Today’s perfect thing is Off Menu, a podcast hosted by comedians James Acaster and Ed Gamble. In the podcast the pair have a guest come on and explain their absolute perfect menu, all the way from the water (Sparkling or still) to the desert (James will go apoplectic on you if you say a cheese tray). There are several small hooks like a secret ingredient that will end the episode if mentioned and lots of in-jokes that have developed over the course of the show.
I actually started listening to the podcast at its very inception which is odd for me as I usually discover things that I will go on to love well after everyone else has moved on, but I was a major fan of Acaster’s special on Netflix and had binged all the random clips I could find on youtube so when he tweeted that he would be doing a new podcast with his friend I decided I would try it out. At the time I was not very into podcasts but was starting a new job that would see me driving all over the greater Portland metro area. The show is light hearted fun and the two hosts play off each other very well. Over the years they have had a wide array of guests, some who take the menu building seriously and others who push the framing story of the podcast (that Acaster is a genie that can get them any dish imaginable whether its from the past or even nonexistent) to its limit. Along the way they share great stories of the meals they’ve had and the memories that have gone along with them.
When the podcast started airing I did not really cook at all, I had just graduated college and was still very much in the “lets buy taco bell and chocolate milk” stage of my life and while I am no Balagog gro-Nolob (real ones know), I have begun to cook more and more over the years and the initial burst of that was thanks to the podcast.
There are times where it can be a little too much like having a conversation with your rich aunt, with lots of “Oh my god, you have to go to this Japanese-Colombian fusion restaurant in SoHo next time your in New York.” but that is largely dependent on the guests. Too me at least the appreciation that the podcast has given me for food outweighs any inadvertent snobbery that sometimes comes across.
Off Menu is also a great game to play while getting to know people and you hear some great stories when people start explaining why they would have oatmeal for an appetizer. Food is such a powerful force in our memories and this podcast makes me think back on some of the greatest life experiences I have enjoyed when I have to decide between having Chocolate lava cake from dominoes or my moms chocolate chip scones for my perfect meal.
Electric Absalom 