"We're taking a look at the groundbreaking culinary revolution that blasted onto the scene in the 1970's, sending foodies of that era into fits of rapture. It was called California Cuisine and it was so new, so hot, and so chic. Our guest, California chef Jeremiah Tower, was front and center in the movement that put fresh-from-the-field, locally grown food onto restaurant dinner plates and, ultimately, our tables at home. His new book, California Dish is a memoir of that moment in time. Lynne did some reminiscing herself and came up with her homage to California Cuisine: Garlic Bread, Green Bean and Tomato Salad.
This week we'll hear how Buddhism and karma shape the most sophisticated cooking in Southeast Asia. Our guest, David Thompson, calls it "the cuisine that takes no prisoners." He shares a recipe for Thai Grilled Chicken from his book, Thai Food.
Food historian Patrick Faas, author of Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome, takes us back to a time when flamingo tongues were finger food and boiling water signaled a decline in your morals. Patrick leaves us with an unusual recipe for Soft-Boiled Eggs in Pine Nut Sauce.
"We're fat, we're sick, and it's all your fault!" was the essence of a lawsuit brought by two teenagers against McDonald's. They denied it. Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock set out to find the truth by eating three meals a day for a month at the Golden Arches and documenting the process in his movie Supersize Me. He tells us what he learned.
We're taking a look at fungi, organisms that can feed you, make you crazy, take down your house, devour flesh, and save your life. Our guest is Nicholas Money, author of Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds and Mycologists and an expert on fungus growth and development. In keeping with the theme, Lynne shares her recipe for Portobello "Steaks" with Holy Oil.
Lynne talks with Chuck Williams, the creator and vice chairman of the Williams-Sonoma retail empire. Back in the 1950s, when the pressure cooker was sophisticated cookware, Chuck was promoting French copper, couscous pots, and kitchen equipment from Europe. It was all so exciting and new. Nowadays, high-quality professional gear is virtually mainstream and cooks can thank Mr. Williams for his vision.
The gin craze in eighteenth-century London was a 30-year reign that both elevated and devastated an era. We'll hear the story from Jessica Warner, author of Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason.
We're taking a look at vegetarian meat substitutes—things with names like tempeh, seitan, and textured soy protein—that make cutting back on animal products easier for beginning vegetarians. Our guest, Crescent Dragonwagon, author of The Passionate Vegetarian, is a long-time vegan and expert chef. Her Deep December Ragoût of Seitan, Shiitakes, and Winter Vegetables is rich and hearty. Who needs beef?
This week it's an eater's guide to the port city of Marseille with Daniel Young, author of Made in Marseille: Food and Flavors from France's Mediterranean Seaport. Calamari, the great Marseille passion when it comes to food, is featured in Chez Etienne's Pan-Fried Calamari with Parsley and Garlic.