Vittles and Vitals

Jacob Reed

A father and son talk through vital issues of culture and the vittles to which they are inevitably linked. Hosted by Jay Reed and Jacob Reed.

  1. 2025-02-24

    We Are GooGoo For GooGoo Clusters

    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!

    38 min

  2. 2025-01-27

    How Many Matcha Kit Kats Do They Try?

    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!

    35 min

  3. 2024-12-04

    The Real Food of the NC State Fair

    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!

    32 min

  4. 2024-10-21

    Why Do Burned Hydrocarbons Taste So Good?

    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.

    33 min

  5. 2024-10-07

    Jelly Bean Tast Test

    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!

    23 min

  6. 2024-09-16

    Fire and Spice and Everything Nice

    (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!

    40 min

  7. 2024-09-02

    To Feast Without Labor

    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.

    29 min

  8. 2024-08-26

    Catchup? Ketchup? You Decide!

    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!

    30 min
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About

A father and son talk through vital issues of culture and the vittles to which they are inevitably linked. Hosted by Jay Reed and Jacob Reed.

Information

  • Creator
    Jacob Reed
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jacob Reed
  • Show Website
    Vittles and Vitals