Jason, my original podcast co-host, is back on the show with one of his topics. With our usual investigative approach, Jason and I theorize on why North Americans seem to focus on high ranking foods (the so-called 'proteins'), relegating the rest of the dish to mere accompaniments, whereas the Italians - and the Japanese - value dishes in which the various components are paired harmoniously. (Music by www.purple-planet.com)

Balance in Food - 50th Episode Special with Jason

Hi! I'm Paolo, the author of Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu. This is Thoughts on the Table, an audioblog on food and food culture, with a special eye on the difference between the so-called Italian Food and the real food of continental Italy.

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Join us in our journey through this fascinating subject as we touch on the concept of authenticity and on how culture influences our appreciation of flavor. Conversely, in the second part of the episode, Jason and I discuss some cooking trends that affect the flavor of food such as the tendency to finish cooking pasta in its sauce and to alter traditional recipes to make them visually pleasing for sharing on social media, more so than with our guests!

The Meta of Food - All About Food Besides Eating It!

Today’s issue contains extracts from the first six episodes where Jason and I discuss flavor and taste, as well as cultural differences between Italy, North America, and Japan. Among other topics, we touched on why as an Italian I would never try to put salt on pasta, whether eating spicy food can damage our taste buds, the reason why desserts tend to end the meal, why many people learn to appreciate "spoiled" foods like Gorgonzola and Natto, what exactly astringency is, and the path to appreciating subtle flavors. To wrap up the selection, I couldn’t help but include extracts from episode seven, a recording that took place right in the center of Milan on Jason’s impressions from visiting Italy for the first time.

Taste and Flavor Flashbacks with Jason and Paolo

Bread and Spirits is an Instagram feed that unites Italian cuisine and cocktails enthusiasts around the world. Born out of the March 2020 lockdown from the combined talents of Jasmina and Stefano, Bread and Spirits is visually stunning, informative, entertaining, and very much unique. In this episode, I have the pleasure to record Jasmina and Stefano’s first audio interview and capture their incredible energy and passion for food and drinks, but also for human connections and communication. (Music by www.purple-planet.com)

Introducing Jasmina and Stefano from Bread and Spirits

Is a cookbook on a cuisine a mirror of what takes place in its people’s kitchens? Or does it reflect more the desires and needs of its intended audience? And if that’s the case, are these desires of a practical nature, or for something that people like to dream about? These are some of the questions that Diana Pinto has been asking herself while going through lots of cookbooks as part of her “2-week cookbook project.”

Cookbooks and the People They Were Written for, with Diana Pinto

Join us in this episode to hear more about the true cuisine of Italy by going over some unexpected Italian dishes, such as Mostarda, Bagna Cauda, Prosciutto and Cantaloupe, as well as evidence of many dishes wrongly labeled as "non-authentic" that are eaten daily all around the Peninsula, like Spaghetti alla Bolognese, Gnocchi al Pesto, Lasagne al Pesto, Carbonara with Pancetta, and Strawberry Tiramisu.

Balance in Food - 50th Episode Special with Jason

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