Special Sauce: Dan Pashman on Arguing for Fun and His Mother's Fajita Obsession

[Photograph: Scott Gordon Bleicher]

"At least if I have my own podcast, no one can cancel it but me," says Dan Pashman, the host of WNYC Studios' The Sporkful and author of Eat More Better, on this week's episode of Special Sauce. Pashman and I met years ago, when he was producing radio with Air America after college. He was just at the beginning of his journey through radio then, a path that's included many jobs (and lost jobs—a reality of public radio that we're both familiar with). On Special Sauce, we discuss how he navigated the world of radio and eventually got into podcasting, as well as his Cooking Channel series, You're Eating It Wrong.

Pashman's interest in food started when he was growing up. Every Friday-night dinner at the Pashman house was cocktail party–themed (mini hot dogs all around), and then there was his mother's Great Fajita Phase—he's still a lover of flour tortillas to this day. He tells me that although he didn't expect to get into food, his obsessive tendency fuels the themes and discussions hosted on The Sporkful. "I've never argued a point that I flat-out did not agree with...I will admit that there are times where I believe something but also am not going to lose sleep over it, but because it makes for a fun segment, I will take up the cause with more gusto," says Pashman.

In this episode, we get into some Sporkful-inspired debates about the purpose of hot dog buns and the ideal shape of pie. We discuss the divide in the podcasting world, as well as what makes his often contrarian—and always funny—show great. And finally, I get him to fill me in on what he'd have in his desert-island fridge. Of course, we get into the very minute details regarding pork skin crispiness and the appropriate temperature for ice cream on his dessert of choice.

Special Sauce is available on iTunes. You can also find the archive of all our episodes here on Serious Eats and on this RSS feed.

[Hot dog photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]