30 episodes

Each episode we look at important issues around food, and we talk to academics, activists, policymakers, nutritionists, chefs, or any expert who work on these issues.

Thought About Food Podcast Ian Werkheiser

    • Arts
    • 5.0 • 12 Ratings

Each episode we look at important issues around food, and we talk to academics, activists, policymakers, nutritionists, chefs, or any expert who work on these issues.

    Josh Milburn on Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals Part 2

    Josh Milburn on Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals Part 2

    This is Part 2 of an interview with Josh Milburn about his new book Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals. In this part of our conversation, we talk about our responsibilities toward and for wild animals that come under our care, such as in zoos or when we rescue wild predators.
    Show Notes:
    Follow us on Twitter at @FoodThoughtPod, and you can drop us a line at ThoughtAboutFood on Gmail. Rate our podcast and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts! It helps people find the show.
    We have a YouTube channel! It features more conversations about the meaning of food in our lives, and includes some great recipes to boot. Check it out here and subscribe!
    Dr. Josh Milburn is a Lecturer in Political Philosophy and a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at Loughborough University. You can learn more on his website or by following him on Twitter.
    Josh's new book is Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals from McGill-Queen's University Press. Check it out! 
    I was a guest on Josh's podcast Knowing Animals. If you haven't heard it before, take a listen to episode 157, in which we discuss Precision Livestock Farming.
    The intro and outro music is "Whiskey Before Breakfast" which is both a great traditional song and at least one thing that should definitely not be served to our companion animals. It was performed and shared by The Dan River Ramblers under a Creative Commons license.
    Appropriately, this time Josh shared a recipe with us for a vegan suet feeder from the book Happy Vegan Christmas, though as he warns us, results may vary depending on the ambient temperature where you are (specifically, is coconut oil solid where you live). Take a look!"Suet Cups for Winter Garden Birds500g / 1lb. 2 oz. coconut oil100ml / 3 1/2 fl. oz. / a generous 1/3 cup canola oil700g / 1lb. 9oz. / 5 cups mixed wild bird seedMelt the coconut oil in a pan and stir in the [canola oil] and seeds . Scoop the mixture into old cups (or other vessels such as milk bottles or plastic containers). To make sure the birds can sit and enjoy picking their seeds, I insert a stick into each cup. Leave the fat to set. Tie string or a ribbon around the cup's handle and hang it up in a tree or at a bird feeding station. For my chickens, I make seed cups without inserting the sticks."

    • 43 min
    Josh Milburn on Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals Part 1

    Josh Milburn on Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals Part 1

    This is Part 1 of an interview with Josh Milburn about his new book Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals. In this part of our conversation, we talk about his inspiration for the book, and focus on ethical issues with what we feed the cats, dogs, and birds that live with us.
    Show Notes:
    Follow us on Twitter at @FoodThoughtPod, and you can drop us a line at ThoughtAboutFood on Gmail. Rate our podcast and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts! It helps people find the show.
    We have a YouTube channel! It features more conversations about the meaning of food in our lives, and includes some great recipes to boot. Check it out here and subscribe!
    Dr. Josh Milburn is a Lecturer in Political Philosophy and a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at Loughborough University. You can learn more on his website or by following him on Twitter.
    Josh's new book is Just Fodder: The Ethics of Feeding Animals from McGill-Queen's University Press. Check it out! 
    The intro and outro music is "Whiskey Before Breakfast" which is both a great traditional song and at least one thing that should definitely not be served to our companion animals. It was performed and shared by The Dan River Ramblers under a Creative Commons license.

    • 1 hr 5 min
    Zane McNeill on Carceral and Anti-Carceral Veganism

    Zane McNeill on Carceral and Anti-Carceral Veganism

    We spoke with Zane McNeill about his new book Vegan Entanglements: Dismantling Racial and Carceral Capitalism and what “carceral veganism” and “anti-carceral veganism” means and looks like. We also discuss his other new book, Y’all Means All: The Emerging Voices Queering Appalachia.
    Show Notes:
    Follow us on Twitter at @FoodThoughtPod, and you can drop us a line at ThoughtAboutFood on Gmail. Rate our podcast and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts! It helps people find the show.
    We have a YouTube channel! It features more conversations about the meaning of food in our lives, and includes some great recipes to boot. Check it out here and subscribe!
    Zane McNeill is an activist and author who has published anthologies on anti-carceral veganism and queer and trans liberation with PM Press, Sanctuary Press, and Lantern Publishing and Media. They are also a contributing writer with Sentient Media and Law@theMargins.
    Zane's new book is Vegan Entanglements: Dismantling Racial and Carceral Capitalism from Lantern Press Media, and his other new book is Y'all Means All: The Emerging Voices Queering Appalachia. Check them out!
    Zane shared a recipe for Butternut Mac 'n Cheez that he had early in his career to being vegan that his mom made. Check it out, and we both recommend the Oh She Glows website generally.
    The intro and outro music is "Whiskey Before Breakfast" which is both a great traditional song and a not-straight-edge but certainly punk way to start the day. It was performed and shared by The Dan River Ramblers under a Creative Commons license.

    • 1 hr 11 min
    Amy Hay on The Defoliation of America

    Amy Hay on The Defoliation of America

    We spoke with Amy Hay about about her new book The Defoliation of America: Agent Orange Chemicals, Citizens, and Protests. In it, she examines protests over the use of the phenoxy herbicide for agriculture and other purposes by different groups of citizens (scientists, religious groups, Vietnam veterans, and environmental/health activists) in post-1945 America.
    Show Notes:
    Follow us on Twitter at @FoodThoughtPod, and you can drop us a line at ThoughtAboutFood on Gmail. Rate our podcast and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts! It helps people find the show.
    We have a YouTube channel! It features more conversations about the meaning of food in our lives, and includes some great recipes to boot. Check it out here and subscribe! The most recent video at the time of recording was made by a former student in Ian's Philosophy of Food class, talking about Arroz con Leche and eating it late at night with his grandmother and listening to stories from her childhood in Mexico.
    Amy Hay is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her research interests focus on 20th-century United States, Women/Gender History, and the histories of American medicine, public health, and the environment.
    Amy's new book is The Defoliation of America: Agent Orange Chemicals, Citizens, and Protests. Check it out!
    Amy shared a recipe for jambalaya which she says is the first recipe she really internalized and made her own. Here's the original, so take a look and modify it to suit you!"94121 Jambalaya Serves 4 or more from Roger Ebert’s The Pot and How to Use It: The mystery and romance of the rice cooker (Kansas City, KS: Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, 2010), 84.
    Ingredients:
    ½ onion, chopped
    Olive oil
    3 cups rice
    ½ cup white wine
    3 cups salted water or vegetable broth
    1 – 14 ounce sausage, cut into rounds
    Bok choy
    1 to 2 cups chicken
    Add as desired: Worcestershire sauce, Piment d’Espelette, red pepper flakes, or anything New Orleans-y such as shrimp or bell pepper.
    Method:
    1. Sauté the onion in olive oil in the Pot
    2. Add the rice and mix in unit until coated and moist
    3. Throw in some white wine if your wife isn’t looking
    4. Add the water or stock to the 3-cup line
    5. Brown 1 sausage, chopped into rounds
    6. After 10 minutes add the bok choy, sausage, and the cooked chicken
    7. The cooker should flip off after 15 minutes or so. Toss the ingredients and let sit another 10 to 15 minutes. Serve."

    The intro and outro music is "Whiskey Before Breakfast" which is both a great traditional song and something to study for its medicinal value as part of the popular epidemiology you're doing with your friends. It was performed and shared by The Dan River Ramblers under a Creative Commons license.

    • 1 hr 26 min
    Robert Skipper on Obesity

    Robert Skipper on Obesity

    We spoke with Robert Skipper about the social construction of obesity and some justice issues associated with that social construction, its roots in ancient philosophy, and obesity as a public health crisis. We also discuss the way he teaches philosophy of food to students, food as an aesthetic object, and more! It was a fascinating, wide-ranging conversation that I think you’ll really like.
    Show Notes:
    Follow us on Twitter at @FoodThoughtPod, and you can drop us a line at ThoughtAboutFood on Gmail. Rate our podcast and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts! It helps people find the show.
    We have a YouTube channel! It features more conversations about the meaning of food in our lives, and includes some great recipes to boot. Check it out here and subscribe! The most recent video at the time of recording was made by a former student in Ian's Philosophy of Food class, talking about Alfajores and the meaning those cookies have for her.
    Robert Skipper is Professor of Philosophy, Affiliate Professor of Environmental Studies, and Fellow of the Graduate School at the University of Cincinnati.
    Skip is our first guest to share a cocktail recipe, and he's shared two! As he says, "They’re originals, at least as far as any cocktail can be original." 
    Honey's Applejack
    1.5 oz Laird's Applejack.75 oz lemon juice.5 oz Benedictine.5 oz simple syrup2 dashes of Fee Bros Whisky Barrel Aged Bitters
    Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and, well, shake. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with apple.
    There are some good flavors of apple, honey (from the Benedictine) and cinnamon (from the bitters).
    The Armchair
    1.5 oz Old Overholt Rye1 oz China-China liqueur.75 oz Punt e Mes vermouth4 dashes of 1821 Havana and Hide bitters
    Combine ingredients in an ice-filled mixing glass. Stir for 30 seconds or until arctic. Strain into coupe. No garnish needed.

    The intro and outro music is "Whiskey Before Breakfast" which is both a great traditional song and a nice way to start a day that can continue with the recipe suggestions above. It was performed and shared by The Dan River Ramblers under a Creative Commons license.

    • 1 hr 16 min
    Julia Gibson on Philosophy and Farms

    Julia Gibson on Philosophy and Farms

    We spoke with Julia Gibson about being a philosopher living on a multi-generational farm co-owned by their extended family since 1795. As you might imagine, a lot of issues come up in a situation like that! We talk about how decisions are made for the farm, their current attempts to get a conservation easement to protect the farm into the future as the surrounding countryside gets developed, issues of justice involved with owning a farm on land that was originally stolen from indigenous people, and (in a connection to the last two episodes) her work as a vegan living on a farm with livestock and hunting, to think through animal rights, animal welfare, and how to talk about these things with her family. It's a great conversation; check it out!
    Show Notes:
    Follow us on Twitter at @FoodThoughtPod, and you can drop us a line at ThoughtAboutFood on Gmail. Rate our podcast and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts! It helps people find the show.
    We have a YouTube channel! It features more conversations about the meaning of food in our lives, and includes some great recipes to boot. Check it out here and subscribe! The first video we've uploaded was made by a former student in Ian's Philosophy of Food class, talking about carne asada and the meaning that food has for him.
    Julia Gibson is a philosopher who works at Antioch University New England while living on their family farm.
    Julia has a blog about "Life on Ryder Farm" that's well worth reading!
    Julia shared a recipe for vegan Buffalo Tofu Pizza. As she says, "I was trying to find a recipe using food on the farm, but my relationship to food on the farm is that I'm so happy to have fresh food that I just eat it. I wanted to share something I'm working on. The first time I made this it looked like a transporter accident. It was delicious! But hideous. I really love buffalo sauce, and I love that vegan buffalo sauce is just as easy as regular buffalo sauce.Recipe for Buffalo Tofu Pizza
    Pizza dough: homemade or store bought. Recipes abound online. I recommend using one that calls for half 00 flour and weighing it out.White Sauce:
    -1 cup raw cashews
    -3/4 cup vegetable broth
    -2 tbsp olive oil
    -1 tbsp lemon juice
    -1/4 nutritional yeast (or more to taste)
    -3 cloves garlic (or more to taste)
    -1/2 cup chopped white onion 
    -dash dried rosemary
    -dash black pepper
     
    1. Soak cashews overnight.
    2. Drain cashews and blend in food processor with broth, oil garlic, lemon juice, onion, nutritional yeast, and herbs.
     
    Buffalo sauce: It’s just original Frank’s RedHot and melted earth balance. Roughly 1:1, with a smidge more hot sauce than butter. Between 6-8 tbsp should do. You can always make more. 
     
    Tofu:
    -16oz firm or extra firm tofu
    -1/4 apple cider vinegar
    -2 tbsp tamari
    -1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
    -2 tsp garlic powder
    -1 tsp liquid smoke
    -dash black pepper
     
    1. Preheat oven to 350
    2. Cut tofu into 6-8 slices and arrange in single layer in a 8x8 glass baking dish.
    3. Combine other ingredients.
    4. Pour over tofu.(Flip once to get both sides.)
    5. Bake 30 minutes and flip. Bake 30 more minutes or until desired texture is achieved.
    6. Cube slices and toss with Buffalo sauce. 
     
    Ranch (makes more than you need):
    -1.5 cups Vegenaise or other vegan mayo
    -1/4-1/2 cup plain, unsweetened nondairy milk (I prefer WestSoy)
    -1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar
    -3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
    -dash dried parsley
    -dash dried dill
    -dash onion powder
    -pinch paprika
    -pinch black pepper
    -salt to taste
     
    Assembly:
     
    1. Preheat oven (and pizza stone if you have one) to 475. 
    2. Roll out pizza dough.
    3. Top with white sauce and cheese (I use daiya mozzarella).
    4. Scatter tofu on top. Drizzle with half of the remaining sauce.
    5. Bake for 8-12 minutes until crust is golden brown.
    6. Drizzle with more Buffalo sauce, ranch sauce, and chopped fresh dill. "


    The intro and outro music is "Whiskey Before Breakfast" which is both a great traditional song and a nice way to start a day of rambling aroun

    • 1 hr 32 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
12 Ratings

12 Ratings

Shanti Chu ,

Fascinating Podcast about Food!

This is an awesome podcast that asks important questions about food. We should all be thinking about these questions given how prevalent food is in our lives. Ian is a very thoughtful host who asks thought-provoking questions while also maintaining a light conversational tone.

Rosemary Wolohan Bierbaum ,

Thought about food

From the time I first listened to one of these podcasts, I have been struck by the great care given to clarity and honesty by both the host and his guests. I didn’t know much about the concepts of food justice and food sovereignty, although the little I had heard appealed to me greatly. I am still no expert, but Professor Werkheiser is broadening my knowledge with each episode, and I always look forward to the next one. He is so approachable and interesting that I’m sure I would greatly enjoy having a one-on-one conversation with him, and if I recorded it, I think I’d be tempted to call it, “My Dinner with Ian!“

Velius Spanoulias ,

Tough to beat

Ian is a highly skilled speaker and interviewer, to say nothing of his insights on these subjects. Cannot recommend more highly! Also, I hear that if you write down the first letter of his every third sentence, you get a secret message.

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