This podcourse is all about food — the best thing in life! Join me as we explore flavors, uncover the stories and histories behind ingredients, dive into recipes, and debunk common food myths. Note: I'm not a doctor, but I have strong opinions against fad diets and food scams. Anyway, I’m always open to debate!
Each week, we'll listen to two food-focused podcasts. Along with them, I'll provide discussion questions and optional extra materials (videos — we may try reading, if you feel like it). You can:
But it’s entirely up to you! It’s perfectly fine to just listen while doing the dishes or walking your beautiful dog.
During our discussion, we’ll start with the provided questions, but after that let’s have an open conversation. I will not interrupt you and correct grammar or pronunciation (as I am not a teacher), the goal is just to have a great chat and practice listening and speaking skills.
| Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford | 🫧 The Widow Who Disrupted Champagne (with Ben Walter) Tim Harford is joined by Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and the host of "The Unshakeables" podcast, to explore the story of the trailblazing Widow Clicquot. Her namesake brand Veuve Clicquot revolutionized the champagne industry in the 19th century. Tim and Ben look at how she defied expectations and built one of the most iconic businesses in history. | 20 min. | Apple Spotify Web | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | VinePair Podcast | 🫧 How Prosecco Conquered Sparkling Wine On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” hosts Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zach Geballe examine how Prosecco grew in popularity over the last decade. Compared to other sparkling wines, Prosecco has a reputation for being price accessible, versatile, and approachable. There are many reasons for this, from successful marketing campaigns to long-term brand loyalty. Does this ring true for one of the best-selling bottles in the U.S. today? Our hosts discuss these questions and more, before tasting one of the most popular Proseccos on the market. Tune in to learn more. | 25 min. | Apple Spotify Transcript |
Sommelier André Mack Answers Wine Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED
How Is Champagne Made? The Champagne Making Process Explained
| Gastropod | 🧀 Say Cheese! Cheese is the chameleon of the food world, as well as one of its greatest delights. Fresh and light or funky and earthy, creamy and melty or crystalline and crumbly — no other food offers such a variety of flavors and textures. But cheese is not just a treat for the palate: its discovery changed the course of Western civilization, and, today, cheese rinds are helping scientists conduct cutting-edge research into microbial ecology. In this episode of Gastropod, we investigate cheese in all stinking glory, from ancient Mesopotamia to medieval France, from the origins of cheese factories and Velveeta to the growing artisanal cheese movement in the U.S. Along the way, we search for the answer to a surprisingly complex question: what is cheese? Join us as we bust cheese myths, solve cheese mysteries, and put together the ultimate cheese plate. | 58 min. | Apple Spotify Web | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Behind the Rind: The Story & Science of Cheese | 🧀 It's a Microbial Zoo! The idea of Bacteria, yeast & mold often conjure up negative images. But we’ll take a close look at how these three main microbes interact and create flavor in some of your favorite cheeses. | 20 min. | Apple Spotify |