This is the episode where Jay and Jacob don their cowboy hats, pull on their boots, and take the listeners to Tex…nope, not there - it’s Nashville.  Home of hot chicken and hockey.  Country music and cutting edge comedy.  Parthenons and Moon Pies.  Jacob gets quizzed on his memories of a family spring break trip, and Jay reminisces about a childhood trip to the now-shuttered Opryland.  Then they get to the food.  It’s another live tasting in the second half, with Nashville-born Goo Goo Clusters of all kinds, including three premium versions Jay picked up on his last visit to Music City.  You’ll go goo-goo over this episode for sure!

This is the episode where Jay and Jacob eat more Kit Kats. But this time, they’re Japanese!  Not only are the bars from Japan, and the flavors most definitely local to Japan, the wrappers are also mostly written in Japanese.  So despite all the help from Google Translate, they are only about 85% sure about what they are eating.  But that doesn’t curb their enthusiasm in this in person recorded taste test, and the history of how Japanese Kit Kats became a juggernaut of candy bars.  Order a sample box for yourself and taste along!

Step right up for Jacob and Jerry’s deep dive into the quirky world of state fairs! They kick things off with some carnival-sized history lessons (they did see the country's largest pumpkin), before diving mouth-first into a live review of iconic NC State Fair foods. Will cajun chicken tenders triumph over bologna fries? Tune in for laughs, history, and the ultimate fair food showdown!

This is the episode where Jacob and Jay smoke.  Wait, what?  Nope... Jay and Jacob just talk about smoke.  What is it, actually?  What are some of the good things it can do, and some of the bad things it’s responsible for?  Then when it comes to the food segment, they talk about one of the best things smoke can do: make meat taste fantastic.  But how does it get into the meat?  What’s all this about a smoke ring?  What are their favorites and which cuts are they afraid of?  Not only does smoke elevate the flavor of briskets and butts, it also plays a role in tricking those pesky bees into giving up some of their honey (which goes nicely in a barbecue sauce, by the way.)  So get the fire going in the smoker of your choice, light a cigar or pipe (if that’s your thing), and listen to this episode via your favorite smoke signal app.

Due to technical difficulty, the Smoke Episode had to be delayed! So Jacob and Jay schemed to bring out an unreleased episode where they try some questionable jelly beans. Do they actually enjoy their experience? Will they recommend these beans? Why are they echoing? (It's due to recording on an iPhone) Find out in today's episode!

(Please Note: This is an older recording. Some references may be outdated) This is the episode where Jay and Jacob get hot and spicy.  No worries - there won’t be an “Explicit” warning on this one - it’s not that kind of heat and spice.  It’s actual heat they’re talking about: fire.  What is fire, actually?   A gas?  A liquid?  An illusion?  Jacob digs out his chemical engineer hard hat to talk details, as well as his experience torching a field.  Fire is definitely destructive, but is it all bad?  They talk about how fire has changed history (or at least the history of eating) and explain the fire triangle - or fire tetrahedron - depending on who you read.  Of course, that history of eating leads naturally to thinking of vittles, but today they’re talking about the fire IN the food, not so much the fire UNDER the food.  Jay and Jacob come from two ends of the spicy food spectrum: a very tame tongue vs a collector of hot sauces.  They discuss why that burn feels like it does and how to work your way from bell pepper to Carolina Reaper.  Get out your Scoville scale and rate this episode 5 Habaneros!

This is the episode where Jay and Jacob stop their usual work so they can work on something else - just like Labor Day, the only holiday where you celebrate something by not doing it.  From humble, almost disastrous, beginnings to the first Monday off of fall, it has come a long way to be a holiday with minimal parades and no section of its own at Hallmark.  And what to eat on Labor Day?  Are there traditional foods?  Is it all just about grilling?  Is it really “the last cookout of the summer”?  J & J discuss the options, as well as a few tips on how to eat well with a minimum of … labor.  It’s Labor Day. Take it easy.  Get takeout.  Take a nap.  Take in a podcast.

This is the episode where Jay and Jacob come back … again.  They’re not sure if it’s Season 4 (or Part 2 of Season 3 that left you wondering if it would ever happen #Yellowstone).  But either way, they’re back and it’s time to catch up.  It’s been 2 years and a lot has happened in the lives of these Reed men, including a lots of read-ing.  In the first half, they’ll catch up on all the happenings, then it’s time for a deep dive into a vat of ketchup.  Or catsup.  However, you spell it, ketchup is an iconic condiment with a surprisingly tomato-free history.  And it’s thixotropic to boot.  Now it’s time for every home with ketchup in the refrigerator to put in the proverbial earbuds and catch up with this long-awaited, anxiously anticipated, Heinz-esque episode.  57 star reviews!

This is the episode where Jay and Jacob get bored.  No - not that spelling.  They get board!  Anyone who knows Jacob well, knows that he is a board game nerd.  In fact, it may or may not be true that his lovely wife had to put him on a board game budget.  As it turns out, board games have been around a long time - we’re talking painted on cave walls kind of old - and people (not just Jacob) still love ‘em, as evidenced by the board game aisle in your favorite toy shop, book store, or ginormous discount mart.  And what better snacks on game night could one have than a charcuterie board?  There are some “rules” to good charcuterie boards: how to arrange, how to pair, how to prep.  But the most important rule is that there are no rules.  And charcuterie programs are definitely “in” at some of the best restaurants around, so they’re not hard to find.  Take a break from the Game of Life, put some fancy cheese and sausage on the best cracker you can find, and have a listen.

This is the episode where Jay and Jacob return to the airwaves after a hiatus of sorts, for Season Three (or something like that)!  You could say that they’ve been on a super long lunch break, but the truth is, not many Americans take long lunch breaks anymore.  It seems like the days of the three martini lunch (or the three iced tea meat and three) are gone.  It’s not universal, however, and Jay (the pharmacist who can’t leave the building) and Jacob (the minister/student with flexible hours) are the perfect pair to illustrate the difference.  And it wouldn’t be an episode about lunch without talking about their favorite lunch foods and places to get them.  Even if Jay has to eat it standing up.  This episode is best heard at lunch.