Actor Claudia Jessie is just as nonconformist as Eloise, her character on the hit Netflix show Bridgerton. She lived on a houseboat for three years, doesn’t have social media, and opposes multi-tasking. She likes living at a slower pace — and she has the same attitude when it comes to food. Claudia chats with Dan about chip butties, “shelf sweeping” (think: Chopped), and why she sort of wishes she waited until she was a bit older to go vegan. Then, she embodies Eloise to take a BuzzFeed quiz that promises to tell you which Bridgerton character you are based on the desserts you choose. Does the quiz know Eloise as well as Claudia does?
The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Nora Ritchie, Grace Rubin, and Jared O'Connell. Publishing by Shantel Holder and transcription by Emily Nguyen.
Interstitial music in this episode by Black Label Music:
- "Back in Kindergarten" by Henry Donato
- "All Thumbs" by Black Label Productions
- “De Splat” by Paul Geoffrey Fonfara
- "Young and Free" by Cullen Fitzpatrick
- “Pour Me One” by Ken Brahmstedt
Photo courtesy of Liam Daniel/Netflix.
View Transcript
Claudia Jessie: I was thinking about like, what the U.K. does well. Like, what do we do? I was like, okay, we can handle a potato. I feel like we know.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: We know how to deal with a potato. We can do a sandwich, I think?
Dan Pashman: I mean, look, I think the food in England has come a long way in the past couple of decades.
Claudia Jessie: [LAUGHS] Yeah.
Dan Pashman: I also did study abroad in London, so I lived in London. And I remember eating amazing fish and chips. But I also remember when we first arrived, like, you know, a bunch of students get off the plane and we go to this sort of student orientation. And they said, "Oh, we have sandwiches for you," and they gave us these sandwiches that was — [LAUGHS] you're already covering your mouth in horror.
Claudia Jessie: [LAUGHS]
Dan Pashman: It was two pieces of white bread. Inside there was, maybe, a tablespoon of cold shredded cheese, just like in a lump in the center.
Claudia Jessie: [GASPS] Oh wow.
Dan Pashman: One extreme — the thinnest single slice of a tomato that you've ever seen.
Claudia Jessie: Like it's almost white.
Dan Pashman: Right, right.
Claudia Jessie: Like the tomato’s almost white.
Dan Pashman: Right, like you could see right through it, and that was it. That was it.
Claudia Jessie: What would you do if right then I was like, yeah, like, I was really into it. [LAUGHS]
Dan Pashman: Right, right.
Claudia Jessie: Like, yeah, they're one of our classics.
Dan Pashman: Right.
[LAUGHING]
MUSIC
Dan Pashman: This is The Sporkful, it’s not for foodies, it’s for eaters. I’m Dan Pashman. Each week on our show we obsess about food to learn more about people. This week, I’m talking with actor Claudia Jessie. She’s best known for playing Eloise in the steamy period drama Bridgerton on Netflix. When the show launched, Eloise became an immediate fan favorite — which made Claudia a fan favorite by extension. Her character is spunky, stubborn, and a little subversive — all qualities that make her stand out in a show set in early 1800s England, when young women were not expected to have opinions.
CLIP (ELOISE): I've never understood the fashion for feathers in the hair. Why would a woman want to draw more notice to the fact that she's like a bird squawking for a man's attention in some bizarre ritual?
Dan Pashman: Bridgerton debuted on Netflix on Christmas Day 2020. One month later, 82 million households had seen the show, making it the most-watched original series on the platform to that point. Season two did even better and season three is out this week. As you’ll hear, Claudia has put a lot of thought into how her character interacts with food, which makes sense, because even when she’s not performing ...
Claudia Jessie: I love eating.
Dan Pashman: Okay. [LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: Oh, Dan.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS] Claudia just gave me a very serious face when she said that.
Claudia Jessie: Let's not — I want it very clear, I love eating. Like, the minute I've finished breakfast, I'm like, I wonder .... [LAUGHS] I wonder what I'll be having next.
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: Yeah, I bookend — that’s all I think about. That's sort of my punctuation throughout the day is food.
Dan Pashman: But despite starring in one of the biggest shows on Netflix, Claudia doesn’t live the typical Hollywood life. She doesn’t spend much time in L.A. She rarely buys anything new. And, as she told me, until recently, she lived on a houseboat, in a canal, three hours north of London.
Claudia Jessie: Whenever I've said I live on a boat, I'm worried people think it's like a super yacht.
Dan Pashman: Right.
[LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: Like a seven-floor super yacht. It's not. A canal boat is — it's like a floating corridor, really. It's like six feet wide; mine was 57 feet long. And tiny ... Tiny, tiny. And I spent some time on canal boats, like narrow boats, you can also call them when I was a kid, and I sort of just fell in love with the idea of being on one when I was older. And I also thought I'd never be able to afford to live in a house or apartment or anything like that. So I was like, this is a cheaper way of living and I can keep moving if I get itchy feet or something. So I lived on it for three years, and I loved it. I loved it with my whole heart.
Dan Pashman: Would you sail the boat around the canals of England?
Claudia Jessie: Yeah, I've done a lot of cruising. It's really fun. I went through a tunnel that's like a 45-minute long tunnel. Freaky.
Dan Pashman: Yeah. Is it dark in there? Do they have lights?
Claudia Jessie: Pitch black. Pitch black.
Dan Pashman: And you’re on the water in the pitch black tunnel?
Claudia Jessie: Pitch black. The only lights are from your boat. So I've got a headlight at the front of it. And then you switch all of your inside lights on to sort of illuminate. And then I used to throw fairy lights on top of the roof as well just to give me some extra light.
Dan Pashman: And then do you like, load up groceries before you go, or are you just like, are you pulling the boat up to a Tesco or something?
Claudia Jessie: You can. [LAUGHS] Bit of a shout-out to Tesco.
[LAUGHING]
Dan Pashman: Yeah, there you go. You like that?
Claudia Jessie: Yeah, you can. So I was on my way to that tunnel, actually, and I pulled up along the side and jumped into a supermarket. Picked up some bits, you can. But I'm quite well stocked — my cupboards are always — there's always something that I can do. I quite like doing that, actually. I call it, like, shelf sweeping, where you get things that are, like leftovers in your house, and you try and make something.
Dan Pashman: So, like, tell me something that you might have mixed up recently cleaning out your pantry.
Claudia Jessie: I had a tin of jackfruit that I hadn't used, so I shredded that up with — I had some, like, sun-dried tomatoes. It sounds mad. And I used a tin of baked beans and a tin of tomatoes and some kidney beans. And I tried to make some form of a chili, which I put on a sweet potato.
Dan Pashman: It sounds very good.
Claudia Jessie: Well, you know what? It worked out okay. It worked out okay. But I wouldn't say I'm ... Can I ... I think I'm an alright cook. I think it's tasty and I can mostly keep people alive. Sometimes I think the most exciting thing about me is my job. And then the rest is sort of embarrassingly dull.
[LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: I'm not very — yeah, I'm quite boring.
Dan Pashman: I think living on a boat qualifies as novel, Claudia.
Claudia Jessie: Yeah.
Dan Pashman: I think you should give yourself more credit.
Claudia Jessie: Thanks, Dan. Thank you. I will.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Dan Pashman: When Claudia and I connected over Zoom for this conversation, she was one week into her first-ever visit to the U.S. Of course, I had to ask her what she’s eating.
Claudia Jessie: Well, so I'm vegan ...
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: And have been for nine years. [SIGHS] Listen, I'm proud of being vegan, I’m proud of all this. But sometimes there is a part of my brain that goes, oh, I wish I'd waited a bit.
[LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: I wish I wasn't so dedicated to the cause at such a young age because, you know, prior to going vegan, I've, you know, never really had money, never really had access to any, like, cool or good things. Then went vegan, and now I can get invited to all these lovely places and I can afford things now. And now I'm like, and now you're vegan.
[LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: Now you’re vegan. But I will say that the best I've eaten as a vegan has been here.
Dan Pashman: Wow, okay.
Claudia Jessie: Because I quite like shit food.
Dan Pashman: Okay [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: I quite like shit food. You know, like, I like good food, I suppose. But like, I don’t want a salad.
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: My natural thing isn't to want a salad, but you guys do them really well to the point where I want one. Like I had a vegan Caesar salad, which I was buzzing about because I used to love Caesar salad.
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: I sound so basic. But I had one here and I was like, this is the most delicious thing in the world. I don't think the U.K. does — I don't think we smash salads. I don't think we've got a really strong salad game.
Dan Pashman: That doesn't shock me. And I just think that probably like, in English cuisine, if you're going to eat vegetables, you're going to cook them, probably for a long time.
Claudia Jessie: Yeah. They, like, cook the crap out of them.
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: Like I don't want to badmouth my mum, who does.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: But, like, she obviously kept us well-fed. She kept us well-fed, but she was a very busy woman. She had a lot to think about and she was doing it single-handedly. So I think, you know, it wasn't like we grew up with, like, unbelievable food. So sometimes I feel like my memory of vegetables is, like, murdered broccoli. You know what I mean? Like, brutalized broccoli and stuff.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: So you don't really want anything to do with it. And then you cook it as an adult, you're like, wow, it's supposed to have color and crunch.
Dan Pashman: Right. [LAUGHING]
MUSIC
Dan Pashman: Claudia grew up in the early '90s in Birmingham, England, an industrial city about two hours north of London. Her family moved around a lot, both on land and on the water. At times she and her family lived on a boat — Claudia caught the boat bug from her dad. But when she was 10, her dad left, making her mom a single parent of two. Money was tight. But Claudia’s mom put whatever she made cleaning houses towards her kids and their passions. For Claudia, that was performing arts, ballet and viola. There wasn’t a lot of money left for food, but her mom made do.
Claudia Jessie: My mom was really good at, like, a spaghetti bolognese. Do you know what I mean? Like, a classic thing like that. And we used to do — like, I don't know if this is much of a thing — it's called like, corned beef ... corned beef hash? And it's like, mashed potatoes, mashed corned beef and peas.
Dan Pashman: We have corned beef hash here.
Claudia Jessie: Do you?
Dan Pashman: Although it's a little ... It's more commonly like, chopped corned beef with like, shredded crispy potatoes.
Claudia Jessie: Oh.
Dan Pashman: As opposed to mashed potatoes.
Claudia Jessie: Oh, like an actual hash.
[LAUGHING]
Dan Pashman: Yeah.
Claudia Jessie: You use it properly, the term.
Dan Pashman: Right [LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: Yeah. But we used to put brown sauce on that. That I used to really love. And sometimes we’d put, like, a fried egg on top.
Dan Pashman: Mmm.
Claudia Jessie: We'd also have, like, egg and chips, but my mom would, like, make the chips from scratch. I'm just realizing that chips isn't something — like hot chips. Like chips, like ...
Dan Pashman: French fries, to translate ...
Claudia Jessie: Yeah.
Dan Pashman: English to English.
Claudia Jessie: Yeah, because I don't want people to think my mum gave me eggs and packets of crisps. [LAUGHS] Because that's ...
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: [LAUGHS] That's not what she gave me for dinner. [LAUGHING]
Dan Pashman: But still, like, but like homemade ...
Claudia Jessie: Homemade, uh, fries.
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: And then, like, with bread and butter. And that was my fav — that was like, my absolute favorite.
Dan Pashman: Did you ever put the chips inside with the bread and butter?
Claudia Jessie: 100 percent — a chip butty.
Dan Pashman: Right, right.
Claudia Jessie: Chip butty.
Dan Pashman: I've never had a chip butty and I've always wanted to have one.
Claudia Jessie: Oh! I like the way you say it, it's very lovely.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: But it’s very lovely.
Dan Pashman: It's just like, so English because it's like, how many different carbs and fat delivery systems can you bring together here?
Claudia Jessie: [LAUGHING] How many beige things can you eat at one time?
Dan Pashman: Right, right, right.
Claudia Jessie: I just — yeah, we really do like a carb.
Dan Pashman: Clearly, Claudia's got a lot to say about food, but before our conversation, when I went to look at her Instagram to see what she’d been eating lately, I found that she’s not on any social media — another thing about her that doesn’t fit with what you might expect from an actor on a hit show.
Dan Pashman: In other interviews, she’s explained that staying off social media is a choice she made a long time ago to protect her mental health. She’s struggled with anxiety her whole life, and things were especially rough for her when she was a teenager.
Claudia Jessie: I don't really feel like school was my environment. I felt really shy. I felt hugely overwhelmed — very insecure. And I don’t think that’s not — that’s just not uncommon, is it? Like, teenage years are crap. Like, they're just crap. You just don't know what's going on. You're desperately trying to fit in.
Dan Pashman: And I would imagine that, like, school lunch, lunchtime, can be a time that's sort of, like, especially stressful when you're trying to fit in.
Claudia Jessie: Yes. Also, when you’re poor and you’re getting, like, the free school dinners — so there's like a system if your family don't have good income that you can get supported with the school lunch from the government, which is great. But it was really obvious if you got free school dinners, like it was really obvious to the other kids who was getting that. So that was always a bit embarrassing, I'd say. I mean, I'm not embarrassed of it now, obviously, but when you're a child, when you're young and everybody else has got cash and they can go and buy extra bits, like ...
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: Yeah. It's just ... It's just hard when you're poor.
Dan Pashman: When Claudia was 14, she dropped out of school. After that, she was homeschooled by her mom. But her mental health struggles continued. She started having panic attacks and bouts of severe depression. Then, when she was 17, with the help of her aunt and her mom, she got into Buddhism. For nearly two decades now, she’s practiced Nichiren Buddhism, which involves a lot of chanting. She says it’s been hugely helpful for her mental health, that it keeps her grounded when she’s feeling overwhelmed.
Claudia Jessie: Buddhism, I think it has — it's definitely slowed me down. It’s given me space. It's the same with, like — I crochet. [LAUGHS] I crochet, I love it, and it's like that therapeutic, repetitive — I like that sort of stuff.
Dan Pashman: And I'm curious how that connects to, like, cooking and eating. Like, how do the tenets of Buddhism influence your approach to food?
Claudia Jessie: I like to cook things that take forever. So like a dal or like, a spaghetti bolognese, or like a soup or a stew. I like things that I can sort of slowly go over for hours whilst having something on the telly, or listening to the radio or a podcast or something.
Dan Pashman: You like ... you like things to simmer.
Claudia Jessie: I, yeah — awww. Can we quote that?
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: Claudia Jessie — she likes things to simmer.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: That's nice.
Dan Pashman: Yeah.
Claudia Jessie: I think my thing is, and maybe this is with, like, Buddhism, my practice, and the way I cook, I don't think we should do more than one thing at a time. I think it's overrated. I think it's probably unwise as well. I think we're supposed to mostly just focus on one thing at a time, actually. That's why I'm not on social media. One of the many, many reasons why I’m not on social media. But like, I don’t like too much at one time. And I — what's interesting is like, recently I was watching a YouTube video. And one of the adverts came up and the opening line was like, "When I'm on the go, I don't have time to have healthy food, so I pick up this!" And I was like, whoa, if we don't have time to feed ourselves, we've all gone wrong, ain't it? Like, we've gone wrong! Like, people are literally like, I don't know how to feed myself anymore, so have this.
Dan Pashman: Right. [LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: [LAUGHS] I'm like, oh no! That’s what’s happening, isn’t it?
Dan Pashman: That advert you mentioned reminds me of just this — I don't know if you've seen this in sort of a lot of sort of coffee shops and even in some supermarkets, they’re selling like, protein balls.
Claudia Jessie: [LAUGHS]
Dan Pashman: It's like, they take — they'll mash up some, like ...
Claudia Jessie: I love it, like you said it's something that we shouldn't believe in. Like you almost sounded like you were in like, quotations, like “protein balls?”
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS] Right, right. I can't.
Claudia Jessie: Yeah, what is that?
Dan Pashman: I'm just sort of incredulous that it exists.
Claudia Jessie: Yes.
Dan Pashman: I can't believe it. They'll take some fruits and nuts and mash them up and maybe coat them in coconut or something. And it's like, the purpose of food is just to keep you alive.
Claudia Jessie: Hmm.
Dan Pashman: And you're so busy, so you have to keep ingesting calories so you can stay alive so you can maximize your productivity.
Claudia Jessie: Oh, gosh.
Dan Pashman: And to me, like that is just like, the saddest attitude towards food. It's so sad to me.
Claudia Jessie: It's terrifying, isn't it? Honestly, I rarely eat for just functional things. I really like to enjoy food. And I don’t want to see it as just functional.
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: That’s something I never want food to be for my life.
MUSIC
Dan Pashman: Coming up, we get into Claudia’s journey to becoming an actor. Then later, she transforms herself into her Bridgerton character Eloise, so she can take a BuzzFeed quiz about desserts. Stick around.
MUSIC
+++ BREAK +++
MUSIC
Dan Pashman: Welcome back to The Sporkful, I’m Dan Pashman. You want to check out some of the recipes in my cookbook for free? Well, check this out. Some of the articles about Anything’s Pastable feature recipes from the book, and I’ve collected links to those recipes in a highlight in my Instagram. There's also photos and videos there of the whole Anything’s Pastable journey, the book tour, even a video of Janie attempting to cook one of the recipes for the first time. So make sure you’re following me on Instagram @TheSporkful.
Dan Pashman: And if you already have the book and you like it, please leave a good review on Amazon! Those really make a big difference. Thank you! Finally, a quick note that you should stay tuned till the end of the episode for a special segment from Norwegian Cruise Line, all about the best strategy for maximizing deliciousness on board one of their ships. That’s at the end of this episode. Okay, back to my conversation with Claudia Jessie.
Dan Pashman: Before Claudia knew she wanted to be an actor, she just liked making people laugh. As a kid, she loved watching shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway and Monty Python. In her late teens, she started MC-ing at comedy clubs around Birmingham. That’s where she was discovered by a local playwright, who offered her a spot in a theater company.
Dan Pashman: On the night of her 21st birthday, Claudia acted on stage for the first time. After that one performance, she knew that was it, she wanted to be an actor. So despite having no formal training, no industry connections, and no money, she left Birmingham and moved to South London to try and make it in show biz.
Dan Pashman: What were those years like?
Claudia Jessie: Oh, gosh. So poor.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: I was just so poor, man. I had like, four jobs. I was working as a dog walker. I worked for a radio station, but that sounds cooler than it was. I used to have to wear a tracksuit and basically jump out in the street in front of people and be like, "Do you want these free tickets to a concert?"
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: Like, terrified the public. Dog walking was wicked though, I loved that.
Dan Pashman: Yeah. [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: I worked at a pub and I used to do market research for things, so I could get like £40 for like doing an hour.
Dan Pashman: I'll tell you one thing, Claudia, you’re definitely very versatile. That's a lot of different kinds of jobs to have at once.
Claudia Jessie: [LAUGHS] Yeah, with zero qualifications. It’s about all right, isn't it?
Dan Pashman: Right.
Claudia Jessie: So yeah, poor, but great. Like, just working nonstop and then trying to get an agent, which is hard when you've got no experience, no qualifications and no access or opportunity.
Dan Pashman: It took about a year, but eventually Claudia found an agent and started getting acting jobs. First, she landed some recurring roles on TV soap operas. A few years later, she was cast as the lead in a police procedural on BBC One called Line of Duty. Then, a decade into her career, at the age of 31, she started playing Eloise in Bridgerton …
CLIP (ELOISE): Ohhh! I'm already roasting.
CLIP (DAPHNE): Are you going to complain the entire day, Eloise?
CLIP (ELOISE): Surely, I cannot be expected to wear these fashions the entire day!
Dan Pashman: 17-year-old Eloise is the black sheep of the Bridgerton family. She hates wearing a corset and dreads going to debutante balls. But most of all, she’s fed up with how limited her options are as a woman. She wants to get an education, travel the world, and earn her own money. And she turns up her nose at marriage and all the hoopla that surrounds it, even as everyone around her tries to get her to conform.
CLIP (ELOISE): My rebellion is not some party dress I put on to play a part, mamma. And it is certainly not some accomplishment I have developed like singing or painting to help me attract a suitor. I know I’m a disappointment to you, so just allow me to take my leave and go to bed.
MUSIC
Dan Pashman: As Claudia tells me, she wanted Eloise’s rebellion against expectations to include the way the character interacts with food.
Claudia Jessie: I wanted to make her eat a fair amount.
Dan Pashman: There's a great moment, I think it's season one, where Eloise, you as Eloise, you're sort of sitting on a big chaise lounge eating a box of chocolates. And your brother comes and sits down, and before his butt has even hit the seat, Eloise, you say:
CLIP (ELOISE): I do not share my food ...
Dan Pashman: I do not share my food.
Claudia Jessie: Hmm.
Dan Pashman: Like to me, like that was sort of Eloise in a nutshell.
Claudia Jessie: Yeah.
Dan Pashman: But so it was a conscious choice for you that Eloise should be eating a lot?
Claudia Jessie: Yeah. I love eating. I love being Eloise and eating on set. I think it looks dynamic. I think Eloise would be an eater, like she sort of unsubscribes from what's expected of her, I think. Everything about her — I wanted her to walk differently as well. Like, she's quite heavy. [LAUGHS] I’ve made her quite heavy footed. [LAUGHS] I sort of really make her bowl about, swing her arms a bit and stuff. And I wanted her to just be a young girl. I wanted her to be a young girl, who eats food and who walks how she wants, who sits how she wants because when I first played her, she was 17, so I wanted her to be 17. I'm aware I'm very much not. So, I wanted her to speak quickly, I wanted her to talk quickly because she's just saying what's coming out of her brain. And I wanted her to be a young girl, like a young girl, and girls can be gross and girls are funny and girls are sloppy and silly and really fun. [LAUGHS] Like, and I wanted her to be all of those things. Yeah.
MUSIC
Dan Pashman: So, Claudia, while we're in the mindset of Eloise, I'd like to ask you to humor me and take a little quiz, if you will.
Claudia Jessie: [GASPS] Yeah, I will!
Dan Pashman: Can you see this? This is a BuzzFeed quiz.
Claudia Jessie: [GASPS]
Dan Pashman: Which Bridgerton family member are you based on the desserts you pick?
Claudia Jessie: This is so exciting.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: Oh my God, I'm so excited! Okay, great.
Dan Pashman: I'm glad you're excited. Don't be nervous because to me, like, you are Eloise, so your answers are inherently correct. Whatever you say is right.
Claudia Jessie: [LAUGHS] Okay.
Dan Pashman: We’re not testing you, we’re testing the quiz.
Claudia Jessie: We're gonna see how good the quiz is.
Dan Pashman: That's right.
Claudia Jessie: All right.
Dan Pashman: Okay?
Claudia Jessie: Okay, let's do it.
Dan Pashman: So I'm going to hit you with these questions.
Claudia Jessie: Okay.
Dan Pashman: And there's pictures of the foods. I’ll read them out loud. And then I want to hear your answers. And we're going to see — but I want you to embody the character of Eloise.
Claudia Jessie: Okay. Will do.
Dan Pashman: All right, number one. Pick a souffle — classic souffle; cheese; chocolate; caramel; vanilla sweet cream, or powdered sugar.
Claudia Jessie: Okay. What would Eloise want? I feel like cheese. I feel like she wants savory. I've made her eat so many potatoes during the show.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: Honestly, Dan, I've eaten so many potatoes.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: I'm going to go for a savory — a cheese.
Dan Pashman: Okay. Number two: pick a cookie.
Claudia Jessie: [LAUGHS]
Dan Pashman: Chocolate chip; marshmallow filled chocolate; macaron; snickerdoodle; chocolate peanut butter, or sugar.
Claudia Jessie: Well, macarons are always on set as, like, background stuff, right? We have like, real-life macarons in the background — beautiful.
Dan Pashman: Okay.
Claudia Jessie: However, it feels a bit too together, a bit too refined, and I feel like a snickerdoodle. I feel like she'd enjoy saying it.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: I think she'd make some sort of joke. So I'm going to go with a snickerdoodle.
Dan Pashman: Okay. Do you have snickerdoodles in the U.K.?
Claudia Jessie: Never have I ever seen one in real life.
Dan Pashman: Okay. [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: Is it a Snickers?
Dan Pashman: No, there's no Snickers. I don't know where the name comes from, actually. It's just sort of like a sugar cookie that's rolled in cinnamon and sugar.
Claudia Jessie: Oh, it sounds beautiful. They're nice to say though, aren't they? Snickerdoodle.
Dan Pashman: Yeah, it's a fun word. Yeah. Okay. Moving on to number three.
Claudia Jessie: Cracking.
Dan Pashman: Pick a milkshake: strawberry; salted caramel; kitchen sink, which is just sort of everything. This is one of those milkshakes that got big on Instagram with, like, an ice cream cone and a piece of cake on top; Triple chocolate, Oreo, or chia blackberry.
Claudia Jessie: Oreo.
Dan Pashman: Okay. Why?
Claudia Jessie: Because I also think she would do — she would find an Oreo and dip it in peanut butter. I think she'd do that as well.
Dan Pashman: Mmm.
Claudia Jessie: Can I just side note as well?
Dan Pashman: Yes, please.
Claudia Jessie: Say, that you know those kitchen sink-like, milkshakes — I despise them.
Dan Pashman: Okay, yeah. [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: I find them so obnoxious and like, because sometimes — you know when they've got like, a shoe in it or something?
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: There's like a book, a shoe, receipts, [LAUGHS]P pencil shavings ...
Dan Pashman: A smaller milkshake.
Claudia Jessie: Yes!
Dan Pashman: Right.
[LAUGHING]
Claudia Jessie: I hate them. I find them so, so — I can't. I can't take them. Also, Bloody Mary's went through a bit of a phase of that, where they’d have like, [Dan Pashman: Yes!] a chicken wing, a lobster hanging out of it. [Dan Pashman: Ugh!] Ugh, I can’t take it.
Dan Pashman: Right. Three shrimp or prawns on top, [Claudia Jessie: Yeah.] it’s ridiculous. I'm with you 100 percent, Claudia. You know, what's better than a milkshake with a piece of cake on top? A milkshake with a piece of cake on the side.
Claudia Jessie: Right! Right!
Dan Pashman: These things don't need to be together. It's like you say, you don't need to be doing everything all at once.
Claudia Jessie: That's why it makes me so sad, because no one's having those normally. No one's enjoying it. They're just taking a photo of them.
Dan Pashman: That's right. That's right.
Claudia Jessie: Tragedy, tragedy. Okay, Oreo.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS] All right, Oreo. Selection has been registered. Okay, number four: pick a type of cake for Eloise; Tiramisu; french vanilla; vanilla buttercream; chocolate fudge; cherry cheesecake, or German chocolate.
Claudia Jessie: I think she'd go chocolate fudge. You know it's going to be delicious. I could see them in the house somewhere on a little dish on the side, on a lovely pretty little China plate. Chocolate fudge, please, Dan.
Dan Pashman: Okay, you got it. All right. I think this is the last one here.
Claudia Jessie: Ohh.
Dan Pashman: You ready, Claudia?
Claudia Jessie: Yeah.
Dan Pashman: Or should I say Eloise?
Claudia Jessie: Yes.
Dan Pashman: You need to pick a pie; cherry; pecan; apple; peanut butter pie; strawberry or lemon meringue.
Claudia Jessie: I'm going to go for a lemon meringue, because I think it would be her favorite or something, something that they love, a classic in the Bridgerton household. So I'm going to go for a lemon meringue, please, Dan.
Dan Pashman: All right, Claudia, are you ready for the big reveal?
Claudia Jessie: Okay. Let's try.
Dan Pashman: I’m gonna do a quick drumroll. [DRUMROLL]
Claudia Jessie: [GASPS]
Dan Pashman: You are Anthony Bridgerton!
Claudia Jessie: Wow.
Dan Pashman: Anthony is the oldest brother, very serious and traditional, sort of the opposite of Claudia’s character Eloise. So this quiz result doesn’t make a lot of sense. But Claudia’s okay with it. The actor who plays Anthony is quite a heartthrob.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS]
Claudia Jessie: Listen, I will take that. I will take that, because that's a — that means I'm a bit of Johnny Bailey, which makes me really happy.
[LAUGHING]
Dan Pashman: This makes me question the validity of BuzzFeed quizzes.
Claudia Jessie: Oh, yeah. So maybe they're not to be trusted.
[LAUGHING]
MUSIC
Dan Pashman: How would you characterize the role of food in your life today?
Claudia Jessie: It is the greatest enjoyment in my life that's purely pleasure. Like it's purely pleasure, it's got nothing to do with anything else other than being delicious. Also, I love the fact that it's something you can do with others. Like, my boyfriend’s dad said that he saw something online saying, like, finding your partner, like the love of your life, you know, is basically someone that you can accept you're going to say, “What do you want for dinner?” to for the rest of your life. Which is so nice because I feel like I can happily say that to my partner. I'm like, I looked at him and was like, yeah, I can ask you what you, what should we eat for dinner for the rest of my life. I feel like I can do that with you. Like, it's a lovely thing to have together.
MUSIC
Dan Pashman: That’s Claudia Jessie. You can see her in season three of Bridgerton, which comes out next week on Netflix. Next week on our show, I talk with Michele Norris, the former NPR host who now hosts a podcast called Your Mama’s Kitchen. Then Michele and I take a call from a listener, who’s struggling with the way her mom’s tastes have changed because of dementia. That’s next week.
Dan Pashman: While you’re waiting for that one, check out last week’s show about an auction for the recipes of legendary artist Georgia O’Keeffe. We’ll find out why these recipes are special and we’ll see what happens when the auction does not go as expected. That one’s up now.
Dan Pashman: And before we wrap up and get to the credits, I have a special segment sponsored to share with you sponsored by Norwegian Cruise Line.
Dan Pashman: One of the best parts of going on a cruise is the variety of food available on board. But while most cruises make quantity the top priority, Norwegian Cruise Line is just as focused on quality.
Dan Pashman: Now of course, with so many incredible dining options on board, you need a strategy. Chef Eric Bilodeau is Director of Culinary Development and Operations for Norwegian Cruise Line.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: So the strategy will be, for a nice week, cruising. I mean, you wake up early in the morning, you — we have those beautiful lounge — observation lounge all the way in the front of the ship, just under the buffet. It's very quiet. But we offer a nice breakfast array, fresh fruit, fresh juice, eggs. But then you have this beautiful view with all the horizon. I mean, you can see clearly where you are. You're very high, you're like 22, 23 story high. That's the best place to start the day.
Dan Pashman: For lunch, Chef Eric says you can’t beat one of NCL’s action stations, where you can see the chefs cook your meal to order, right in front of you.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: I like the pho soup, you know, Vietnamese style, noodles and vegetables, Chinese cabbage, all that.
Dan Pashman: I've done some buffets in my day. I don't know that I've ever seen a pho action station. I love that idea.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: Oh, yeah.
Dan Pashman: And it makes a lot of sense because all the fresh herbs that you want on top there.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: Correct.
Dan Pashman: And the lime, and you're going to get all those flavors. It's nice to see that come together right in front of you.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: Yes, this is great.
Dan Pashman: After relaxing in the pool, it’s time for dinner.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: I really enjoy Palomar, the Greek Mediterranean style. You can have a nice — a sea bass, served table side. This is fantastic.
Dan Pashman: Oh, I love — I love when things are served tableside. More restaurants should do that. It's like ... It's like a show for you.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: Yeah, yeah.
Dan Pashman: For the sea bass table side, are they like fillet-ing it table side?
Chef Eric Bilodeau: Yes, completely.
Dan Pashman: Ohh.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: So it's all fish cooked in a salt crust, basically. It just came out from the oven. They bring you the whole piece at the table to see. They crack the crust in the front of you. They cut the fish, filet, and serve it straight on the plate. Right in the front of you. It's ...
Dan Pashman: I love that.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: Yeah, it's very nice. A lot of picture taking then.
Dan Pashman: [LAUGHS] Right, right.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: Really, the guests enjoy it.
Dan Pashman: When I used to wait tables, it was before the age of Instagram, but we sometimes had a special in the seafood restaurant I worked in that we’d do Dover sole fileted table side, that was like my specialty. I was very good at fileting fish table side. Sometimes I would — if I could sell two at one table, I would bring one of my friends, another server over and we would race to see who can filet the fish faster. I don't know if I ever lost, Chef Eric. Let me tell you ...
Chef Eric Bilodeau: [LAUGHS]
Dan Pashman: If you ever need someone to filet some fish for you on a ship, you call me.
Chef Eric Bilodeau: Oh! You think you remember? You still remember? I mean, that's a technique, huh? It's not everybody who can do that.
Dan Pashman: Yeah, I mean, I might need ... I might need one or two to refresh my memory. Warm up, warm up. I need a warm-up. [LAUGHS]
Chef Eric Bilodeau: Okay, we'll bring three fish to warm up. We serve the fourth one.
[LAUGHING]
MUSIC
Dan Pashman: Now don’t worry, if you order the tableside sea bass on an NCL ship, you’re going to be in much better hands than mine. Chef Eric and his team are continuously raising the standards of cruising with award-winning specialty restaurants and a variety of food and drink offerings for every taste. And you can enjoy it all on your schedule and in your style. There are no set dining times and no formal dress codes.
Dan Pashman: And of course, there’s so much more in addition to the food — you’ll have the whole ship to explore, and you’re traveling from one incredible destination to another, all while only having to unpack once. Norwegian Cruise Line has been breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising and pioneering experiences at sea for more than 55 years. Learn more about everything NCL has to offer at NCL.com. That’s NCL.com.
