Fireside Spirits and the British Literary Deception

Four Courses Podcast - Episode 13

It's a brand new year, but just in case you haven't noticed, it's still kind of...WINTER. The chill in the air naturally affects how we eat and drink, and this month's episode is a good one for topics regarding cold-weather feasting. If you don't have a subscription to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher, you can always stream it through our site, so go give Episode 13 a listen.

Topics include Lemongrass (a Vietnamese restaurant in the South Grand area), Our Favorite Drinks: Winter Edition, and a discussion about the various meats and methods that go into cooking roasts. Dessert focuses on books with memorable eating scenes, and finally, in the Carryout, we set our food resolutions for the upcoming year. I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to email fourcoursespodcast@gmail.com with any feedback or suggestions for other topics!

Check, Please

The new year is always a time for self-improvement. Among my other goals about weight, organization, and so on, I've made a couple of entertainment-related resolutions as well. One of those promises is to consume less cultural "homework". I am, in my heart, a completionist. That's why it takes me so long to finish video games; I'm always off making sure I've collected all the feathers and delivered all the notes.

That streak has also unfortunately led to a lot of wasted time as I watch, read, and play things I'm not really enjoying, just because I feel like I've made some sort of tacit agreement to stick it out. 2015 is going to contain less of that, and the first thing to be snipped is the rest of this season of Top Chef. I'm bored with it, I don't feel like I have anyone special to root for, and there's really nothing interesting to write about it here on the blog. So, I'm afraid this is goodbye to the Boston season.

That said, let's not end this on a sad note. The time I save by axing boring shows can be better spent on shows I'm actively enjoying, and I have to heartily recommend The Great British Baking Show. It was named The Great British Bake Off when it aired several months ago in Britain, and I have no idea why PBS changed the name for its airing in America.

Each episode centers around one type of baked good, and contains three challenges: The freestyle (in which the bakers are allowed to make pretty much whatever they'd like in the given category), the technical challenge (in which they must recreated a given recipe with only minimal information provided), and the showstopper (in which they make a intricate showpiece).

After two episodes, I'm already hooked. The competitors are genial and talented. The judges are firm and direct without being assholes. The challenges are well-planned. OK, the two hostesses are annoying, but they're mostly ignorable. Whoever is in charge of shooting the show needs about seventy awards, because it is insanely beautiful.

I'll review the whole season over at the Slice of Lime when it is complete, but for now, if anyone would like to chat about this disappointing Top Chef season or this wonderful import from England, here's the post to do it in. Happy New Year!