Lunch Box Podcast

Ed wrote a book about his childhood home. John’s thinking about the eighties. Together they discuss whether nostalgia is bad for art, the pig at the blueberry farm, science fiction and romance, Oaxacan cuisine, kids today with their monolithic half-century of cultural indoctrination, and how long a muffin stays tasty. Follow links to Quisp, Cross of Fire, They Came Like Swallows, Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca, Paperboy 2, and Sullivan’s Travels.

John went to Canada; Ed stayed home. Neither of them had roast beef. Together, they discuss, yes, restaurants and books, but also John’s chummy surgeon, Oscar’s wounded toe, Ed’s brush with embezzlement, and more. Follow links to Maangchi’s shaved ice, Kim Jong Grillin, Demarco’s Sandwiches, Lorna Crozier, Ethel Rackin, The Beat Generation, Slim Gaillard, The Barry Sisters, 10cc, Updike on Greer, Terrance Hayes, Great Place Books, and Daniel Hornsby.

Ed’s got brain fog and a bread machine, and John’s got a one-year-old and a lump under his ear. Both of them have a penchant for crime, more so in Scotland than elsewhere, and a list of favorite Lees and Riches. Follow links to H. G. Carillo in the New Yorker, Rose VL Deli, Oklahoma National Stockyards, Midsomer Murders, Malcolm Mackay’s Glasgow Trilogy, Simenon’s Maigret in New York, Yannis Ritsos’s Monochords, T. R. Johnson’s New Orleans: A Writer’s City, and Jordan Ellenberg’s How Not to Be Wrong.

John just got back from a very sweet Rosh Hashanah. Ed has a new job. Together, they discuss John’s new novel manuscript and why he wrote it, Ed’s ongoing musical adventure, why it takes a while to write back, whether it’s OK to get rid of your friends’ books, John’s parents’ weird neighbors, the people who buy specialized hardware, and what it’s like for a baby to learn to snap his fingers. Follow links to Blacksmith Bolt & Rivet Supply, the White Horse Machine catalog, the weird narratives of Lee Hazlewood, 24th and Meatballs, Smitten Kitchen knishes (please double the caramelized onions), The People’s Pig, za’atar spiced beet dip, The New Best Recipe, Maangchi’s eggplant side dish, Ina Garten’s banana sour cream pancakes, and Shalom Y’all.

Ed’s on a diet and is mad at poetry. John’s worried about his new books going unnoticed. Together they discuss some pretty OK TV shows, a few books published during the pandemic, whether artists should edit themselves, and what’s the point of book criticism. Follow links to Bob James’s “Take Me to the Mardi Gras”, Klara and the Sun, John’s GbV playlist, Work in Progress, Postcolonial Love Poem, Deaf Republic, office meetings held in Red Dead Online, and Idyllwild Writers’ Week.

Ed’s washing machine has become sentient, and John is looking a little gaunt. Only Ed has acquired a tuba, but both of them have gochujang in the fridge; and nine months into the pandemic, they’re not sure what other people even are anymore. They discuss teaching online, what to name Ed’s brass quintet, good people who recently died, and recent books worth reading. Follow links to Jamkazam, NRBQ, Arthur Russell, Shocking Blue, Miranda Popkey, Tony Rice, more Tony Rice, Sebastian Castillo, Priya Krishna, Maangchi, and Fanny.

Covid-19 had Ed and John feeling low, but now they’re all riled up. John’s avoiding joggers, chopping vegetables, and working on his Grease 4 spec script. Ed’s in a logjam at Target, trying to remember the bones of the hand, and getting schooled on roller skates. Together they discuss the unproduced Grease 3, escalators for grocery carts, H. C. Carrillo, the Brooks Brothers Riot, what Some Lovers try, The Country of Ice Cream Star, John Boos, Maangchi, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Jessica Lee, Lockwood on Updike, and the new Otessa Moshfegh.

Here’s another episode nipping at the heels of the last, because why not? Ed prefers homeschooling to regular schooling, and John prefers fun tasks to following the rules. They reminisce about teachers good and bad, then discuss the superfluity of certain pre-pandemic rituals, Covid truthers, country-influenced easy rock, and the car crash that took out Ed’s New-Yorker-funded cultivars. Follow links to Tomie dePaola, Fountains of Wayne Hotline, Fulks on Lightfoot, Rootsy Ramble, Eddie Rabbitt, Midland, Jessica Anthony, Amanda Eyre Ward, Elisa Gabbert, Samanta Schweblin, Thousand Dollar Car, and the Yamaha PS-20 home keyboard.

John’s under quarantine. Ed is now a full-time second-grade teacher. They discuss their respective escapes from their universities. All the restaurants are closed, so they don’t talk about that. John has been making electronic music; Ed has not softened his position on sports. John tries to persuade Ed to buy his kid Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Ed reluctantly agrees. Follow links to Songs to Wash Your Hands To, “The Little Car”, the new Ultimate Fakebook song, Buchla Synthesizers, Suzanne Ciani, Amber Sparks, Thom Gunn, William Maxwell, Stewart O’Nan, How to Rebuild a City, Night on the Galactic Railroad, Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers, and The Monster Project.

Ed’s eating sprouted breads for his high blood pressure. John’s lox and scrambled eggs were a little too salty. Together they discuss analog recording, men’s clothing, TV shows good and bad, seventies music, John’s daughter’s burning car, and upcoming literary events. Follow links to the guayabera, Joe Pera Talks with You, Jackson Browne’s “For Everyman”, Zappa’s “Honey, Don’t You Want a Man Like Me?”, more Barefoot Jerry, Grown Ups 3, The Best Show, Copper Canyon AWP new books event, and Idyllwild Writers’ Week.

Ed’s getting over a cold, John’s sabbatical is over, and they reunite for a mildly glum conversation about death, death, country music, mushroom cookery, editorial etiquette, good books, movies about writers, and death. Follow links to Bjork’s home studio, Ottolenghi’s mushroom recipes, Hands Across America, Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve, Larry McConkey filming Goodfellas, Watchmen episode 3, Barefoot Jerry, John and Stephanie’s country playlist, Blanco Brown, Sam Hunt, Marie-Helene Bertino, Audrey Schulman, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Juan Martinez, Mona Awad, and A Fine Madness.

Ed’s in Missoula, missing his family; John’s back from a couple of weeks out of town. They discuss the cuisine of the Canary Islands, passing a kidney stone on a bus trip, legendarily terrible literary readings, and good new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Special guest Justin Taylor stops by to talk with John about video games. Follow links to Canarian wrinkled potatoes, Steelcase Think chair, Ed’s poem in the New Yorker, Terro ant baits, Martin Logan speakers, “Truck Driver Divorce”, “The Dangerous Kitchen”, the Airstream Poetry Festival, Oasis Bordello Museum, butternut squash lasagna, Cuphead, Control, and books by Bordas, Ogawa, Bambrick, Row, Mockett.

Ed’s in Missoula; John’s uncomfortable. Changes have come to John’s office and posture, and Ed imagines being chased by tiny police. They discuss John’s wedding-celebration party in the Catskills and Ed’s culinary adventures in Missoula, a distinctive way of signing a book, chairs and people’s opinions about chairs, restaurants and thrift shops, and new experiments in claymation. Follow links to the Spillian Mansion, Dr. Banjo, Double Front Chicken, Mi Goreng noodles, Circle Square Secondhand, The Terror: Infamy, Tony Tost’s Johnny Cash book, NEEMFest 2019, and Claire Saffitz on Gourmet Makes.

John has given his graduation speech, to mixed reviews. Ed eats at a hibachi restaurant, to mixed reviews. The two of them mix it up over eggs fried and raw, cake that is also quiche that is also kugel, covering the Dead, androids that sweat and ants that don’t, how to learn to read and also fend off attackers, and whether Walt Whitman is great or just OK. Follow links to crispy rice and egg bowl, cauliflower and parmesan cake, Justin Taylor’s memoir of his father, an excerpt from Adam Price’s novel, the new Ben Lerner, the Big Book of Jewish Humor, the wise men of Chelm, tweet of the day, Goldmund Unleashed, I Saw in Louisiana A Live-Oak Growing, Utah Beach to Cherbourg, Tokio Table, Pawnsylvania, Old & in the Way, Alyssa Harad’s memoir, and the child ballads.

That’s right—Ed and John are back, sooner than expected. Ed’s doing better off of his diet than he was on it. John’s cooking up a bowl of revenge grits. Together they discuss Jane and Phil’s upstate vacation, elaboration in prose writing, trying not to repeat yourself, bluegrass innovation, passed appetizers both comestible and musical, John’s novel idea, and the appeal, to children, of advertising. Follow links to Graywolf’s Literary Soireé on May 15, Elvis’s Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits, David Chesworth’s 50 Synthesizer Greats, Bridgetown Bluegrass Festival, Zachary Lazar’s Vengeance, Susan Choi’s Trust Exercise, and Rhiannon Giddens.

John’s grappling with some technology. Ed’s got a child’s drum kit in his office. In this episode, they discuss AWP, graduation speeches, some good and underappreciated country music, the misery of social media, long-haul trucking, the most dangerous birds, Passover and other notable meal occasions, and John’s new ambient music act. Follow links to ducks in a row pajamas, the cassowary’s crime, “Tulsa Turnaround”, “Trucker’s Speed”, “Broke”, The Friendly City of Paragould, Franco’s Pizzeria, “New Used Car and a Plate of Bar BQ”, and Witch on Horseback.

In this episode of America’s favorite imaginary restaurant, John has been visiting the haunted gym and went on a voyage to specious lagoon. Ed’s wearing maritime camouflage and receiving bacon from a mysterious cast member. They discuss eating in Disney World, returning to social media, diet and exercise (verdict: boring), and a bunch of good new books. Follow links to Whispering Canyon Cafe, the Dole Whip, Zach Schomburg, fake Epcot twitter, C.D. Wright’s Casting Deep Shade, Sandra Newman’s The Heavens, Michael Dickman’s Days & Days, and The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo.

The holidays are done, and John has got himself a new desk and some opinions about Cheesecake Factory. Ed’s been furloughed and is taking liberties with dinner. He’s also planning a big party at AWP, and you should come. They’ve read a few good books and visited some artisanal web pages. Click through to follow links to Artie Butler, Around Midvale, John’s desk, So Fine, The Show that Never Ends, Abe Vigoda’s status, Joe Pesci’s short speech, Forged in Fire, “Sunny”, and books by Sandra Newman, Sally Rooney, Tory Dent, Catherine Barnett, and Ben Lerner and Alexander Kluge.

Ed’s gotta run—it’s time to take the Cinnamon Bear Cruise. John impersonates a man twice his age by complaining about bureaucracy, and cannot believe what the Elf on the Shelf is actually about. Both of them have written songs about women in clerical roles, and they welcome a guest to the show, Oscar, co-host, with Ed, of the new podcast Water Adventures. They also recommend some new books. Follow links to Cinnamon Bear, Sweet Pea Baking, Punk Rawk Labs, Anniversaries by Uwe Johnson, Sabrina by Nick Drnaso, Mother Winter by Sophia Shalmiyev, and The Word Pretty by Elisa Gabbert.

In this snowy week before Thanksgiving, Ed’s been mushroom hunting and visiting a haunted mansion with his brother, and John’s been making brisket and cooking in a videogame. They discuss getting lost in the woods, creepy houses on creepy roads, synthesizer shops, what to put on popcorn, putting Pernod into a martini, and favorite spicy flavors. Follow links to Big Action Spice Rub, Pittock Mansion, Shades of Death Road and a house for sale there, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Crystal Hot Sauce, Control Voltage, the King Bolete, and All the Rain Promises and More.