The Sporkful

After Rod served his wife Nellie the dinner he had prepared for them, Nellie took a taste. Then, she added more salt. Rod took offense. But should he have? Nellie and Rod call in to the show to discuss that question with Dan and a very special guest -- Dan's mom Linda, who's a therapist. Plus, Linda talks about how Dan ate when he was a kid, and they answer listener questions about pizza construction, napkin etiquette, and more. Today's sponsors: Go to Audible...

What can an iconic Chicago restaurant chain tell us about segregation and the Great Migration? Poet and South Side native Nate Marshall joins Dan live on stage in Chicago to dig deep on food and race in his home city, ponder what he and his girlfriend might serve at their wedding, and debate the meaning of brunch. Today's sponsors: Go to GiveAGallon.com to donate to a food bank in your community. Go to NationsPhotoLab.com and use code SPORKFUL15 for 15% off your order. Go to VisitMilwaukee...

We run around Philly eating the city's most iconic foods, then bring samples to a scientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center to learn why greasy treats like cheesesteak, Philly pork sandwiches, and scrapple are so good.  (Hint: it has more to do with our brains than our stomachs.) Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or the Podcasts app so you never miss an episode! Follow Dan on Twitter and Instagram @TheSporkful and at Facebook.com/Sporkful. Today's sponsors: Go to betterhelp...

When Soleil Ho was hired as the restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle six months ago, she was hailed as a “young, queer woman of color who wants to redefine food criticism.” And she is. But to Soleil, “The most interesting part about me is my politics and how I use those things to inform those parts of my identity.” Soleil joins Dan to talk about questioning everything — with everyone watching.  Today's sponsors: Go to Food52.com/shop and use code sporkful for 10% off your purchase...

Jason Jones got famous for his character on the Daily Show: a bro-ish, “man’s man” who went after liberal snowflakes. In real life, he's a guy who'll spend 45 minutes soft-scrambling eggs for his three kids. He got into cooking in part because of feelings of career inadequacy, when his wife Samantha Bee's star rose faster than his. That dynamic is parodied in Jason's hit show The Detour, on TBS. So does that mean he's really a softie? As Dan learned when they met up, it's not so simple...

31 years ago, six women on an island off the coast of Massachusetts began selling lobster rolls as a church fundraiser. Today, people travel by car, boat, and plane just to taste these hallowed summer treats. And it's not just the Christian fold. "Don't tell my rabbi I'm here," one woman told Dan before leaving with her bounty. This week, Dan travels to New England to uncover Grace Church's secret recipe and learn the surprising history the church holds in its stained glass...

During the week Devin Pickard is the pitmaster at his family's BBQ restaurant in Centerville, Tennessee. But on Sundays he trades the pit for the pulpit at the local church where he preaches. This is the first in a two-part series on churches that are using food to carry out their missions in surprising ways. Today's sponsors: Go to LinkedIn.com/SPORKFUL to get fifty dollars off your first job post. Go to milklife.com for more information...

When Ann Kim became an actor, her immigrant parents disowned her. It was no different than “being a whore,” her mom said. When Ann ditched acting to open a pizza restaurant in Minneapolis, she knew better than to tell her folks about her new pipe-dream. She studied crust and dough, and topped pizza with things like kimchi and almonds. Crowds came, then awards came. But would her parents? Today's sponsors: Go to sonos.com to learn more. Go to GiveAGallon...

Every parent fears they’ll f*ck up their kid. But what if there’s a hack, one tiny thing you can control? Maybe if you get their eating right, you’ll set up them up to succeed.  Spoiler: there are no hacks. Sorry. And writer Carvell Wallace knows this very well. On the podcast Mom And Dad Are Fighting, he digs into his trove of mistakes – and momentary victories – raising teens to help other people with tiny humans feel slightly less alone...

We take you to two iconic hot dog joints in Detroit and New Jersey to find out what makes them special. Plus Kenji Lopez-Alt schools us on the science of deep-fried hot dogs, and Dan's parents make a special cameo.  Today's sponsors: Go to peteandgerrys.com to learn more. Go to sonos.com to learn more.