The Four Top

Ep. 14: Grocery-Store Checkout Talk | The Death Of The Dinner Party | The Average Home Cook by Oregon Public Broadcasting

What’s really happening behind the scenes at the Food Network? Are so-called “laptop squatters” bad for business or good for café culture? And could a cooking class improve your child’s test scores?

Are four-star restaurants serving narcotics? Truffles are sold on the black market for thousands of dollars per kilo; and according to Italian researchers, these homely little tubers can get you high. We discuss, then turn our attention to the role of music in enhancing the dining experience. Do you prefer to eat to the sound of silence, soothing violins, or something more sonically dynamic? Finally, microwaves: We think outside the box.

Get to know the only cooking show that brings high society together with "high" society: "Martha and Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party." Next, get to know the hardline rules restaurants are increasingly laying down for customers to follow. Finally, what's the appeal of the single-subject cookbook? Savor the conversation as our team of panelists debate these issues, and more.

As American tourists stream into the newly opened nation of Cuba, they're driven by a desire to capture this magical moment. But how "authentic" is a Cuban dining experience when full-time residents don't have access to many foods? After a heavy conversation about privation, we lighten the mood with a brief history—and taste—of Cuban rum.

We kick off our ninth episode by evaluating a popular new year's resolution, the juice cleanse: Is it effective or counterproductive? Next, we take stock of the ways in which the digital era has altered the age-old art of foraging for wild edibles. Finally, we look back to the U.S.'s entry into World War I in 1917, when dining decisions and patriotism were inextricably intertwined.

With the help of Megan Scott, the fresh new face of “The Joy of Cooking,” our panelists question holiday food traditions and decry the scourge of fake food holidays (although National Eggnog Day might get a pass). Finally, they tackle the troubling class divide between foodies and those less fortunate.

In our seventh episode, we look forward to 2017. We pick at the new food trend that is poke (that’s “poh-kay,” OK?), and swim through the underwater world of sea vegetables. And our panelists share their food-and-drink predictions for the year to come.

We uncover craft beer’s dirty little secret and examine the cult phenom that is the Yeti cooler company — but not before sipping Soylent, the embattled Silicon Valley food replacement.

In our fifth episode, our panelists investigate the "secret menu" trend that's happening in national chain restaurants and discuss the significant impact Instagram has had on restaurant menus. In addition, our two professional recipe testers try out Martha Stewart's new meal-kit delivery service, "Martha & Marley Spoon," and compare it with the competition.

In our fourth episode, we embrace the return of the simple session beer and explore the new millennial-friendly restaurant category called "fast casual." We also discuss the connection between restaurant workers and changing minimum wage laws.

In our third episode, we explore the nefarious realm of recipe theft, discuss the recent trend of born-again chefs ditching bacon and embracing health food and debate the end of tipping as we know it.

In our second episode, we kvetch about B.S. food terminology, learn why inherent flavor will save our lives and cast our net around bycatch, the best new thing in seafood.

In the debut episode of "The Four Top," we talk trash about food waste, unpack the baffling breakfast-ization of dinner and test-drive the hottest dining apps for your phone.

From food waste to tipping, The Four Top is a roundtable discussion of today's hot-button topics in food and beverage culture. Listen in every other Monday.