The Sporkful

Since he was a kid, comedian Adam Conover has always had an intense desire to find the truth – and to tell everyone about it – whether or not they asked. He also has A LOT of opinions about food. In other words, Dan may have found his soul mate. Adam's approach is the basis for his TV show, Adam Ruins Everything, in which he debunks myths about everything from vitamin supplements to bacon...

NY Times restaurant critic Pete Wells has been called the most read and most feared food writer in the US. He can make or break a restaurant with one review. How does he feel about wielding so much power? Has the job changed him, or his approach to food? And does he ever have to abandon a review mission because he burned his tongue? We discuss, and Dan joins Pete on an undercover trip to a New York eatery. Today's sponsors: Go to theSkimm...

At first glance, a cookbook is a simple collection of recipes, but read more closely, and the pages tell a different story: the history of a people and their struggle for acceptance in a place. This week: Indian cookbooks in the U.S. In 1973, Madhur Jaffrey penned "An Invitation to Indian Cooking” and introduced many Americans to Indian cuisine. That book is now in the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame...

The comedian and podcast host tells us how to navigate a big meal in tight jeans, who should pay on a first date, and what it’s like to go out to eat when you’re in an interracial relationship. Today's sponsors: Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/SPORKFUL to get full month of unlimited access for free, when you sign up. Go to Milklife.com to learn more about real, delicious milk.

By The Book co-hosts Kristen Meinzer and Jolenta Greenberg join Dan to answer listener questions about tipping, who owns leftovers, and what to do with dinner guests who arrive very early. Today's sponsors: Go to VRBO in the app store to download the Vrbo app today and find a vacation home. Go to nationsphotolab.com and use code sporkful for 15% off your order. Go to thirdlove.com/sporkful to find your perfect-fitting bra and get 15% off your first purchase...

Danny Trejo is a Hollywood legend. He's been everything from an inmate to a rehab coach to and donut king And that doesn't even count his nearly 400 acting roles. This week, Trejo traces his path from heroin dealer to L.A. actor and how a decades-old joke with his mom led to an unplanned career in food. Today's sponsors: Go to VRBO in the app store to download the Vrbo app today and find a vacation home. Go to peteandgerrys.com to learn more...

Business is booming in the world of CBD oil and cannabis-infused edibles. But are the science and technology keeping up? Dan investigates when he travels to Oregon, where recreational pot is legal, to meet a woman dubbed "the Martha Stewart of edibles". Today's sponsors: Go to Bona.com/SPORKFUL to receive exclusive offers and learn more. Go to carnival.com/TheSporkful to learn more about a Carnival Cruise Line vacation. Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/SPORKFUL to get one month free.

The native Minnesotan explains why a little internal bleeding can't keep her from a treat, and why the way she eats salad is like the way she deals with depression. Today's sponsors: Go to ICantBelieveItsNotButter.com for delicious recipes and more. Go to LinkedIn.com/SPORKFUL to get $50 off your first job post. Search V - R - B - O in the app store to download the Vrbo app today.

Disordered eating, anti-blackness, fat-phobia, and addiction all bubble together in Kiese Laymon's new book, "Heavy: An American Memoir." "As artists, we got to be able to talk about all of it at once because it always happens at once," he says. "Food to me is a paradoxical way to get into all of the mess of what we are." Today's sponsors: Dinner for Everyone by Mark Bittman is available wherever books are sold. Go to Bona.com/SPORKFUL to learn more. Go to ICantBelieveItsNotButter...

Yesterday's show was a satire. :) Please enjoy it as such!