This Day Hippo For Thanksgiving w/ Dan Pashman [Thanksgiving Week]
Nov 27, 2025
Dan Pashman, host of The Sporkful and a food culture expert, joins the conversation. He dives into the wild 1910 proposal to import hippos for meat in the U.S., exploring how it aimed to address hunger and ecological issues. Dan shares insights on the taste of hippo, noting it's mild and affected by preparation. The discussion shifts to how cultural framing influences our taste perceptions and modern parallels in food trends, like lab-grown meat. Plus, Dan reveals his latest pasta creation, Cascatelli!
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Hippo Plan Shows Policy Seeking Big Fixes
- In 1910 lawmakers seriously proposed importing hippos to U.S. swamps to solve meat and ecological crises.
- The plan highlights how policy can chase dramatic technological fixes instead of systemic food changes.
Dan’s Closest Meat Experience
- Dan Pashman admits he has not tasted hippo meat.
- He compares his closest experience to eating colt in Europe where it's legal.
Meat Shortages Met Cultural Anxiety
- Early 20th-century America faced meat shortages from overhunting plus rising urban demand.
- Cultural anxieties about masculinity and the end of the frontier intensified pressure to find new meat sources.