Eat My Globe

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, talks to Stephen Fried about his book, "Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West." In this book, Stephen Fried talks about Fred Harvey, an Englishman who, in 1876, came to the US with literally nothing in his pocket. Harvey ended up building up America's fi...

In this episode of Eat My Globe , our host, Simon Majumdar , will be looking at a superstar of the British culinary scene, but whose often more basic measures found her in opposition to some other culinary stars on British TV. Delia Smith has sold more than 21 million books in the UK often appearing in the top sellers every year. She has appeared on countless TV shows dedicated to her style of coo...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will talk to Steve Sando, who founded and runs the company "Rancho Gordo," a company that promotes and sells a variety of heirloom beans. He is also the author of "The Bean Book," a beautiful and informative book on beans, and is filled with stunning bean recipes. Steve talks about how he got into the business of beans, his very funny firs...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, welcomes back actor, director, writer and theatrical performer, Lou Diamond Phillips to the podcast. They will be talking about Lou's superb best-selling new book, "The Tinderbox: Underground Movement"; his upcoming theatrical, movie and TV work; and his favorite food scenes from non-food related movies. They will also talk about Lou's fav...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will be looking at the story of lamb (and hogget and mutton). The story of sheep meat is an ancient one. Its earliest use can date back to a Mesopotamian recipe known to archeologists from clay tablets which dates back to 1730 BCE. Today, many people in the U.S.A. consider it to be "to gamey" and is way behind the sales of other proteins s...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will talk to historian, Dr. Eleanor Barnett, about her wonderful new book, "Leftovers: A History of Food Waste and Preservation." They will discuss the history of food waste from the sixteenth century all the way to the present day; the influence of women who developed food preservation, through the art of refrigeration; the role of pigs,...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will share the story of MFK Fisher, a wonderful food writer who lived from 1908 to 1992. She was one of the most famous food writers in the U.S. and arguably the person who established the genre of food memoirs. Without her and her books – such as "How to Cook a Wolf," "Serve it Forth," and "An Alphabet for Gourmets" – one could argue that...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, continues his conversation with his friend and superb chef of East meets West cooking, Ming Tsai. They will discuss their thoughts on Chinese take-out and Chinese American dishes, Ming's five favorite Chinese dishes, and his support of "Family Reach," a charity that supports people with cancer. It's a lively and informative conversation so...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will be talking to one of his friends, Ming Tsai. His life is so rich and diverse, we have split this truly fantastic conversation into two episodes. In Part 1, Ming talks about his change from a degree in engineering to working in his mother's Chinese restaurant, the amazing chefs he has worked with during his career like legendary pastry...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will be interviewing Distinguished Professor and Cultural Anthropologist at The Ohio State University, Jeffrey Cohen. Simon and Jeffrey will talk about insects and how they might become a useful source of protein for some countries. Of the 8 billion people on earth, almost 2 billion of them have some form of insects in their diet. Indeed,...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will look at the development of milk and milk substitutes. This episode will take us through early times of human kind, when people could not keep milk, but turned it into cheese and butter; through times where drinking milk was considered barbaric by the Greeks and Romans, through the 18 th century where a rag doll made one man look to fi...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will be talking to Linda Komaroff, the Curator and Department Head of Art of the Middle East at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. They will discuss LACMA's latest exhibition, "Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting." It is a fascinating conversation that will feature the influence of Islam on so many aspects of foods known in...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will be interviewing Matt Davies, the General Manager of Henderson's Relish, or Hendo's, as it is known in its hometown of Sheffield, England, and described by Matt Helder of the Arctic Monkeys as "Like Worcester Sauce, but one million times better." Simon and Matt will discuss Hendo's, one of Simon's favorite sauces, as he came from Rothe...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will look at the development of sauces. This will span from the fish sauces of ancient China, and the "Garum " sauce of ancient Greece and Rome, though to the sauces of the Middle Ages and to the "Mother" sauces both of Carême and Escoffier. Along the way he will talk about the "Ketchup," which was originally Chinese and was then made in E...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will be interviewing one of our favorite interviewees, Theresa McCulla, who talked to us last time about the history of beer. This time, Theresa turns her attention to one of Simon's favorite places to eat on the planet, New Orleans. They will talk about Theresa's book, "Insatiable City," which is about the enslaved New Orleans Black popul...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will look at the history of the restaurant from the ancient times of China and Greece, to how the Thermopolium of Rome used to operate, through the Middle Ages of British taverns, and to how the USA began to develop new ways of serving food, such as "Fast Food" style, "Diners" style, and "Drive In" style. Along the way, he will discuss how...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, will be interviewing Chef Jet Tila, a passionate chef of all things Thai cuisine. They will be talking about the origins of Thai food in Thailand as well as the popularity of Thai food throughout the world, where it now ranks as one of the favorite meals of "Dine-In" or "Take Out" cuisines. Chef Jet – who is an Ambassador of Thai Food, a t...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar,delvesinto the history of cake. It is a story that takes us back to the times of the Mesopotamians and the ancient Egyptians, where cakes have been used not just as food for the living but also for the afterlife; through the era of the ancient Greeks and Romans, where "Placenta" cakes abound; through the Middle Ages, the 18th century and th...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, has a dynamic discussion with world-renowned Iron Chef, best-selling cookbook author, and our pal, Alex Guarnaschelli, about food television, culinary schools and culinary apprenticeships, her fantastic new book with her daughter, Ava, called "Cook It Up," and iconic chefs in our generation. It is such a fun and informative chat, so you do...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, has an engaging chat with Rossi Anastopoulo, an award-winning writer and authorof the book "Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of America in 11 Pies." They touch on how apple pie, haupia pie, chiffon pie, navy bean pie, and many more, not only represent tasty treats but how they also reveal fascinating stories about race, class and gender in...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar,looksinto the history of corn. From its origins in Mexico, and its spread throughout the Americas and the rest of the world, corn has played a role in trade, through migration of peoples–whether voluntary or involuntary–and through colonization. And particularly, corn, and the Native peoples knowledge in growing and preparing corn, played a...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, has an animated conversation with James Beard award-winning chef, best-selling authorand our pal, Rocco DiSpirito, about how Italian American cuisine became ubiquitous in the US. They also chat about their favorite Italian American dishes, as well as their favorite roast potatoes and other dishes. You don't want to miss it. So,make sure to...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, delves into the history of when humans first started using fire for cooking, and how our ancestors progressed to cooking in ovens. From cooking using flames from naturally occurring phenomena, to other sources of heat, and frominventing primitive earth ovens, to closed ovens, to portable ovens, and to the modern ovens we use today, the his...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar,   has a spirited chat with Philip "Ippy" Aiona, who is anaward-winning chef, the youngest finalist onthe hit show "Food Network Star,"and our friend. Simon and Ippy discuss Hawaiian history and, of course, Hawaiian cuisine as shaped by Native Hawaiians and subsequent groups that has since arrived in Hawaii. They also chat about the tragic...

In this episode of Eat My Globe, our host, Simon Majumdar, shares   the fascinating history of chicken, which arguably has increased humans' meat consumption in recent memory. It is an animal that originated in Asia, has links to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and initially spread around the world through cockfighting. The evolution of the chicken –and its egg –from a highly prized ingredient in ancient t...