Dining Out
Our 2,000-year Obsession with Eating Out
Guest: William Sitwell, leading food writer in Britain, long-standing critic on MasterChef, and author of "The Restaurant: A 2,000-Year History of Dining Out"
It's a strange time for restaurants right now, but this critic thinks that they'll bounce back from the pandemic. After all, they had take-out in ancient Pompeii and restaurants boomed in post-revolution Paris. Restaurant owners have always been trying to recapture that lost art of hospitality that used to be freely given in homes to traveling strangers.
Order Up Grandma's Cooking
Guest: Jody Scaravella, owner, "Enoteca Maria"
A small restaurant in Staten Island doesn't employ professional chefs; instead, they hire grandmas from all over the world to cook family recipies and bring their culture to the customers.
Restaurant Menus and the Art of Persuasion
Guest: Alison Pearlman, art historian, and author, “May We Suggest: Restaurant Menus and the Art of Persuasion”
Menus are part of a theatrical experience offered by restaurants. One of the great illusions of the menu is that it makes us feel that we're getting what we want, but that isn't quite the case.