This week's episode of The Sporkful is up! Listen through the player and subscribe in iTunes.
Marc Maron and I have been arguing about eating for at least a decade. Back when I was a producer on his Air America Radio show Morning Sedition, we had heated disagreements on the air about such vital issues as temperature contrast in sandwiches and the merits of cheese wiz on cheesesteaks.
In many ways, those debates were a precursor to The Sporkful. And this week on the show, Marc and I listen to tape of one of our classic feuds from years ago, and start some new ones, including:
- Are melon balls really the best shape for eating melon?
- What's the best strategy at a BBQ joint?
- Is the joy of eating sausage gravy worth the sadness that immediately follows its consumption?
Marc and I disagree on that last one. In my book I have this chart, entitled "Sausage Gravy Consumption and Feelings of Self Worth Over Time":
So I don't think it's worth it, but for Maron, a comedian and host of the WTF podcast who's been sober for over a decade, it's how he gets his fix.
"The experience of shoving stuff into your face is amazing because everything makes sense and it feels so good," he says. "It's like coming off crack. Right when you're done, you're like what did I do...I wonder if I can eat more?"
These days, instead of crack, Marc toggles between sausage gravy and kale.
"If I'm going to put something in my mouth, I want it to be as good as possible -- or healthy," he told me when I stopped by his garage-studio in Los Angeles, where he makes his hit podcast, WTF. "I don't like eating stuff that's garbage."
Marc was an early adopter of kale, and he shared his recipe for a kale smoothie.
"I feel like I'm doing something virtuous [when I eat kale]," he says. "I really invest an unreasonable amount of belief in the idea that kale, or that type of green, is necessary."
Also in this episode, I recap my own Thanksgiving, which included a minor meltdown, delusions of grandeur, and an important life lesson for us all.
Some music in this episode by BWN Music:
- "Immobilesence" by Kenneth J. Brahmstedt
- "Brotherly Love" by Cullen Fitzpatrick
Photos: Robyn Von Swank for IFC / Flickr CC: Chotda and Chiot's Run
