How cool was it to have Anya von Bremzen in the studio? In this fast-paced episode, we cover Anya’s tremendous journalism career, which has brought her multiple James Beard Awards and a handful of reported books that are considered modern classics. These include the memoir Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking and her latest, National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home. We talk about what makes (or doesn’t make) a culture’s national dish, and how food writing has undergone great change in the past two decades.

Also on the show, Aliza and Matt catch up about the new SPAM® flavor, Cardamaro, a visit to the Albanese gummy bear factory store, goat butter ice cream, a great new book Imagine a City: A Pilot's Journey Across the Urban World, a great new movie Theater Camp, and a really smart sunburn recovery hack.

MORE FROM ANYA VON BREMZEN:

How Do Certain Foods Become National Dishes? [NYT]
The Problem with National Dishes [Saveur]
Say Ciao to Roscioli NYC, Direct From Rome [Resy]
People Love to Hate the Garlic Press [TASTE]

Maddison Brown - The Woman Behind The Character