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The Ringer
Dave Chang has a few questions. Besides being the chef of the Momofuku restaurants and the creator and host of Netflix’s 'Ugly Delicious,' Dave is an avid student and fan of sports, music, art, film, and, of course, food. In ranging conversations that cover everything from the creative process to his guest’s guiltiest pleasures, Dave and a rotating cast of smart, thought-provoking guests talk about their inspirations, failures, successes, fame, and identities.
How American Pragmatism Can Facilitate Environmentalism With Tyler Huggins
After a drop-in visit from the Podfather, who then proceeds to rejoice in the pleasures of populist food and culture, Dave and Chris speak with Tyler Huggins—CEO and cofounder of Meati Foods. He brings his unique point of view on environmentalism and sustainable food systems to address the problem of a potential global protein shortage with Meati: a meat alternative made out of mycelium. Other topics include ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (again), backcountry splitboarding, and what to do with a year’s worth of elk meat.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guests: Tyler Huggins and Bill Simmons
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aleya Zenieris, and Gabi Marler
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01:43:2113/02/2023
The Past, Present, and Future of Food Writing
After an illuminating game in which Dave asks Chris to guess which 2023 food trend listicle was written by ChatGPT vs. a real person, they debate the relevancy of food writing in a world ruled by social media and where food media will go from here. Other topics include the diet changes that aging brings, being the Tom Brady of eating, and how to update the James Beard Foundation Awards for our times.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aleya Zenieris, and Gabi Marler
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01:08:0309/02/2023
Buying and Selling 2023 Food Trends With Chris Bianco and Euno Lee
Chris and Dave have enlisted their good friends Euno Lee and Chris Bianco to trade in the cultural stock market. Euno pitches food trends that he predicts will hit the market in 2023, including high-end mortadella, experiential dining in theme parks, fried chicken skins, A5 Wagyu, and mushroom coffee, to Dave, Chris Ying, and Chris Bianco. They then have two minutes to justify why they are buying or selling the trend. Other topics include Arby’s, Musso & Frank Grill, and how to introduce your kids to pastrami sandwiches.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guests: Euno Lee and Chris Bianco
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aleya Zenieris, Eduardo Ocampo, and Gabi Marler
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01:47:0806/02/2023
Vegetable Prep 101, Dave’s Oscar Wish, and Top Five Citrus Fruits | Ask Dave
Chris and Dave dive into the Discord to answer your burning questions, such as what to do with old cooking oil, what’s the best kind of vegetable peeler, mayo vs. butter on grilled cheese, and how to learn knife skills at home. Other topics include the proper way to brunoise a shallot, the 'Avatar' sequel, 'Top Gun: Maverick' vs. 'Everything Everywhere All At Once,' culinary catfishing, kitchen shears, and Dave’s top five favorite citrus fruits.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aleya Zenieris, Cory McConnell, and Gabi Marler
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01:02:2602/02/2023
The New Celebrity Chefs and the Art of Waiting in Line | My Opinion Is Fact
Dave and Chris feel their age with a conversation about morning pills, how they will approach hair loss and graying when it comes for them, and the new celebrity chefs that are taking over the food world, from Mr. Beast to Keith Lee. Then, Noelle joins them to talk about the art of waiting in line and how to act when forced to wait unnecessarily, as well as ugly vitamin packs, and the new Sierra Mist reboot Starry.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Noelle Cornelio
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aleya Zenieris, Cory McConnell, and Gabi Marler
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01:40:0430/01/2023
The Future of the Ratings System, and How Gambling Could Change the Food World
Dave and Chris explore Dave’s thoughts from his time in a homemade sensory-deprivation chamber (a New York apartment with blackout blinds), including why stars are the ratings system of choice, Vlad the Impaler, and ‘The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House’ on Netflix. Then, they theorize about how gambling and betting could change the world of food, from the James Beard Awards to futures betting in restaurants. Other topics include Pokémon supremacy, the pure joy of Mario Bros., the best sauce for french fries, and kimchi made via genetic algorithm.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Cory McConnell, Richie Bozek, and Gabi Marler
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01:29:3126/01/2023
Media Distortion and Lobster vs. Crab
Dave and Chris discuss the outsized response to Dave’s comments about Costco rotisserie chicken and how clickbait media distorts our views. Then, they go over everything Dave ate in Boston, including comparative oyster studies and the age-old debate of lobster versus crab.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Cory McConnell, Richie Bozek, and Gabi Marler
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01:09:5123/01/2023
Talking Wastewater Treatment With an Expert, and Ranking the Best Eating Cities in the U.S.
Dave and Chris are first joined by environmental wastewater treatment expert Marylee Santoro to discuss how sewage systems work and what can go wrong. Then, they talk about the recent wave of laws banning gas lines in new buildings, and the benefits and drawbacks of induction cooking, before ranking the best eating cities in the U.S.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Marylee Santoro
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aleya Zenieris, and Gabi Marler
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01:36:2819/01/2023
Predicting Trends in the Cultural Stock Market
As Dave and Chris begin by predicting which U.S. cities will house the next generation of restaurants, they engage in a game of buying or selling pieces of culture. Other topics include an hour-long argument with Ivan Orkin over $50,000 meals, Dave’s betrayal at the hands of tinned fish, and the endless headache of restaurant plumbing.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall and Gabi Marler
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01:23:5017/01/2023
Food Is Art. So Why Do People Treat It Differently?
Dave and Chris dive into the rich and complex topic of food as art and chefs as artists. As they continue their speculation about how the restaurant industry will change to meet this moment, they ask the question of why food experiences are treated differently from other forms of art. It wouldn’t be crazy to spend $60,000 on a painting, so why isn’t there a food experience at that price point and why are people stubbornly against it?
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Aleya Zenieris, and Gabi Marler
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01:37:1212/01/2023
Dave Chang Goes to Costco and Unraveling the Truffle Conundrum
Dave and Chris buckle in for an odyssey across southern California, from the potentially drug-addled haze of Joshua Tree to the deal-induced fervor of Costco. Other topics of conversation include Domino's Pizza, food health and safety standards, the opening of Torrisi in New York City, and whether it’s okay to like tikka masala. Then, they discuss the differences between commercial truffle products and the real thing and how truffle has become more of a status symbol than a delicious thing to eat.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall and Aleya Zenieris
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01:49:5709/01/2023
Dave Chang's New Year's Resolutions
Dave Chang shares his New Year's resolutions for the upcoming year, then Dave and Chris swap stories about their holiday celebrations.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall and Noelle Cornelio
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01:00:2205/01/2023
Savoring the Old, But Craving the New | My Opinion Is Fact
In Part 2 of our epic year-end MOIF, Dave, Chris, and Noelle reveal, at long last, their favorite meals of 2022—and then attempt to understand how diners and critics might reshape the conversation around the most celebrated restaurants in the world. Also: where Dave ate the most this year, the Keens-MSG combo, a Korean quadrinity, Noelle's Philadelphia picks, Cantonese pork belly, New York sushi, European BBQ, spooning with Dave, and the gang's New Year's resolutions.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Noelle Cornelio
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Lala Rasor
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53:4026/12/2022
A Year-End Visit from Restaurant Nostradamus | My Opinion Is Fact
In Part 1 of a holiday-straddling year-end double episode, Dave, Chris, and Noelle review a few cultural and personal high points of our latest spin around the sun—and then leap ahead to read the tea leaves on the culinary trends of 2023. Tune in next week for their favorite meals of the year, but first, in Part 1: ugly Ewok sweaters, holiday canapés, killing your palate to make it stronger, the incredible length of 2022, Dave's top song on Spotify, predicting Noelle's response to Avatar 2, springing for the plunge pool, the filet mignon of TV shows, a walkalator PSA, and a dorayaki augury.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Noelle Cornelio
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Lala Rasor
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50:4622/12/2022
A Very Dave Chang Christmas | My Opinion Is Fact
Fill up your eggnog cup and start peeling those roasted chestnuts, because it’s time for a guide to Christmas, the Dave Chang way: what to eat, what to avoid, and how to maneuver your way around hungry guests, restless kids, and the inner desire to spend several days prepping a duck. Assembled around the auditory Yule log: Rutger Hauer, hummus forecasting, Faviken tobacco, alternative GORP recipes, Inka Corn, how Keith Ying eats dumplings, Christmas cookies vs. gingerbread houses, huaraches that got away, pro-Scrooge attitudes, Dave’s matzo ball soup, what Hugo wants for Christmas, mall Santas, advent calendars, and the worst holiday job to have in a restaurant kitchen.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Isaiah Blakely
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57:4019/12/2022
Deal-Hunting at Disneyland, and Deliciousness in the Age of AI
According to OpenAI’s ChatGPT program: “In this episode of the ‘Dave Chang Show,’ Dave and Chris recount their recent trip to Disneyland and share their experiences navigating the park while trying to eat turkey legs without making a mess. They also discuss the potential for AI to revolutionize the way we think about food and the culinary industry, and touch on the classic film ‘Demolition Man’ and its predictions for the future of dining. Finally, Dave and Chris talk about recent breakthroughs in fusion energy and the potential for this technology to change the world. Tune in for a fun and informative conversation with Dave and Chris.” Not bad, robot friend! Thank you so much. Please don’t hurt us.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Isaiah Blakely
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01:01:1315/12/2022
Prime Rib, Pop Stars, and Dave Chang’s Holiday Hotline | My Opinion Is Fact
Wedged between a week of on-set cooking and the next wave of holiday meals, Dave, Chris, and Noelle reflect on reindeer snacks, chuck-roast frontiers, and the large-format meals for which the season provides a reason. Plus: Croatia vs. Brazil, geopolitical penalty kicks, Andrew Luck, Olivia Rodrigo, armchair therapist Chris Ying, home cooking vs. pro cooking, shioyaki fish, Yorkshire pudding, hot pot vs. fondue, anti-elf sentiment, dealing with a Christmas tree in NYC, FaceTiming Santa, the Feast of the Seven Fishes vs. Bò bảy món, abalone sauce, and another Chinese-restaurant-menu debate.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Noelle Cornelio
Producers: Sasha Ashall and Jordan Bass
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01:03:3212/12/2022
The Glory of Complicated, Simple, Crazy, Beautiful, Stupid Art (and Life), With Jerry Saltz
Pulitzer Prize–winning art critic, beloved 'Dave Chang Show' guest, and 'Art Is Life' author Jerry Saltz returns to the show to survey the state of art and food in 2022, and to deliver a bracing dose of motivation to Dave, Chris, and anyone else out there embarking on a potentially terrifying creative endeavor. Also: ancient DNA, private psyches, Chris Ofili, Laurie Anderson, zombie formalism, the end of linear time, dirty shamans, Jasper Johns, caveman cooking, F. Murray Abraham, Ai Weiwei, "The Raft of the Medusa," Dolly Parton, fighting your demons, Neal Brennan, Thomas Kinkade, art vs. craftsmanship, Cy Twombly, Jason Polan, and a Coen Brothers debate.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Jerry Saltz
Producers: Sasha Ashall and Jordan Bass
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01:32:0908/12/2022
Air-Fryer Experiments and Pasta Dark Arts
With the holiday-cooking hurricane behind them—for now!—Dave and Chris take stock of how they weathered the storm. Appraised in the post-mortem: Dave’s pie-making grade, how to make a turkey drink water, quadruple-decker puff pastry, bear-fat apple pie, the Josh Skenes potluck shock wave, 'Scarface'-ing the kitchen, forgetting your homemade feuilletine, guest list–cut day, Shandong chicken, Norman Rockwell meets Mama Chang, pancake revelations, and the excruciating beauty of brutal food honesty.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall and Jordan Bass
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56:3405/12/2022
'Noma 2.0': No Compromises, With René Redzepi
Dave and Chris welcome back their old friend René Redzepi, chef at the ever-adventurous and likely epoch-defining Noma, to catch up after three years apart and discuss the just-released 'Noma 2.0: Vegetable, Forest, Ocean.' Plus: the limitations of success, the fermentation pigeonhole, fear in Europe, what happens when your restaurant’s energy costs go up 700 percent, a rink on the brink, the book you want vs. the book they want, Redzepi’s first restaurant job, an epiphanic pineapple, cooking with a true Viking, musk ox tartare, the candelabra era, George Orwell’s dishwasher days, moss sushi, harvesting wild kiwis, Noma goes to Kyoto, and René and Dave make a few predictions about the cutting-edge restaurants to come.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: René Redzepi
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Aleya Zenieris
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01:05:5201/12/2022
The Dave Chang Thanksgiving Kickoff Show
While other podcasts take a holiday, Dave Chang delivers a last-minute motivational episode covering everything the home cook needs to remember in the hours ahead—and then recruits Chris for the return of a classic 'Dave Chang Show' debate: how to navigate the extensive temptations of an L.A -area Chinese-restaurant menu. Plus: the state of the supermarkets, putting on the eye paint, teaching your children to swear, potluck dream teams, asking your guests to bring the turkey, buying the worst possible pumpkin pie, chasing your main course to the other side of fear, the Rambo mindset, Potemkin menus, top-tier Peking duck, skipping the abalone section, a solo order of fried bones, and a crispy-noodle secret.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Mike Wargon, Jordan Bass, and Lala Rasor
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01:05:2524/11/2022
The Dave Chang Thanksgiving Playbook, Part 2 | My Opinion Is Fact
With the holiday just days away, Dave takes stock of his culinary game plan, and of the potential perils that still lie ahead—and then jumps into a gravy-soaked MOIF with Noelle and Chris. Included in the table-buckling spread: the full Dave Chang Thanksgiving Menu lineup, emptying the fridge by any means necessary, the six essential starches, za’atar-dusted kabocha with labneh, breaking down squash with a band saw, 'Dances With Wolves,' how Dave makes gravy, beurre noisette, the Big Aristotle, and taking a stand against appetizers.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Noelle Cornelio
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Lala Rasor
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49:3921/11/2022
The Strangeness of Memory and the Weird Ecstasy of Youth
Dave and Chris sit down with author and critic Hua Hsu to talk through his new book, 'Stay True'—a searing memoir of friendship disrupted by sudden tragedy, and (for Dave) an almost unsettlingly relatable portrait of 1990s life. Also: vocal aromas, circular breathing, feeling like the stuff you like is better than everything else, defining yourself through arcana, going on the internet for the first time, Berry Gordy’s 'The Last Dragon,' East Coast Asian friction, distributed Chinatowns, raw marinated crab, teaching at a factory for hip young people, being really into quinoa, Dave Chang at 18, the doomsday outlook, Stephen Malkmus and George Clinton, EQ love languages, 'Gilmore Girls,' Gavin Rossdale, Y2K fears, and listening to the 'Pulp Fiction' soundtrack from beginning to end.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Hua Hsu
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Lala Rasor
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01:19:1717/11/2022
The Dave Chang Thanksgiving Playbook | My Opinion Is Fact
At T-minus ten days, Dave breaks down a few of his favorite Thanksgiving strategies—from turkey prep, to fridge logistics, to the exciting but unfairly neglected world of bonus proteins. With hard lessons drawn from both home kitchens and high-end ones, this is one to listen to as you build out your own battle plan—or as you sit back and feel thankful that you're going out to eat this year instead. Plus: Gus Chang's daily routine, sumo-wrestler stew, Dave's lost Budweiser commercial, styrofoam plates, spicy gravy, the spatchcock moment, basting vs. brining, honey-baked ham, expanding the turducken paradigm, and a Thanksgiving trend-forecast lightning round.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall and Jordan Bass
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01:02:3814/11/2022
Billion-Dollar Dreams and Jedi Kitchen Interventions | #AskDave After Dark
With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, the latest delirious #AskDave turns toward a bevy of holiday-navigation questions—while also considering Squid Game (Chris Ying Edition), the on-set artist-trailer lifestyle, a stuffing recipe to unite America, fish sauce and palm sugar, picture-book protagonist permanence, Michael Keaton, getting blocked on the Powerball app, the C+ scholarship, choosing between remodeling your kitchen and burning your house down, the Wittgenstein gambit, Thanksgiving in Australia, Japanese KFC, the Prime Directive vs. the Dulles Doctrine, and a 'Dave Chang Show' spice-drawer challenge.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall and Jordan Bass
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57:5710/11/2022
Cooking Without a Net
In our second State of the Studio episode, Dave and Chris sit down with their MDM partner Dave “DOC” O’Connor to size up food TV from both sides of the screen—what it’s like to make it, and what’s missing by the time someone tunes in to watch it. Then, before a lightning-round of Ask Dave (but double-the-Dave), they break down the new kind of programming Dave C. wants to bring to the medium. Plus, stay tuned for: Taxicab Confessions, pitching YouTube with Tony Bourdain, HBO nondisclosure agreements, going to Durham to sit with Coach K, dropping your hairnet into the soup, making a cooking show for someone from the 1600s, auto-tune cooking, learning through failing, BeReal planning, landing in the poseur pile, rating the Spotify office building, a Ralph Wiggum moment, and Dave’s pastry quest.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Dave O’Connor
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Aleya Zenieris
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01:07:0307/11/2022
From Chopped Cheese to Chengdu, With Ghetto Gastro
The quartet behind 'Black Power Kitchen', the first book from Ghetto Gastro, sit down in the studio with Dave and Chris to discuss the long road from the Bronx, and the power of breaking bread. Also: Dave’s lost cookbook collection, Clive Cussler, Thomas Kinkade, comic-con for food nerds, the pan-African pantry, takoyaki and conch fritters, chili-lime liberation, Chino-Latino cuisine, the corn pancakes at Rosetta, St. Lucia saltfish, Jamaican curry, and Hailey Bieber sea-moss smoothies.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guests: Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, Lester Walker, and Osayi Endolyn
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Aleya Zenieris
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01:08:0403/11/2022
Dave Chang Predicts the Future (of Restaurants)
He’s been right (and wrong!) many times before, and now Dave’s stepping up to the crystal ball once again. What sort of strategies, service styles, and so-stupid-they’re-smart concepts will restaurants reinvent themselves around in the years to come? Tune in for the blizzard of predictions, and consider stealing an idea or two to make the prophecy come true. Discussed along the way: invite-only restaurants, the end of food photography, Dave’s Korean-BBQ buffet, the point-forward model, convergent evolution, the sushi-bro scourge, eating good food while you’re watching Tiesto, Charlie Chaplin, the dinner at the beginning of 'Goodfellas,' the 'Memento' approach to dating, the zhug moment, beef wellington, Oriental Garden, and throwing down the live-cooking gauntlet.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producers: Sasha Ashall, Jordan Bass, and Aleya Zenieris
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53:0331/10/2022
The Power of Being Unreasonable
Dave calls up Will Guidara, the front-of-house half of the partnership that took Eleven Madison Park to the top of the hospitality stratosphere, to talk about Will’s new book (‘Unreasonable Hospitality’), how he reshaped EMP, and what the next generation of cutting-edge restaurants might look like. Also: coffee that tastes like soup, instant-ramen ratios, oomori servings, the fruit-medley gambit, macaroni ephemerality, waiting for grunge in the disco age, Jasper Johns, Danny Meyer, Bill Belichick, going hard in the paint, the Dreamweaver, rolling out the Budweiser cart, exceeding your mentors, Sean Brock, a croissant parable, and changing before you have to change.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Will Guidara
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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01:05:3827/10/2022
When Fear of the Unknown Meets the Need to Change Your Life
With the do-or-die plans for MDM’s next phase finally in motion, Dave, Chris, and Noelle sit down for a soul-baring state of the union. They discuss how Dave thinks about big swings in the face of existential risks, in restaurants, and everywhere else. Also: the coming XLB strain, Dave building his ark, restaurant problem-solving vs. real-life problem-solving, Rob Dyrdek, the one-basket strategy, “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” what gives restaurants a pulse, enjoying the moment when you have a deprivation mentality, throwing your phone in the trash can, billionaire indicators, and the crucial importance of an uncompromising vibe.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Noelle Cornelio
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Cory McConnell
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55:5924/10/2022
SteakTok, Tasting Menus, and the Next DC Show Challenge
Venturing behind the scenes of the best kitchens of the world and Dave’s own decidedly uneven TikTok feed, Dave and Chris map out the best ways to navigate over-the-top marathon dinners, social media pseudo-experts, and several other perils of modern life—and then debate how and when the Wheel of Constraint might rear its spinning head again. Plus: Nobu water, temperance menus, surviving the French Laundry wine pairing, Kool Moe Dee, brutally hard canapé stations, bailing after the bread course, moonlighting in WWE, steak-prep superstitions, going to war with Gordon Ramsay, caveman artists, Max Verstappen, yam-shaming, onigiri stuffing, and imagining a world history fantasy league.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass, Cory McConnell, and Aleya Zenieris
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56:2020/10/2022
How Chefs Eat
Midway through their eating careers, how do Dave and his fellow food obsessives appraise the dishes they first loved, and how do they find new ones to rank as great? Dave lays out what he looks for now, then he and Chris compare notes on the do’s and don’ts of shopping at Asian grocery stores. Also: recording in the pillow room, Dave’s football career, foie gras dreams, the lost art of sauces, a perfect pluot, Nantua crayfish, Grace’s favorite K-town market, navigating the five chives, 99 Ranch, Chinese burritos, evaporating furniture, Ikea food, nutmeg theft, the Dave Chang Millennium Prize, overnight oats, and shopping like you’re in the 1800s.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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56:3217/10/2022
Becoming a Tourist in Your Own City | My Opinion Is Fact
Looking at a hopefully post-pandemic New York from all different angles—the vibe-drenched streets of Dimes Square, a festival stage in Chelsea, Jean-Georges’s lastest masterwork in the South Street Seaport, and the moments after a could-have-been-worse car crash on the West Side Highway—Dave’s offering up some predictions of what’s next for his hometown. Then, to round things out, Chris and Noelle tag in for a whirlwind MOIF, covering such timeless topics as driving snacks, post-apocalyptic In-N-Outs, National Yorkshire Pudding Day, Dutch babies, and the beauty of Kidz Bop K-pop.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Noelle Cornelio
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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53:3613/10/2022
Extremely Spicy Noodles and the Raw Crab Frontier | #AskDave
Dave and Chris are breaking in the new MDM office with an on-the-fly #AskDave, covering all the topics other shows are afraid to talk about: fear in Home Depot, MacGyver-ing your own podcast studio, treating scimitar wounds, NASA-approved hot sauces, the problem with tater tots, bachelor pad grocery budgets, Transitions lenses, burping your kimchi jars, psilocybin butter sauce, and Dave’s favorite vegetable.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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57:1910/10/2022
You Catch It, I’ll Cook It
Chasing the thrill of a DIY meal from Nairobi to Japan to Alhambra, Dave and Chris ponder hot-pot economics and then call up 'Chefs vs. Wild' host Kiran Jethwa for a closer look at what its contestants were up against—and at where it might go next. Also encountered along the way: unapologetically Asian farmers markets, jalapeño cream cheese rolls, cooking a whole ostrich, watching George Clinton at the Hartford jai alai center, WC dad fails, cabbage arbitrage, not getting trampled by an elephant, the survival bubble, a big pile of delicious matsutake mushrooms, cooking over fire, diving the fjords, barbecued goat, Kenyan chapatis, and the best place to go out to eat with your kids in L.A.
'Chefs vs. Wild' is out now on Hulu.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Kiran Jethwa
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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58:4206/10/2022
Pizza in the Morning, Pizza at Night | My Opinion Is Fact
With another new MDM show out on Hulu, Pizzana chef and 'Best in Dough' judge Daniele Uditi weighs in on great pizza, bizarro pizza, and pizza that should probably be called something else entirely. Then Dave, Chris, and Noelle dive into their own 'Best in Dough'-inspired pizza reveries. Plus, working in kitchens vs. working in TV, Manhattan cyclist Dave Chang, breakfast pizza, matzoh pizza, the wellspring of pizza authority, when a game becomes your life, dipping some bread in the Sunday gravy, the Neapolitan formula, sushi on pizza, baked-bean pizza, Daniele’s inner Super Mario, why fermented dough is like a 5-year-old child, Anthony Mangieri, NYC water, and the Proustian pizza Dave still dreams of.
'Best in Dough' is out now on Hulu.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guests: Daniele Uditi and Noelle Cornelio
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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59:2403/10/2022
Desperation and Deliciousness on 'Chefs vs. Wild'
In celebration of Majordomo Media’s newest Hulu show, 'Chefs vs. Wild,' Dave, Chris, and Noelle appraise their own chances of making it through a multi-day, survivalist-foraging gauntlet in the remote Canadian wilderness—and Chris calls up contestant Viet Pham to hear how intense the adventure really was. Also: 'Survivorman,' 'Naked and Afraid,' imagining what would happen if the people on 'Alone' could cook, Dave volunteering as tribute, bringing out Perkins’s tent for Season 2, hermit Chris, camping vs. glamping, building your own wizard staff, cinnamon rolls on a stick, the whole-ham gambit, foraging in Central Park, Nicolai Nørregaard, the 'Rambo IV' workout, getting tantalized by matsutakes, elk broth tea, the rotisserie-chicken sleeping method, and the very best oyster you’ve ever had in your life.
The first four episodes of 'Chefs vs. Wild' are out now on Hulu.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guests: Viet Pham and Noelle Cornelio
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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01:09:5229/09/2022
The Rings of Power and a Perfect Sandwich | My Opinion Is Fact
Inspired by the last episode, Dave went fishing—and returned with stories of crushing defeat on the high seas and exhilarating victory at the hotel restaurant. Plus: a toast to Chris Bianco, angering the Mayan gods, a little lobster shack near Punta Allen, searching for John Borda, thermo-irreversible gels, confidence cooking, Mr. Beast Burger, skiing the quadruple black diamond, watching elves on your iPad, explaining Númenor on a boat, potato salad sandwiches, befriending paleontologists, Son Heung-min, watching the Great British Bake-off on the treadmill, and the long-awaited return of Isaac Lee.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Isaac Lee
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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01:01:4426/09/2022
What It Takes to Find Great Fish | My Opinion Is Fact
Determined to eat more seafood but dismayed by what he sees on the shelf, Dave surveys the state of the seascape for the American home cook, and offers a few of his rules for steering clear of the second-rate stuff. Also: restaurant fish vs. supermarket fish, breaking out the yanagi, the deliciousness of fish skin, shellfish protocol, spicy tuna rolls, dining-room aquariums, swordfish au poivre, 'A Fish Called Wanda,' my friend pompano, Bordier butter, citrus partisanship, serving anchovies to guests, and Noelle weighs in on Wetzel’s.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Noelle Cornelio
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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54:2022/09/2022
Expiration Dates, Sandwich Risks, and Ice and Fire Eating | #AskDave
In a rare before-sunset Q&A, Dave fields a new volley of listener questions—and returns fire with takes on mori soba, typhoon summers, masochistic salarymen, the permafat tonkotsu layer, kimchi fridges, Idaho shrimp, Pharrell Williams, a Chris Ying dancing meme, baked ziti, Korean-mom rumor networks, blanching beef, lemur puffs, egg rafts, gelatin wizardry, deploying the giant ice ball at the hot pot spot, bringing your air fryer to McDonald’s, craft-service sandwiches, and a lunch-mystery Matlock moment. Plus, listen to the end for the table-turning debut of #DaveAsks, in which our host has a few questions of his own.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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53:0819/09/2022
The Next Wave of Korean Cuisine
With summer over and school in session, it’s officially a new year for restaurants—and Dave has a few soon-to-open places on his must-visit list, and a few predictions to make about where things might go next. Plus: Hugo escape tactics, pre-K John Bonham, fake Momofuku menus, the no-PR approach, making bad situations happen, befriending your nemesis, the return of Superiority Burger and Torrisi Italian Specialties, Kwame Onwuachi, Mariscos Jalisco, the rise of hwe, grocery-store kimbap, crossing the soondae threshold, the stew restaurant Dave dreams of, a kung pao pastrami pipeline, the CIA, Josh Giddey, the other CIA, and the beauty of restaurants that own their own real estate.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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01:07:4315/09/2022
Introducing Kids (and Ourselves) to New Foods and New Flavors | Clean Plate Club
With a passel of hungry, up-and-coming eaters to please, Dave and Chris face a big question every day: Can their cooking help their kids embrace new tastes and new combinations? (And: Is it too late to expand their own deeply seasoned palates, too?) They call up “disgust studies” expert Dr. Paul Rozin to learn more, and offer up an array of their own takes on flying with kids, the A-Team, condensed Hanukkah, the milkshake cow, Dave’s older brother, sea cucumber fried rice, imagining the next uni, getting rejected from the intergalactic senate, ikura as forbidden fruit, Gus going against eggs, and the exalted, trip-off-the-tongue omega-3 that is docosahexaenoic acid. With the help of our friends at buybuy BABY, this is Round 3 of ‘Clean Plate Club.’
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Dr. Paul Rozin
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass, Noelle Cornelio, and Lala Rasor
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01:08:1212/09/2022
Mall Food, the Chef Who Changed the Game, and Getting Better As You Get Older
A week by the seaside has Dave finding inspiration at both Wetzel’s Pretzels and Nobu Malibu, and thinking about all the shapes the second half of a creative career can take. He catches Chris up on his misadventures, and contemplates Robuchon potatoes, the Santa Monica promenade, hot dogs on tasting menus, spirulina boosts, stroller dogs, vampire rules, knockoff mercenaries, fried rock shrimp, what some restaurants can get away with, the Nobu Goodbye, Peruvian sushi, storing your knife rolls, LCD Soundsystem, and attempting the impossible.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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56:3008/09/2022
Brigades, 'The Bear', and How Kitchens Work
With a couple more 'Bear' episodes under his belt, Dave dives into a breakneck elucidation of one of the show’s dramatic engines—the classical Escoffier kitchen brigade system, and the huge role it still plays in top-tier restaurants today. Analyzed along the way: Frank Ceruti, the two types of CDC, piano ranges, coal runners, sabotaging Chris at the poissonnier station, fish fumet, meat-roast squires, simplifying your playbook, telepathic collaboration, kitchen design remorse, cooking with a miracle maker, food dying at the pass, Jürgen Klopp, gambling with ducks, the first-turn bomb, and making food so good that no one’s talking in the dining room.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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01:00:4801/09/2022
Eating at the End of an Era, and Where Restaurants Will Go Next
Culture moves in cycles, and so too do the ways we eat—which has Dave looking for early warning signs of what’s around the corner. He fills us in on what he’s hearing from peers, what the arc of modern plating presages about the turns to come, and a whole lot more, including: pizza-shop paninis, top-tier bodegas, trompe-l’oeil grill marks, New York in the mid-'90s, analog cooking, the Nirvana–Nickelback cycle, what Fergus Henderson likes to drink, Russian service, sorrel salmon, vertical food, spoon drags, Ernesto’s ham and chips, a quenelle chronology, square duck breast, Joey Fatone, and the impact of the vanishing middle.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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55:0829/08/2022
What 'The Bear' Gets Right About the Time Warps Within Restaurants
Fresh off finally watching the first episode of 'The Bear,' Dave breaks down what the show reveals about the surreal ways time can move inside an ambitious kitchen. Plus: a nail-biting moment at Fresh Brothers Pizza, the Golden Idol, Julian Jaynes, Delta-lounge buffet medleys, steak-for-two-for-one, seven-minute family meal, night porters, Hainanese chicken rice, the beauty of Greek pizza, the eureka-moment dish-creating golden hour, and an inspiring night at L.A.’s boundary-breaking Yangban Society.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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01:08:1025/08/2022
Seafood Shacks, Magical Food Temperatures, and Going Down the Coffee Rabbit Hole
A Cometeer-fueled trip to the Codfish State has Dave buzzing with new discoveries about how to make familiar things just a little bit better—and how to make the modern-day airport experience a good bit worse. Also covered: what to eat near Gloucester, Joe Versus the Volcano, Spider-Tracers, a shout-out to Claud, Tristar strawberries, Jimmy Nardellos, gourmet Cold Stone, Dave becoming a coffee taster, making miso in Kyoto, three-buck Chardonnay, Wrigley’s gum, haddock bites, sublime Rhode Island chowder, and Dave Chang’s seafood shack commandments.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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01:05:1622/08/2022
Cheese Foam, Carb Combos, and a Perfect Restaurant Moment | #AskDave After Dark
Altered-state Dave and Chris embark on another late-night Q&A, covering the sublime, the agonizing, and everything in between—including Aaron Rodgers’s offseason activities. Also, Dave’s thoughts on the Road House remake, Conor McGregor taking up acting, the boba flavor Blade Runner test (and Dave’s current order), extra dense oat milk, near-future gorgonzola, irrational food aversions, imperial deer tendon, Dave’s senior thesis, a Momofuku Christmas dinner, five-hour tea ceremonies, drinking Guinness in Kyoto, Shake 'N Bake chicken, culinary chimeras, table crumbers, and being present for each tortilla chip.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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59:4318/08/2022
Sneaking in Nutrition When You’re Cooking for Kids | Clean Plate Club
Every parent dreams of giving their kids a perfect mix of the delicious and the nutritious—but once those kids begin to get other ideas about what they’d like to eat, the most important ingredient might be a little misdirection. With the help of our friends at buybuy BABY, Dave and Chris present our second Clean Plate Club summit on the highs and lows of surreptitious nutrition. Plus: parent theory vs. parent reality, bento box success rates, Dave’s case for chocolate milk, pre-K peer pressure, emergency SPAM, dolsot bibimbap, taking Hugo to McDonald’s, tantric parenting, and Chris’s highly effective sneaky meatball method.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass, Noelle Cornelio, and Lala Rasor
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56:1915/08/2022
Dave’s Birthday, Over-Ordering, and a Definitive Diet-Beverage Ranking | My Opinion Is Fact
There’s no better way to celebrate Dave Chang’s forty-fifth trip around the sun than an end-of-summer MOIF, featuring such hot-button topics as: Mike Birbiglia, a flawless visit to Providence, mid-meal malingering, touching the stew, Dion Waiters, dish traffic control, the In-N-Out-order phantom zone, shrimp heads, seasonal restaurants, Midwest supper clubs, fear of teenagers, and the farmers’ market hummus guy Hydra.
Hosts: Dave Chang and Chris Ying
Guest: Noelle Cornelio
Producer: Sasha Ashall
Additional Production: Jordan Bass and Lala Rasor
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58:0511/08/2022