Lunch Box Podcast

Ed is lost and alone in the sub-suburban wilds of Vancouver, and John is slightly less anxious than he used to be in his clean house. They hold forth on the pleasures of summer, fear of foreign travel, the names of babies and old women, sheriffs on horses, and bringing a toddler into a cave and turning out the lights. Follow links to the Catacombe dei Cappuccini, the Wahl Peanut, Nong's Khao Man Gai, F. Scott Fitzgerald's "May Day", the Chateau at the Oregon Caves, Molly Laich's essay for Okey-Panky, and the News-Miner's Public Safety Report.

Ed has moved into the Reflections in the Park apartment complex, and John's AWP cold is gone, so it's time to talk about John's Armenian Pastry Shop dream, Lincoln Michel's misremembered shaggy dog joke, reheating french fries with steam, Nell Carter, repeating yourself, cheese disappointment, and erotic feelings for the waitress on the cover of Supertramp's "Breakfast in America." Follow links to Gimme A Break, Gregory Pardlo's "Written by Himself", The Walrus and the Carpenter, Borough, James Hannaham's first novel, Big City Rhythm and Blues Magazine, Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater, Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory", and Murder by Death.

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt": circular silliness, or lynching allegory? Ed and John try to decide in this episode that also features an abortive zoo trip, a missing bacon web page, New York eateries, a movie of a novel, contorted mannequins, and sending grandma's collector spoons to India. Follow links to G. K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, Jason Miller's Down Don't Bother Me, James Hannaham's Delicious Foods, Stephen King's war with the governor of Maine, Waffle Town, The Original Hotcake House, Winter in the Blood, Scan Cafe, Russ and Daughters, Carbone, and the Chatterbox.

It's been a long three weeks of leaky roofs and pinkeye, but Ed and John are back to talk about vaporwave music, makin' a livin', fried chicken, marriage patois, brewpubs, and Ed's dreamlike reading before the Seattle village elders. Follow links to Laurel Lathrop's Billfold essay, Free Design's "Kites Are Fun", vaporwave, "Hologram" by Disconscious, Duck Island Ale House, Willa Mae's, Bandwagon Brewpub on the Ithaca Voice, the Dirty Skoog IPA, Ed's Antonioni talk, and Ed's City Council appearance.

Ed's wide awake for a change, and he and John discuss Spotify, why people don't say what they want, pop album nomenclature, popcorn preparation methods, and what trains should and shouldn't do in songs. Follow links to Matthew Wilder's webpage and interview with Dick Clark, the Chicago discography, the tontine, and coconut oil.

John and his friend Skoog 2.0 enjoy a rambling conversation about the dreams of editors, passive-aggressive greeting cards, leftovers, cornbread with buttermilk, herbal tea, and knife lore. Follow links to the Doves Type, Yogi Egyptian Licorice Mint tea, Bar Keepers Friend, the Skoog, the Sleeping Tapes, Lou Beach, Everyday Carry, the Northwoods Indian River Jack, and the 2015 Chewbacchus parade.

Ed is back from Minnesota and is looking for information about the conclusion of the Super Bowl. John is trying to start a commonplace book and has solved the problem of work meetings. They discuss highly organized murder, Rachel Cusk, midwestern cuisine, quoting writers in conversation, and free ebooks. Follow links to Mickey's Diner, Midwest Menus Dot Com, Abbott Awaits, Outline, the execution at Mankato, the genocide beer tray, Gulliver's Travels, gamesmanship, and John's decontextualized meeting notes.

Ed starts out quietly, but gets gradually louder, in this episode featuring stolen cars, novel revisions, cafe con leche, bowling alley food items versus bowling alley snacks, the four points of view in fiction, and possible locations for the Okey-Panky AWP meetup. Follow links to Lynnwood Bowl and Skate, San Fernando Roasted Chicken, Cafeteria La Mejor (again), The Diagram, Grumpy's, The Chatterbox, and Wide Awake Bakery.

It's early for Ed, as usual, and that puts him at a disadvantage, like the giraffe that doesn't realize he's in a race with Carl Lewis. He and John talk about the death of a fine diner, talking with Martin Amis about Hitler, the blurring line between the real and the imagined, and people who think people are stealing their ideas. Follow links to Snydermind, Little Pete's, Ed's Instagram, and the Okey-Panky teaser post.

Here's a low-key holiday episode for ya. John forgot to buy his kids Christmas gifts and envies old men's hair; Ed got a migraine and resents Boston stealing Thin Lizzy's riffs. They talk about Christmas eats, chicken and waffles, the US postal service, and lying to Heidi. Follow links to Jess Stoner's "Blues on Wheels", "The Frog and Peach", fingertip ratchet, sticky date pudding, Cajun Foreplay spice rub, honey-glazed tarragon carrots, Bertha the tunnel-boring machine, Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak", and the cocktail called The Okey-Panky.