Good Food
Grocery stores, frutero street vendors, Indian buffets
This was the year that grocery workers were deemed essential. Good Food looks at the underbelly of the grocery industry with investigative journalist Benjamin Lorr, who discusses the correlation between food brands and performative eating.
By Evan Kleiman • • 56m ListenThis was the year that grocery workers were deemed essential. Good Food looks at the underbelly of the grocery industry with investigative journalist Benjamin Lorr, who discusses the correlation between food brands and performative eating. Gideon Brower discovers there was indeed a Mr. Smart and a Mr. Final. Rocío Rosales spent years in the field talking to the fruit vendors under their rainbowed umbrellas dotting sidewalks across the city. For this week’s segment of “In the Weeds,” Dr. Padmini Ayani reflects on immigrating from India and the status of her family’s Culver City restaurant, Mayura. Finally, Gustavo Arellano offers lessons on how to taste a corn tortilla in anticipation of this year’s Tortilla Tournament finalists.
In this episode
6 stories‘In the Weeds’: Are buffets on their way to extinction?
In this week’s installment of “In the Weeds,” Dr. Padmini Ayani describes moving from India in 2003 with two teenage daughters and her husband, and taking up restaurant management to learn the ropes.
Read the story8 minCreating identity by the products we buy
“Growing up for me, food was just food,” says investigative journalist Benjamin Lorr . He says that food has become a vehicle for performative consumption.
Read the story15 minMr. Smart and Mr. Final: Surprising stories of familiar chains
When independent radio producer Gideon Brower noticed that Ralphs, the ubiquitous grocery store chain, didn’t have an apostrophe in its name, he became curious about the names of other supermarkets. Was there really a trader named Joe?
Read the story4 minTransforming the dining room into a marketplace
Market correspondent Gillian Ferguson visits Yang’s Kitchen in Alhambra to speak with Chris Yang of Yang’s Kitchen .
Read the story8 minWho are the fruteros?
When Professor Rocío Rosales began the six years of research for her book “ Fruteros ,” most of the fruit vendors she spoke with were young, undocumented men from a concentrated area of Mexico.
Read the story13 minBeware of the sour corn tortilla
The bracket for the annual Tortilla Tournament has been narrowed down to what judge Gustavo Arellano refers to as the “ Suave Sixteen ” - with eight corn and eight flour contenders remaining.
Read the story9 min
