Proof: The food show about stories
The Premise (from Apple Podcasts):
We tell the weird and surprising and funny backstories around food and drink. The tales we haven’t all heard yet, the ones that have been lost, the under-told. This is not a recipe show. And this is not a show about celebrity chefs or what they like to eat. Proof goes beyond recipes and cooking to investigate the foods we love (tiki drinks) and don't love (the grain bowl); ask the big questions (where do food cravings come from?); and uncover the hidden backstories that feed your food-obsessed brain.
Series or standalone:
Standalone
Begin listening to:
Any episode
Format:
Storytelling/reporting
Host(s):
Bridget Lancaster of America's Test Kitchen
Sound/production quality:
Very good
Rating/age suitability:
Most episodes are suitable for all ages, but it probably holds the most appeal for adults and foodie teens
Approximate length of episodes:
30-45 minutes
Curricular ties:
Unlikely, unless you teach culinary arts. However, there are some cool history stories, like the one about Chinese food.
Similar recommended pods:
Podcast Librarian’s Review:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You probably wouldn’t guess from the title (please, can someone explain it to me? It makes me think of alcohol proof), but this is a podcast about food. ETA: Thanks to @jugjugshugaboo on Instagram who pointed out that this is probably in reference to the proofing of dough, as when baking bread. I am not a cook; I despise cooking because it almost invariably results in meat that is way underdone or way overdone...and in every case, with me having a sobbing meltdown in my tiny apartment kitchen, resigned to the fact that I will never be a cook.
Thanks for coming to my therapy session; back to the review.
All that was to say that even as a person who is not a cook, I enjoy this pod. It tells interesting stories about different foods or aspects of food culture. Did you know that in the early 1900s, Chinese restaurants were seen as a hotbed of salacious behavior? Or why you may not have heard of Miravle Berry, which was supposed to be the ultimate sugar substitute? It also settles once and for all the reason why orange juice tastes so gross right after brushing your teeth. #investigativejournalism The main host is Bridget Lancaster who talks about the stories to correspondents, which is an unusual format for this type of show but doesn’t bother me. With episodes that clock in around 40 minutes, this is a good pod to have on while you’re doing something else, like (futilely) trying not to burn dinner...but maybe that’s just me projecting. 😜
