KQED's Forum

Culinary scientist Arielle Johnson describes flavor as “the thing that drives us to drop serious money on heirloom tomatoes. The reason we don’t just subsist on Soylent. The town where Guy Fieri lives.” Flavor is also molecules, according to Johnson, whose new book “Flavorama” explores how the chemistry of flavor informs how we perceive foods as salty or herbal, sour or sweet. Johnson, who also co-founded the fermentation lab at the critically acclaimed restaurant Noma, joins us to talk about the science of flavor, the complex interactions between our senses of taste and smell and how to create intense and unexpected flavors in our everyday cooking.Guests:Arielle Johnson, food scientist; author, "Flavorama: A Guide to Unlocking the Art and Science of Flavor"; co-founder and fermentation lab and science director, Noma in Copenhagen - a three-Michelin-star restaurant considered the best in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Radio host, journalist, musician, and musicologist Jesse “Chuy” Varela has been a treasured fixture of the Bay Area jazz scene for more than 40 years. When the Jazz Journalists Association honored him with their “Jazz Hero” award last year they wrote that “his deep knowledge of Latin American and Caribbean music has nurtured the boundaryless nature of the Bay Area’s scene, in which musicians prominently collaborate across the jazz/Latin jazz divide.” The KCSM program and music director will join us to talk about the history of Latin Jazz, including the Bay Area’s role…and play some of his favorite tunes.Guests:Jesse "Chuy" Varela, program and music director, KCSM JAZZ 91.1; host, "The Latin Jazz Show” on Sundays at 2 PM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adrian Ballinger, a mountain guide based in California, has reached Mt. Everest’s peak 8 times – including once without supplemental oxygen. Now that China has reopened the less-traversed north side route to foreigners, he’s headed back next month for the first time in four years. We talk to him about what draws hundreds of climbers to attempt to summit Mt. Everest every year, how to climb ethically and sustainably as ever more visitors descend on the mountain and what it feels like to be on top of the tallest peak in the world.Guests:Adrian Ballinger, mountain guide; founder, Alpenglow ExpeditionsGraham Cooper, member of Mt. Everest expedition team Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Department of Justice, along with 16 states including California, filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple last week. The government alleges that the trillion-dollar company’s practices around its iPhone have quashed competition by limiting access to its app store, constraining the ability to send messages across different platforms and blocking alternative wallet payment systems. The suit is part of a suite of antitrust legal actions aimed at breaking alleged monopolies by tech behemoths including Google, Meta, and Amazon. We’ll talk about what these suits mean for Apple’s devoted user base and the tech industry.Guests:Aaron Tilley, reporter, Wall Street JournalTim Wu, professor of law, science and technology, Columbia Law School; author, "The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age"Margaret O'Mara, Scott and Dorothy Bullitt professor of American History, University of Washington; author, "The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and author Abrahm Lustgarten discusses the potential mass migration in the U.S. due to climate change, projecting tens of millions of Americans relocating to escape wildfires, floods, and extreme heat. Insights on the impacts of climate change on agriculture and communities, wet bulb temperatures, and challenges individuals face when considering relocation for environmental reasons are explored.

You might not think that 224 pages devoted to a sixth grader’s tricky journey with braces would make for a bestseller, but since its publication in 2010, Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel “Smile” has remained hugely popular with the kid set. And her follow ups “Guts,” “Drama” and “Ghosts” have earned her rave reviews from kids, tweens, parents and librarians for the humorous, hopeful, and honest depictions of life as an anxious kid. We’ll talk to Telgemeier, a Bay Area native, about her work and how she taps into the zeitgeist of adolescence.Guests:Raina Telgemeier, author of "Smile," "Guts," and "Sisters," among other popular graphic novels for teens and kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring the challenges of modern romance in the digital age, from Gen Z's disillusionment with dating apps to the rise of specialized platforms for diverse relationships. Discussions on transitioning from online to in-person connections, the value of meaningful relationships over superficial attractions, and the trend of detailed Google Docs for dating purposes.

The rules that guide real estate transactions could soon change dramatically. As part of a $418 million legal settlement, the powerful National Association of Realtors has agreed to eliminate the standard 6-percent sales commission. Under the settlement, subject to a judge’s approval, home listings will no longer automatically offer commission to buyers’ agents, requiring buyers to negotiate fees upfront. We’ll talk about what that might mean for realtors, consumers, and Bay Area home prices.Guests:Nicole Friedman, reporter, Wall Street Journal - where she covers the U.S. housing market and the home building industryVanessa Gamp, president, San Francisco Association of RealtorsJenny Schuetz, senior fellow, Brookings - where her research focuses on improving housing and land use policies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There was a time when the nation was gripped by an epidemic that leaders felt went to the moral core of the country: bad posture. In her new book, “Slouch,” University of Pennsylvania historian Beth Linker recounts how curved spines, rounded shoulders, and slumped backs were considered reflections of moral fitness, the ability to hold a job, and even intelligence. We’ll talk to Linker about this “posture panic” that contributes to the ableism we see today, and we’ll hear from you: How’s your posture?Guests:Beth Linker, author, "Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America"; professor of history and sociology of science, University of Pennsylvania Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Judith Butler wrote the pioneering book “Gender Trouble” in 1990, they introduced us to the nascent field of gender theory. Now, more than three decades later, gender has become a catch-all term and bogeyman for conservative movements around the world. It’s become a lightning rod for social anxieties, Butler argues, about sex, feminism, racial equality and queer existence. In their latest book, Judith Butler asks: “Who’s Afraid of Gender?” And why? We’ll talk with Butler about how gender became such an incendiary buzz word and why we still struggle to find common language around it.Guests:Judith Butler, distinguished professor in the Graduate School Department of Comparative Literature, University of California, Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices