For the first 40 years of her life, Amy Pearl was a card-carrying member of the meat club; she literally had a credit card from the famous Brooklyn steakhouse Peter Luger. Then one day she ate a porterhouse steak, and nearly died. This week we join forces with our friends at Radiolab to tell the story of how Amy's mysterious allergy was identified by scientists. Plus, she tells us how the allergy has changed her relationship to food — and we find out if it’ll ever go away. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Does Ratatouille accurately portray restaurant critics? What’s the lamest food trope in cinema? And what’s Dan’s favorite eating scene from The Godfather? We’re talking food in movies this week, with Kristen Meinzer and Rafer Guzman, hosts of the podcast Movie Therapy (Kristen also co-hosts the podcast By The Book). Plus we hear from listeners looking for food-related movie recommendations, and life advice. Like Katrine in Denmark, who’s considering giving up a career in healthcare to organize gourmet fly fishing retreats. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Over the course of fifty years and a dozen books, Dr. Jessica B. Harris has uncovered the ways that West African food, and African American people, have fundamentally shaped American cuisine. In 2011, when she published her book High on the Hog, this idea had received little attention. Today it’s getting more recognition, including with a new Netflix series inspired by Dr. Harris’s book. We talk with her about her own journey in making these connections between West Africa and America, and she offers advice to the new generation of Black scholars and writers exploring these links: “Look ahead. What do you see ahead?” //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

What kinds of NSFW chocolates does comedian and Nailed It host Nicole Byer mold for her cohost Jacques Torres when the cameras aren’t rolling? She tells us, plus she talks with Dan about the parallels between a restaurant kitchen and comedy club, and why she makes her own favorite cake for her late mom’s birthday. And you’ll definitely want to be listening when Nicole sees a whole shrimp for the first time. (Also check out Nicole's other podcasts, Why Won't You Date Me? and Best Friends.) //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

When Nadiya Hussain competed on The Great British Bake Off in 2015, it seemed like all of Britain — from self-proclaimed #Nadiyators to the prime minister — was rooting for her. Since then, she’s hosted TV shows, written best-selling books, and become a household name in the UK. But the transformation we focus on in this conversation is the one that has taken place within her. She talks with Dan about growing up in a British Bangladeshi family where no one baked, developing recipes based on the food she ate as a child, and speaking up about racism and sexism in food media. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

To say that hydration is an invention is only a slight exaggeration. Water bottles have become a crucial accessory — a status symbol. How did that happen? This week we bring you an episode from our friends at the Slate podcast Decoder Ring. They investigate how bottled water transformed itself from a small, European luxury item to the single largest beverage category in America. It took savvy marketing from brands like Gatorade and Perrier, who pushed the idea that dehydration was a pervasive problem to be solved. Today hydration is a wellness cure-all, but the science doesn’t exactly match the marketing. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Just as summer is really starting to heat up, so is the classic debate: Is a hot dog a sandwich? We revisit one of The Sporkful’s most popular episodes — one that has come to define Dan’s career (and still dominates his Twitter mentions). In front of a live audience in 2015, Dan staked his bold claim that the hot dog is indeed a sandwich, while comedian and ersatz judge John Hodgman argued the opposing position. Nothing was off-limits in this tense face-off: the Earl of Sandwich, hinged buns, New York State tax codes… So who will come out victorious?//

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Which kind of stove do you like better: gas or electric? This debate, and the ad campaigns that have fueled it, have been raging for over a century. While more people in the U.S. today have electric, gas stoves have won the battle for prestige -- chefs prefer it. But now, the gas stove is at the center of a much bigger fight about climate change, as gas companies use the gas stove to try to ensure their future. Sporkful producer Andres O’Hara explains, then tries to convince Dan, a gas stove loyalist, to try a different way of cooking. Hint: It uses magnets. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

We open the phone lines to settle your most contentious food disputes this week. Eliza wants to wipe her oily hands on her bare legs — is her boyfriend Connor right to object? Then, Natalie thinks she’s entitled to half of what her husband Josh cooks, even though he’s generally hungrier. What’s the fairest way to divvy up meals? To answer these questions, Dan enlists the help of Drew Magary and David Roth, the extremely opinionated co-hosts of The Distraction podcast and co-founders of Defector Media. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.

Growing up as a Black kid in Chicago, Dr. Marcia Chatelain says she learned more about Black history from McDonald’s than from her fancy prep school. Now, as a professor of history and African American studies, Dr. Chatelain is exploring the role that McDonald’s has played in Black communities since its founding in the 1940s. In many places, McDonald’s has been a community hub and a pathway to business ownership for Black entrepreneurs. But it’s also been a tool for those seeking to preserve segregation. We dig into the chain’s complicated legacy. Plus, Dan and his family stop in at a very special McDonald’s on Long Island.  

This is the second part of our two-episode series on McDonald’s. Make sure to check out last week’s episode about the couple who hacked the infamous McDonald’s ice cream machine. //

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Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.