attempts at some of the recipes from Clemtine Paddleford’s “How America Eats.” This monumental volume (Kim’s revised edition weighs in at 500 recipes and nearly 900 pages!) chronicles Clementine’s journey around the United States to gather stories of real people and the recipes of what they love to eat, making it a unique...

Giving voice, using our voice, and listening are key to community building. Leigh and Kim explore how the art of sharing recipes can give voice to a nation, as they discuss how Clementine Paddleford documented the voices that satisfy hometown appetites in her seminal cookbook, How America Eats. All Who Wander… Join us on a journey with Clementine Paddleford and her seminal cookbook, How America Ea...

Kim and Leigh explore two recipes from Nicole Taylor’s cookbook Watermelon & Red Birds that not only give a glimpse into a culture’s culinary history, but look into future culinary explorations of black culture and influence. Episode Transcript 🎧  Click here for the full, interactive transcript of this episode  🎧 We would love to connect with you AsWeEat.com , on Instagram  @asweeat , join o...

Summer is full of reasons to celebrate - either for our personal victories of graduation or fatherhood but also on a more profound scale with federal holidays like Independence Day. In this new episode of As We Eat, Kim and Leigh explore how one author is not only bringing attention to the food traditions of Black celebrations like Juneteenth, but also challenging readers to look again at traditio...

In this episode, we continue As We Eat’s journey exploring "How to Cook and Eat in Chinese" by Buwei Yang Chao, an esteemed author who invited readers to experience what it means to both cook and eat Chinese food. As we continue our dive into the world of Chinese cooking, we peel back the layers of stereotypes that have often misrepresented this diverse and complex culinary tradition. As W...