in the summertime i'm often near water which makes me want to eat fish i have this strong association between summertime and delicious fish but i'm not always near the water and i often don't feel like cooking because it's too hot that's where gorton's seafood comes in for over 175 years gorton's has been serving up restaurant quality seafood that's unbelievably easy to make and ready to eat in just a few minutes i love their crunchy breaded fish fillets the coconut shrimp the double crunch shrimp and any one of them is ready in a few minutes visit gortons .com to learn more find a store and get
recipe inspiration Meet Flip.
She's one half of a flip -flop.
That's me! Who got left behind at Celebration Key, Carnival's exclusive paradise in Grand Bahama.
Uh, I chose to stay here.
It really is paradise.
So now, Flip spends her time lounging on the beach, swimming in the lagoon...
And eating! The only thing more impressive than my appetite are all the dining options.
Yeah, have you tried food service to your cabana?
Ooh, yum! Flip, where'd she go?
Book your cruise vacation to Carnival Celebration Key, a paradise you'll want to lose yourself in.
Chips Registry, The Bahamas and Panama.
It's Dan here, and many of you may not know this, but I actually got my start in radio, my first real job in radio.
I had interned in Boston, but my first full -time job was with this now -defunct progressive talk radio network called Air America.
Al Franken had a show, Rachel Maddow was there before anyone knew who she was.
And my job was to work on the morning show hosted by the comedian Marc Maron.
That was a morning show.
We were live on the air every morning from 6 a .m. to 9 a .m. I got in every day at 2 or 3 in the morning, and my job was to read all the news and help to prepare Mark and other hosts.
And we would be there 14 hours a day, starting in the middle of the night.
So when you're working those kind of crazy hours, the whole group of us working on that show, we really bonded, and we have stayed close friends, and I have obviously followed Mark's work.
And he transitioned into hosting one of the most popular long -running podcasts out there, their WTF with Mark Maron, which he is sadly, but understandably bringing to a close this fall.
And so, you know, I always love my conversations with Mark.
I make sure that I watch every one of his standup specials.
He's really one of my all time favorite comics.
And he has a new standup special out now called Panicked on HBO.
If there's a reheat you want to hear, drop me a line at hello at sporkful .com.
Thanks so much. Enjoy my conversation with Mark Maron.
you've talked uh a lot of times over the years and i there's a it's sort of perfectly summarized in a recent episode of your tv show that your mom told you that she didn't think she could love you if you were fat yes is that she said those exact words she would say that today if we called her like if we had the technology right now to call my mother and ask her that again she would she would she would probably say of course that's not true but it would take her a minute like they it It would be diplomatic.
Right. Yeah. But, like, if you were to say to her, or have you ever said to her, like, Mom, that's kind of messed up.
Yeah. Do you say that?
So how does she respond?
She's got a fear of fat.
There's nothing I can do about it.
I don't know whether she could really love me either way.
But, I mean, she does her best. She's got a lot on her mind, my mom.
Maintaining a weight of 116 pounds for her entire life.
Right. But, yeah, no, it is messed up.
But she's got, you know, she's got eating, she has an eating disorder that she's made her life and she's healthy and somehow her life is really managing an eating disorder so so i understand it right you know but it did screw me up i mean my you know i i have uh i have body image issues and i have a tremendous amount of food shame because i love to eat i love it today on the sporkful i sit down with comedian mark maron host of the podcast wtf author of Attempting Normal, star of the IFC show Marin.
Mark and I go way back.
I was actually a producer on the first radio show he ever hosted many years ago at Air America Radio.
And so we always have a blast hanging out together.
On this show, we'll talk about what and how to eat without feeling bad about it and also whether trying not to feel bad about it is even the point.
Plus, we debate the efficacy of melon balls and discuss Mark's relationship with kale, which is one that goes Goes back many years, I can tell you.
But perhaps most exciting of all on this show, Mark dug up a clip of the two of us on the radio arguing about sandwiches 10 years ago.
This is like the prequel to The Sporkful Podcast and it's been unearthed and Mark and I will listen to it for the first time in a decade.
Stay with us. This is The Sporkful.
It's not for foodies, it's for eaters.
I'm Dan Pashman, and now here's my conversation with Mark Maron from the podcast WTF.
We sat down together in his garage.
I remember I was at his house a while back when it was just a garage.
Now he tapes his podcast there.
He's got all these famous people coming to see him there.
So this garage now, it has all this mystique.
So it was really cool to sit with him in the garage.
are you able to eat foods that aren't so good for you without feeling shame yes it's not I can but now there's other issues now I think there's cholesterol issues but like yeah if I go out on the road or like I will make time to do it especially if I go to other cities and stuff if I go to where something is where it was created and the best of it is I will eat it there and And you go to like, you wrote on your blog a little while back about you were, you were in the South and you went to town down there.
You had a great time.
You ate really well.
But like, after those meals, do you, are you like, that was great.
I'm so glad I did that.
Or are you like, is anybody glad?
I mean, like, you know, the experience of shoving stuff into your face is amazing because everything makes sense.
And it just feels so good.
But I mean, you know, come on.
I mean, I mean, do you sit there after you've just eaten a pint and a half of ice cream or a whole fried chicken or something and go like hey I'm winning I mean what are you making me out to be some sort of freak no no not at all I was trying to think for myself because there are times that I will feel bad about having eaten too much or something very unhealthy and there are other times that I don't and I think the dividing line is more about quantity like I feel like if I have something that's unhealthy but I don't feel super full afterwards if I eat it in moderation then I'm like that was great I'm
really glad I did that yeah I mean I'm happy I experienced things but like lately like you know every time I eat barbecue like after I no matter how good it is it it is when I'm done I'm like that's it right that's it for life I've done enough of this because I can't really stop and you know you always over order at barbecue right so a lot of times with me it's sort of like well I'm not gonna be back here let's get all the things totally I totally do that yeah and then you feel like I don't think I need any of that ever again like I have to try every single thing Right.
Because I also find that at most barbecue places, there's always one thing that they do the best. Yeah, yeah.
Brisket or beef rib or pork rib or whatever it is.
So if I haven't been to that place before, I got to find out which thing that is.
Yeah. Well, no, you got to find that out.
And then you're like, how bad could the sausage be?
You know? Yeah, I generally feel bad, but I'm glad while I'm eating it.
Isn't that what it's all about?
When you're consuming something and you're like, how could life get any better?
Yeah. That's the highs and the lows, man.
That's true. And you told Bon Appetit magazine That your dream breakfast is two eggs With biscuits and sausage gravy Yeah Talk about food shame I feel like sausage gravy I can't not do it There's no food that brings more immediate shame Can't not do it It's so good Good sausage gravy So good Even mediocre sausage gravy With biscuits Even mediocre biscuits I'm in But it's good I feel like In terms of the ratio Of that moment of victory This is amazing I'm so glad I'm eating this and then the aftermath there's no worse ratio than with sausage gravy yeah but if there's like chunks of sausage in the gravy
how good is that and the biscuits I just love biscuits doesn't that say something about your personality though I feel like you are someone who wants the highest highs yeah and you're willing to pay for it with low lows yeah clearly I'm not not sure which is actually more defining of my personality like uh i i think i do things to be i think i'm very comfortable beating myself up and i i'm trying to fix that like the other night i went and had three slices of pizza right it's not horrible yeah you know what i mean it's like two is enough the three's okay it's not a whole pie but i felt pretty
bad but i was like i put it into perspective i'm like it wasn't worth it see that's the other thing that's the really important thing with me is that I don't like eating stuff that's garbage I don't like eating stuff that I can make at home I don't like eating just okay stuff if I'm going to put something in my mouth I want to be as good as possible or healthy so when it comes to stuff like that like biscuits and gravy like there's nothing that's going to make me more mad than just like crap like I don't understand people it's like well let's just get a sandwich but that you're going to waste
a whole meal with that attitude you know what I mean like is there going to be a good sandwich you know but see my book is then perfect for you so much of the book is about like let's make every bite more delicious no I agree I agree but like this has to do with sort of really seeking things out and going places like I went to a pretty famous barbecue place outside of Austin and I made the wrong call I've eaten at most of the ones outside of Austin but I couldn't get to the one I usually go to so it was really a toss up between these two places and one was kind of like spectacular because you literally
walk through and pass the fire pit it but the other one supposedly had better meat and some guy said take a picture at the place with the fire and then go get the better but I just said how much different can it be and I was a little disappointed Coming up, my conversation with Mark Maron continues.
Remember how I said I was Mark's radio producer a while back?
Well, he dug up tape of the two of us on the air ten years years ago, arguing about sandwiches.
We'll listen to it together for the first time in a decade.
Plus, a debate over melon balls and Mark's recipe for a kale smoothie.
Stay with us. I've told you a lot about the behind the scenes of the making of my cookbook, anything's possible.
But I think there's one detail I left out.
And that is that I tested every single recipe in that book on my Samsung range.
I have had a Samsung range for more than 10 years, and it is high quality and reliable.
That thing is a workhorse.
And I count on it day after day, whether I'm developing recipes for a cookbook, or just getting dinner on the table for my family.
But recently, I got my first look at a whole new line of Samsung bespoke appliances.
They have the Bespoke AI induction range.
Okay. We've talked about induction on this show.
This thing heated a pot of water.
I've never seen water boil so fast. The oven has a built -in smart oven camera so you can monitor your meal from your phone.
And like I said, I love my Samsung range and oven.
That's probably why Samsung is number one in customer satisfaction.
Visit Samsung .com slash Bespoke to learn more.
Features available through SmartThings app app available on android and ios devices a wi -fi connection and samsung account are required number one customer satisfaction based on most customer satisfaction awards home appliance surveys leading consumer research organization 2020 to 2024 if you heard our recent episode in which i ate my way across myrtle beach south carolina then you know how much fun i had you know how delicious it was the soul food at big mike's the coffee and incredible brunch at croissant Bistro and Bakery, and the Fish and Quail and Duck at Rivertown Bistro.
And when you go to Myrtle Beach, you can soak in the sunshine along 60 miles of beaches.
You can take a dip in the ocean, dine on fresh seafood, get post -beach ice cream, sip colorful cocktails by the pool, and then listen to live music outside Myrtle Beach's many beach bars.
Now I know what you're thinking.
But Dan, I've already planned my summer.
I already have my summer trips all worked out.
How can I squeeze in Myrtle Beach?
Well, I'll tell you how.
Make your summer longer.
That's the beauty of Myrtle Beach. Air and water temps stay nice and warm well past Labor Day, so you can hold on to that sweet summer vacation feeling without the bustle of peak travel season.
Not ready to let go of summer just yet?
Get some more at The Beach, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Start planning at visitmyrtlebeach .com.
There's one part of kitchen gear that I think maybe a lot lot of us overlook.
People understand, like, you got to have decent knives.
You got to have a spatula.
We don't think enough about the apron.
Well, let me tell you something.
Just about every chef in America these days wears a Hedley and Bennett apron.
You see them on cooking shows, in top restaurants, and the reason is because they are specially designed, built for chefs, by chefs, and backed by a lifetime guarantee.
This is the only apron you're ever going to need to buy.
I actually let Janie pick out which one of the many different styles and themes and colors of Headley and Bennett aprons I should get.
She picked the Oscar the Grouch apron for me, which probably tells you something, but it is also a really cool apron.
I love the color. It's got Oscar peeking out from one of the pockets.
It's phenomenal. I also got a really nice zester and some lemon themed socks.
They got it all. Ready to upgrade your kitchen?
Head over to headleyandbennett .com and use code SPORKFUL15 at checkout for 15 % off your order.
That's SPORKFUL15 for 15 % off.
Elevate your cooking experience with Headley & Bennett today.
There is so much fun to be had in the summer, right?
The only downside is it can get expensive, and you don't want your wireless bill holding you back from epic summer plans.
Make the switch to Mint Mobile.
With Mint, you can get the coverage and speed you're used to, but for way less money.
And for a limited time, Mint Mobile is offering offering three months of unlimited premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month.
Sporkful producer Andres O 'Hara, you made the switch to Mint Mobile.
How'd it go? Oh, it was great.
It was incredibly easy to set up.
And then my phone was ready to go.
I was texting, emailing, using social media, and the connection, it was really good.
This year, skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank.
Get this new customer offer in your three -month unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile .com slash sporkful.
That's mintmobile .com slash sporkful.
Upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to $15 a month.
Limited time, new customer offer for first three months only.
Speeds may slow above 35 gigabytes on unlimited plan.
Taxes and fees extra.
See Mint Mobile for details.
Welcome back to another Sporkful Reheat.
I'm Dan Pashman. You ever like go to our show page in your podcasting app and you're scrolling back and you're like, oh, that seems like a good episode.
How did I miss that?
Well, you missed it because you're probably not following our show in your podcasting app.
And it's really important that you do.
So please do this right now.
Go to our show page in your podcasting app of choice.
If it's Apple Podcasts or Spotify, you click follow.
follow other apps. Maybe it's a plus sign or a heart or a favorite or the word subscribe, whatever it is in your app.
It's really important that you click it.
That way you won't miss great episodes.
Super quick and easy.
You can do it right now.
Thank you so much. Now let's return to my conversation with Mark Maron.
And at this point, we're going to start with that tape that I told you about the Mark dug up from 10 years ago.
We worked together on this morning radio show called Morning Sedition on Air America Radio.
So first thing you're going to hear coming up is that tape of us arguing all those years back, and then we'll go straight from that tape back into my more recent conversation with Mark.
We had a debate here in the studio.
Important stuff going on here in the studio.
Dan Pashman has a stance that I'm not sure I agree with, yet he will defend it.
We were discussing what we were going to have for breakfast, and the idea of the omelette came up, and then there was a cheese problem.
He's got a cheese problem.
He says that the place that we get our breakfast doesn't always have such good cheese.
And this is a guy that says, i don't want a philly cheesesteak sandwich if as cheese was on it which is the this is the standard so now but here's the it gets larger because we went with dan pashman to uh to the philly cheesesteak place path and it was it was good but he said well if that's all that city has to offer then then i'm not down with it but then it became a bigger problem about bread well this is something i feel very strongly about mark and i i am a bit of a sandwich connoisseur i'll be honest with you put a lot of study and research and thought into the creation and manufacture of sandwiches
yes And I'm quite confident that you already have an inferior sandwich before you've taken a bite.
If you have hot things on the inside with cold bread on the outside, if you're going to have hot eggs and cheese or a burger or a hot dog or anything, whatever you're doing, you've got to heat the bread if you're going to have hot inside.
Back up. This is crazy.
You're talking crazy because you're denying the power of fresh bread.
If you have a fresh roll that's really nice and fresh and soft, like a bulky roll as they call them in Boston or whatever they call them here.
Kaiser. A Kaiser roll, yeah.
And you put the egg sandwich on that.
Toasting a Kaiser roll that's really fresh, it's wrong.
I think you're wrong here.
I understand what you're saying, and I will grant you that in a situation where you have a small amount of bread and a large amount of hot filling, such as your corned beef example.
Well, that was an example the listeners didn't hear.
Fresh rye bread. Let's say you go to the Carnegie Deli and you order a hot corned beef sandwich with Swiss cheese.
The corned beef comes out of the steam plate, out of the steam table, you slice it up hot, you put the cheese on it, it melts itself.
I understand. And then you put it on a fresh piece of rye bread.
Right, but if you're talking about one scrambled egg and one slice of cheese and a big, fat bulky roll where your sandwich is like 80 % bread, if that bread is not heated, then that's not a good sandwich. The bulky roll squishes up.
It gets all soft, and it meets the egg and cheese.
It meets it. Do you understand?
If you have a little toasted crust because you grill a bulky roll, there's no saying it doesn't just turn hard and brown.
I've been there, and it dries it out.
It dries out the fresh roll.
You can microwave it.
It doesn't even have to be hot.
Oh, no, no, no. No microwave?
No, no, no. You can't microwave anything.
You call yourself a sandwich connoisseur and you use the word microwave?
What's up with you?
I would not microwave. I would toast it.
I'm saying if you want to maintain the squishiness, I agree I would never microwave bread.
No, you can't microwave almost anything.
There's nothing you should microwave unless you have to.
That's right. A microwave is an emergency situation because if you microwave anything, it just turns into hard crap.
Something goes wrong with it.
Microwaves screw with food on a molecular level.
It ruins it. You guys come to my house.
I'll cook you a Dan Pashman patented grilled egg and cheese sandwich and you will see the light.
I promise you that.
I'm sure it would be good, Dan Pashman, but what I'm saying to you is you started this argument with this blanket statement that you cannot have hot stuff on a cold bread, and you've made a concession.
The only concession I'll give you is corned beef, and that's because there's so much corned beef and so little bread that it will warm the bread while keeping it fresh, but that won't happen in most sandwich ratios.
What's changed, Dan?
Not much. I will say that both you and I talk slower now.
Yeah, well, that was morning, and I was on 900 cups of coffee and a handful of M &Ms and complete mania.
And that other voice you heard was Mark Reilly, who was my co -host for a couple of years on The Morning Show.
That's Mark Maron, Morning Show energy.
That's right. I wasn't going to give you an inch, though.
No, and you didn't.
But the funny thing about listening to that is when I first set out to do the Sporkful, I was like, this seems like a fun idea.
I think it's a different way to talk about food.
it actually wasn't until after I started doing it that I was like this is the role I was born to play and then I started thinking back to the segments we did together and I was like it was right in front of me all along well I think that being passionate about something and being excited about something and having opinions about food I mean there's very few arguments you're going to have about food in the world that you're running in where you're going to end a friendship or you're not going to talk to somebody for years years i was interested to see i was reading up on some interviews with you
mark talking about food issues that you said you like melon balls yeah i love them that's your ideal shape i don't i don't know you i know this is sort of your uh wheelhouse It is a very practical way to eat melon.
How so? Well, because they're just little balls that fit in one mouthful per ball.
And my grandmother, I grew up with it.
My grandmother used to make melon balls.
I don't know if it's specifically a Jewish thing, but I actually have her old melon baller.
And like during the summer, it's a very quick way to eat melon.
Do you pop it in your mouth straight from the melon baller?
I can, but I usually make a bunch of melon balls and I'll put them in the fridge.
Like I'll do a whole melon and I'll put them in a container And I'll have them and I can just pop them in my mouth with your hands.
Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes I'll put it in with other stuff.
Make you throw some blueberries in.
I just like the shape of the melon ball and I like the experience of it.
It might be something from my childhood, but also like when you're using a spoon or you're you're cutting the rind so you can eat them with your hand like that.
I mean, that's all well and good.
But melon balls, it just seems like, you know, you can like not do more with them, but they're nice in a fruit salad.
how it but what's it what do you what's you you're talking like you have some other way that you think is better dan well my concern with melon balls is you put them on a plate and they roll around they're hard to fork they're hard to stab once you put them on a plate if you're gonna grab them out of the fridge with your hand okay fine hey i got something for you what a bowl put them in a fucking bowl you dummy what you mean put melon balls on a plate yeah well yeah they're gonna roll around but often melon balls are served like with dessert at a picnic let's say uh -huh and so there's a lot the little
paper bowls well but there's also cake there's also other things why would you put them on that same plate as cake anyways that's a fault of the host i think your argument is silly melon ball is a good way to eat melon if you had a picnic and you have slices of watermelon eat the slice of watermelon but like let's say you have a fruit salad but see don't you see i like something about the way that uh a square or a rectangle of fruit sort of fits into your molars better and you can really sink your teeth i think i I think this is a stretch. I think that, like, you know, how could you not like a melon ball?
I think that you have been swayed by the fact that they are aesthetically pleasing.
They feel good to go into your mouth.
What, do you chew them with your molars?
I chew them with my teeth.
I'm not specific about that.
I don't put a melon ball in my mouth.
I'm like, I don't know if this is really working out with my teeth.
I got my teeth. My teeth are screwed up.
They only meet in a couple places.
It's like, you know, I'm going to get through it.
But I like the portion control of a melon ball.
Oh, that, see, it comes full circle.
What? Portion control.
Yeah. But like, so you feel like.
I'll eat 20 of them.
I don't care. But I like that they're like, they're just like their own little things.
You know, and also like if you're cutting up melon into, I don't know, it's like melon balls are fun to make because you ball the melon and then there's all the melon that you couldn't get and then you just scoop that out with a spoon and eat it right there.
Like, you know, after you do, you scoop out all the melon balls you can, there's still a lot of melon in there and then you just eat that.
And then do you hold the rind like a bowl and tilt it back and drink the juice that's sitting inside it?
Yeah, if it's in there.
I mean, it's hard with watermelons and you look kind of crazy.
Has that stopped you, Mark?
No. What's something you've been cooking a lot of lately?
You know, I've been roasting that kombucha, kombucha squash.
Okay. K -A -B -O -C -H -A.
It's like fall. the raw, and I just roast it.
I'll cut it up and carve it out, and you roast it for like 40 minutes with some, I've been using coconut oil.
It's really good. So I've been doing that, doing the kale.
I do like andouille sausages, the chicken sausages.
I don't make them, but I eat them.
I roast chickens a lot.
I roasted a chicken the other day, so I can eat it for the week.
But I just, my rosemary bush died, so I don't have the fresh rosemary anymore.
But I find just putting salt and pepper in the cavity and just roasting it up.
But it's hard to beat rotisserie with my oven but i i like to roast chickens let's talk a bit about kale yeah i you know kale now is such you know all the rage and it's funny because i it's like it's it's like i don't know when that happened it's like become a necessity well it's funny because i will forever associate you with kale like when we were working together 10 years ago i feel like you were always talking about kale yeah you were way ahead and now like i do a joke about you know not knowing knowing when that happened.
Um, yeah, I think I started eating kale.
Like I do a joke about like, when did the cultural conversation about kale start?
You know, and it's like, you don't, I don't love it, but I'm used to it.
And I've always thought like, I do, it's weird. I do, I feel like I'm doing something good.
Like you're giving the charity, like I'm doing something virtuous.
I really invest like an unreasonable amount of belief in the idea that kale or that that type of greens is necessary.
Right. And I do now, too, and I kind of think it is.
What's your relationship with kale these days?
Well, I just bought a bunch. I put it in a veggie, what's it called, a Vitamix.
Oh, yeah, yeah. Like I usually try to get.
Like what's your go -to kale smoothie in that thing?
I usually put an orange, a lemon, a big chunk of ginger, and I'll stuff it like as much kale in there as I can, and then I'll get that, I'll liquefy that and then I throw in some berries and a frozen banana and ice that's it what do you call it?
I call it, we got to do this this is going to change everything alright well, Marc Maron the podcast of WTF do we have closure on this stuff?
yeah, I mean, you know look have we come to an agreement on this debate from 10 years ago about the bread, you agree with me now the bread should be warm, right?
when you have a hot sandwich No I mean you can grill the bread a little bit But I mean I don't like You don't warm up rye bread You don't need to warm up fresh rolls That are nice and crusty Even if the inside is hot You're going to put that on cold bread Room temperature You're going to put your bread in the refrigerator Bread temperature But that bread is going to Cool the inside of the food faster I don't think so Well We can live with this one And you're wrong about melon Melon and melon balls.
I think we agreed on eating barbecue.
That's right. All right.
Well, that's something.
That's progress. It is.
It is. Good luck with everything.
Thanks, buddy. All right.
Mark Maron hosts the hugely popular podcast WTF.
His latest book is Attempting Normal and his TV show on IFC is Maron.
and it was great to see Mark and hang out this show is a production of WNYC and The Sporkful, it's produced by Anne Sani, our web writers are Talia Ralph and Alight Trong, special thanks to Chris Bannon, I'm Dan Pashman reminding you to eat more eat better and eat more better This reheat was produced by Gianna Palmer.
The team that produces the sportful today includes me, along with managing producer Emma Morgenstern and senior producer Andres O 'Hara.
Our engineer is Jared O 'Connell.
The sportful is a production of Stitcher Studios.
Our executive producer is Camille Stanley.
And hey, did you know you can listen to The Sportful on the SiriusXM app?
Yes, the SiriusXM app has all your favorite podcasts plus over 200 ad -free music channels curated by genre and era Plus live sports coverage.
Does your podcasting app have that?
And there's interviews with A -list stars and so much more.
It's everything you want in a podcast app and music app all rolled into one.
Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to SiriusXM .com slash Sporkful.
Until next time, I'm Dan Pashman.
Hey everybody, Conan O 'Brien here with an ad about my podcast, Conan O 'Brien Needs a Friend.
And I've had so many fantastic conversations with people I truly admire, people like Michelle Obama, Bruce Springsteen, Maya Rudolph, Tom Hanks.
New episodes are out every Monday and we have a really good time.
So subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts.