David Remnick

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Be My Guest with Ina Garten – David Remnick

Original Air Date: May 26, 2024
Host: Ina Garten
Guest: David Remnick (Editor, The New Yorker)

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Overview of the Episode

In this warm and engaging episode, Ina Garten welcomes David Remnick, the Pulitzer Prize-winning editor of The New Yorker, into her East Hampton home. Amid cooking lessons, stories, and laughter, Ina and David discuss the art of journalism, family, food memories, and what it takes to lead a creative team. The episode is peppered with personal anecdotes, advice for aspiring writers, and funny kitchen misadventures, culminating in a home-cooked meal shared with their spouses.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Influences and Family Support

• David’s Childhood and Early Passion for Reading and Writing
  • “Read, read, read, read, read.” (12:16)
  • David reminisces about editing his high school paper almost single-handedly:
    “I was the editor and I wrote the whole thing because nobody was interested.” (12:22)
  • Family played a key role:
    “My parents did. Even if they didn't understand what I wanted to do… That's all I needed.” (12:38)

2. Formative Experiences in Journalism

• Starting at the Washington Post
  • Night shifts and tough assignments:
    “You did the night police beat. What hours was that?”
    “6pm to 2am.” (12:51)
  • Bumping around different beats, from sports to style, before being sent to Moscow (13:00).
• Moscow Assignment & Rivalry with Esther (his wife, a NY Times reporter)
  • “It was fascinating. Nobody particularly wanted to go. It's very cold. It's very far.” (13:06)
  • On cross-paper rivalry and competitiveness:
    Ina: “Would you imagine being rivals with Jeffrey?”
    David: “You’d kick his ass.” (13:55)

3. Leading The New Yorker

• Taking on the Editor Role
  • “It was like leaping off a cliff.” (15:52)
  • On leadership:
    “Conducting an orchestra is radically different from being a pianist… I didn't know how to do that. So that took a long time.” (16:00)
  • Best advice received from Ben Bradlee and Tina Brown: “Not somebody you could imitate… I had to find my way.” (17:02)
  • “You have to pay attention all the time… I wake up in the morning every day for the last 25 years and I wonder, like, who's upset, who needs what? …That’s the job.” (17:10, 18:16)

4. On Interviewing and Storytelling

• Advice from John McPhee
  • “Be dumb, be quiet.” (18:22)
  • Expand: letting interviewees say more by not showing off what you know; getting beyond their “dinner party anecdotes.”
  • “Listening to yourself doing an interview on tape is very instructive…” (20:02)
• Contrasts in Interview Subjects
  • On Bob Dylan:
    “He’s just screwing with the interviewer all the time… Clearly hates the process.” (21:16)
  • On Leonard Cohen:
    “He would find a way to make even a dumb question… an occasion for a disquisition on his inner soul.” (24:11)

5. Music, Balance, and Everyday Joys

• On Replenishing and Family Life
  • Shares about raising a daughter with autism; balancing work and home (24:41).
• Personal Joys
  • Regular guitar lessons:
    “I take a guitar lesson every Sunday, and I have been doing this for years.” (25:04)
  • Busking in Paris:
    “I would take my $75 Yamaha guitar down into the subway, and I made enough money to eat, sleep… and have a good time.” (25:27)
• New Book: "Holding the Note"
  • “The book is about music… profiles of Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Mavis Staples, Aretha Franklin, Leonard Cohen… gathered into this volume called Holding the Note, which is what you do on any instrument to just sustain a note, to keep it alive.” (26:16)

6. Kitchen Camaraderie & Recipes

• Ina’s Cooking Demonstration
  • Ina describes her method for overnight Belgian waffles (02:42).
  • Jokes about kitchen gifts nearly ending marriages; David’s anecdote about giving Esther a waffle iron for Mother’s Day (07:12).
• The Cooking Lesson
  • Prepping and breading Parmesan chicken:
    • “Each of us has a boneless chicken breast…”
      David: “Now it looks like the map of Mongolia. How is that?”
      Ina: “That’s perfect. When you get the map of Mongolia, you know you’ve got it right.” (29:15–29:33)
  • Measuring and following recipes:
    • David: “And you measure it?”
      Ina: “I measure everything. Do you not measure when you cook?” (30:06)
    • David: “I’ve gotten a positive photo. As you know, Ina, I watch endless amounts of cooking videos.” (27:41)
  • On comfort foods:
    • David: “The dish in my wife’s arsenal that is the great comfort food is brisket. She makes the best brisket in world history.” (32:29)
    • Reflections on Nora Ephron’s memorial and recipes included in the program (32:40)
• Food and Conversation
  • “Food is a more intimate transaction between people… a different level of conversation when you’re eating.” (37:48)
  • On Leonard Cohen, again:
    “Every 20 minutes he would stop the interview and say, would you like some herring? Would you like a Montreal bagel? Eating was his way of saying, I love you.” (38:07)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On leadership:
  “Being the editor of something... has almost nothing to do with doing something by yourself. Conducting an orchestra is radically different from being a pianist... running a thing with other people, other human beings, disappointing them, encouraging them. I didn’t know how to do that.” — David Remnick (16:00)

• On interviewing:
  “Be dumb, be quiet.” — Advice via John McPhee, quoted by David Remnick (18:22)
  “Listening to yourself doing an interview on tape is very instructive because when you’re young, you hear yourself trying to impress the other person... The important thing is the result.” (20:02)

• On family encouragement:
  “Every time I made something, Jeffrey said, oh, this is the best thing I’ve ever had. Which encouraged you to make it again.” — Ina Garten (40:35)

• On food and connection:
  “It’s a more intimate transaction between people... a different level of conversation when you’re eating.” — David Remnick (37:48)

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Key Segment Timestamps

• Meet David Remnick & Ina Recaps the Day: 01:49–02:42
• David Arrives & Waffle Stories: 06:39–09:18
• Childhood, Early Writing, and Family: 12:11–13:36
• Washington Post & Rivalry with Esther: 12:51–14:51
• Taking the Helm at The New Yorker: 15:13–18:16
• Interviewing Advice: 18:16–20:42
• Culinary Inspiration & Food TV: 27:41–28:36
• Cooking Parmesan Chicken: 29:06–32:15
• Comfort Food & Nora Ephron’s Memorial: 32:29–33:09
• Food as Interview Tool: 37:44–38:29
• Serving Dinner & Reflections: 39:06–41:01

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Style & Tone

The episode is candid, playful, and suffused with mutual respect and affection. Ina’s nurturing spirit complements David’s dry wit and introspection. The conversation blends personal storytelling, practical advice, and teasing humor. If you value discussions about creativity, leadership, and the joys of food and friendship, this episode is both heartening and insightful.

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End of Summary

Transcript

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[Ina Garten]

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False. That's gotta be true again.

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[Ina Garten]

Sounds too good to be true. So true.

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[David Remnick]

You look the same.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

But with this camera, everything looks better. Especially me.

[David Remnick]

You haven't changed your hair in 15 years. Selfies. Check, please.

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[Hannah Berner]

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[Ina Garten]

I'm Ina Garten. I love to invite interesting people to my house for good food, great conversation and lots of fun. My great friend, the incredible editor of the New Yorker magazine, David Remnick, is joining me for a wonderful day at the bar. I'm welcoming him with overnight Belgian waffles.

[David Remnick]

Probably staying all week.

[Ina Garten]

We're having an amazing conversation.

[David Remnick]

I'm going to tell you all my secrets.

[Ina Garten]

Tell me all your secrets. Sharing stories of life, love and language skills. Ya le Blutavia. Then the brilliant editor but hopeless cook and I are heading to the kitchen.

[David Remnick]

This could go wrong in a thousand different ways.

[Ina Garten]

To make easy Parmesan chicken topped with a simple green salad. For dinner in the garden with our other halves, Jeffrey and Esther, be my guest.

[David Remnick]

I hope you feel that way. After we cook.

[Ina Garten]

My friend David Remnick's coming for the day. He's just so smart. He can talk about any subject, about anything at all and be really interesting. And actually his wife, Esther Fine is coming as well. And later she and Jeffrey are going to join us for dinner. I'm making him my overnight waffles. They're incredible, big thick Belgian waffles. And while I brush the waffle iron with butter, let me tell you about my fabulous guest. He's amazing. David is one of America's most admired journalists. He's a multi talented Pulitzer Prize winning writer, broadcaster and editor of the prestigious New Yorker magazine. Born in New Jersey, he went to Princeton. His glittering career took him from the Washington Post, where he became their Moscow correspondent, to the New Yorker where he has been the editor for more than 25 years. He's reported from all over the world, edited anthologies, interviewed everyone from presidents to sporting giants, and written incredible best selling books. David is famously passionate about lots of things, including music and watching cooking shows. He's coming with his wonderful wife, Esther Fine, who's also a journalist. Isn't it amazing how many different things David does? And he does them all so well. Okay, my overnight waffles start with batter that I made last night. That's why they're called overnight. And it just sits on the counter. Let me tell you the recipe. The batter is pretty straightforward. I poured half a cup of warm water into a large bowl along with a quarter ounce package of active dry yeast, 2 teaspoons of sugar, mixed everything together and let it stand for 5 minutes. Then when the yeast had dissolved, I added 2 cups of lukewarm whole milk, quarter of a pound of melted unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons of honey, teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 2 cups of all purpose flour and whisked everything together until the salt and flour were completely incorporated and the batter was smooth. Then I covered the bowl and let it sit overnight on the counter. So I made coffee for us. It's too early for cocktails, even for me. Okay, only one more thing to do. I've got two eggs and then I'm gonna take a quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda and Stir it in. These are great to make because you do most of the work the night before. Just whisk that in. I don't know. I love these waffles and I really hope David will, but I think he likes the same kind of food I do. I'm just whisking these together and then I'm gonna pour em into the batter. You know, I met David at a restaurant. Somebody pointed him out and said he'd like to watch my cooking show, which made me feel so good. And it turns out later he told me that he and his father used to sit on the sofa and watch Julia Child together, which is the sweetest image. I just love it. I love that this incredibly erudite man can sit and watch cooking shows. And later we became really good friends with his wife, Esther Fine. And Jeffrey and me, we have such a good time together. In fact, they came for my birthday recently and they brought me a tiara to wear. I love that the smartest people in the world are also the most fun. So just with a spatula, just stir it in. Just like that. Oh, I love the yeasty smell. It's just so good. It's fabulous. Okay. In order to make waffles that are all exactly the same, I use a measuring cup. This is a half cup measure. It's actually great. You can make these a little bit early, put them on a sheet pan, and then just keep them warm in the oven. I hate when I'm making waffles and some people are eating and some people are waiting for their waffles. That's just not okay. And actually, you can even do frozen waffles. Put like two in a bag, put them in the freezer, have waffles anytime you want. Okay. These are going to cook for five to six minutes, and they'll be ready when David gets here.

[David Remnick]

I think this is the place. Yep, it's very familiar. Okay, now let's find Ina. Ina.

[Ina Garten]

Hi. I'm so happy you're here.

[David Remnick]

I'm so happy to be here.

[Ina Garten]

Welcome to East Hampton.

[David Remnick]

Oh, how are you doing?

[Ina Garten]

I'm good. We always see each other in New York. We never get to come here.

[David Remnick]

That's absolutely right. I am thrilled to be here.

[Ina Garten]

Does it look familiar?

[David Remnick]

It looks very familiar. As your biggest fan. Oh, man.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, thank you. We have some coffee. I made waffles. God bless you. Do you like waffles?

[David Remnick]

Of course I like waffles.

[Ina Garten]

I figured.

[David Remnick]

You got it. You nailed it.

[Ina Garten]

I nailed it. Yeah.

[David Remnick]

Well, waffles almost ended my marriage, though. How Well, I once gave Esther a waffle iron for Mother's Day. Apparently, that was a.

[Ina Garten]

Is that like giving her a vacuum cleaner?

[David Remnick]

It's one step away. Have you ever gotten a lousy gift?

[Ina Garten]

Yeah, I have, actually. I think maybe, like, when we'd been married five years and I started working at the White House, Jeffrey decided to give me a briefcase. And it stayed in the. In the box.

[David Remnick]

Oh, it was a nice briefcase.

[Ina Garten]

It looked kind of like leather, but it was more like pleather. And it was the last gift he ever bought me. I mean, he buys me stuff all the time, but not like for a birthday.

[David Remnick]

No utilitarian gifts?

[Ina Garten]

No utilitarian gifts. Okay. So these are Belgian waffles. And I thought it'd be fun to divide them in sticks and then we can eat them with our fingers.

[David Remnick]

Can I help in any way?

[Ina Garten]

Yeah, you can help me eat them. How's that?

[David Remnick]

Deal.

[Ina Garten]

Okay. One waffle.

[David Remnick]

And in Belgium, you get them on the streets.

[Ina Garten]

Street food all the time, right? I know. I love it. The first time I went to Belgium with Jeffrey, we were on a camping trip.

[David Remnick]

You went camping for four months? You.

[Ina Garten]

If our marriage could survive four months in a tent that was this high, I would say can survive anything.

[David Remnick]

Wait, wait, wait. Sleeping on the ground.

[Ina Garten]

On the ground. Okay. We had a great time. I know. So waffles. I thought we put them on like.

[David Remnick]

Toy soldiers, like my mother would say.

[Ina Garten]

Did your mother used to make you toy soldiers and eggs?

[David Remnick]

Not often enough. But I didn't come here for therapy, though.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, waffles and a little warm maple syrup. How's that?

[David Remnick]

Please, please. This is fantastic.

[Ina Garten]

Anything with maple syrup on it is good, right? Especially warm maple syrup. Perfect.

[David Remnick]

I have to tell you, usually breakfast for me is about five cups of coffee.

[Ina Garten]

Really? And why do I think it's at like 4 o' clock in the morning?

[David Remnick]

Those days are over. I can't do. Can you get up that early?

[Ina Garten]

I can't. I just can't.

[David Remnick]

So it's now six.

[Hannah Berner]

Six?

[Ina Garten]

That's early. Eight.

[David Remnick]

Little teeny, you know, Lots of coffee to get your heart rate going. And then exercise. It's really.

[Ina Garten]

Really? Yeah.

[David Remnick]

Doctors don'. Don't try that at home. Kids.

[Ina Garten]

How would you like a waffle?

[David Remnick]

I'd like six.

[Ina Garten]

I hope you like it. There are lots more where that came from.

[David Remnick]

All right, here we go.

[Ina Garten]

Want to test it? Not bad, right?

[David Remnick]

I'll be staying all week.

[Ina Garten]

There's so much I want to talk to you about.

[David Remnick]

Why not just spill? Here we go.

[Ina Garten]

This is going to Be so much fun. Coming up, life stories, confidences and a fun cooking class for my kitchen novice guest.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

Dude, did you order the new iPhone 17 Pro? Got it from Verizon, the best 5G network in America. I never look so good.

[David Remnick]

You look the same.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

But with this camera, everything looks better. Especially me.

[David Remnick]

You haven't changed your hair in 15 years. Selfies. Check, please.

[Commercial Narrator]

With Verizon, new and existing customers can get the new iPhone 17 Pro, designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever. Plus a new iPad and Apple with eligible phone trade in and Unlimited Ultimate Best 5G Swords. Route Metrics Data United States 1 East 2025 All Rights Reserve, trade in and additional terms apply for all offers. See verizon.com for details.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

All right, remember, the machine knows if you're lying. First statement. Carvana will give you a real offer on your car. All online.

[Ina Garten]

False.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

True. Actually, you can sell your car in minutes.

[Ina Garten]

False. That's gotta be false.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

True again. Carvana will pick up your car from your door. Or you can drop it off at one of their car vending machines.

[Ina Garten]

Sounds too good to be true. So true.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

Finally caught on. Nice job. Honesty isn't just their, it's their entire model. Sell your car today, too, Carvana. Pickup fees may apply.

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[Paige Desorbo]

Hey, I'm Paige desorbo, and I'm always thinking about underwear.

[Hannah Berner]

I'm Hannah Berner, and I'm also thinking about underwear, but I prefer full coverage. I like to call them my granny panties.

[Paige Desorbo]

Actually, I never think about underwear. That's the magic of Tommy John.

[Ina Garten]

Same.

[Hannah Berner]

They're so light and so comfy. And if it's not comfortable, I'm not wearing it.

[Paige Desorbo]

And the bras? Soft, supportive, and actually breathable.

[Hannah Berner]

Yes. Lord knows the girls need to breathe. Also, I need my PJs to breathe and be buttery, soft and stretchy enough for my dramatic tossing and turning at night. That's why I live in My Tommy John pajamas.

[Paige Desorbo]

Plus, they're so cute because they fit perfectly.

[Hannah Berner]

Put yourself on to Tommy John.

[Paige Desorbo]

Upgrade your drawer with Tommy John. Save 25% for a limited time at tommyjohn.comfort. see site for details.

[Ina Garten]

I have so much I want to talk to you about. You know, what did you used to do when you were a kid?

[David Remnick]

Read, read, read, read, read, read, read.

[Ina Garten]

And in high school, weren't you on the newspaper?

[David Remnick]

I was the editor and I wrote the whole thing because nobody was interested.

[Ina Garten]

You wrote the whole thing?

[David Remnick]

Nobody was interested in being in the newspaper.

[Ina Garten]

Every article was by David Remnick.

[David Remnick]

Fake names.

[Ina Garten]

Fake names. We all have one person that, like, really believes in you.

[David Remnick]

My parents did. Even if they didn't understand what I wanted to do, even if that world was totally alien to them, I have to give them credit. And it stayed that way to the end. That's all I needed.

[Ina Garten]

That's wonderful. So you're at the Washington Post. You did the night police beat. What hours was that?

[David Remnick]

6:00Pm to 2:00am Ooh.

[Ina Garten]

You did sports, then you did style. And now an assignment to Moscow came up. How did that happen?

[David Remnick]

It was fascinating. Nobody particularly wanted to go.

[Ina Garten]

Why?

[David Remnick]

It's very cold. It's very far. It wasn't dangerous, like covering a war. It wasn't that it was far, it was distant, it was remote. And you were responsible for a very large empire. And what was also exciting is that, you know, I was in this new relationship at the time with Esther vine, who you know very well. Me too.

[Hannah Berner]

And.

[Ina Garten]

And she was with the New York Times, and you were with the Post.

[David Remnick]

Yeah. Which is a little bit, you know, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Trace. Crosstown.

[Ina Garten]

Rivals.

[David Remnick]

Would you imagine being rivals with Jeffrey?

[Ina Garten]

No. I don't know, actually. That's interesting. I wonder whether I would be competitive with him. I probably would be.

[David Remnick]

You'd kick his ass.

[Ina Garten]

Don't worry. Don't worry. We once took the same. When I was in college, he was sure I was going to flunk this course.

[David Remnick]

What were you taking?

[Ina Garten]

It was a history class. And the professor was known to never have given an A in the class. So Jeffrey said to me, he knew I wanted to learn how to play squash. He said, if you get an A in this class, I will teach you how to play squash. And he took the class with me. So he would compete with me. He would steal my book so I couldn't study.

[David Remnick]

That's evil.

[Ina Garten]

This is kind of like that. And the professor handed out the grades and he said, only one person got an A. And Jeffrey was feeling really good because he was sure it was him and it was me. So he had to teach me how to play squash. Well, at the time when people were playing, when they're building squash courts, they made it so that women couldn't get on the squash court. You had to go through the men's locker room in order to get to the squash court.

[David Remnick]

Where were you playing, in Afghanistan?

[Ina Garten]

No, it was in Washington, actually. Wow.

[David Remnick]

Yeah, I guess it was a little bit like Afghanistan.

[Ina Garten]

It was. Then it was architectural misogyny. He would clear the locker room, I'd go in, we'd play squash and clear the locker room again. It was crazy. So when you're in college, did you ever imagine that Russia would become, you know, the beginning of your career?

[David Remnick]

Just the opposite. The course that I screwed up is Russia.

[Ina Garten]

You couldn't really.

[David Remnick]

Here were my grades. C plus, D, D. For David. It was by far worse subject in college, by leaps.

[Ina Garten]

I studied Russian in high school.

[David Remnick]

How'd you do?

[Ina Garten]

All I remember is ja le blutavia. And it has a lot of views you don't want to overuse. I love you in Russia.

[David Remnick]

No. You could run into trouble.

[Ina Garten]

So you're at the. So then you go to the New Yorker, which I just must have been amazing, taking on the editorship. How did you find the courage to do it?

[David Remnick]

It was like leaping off a cliff.

[Ina Garten]

It is leaping off a cliff.

[David Remnick]

And that was 25 years ago.

[Ina Garten]

25 years ago. How did you know how to be an editor in chief?

[David Remnick]

Being the editor of something or running something has almost nothing to do with doing something by yourself. Conducting an orchestra is radically different from being a pianist. Running a thing with other people, other human beings, disappointing them, encouraging them. I didn't know how to do that. So that took a long time. And thankfully, I was surrounded by people whom I revere and adore and who were also very helpful in kind of bringing me along.

[Ina Garten]

I'd say it's turned out okay. What advice did you get that helped?

[David Remnick]

You know, I had. I only worked for two other editors. Ben Bradlee at the Washington Post.

[Ina Garten]

Love Ben Bradlee.

[David Remnick]

So, of course my wife would have run off with me in two seconds.

[Ina Garten]

I would have, too.

[David Remnick]

I think it's a crowded train.

[Paige Desorbo]

Yeah.

[David Remnick]

He really had it. There's a picture of Ben Bradlee walking on the beach not far from here. He must have been 70.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah.

[David Remnick]

In an open shirt. And he's tan. And he looks. I would have gone out for them.

[Ina Garten]

He's just so handsome.

[David Remnick]

He was not somebody you could imitate.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah, I know.

[David Remnick]

It's like basketball players starting out and saying, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna be like Michael Jordan.

[Ina Garten]

Well, good luck.

[David Remnick]

And Tina Brown, who I worked for very happily, was herself too. Not somebody to imitate. So I was really interesting. Yeah, I had to find my way. And I didn't have a model, and it took me a while. I think I was bad at it for quite a while. I'm working with human beings, creative human beings, and they all have to be. You have to pay attention. You have to pay attention all the time. And I do. I readily admit it. I wake up in the morning every day for the last 25 years and I wonder, like, who's upset, who needs what? And you never. This is not a complaint, but just a description of the condition. You never get to the end of it. You're always missing somebody. You're always. And I always get the feeling that I'm gonna let somebody down. That's the job. So if you get to the end of the day and you feel you got to even a portion of the people that you should, you've done so.

[Ina Garten]

You've done a good job as a reporter. What's the best advice you ever got from John McPhee?

[David Remnick]

Be dumb, be quiet.

[Ina Garten]

Be dumb. Be quiet.

[David Remnick]

In other words, by all means, do all the reading beforehand and also read up on who you're interviewing and know what his or her go to favorite answers are, because we all have them. They're called dinner party anecdotes and that kind of thing. McPhee, who's as smart as anybody I know, would go into an interview with a geologist and ask a question like the worst undergraduate you've ever seen. Then the next day, he'd ask the same question again. So then the geologist is starting to think, Boy, McPhee's really stupid. Let me spell it all out to him. And so what's happening is that the person who's giving the answers is giving you the fullest possible, most lucid answer. And it works for print, doesn't work for TV and radio because you have time concerns and all the rest of. But for those of us doing print things and our notebooks can bulge and bulge and bulge, that really works. AJ Liebling, a great New Yorker writer of the 40s and 50s, used to begin his interviews with somebody like a psychoanalyst by saying, nothing.

[Ina Garten]

Just sit there and stare at and wait for somebody to start talking. Whoa.

[David Remnick]

And the other person, in their anxiety, to impress, to be Helpful fills in the spaces and clouds of.

[Ina Garten]

Isn't that interesting? I think also being dumb makes the other person feel smarter. It's that being one down. So I think that really works.

[David Remnick]

And listening to yourself doing an interview on tape is very instructive because when you're young, you listen to the tape and you hear yourself trying to impress the other person with how very much you know about geology, biology, or whatever it is you're reporting on. And McPhee's, what he's telling you is that the important thing is the result.

[Ina Garten]

Right?

[David Remnick]

This is not dating. It's an instrumental act. You're trying to derive information and learn about that other person. Again, this is about print. It's a very, very different process.

[Ina Garten]

I think the best interviews really come from here, not from information as much. Well, I guess when you're a journalist, that's what you're trying to get as information.

[David Remnick]

Not only you're writing about somebody human being. And sometimes it's so easy. Leonard Cohen, like interviewing Bob Dylan, which I've never done, by the way, because he's always avoided me, but I've listened to and watched and read so many of them. It's. He's just screwing with the interviewer all the time. He clearly hates the process.

[Ina Garten]

Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen?

[David Remnick]

Bob Dylan. And Bob Dylan is kind of toying with. Sometimes he'll get interested, particularly if it's about music as such. But if they're asking them, asking him questions about being the prophet of a generation or something, he just. He doesn't want, he just screws with them. Leonard Cohen is this. Was this Alaska, unbelievably spiritual, intellectual and generous soul. And you would ask him a question, and even if it was dumb, he would find a way to make it.

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[David Remnick]

You look the same.

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[David Remnick]

You haven't changed your hair in 15 years. Selfies, check, please.

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[Ina Garten]

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[Ina Garten]

That's it.

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[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

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[David Remnick]

We have no stores.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

That means no small talk, crazy weather we're having. No, it's not.

[David Remnick]

It's just weather.

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[David Remnick]

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[Paige Desorbo]

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[Hannah Berner]

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[Paige Desorbo]

Actually, I never think about underwear. That's the magic of Tommy John.

[Ina Garten]

Same.

[Hannah Berner]

They're so light and so comfy. And if it's not comfortable, I'm not wearing it.

[Paige Desorbo]

And the bras? Soft, supportive and actually breathable.

[Hannah Berner]

Yes. Lord knows the girls need to breathe. Also, I need my PJs to breathe and be buttery, soft and stretchy enough for my dramatic tossing and turning at night. That's why I live in my Tommy John pajamas.

[Paige Desorbo]

Plus they're so cute because they fit perfectly.

[Hannah Berner]

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[Paige Desorbo]

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[David Remnick]

Smart and useful. And the the occasion for a disquisition on his inner soul. He knew it was too easy. I could have left the microphone on the table. And this is while Leonard Cohen was dying and said, I'll be back in an hour. Just commune with the microphone and he would have been fine. He would have been fine.

[Ina Garten]

What an amazing visual that is. You work so hard. How do you replenish yourself?

[David Remnick]

I have a youngest kid in her early 20s and who has profound autism. And so you know, our life is shaped around that. It's the job and it's being a halfway decent father to Natasha And Alex and Noah and now Kayla. I'm gonna tell you another. All my secrets.

[Ina Garten]

Tell me all your secrets. We won't tell anybody.

[David Remnick]

And I highly recommend this. I take a guitar lesson every Sunday, and I have been doing this for years. Have you ever taken music lessons?

[Ina Garten]

I took flute lessons when I was a kid, but I was forced to, so I didn't get to choose.

[David Remnick]

Okay. You need a new instrument.

[Ina Garten]

I need a new instrument. Flute.

[David Remnick]

Solo flute. I don't know.

[Ina Garten]

Guitar sounds like much more fun.

[David Remnick]

Yeah.

[Ina Garten]

Didn't you play the guitar in the subway in Paris? To make money?

[David Remnick]

When I was 19, I decided maybe I need to take a little break. I told my parents I was going to go study at this thing called the Alliance Francaise. What I really did was live in a very, very cheap hotel. And in the morning, like, going to a job, I would take my, you know, $75 Yamaha guitar down into the subway, and I made enough money to eat, sleep, wow, and have a good time.

[Ina Garten]

What a great experience.

[David Remnick]

It was fantastic.

[Ina Garten]

So you've written a new book. Tell me about the book.

[David Remnick]

Well, the book is about music, but it's about people that I listened to when I was really young. My parents didn't have much dough, but one thing they did do is they would take us to see people that they loved who were on their last legs and who were classic musicians. Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie.

[Ina Garten]

I heard that you go see them, like, in a club or in a.

[David Remnick]

Some New Jersey arts center or not clubs that would have been too cool and all that kind of thing. But so I got that sense that this was an important thing to do. You know, see people while they were still around. And it really is. And so, of course, I was obsessed with rock and roll generationally. And there are people that have managed in late career to not only just play the greatest hits, but to develop and be interesting. And so, as a kind of avocation, in the last 15 years, I've done a bunch of profiles of musicians. Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Mavis Staples, Aretha Franklin, Leonard Cohen. His last interview he ever did. The most eloquent, astonishing person. I wrote these profiles and gathered them into this volume called holding the Note, which is what you do on any instrument to just sustain a note to keep it alive. That's the idea.

[Ina Garten]

What's it like at your house when you want to cook?

[David Remnick]

It's not encouraged. It is not.

[Ina Garten]

Are you like me? Are you a messy cook?

[David Remnick]

I'm neither good nor neat, and it's a bad combination. I'm really good at cleaning up the kitchen.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, that's good.

[David Remnick]

I've gotten a positive photo. As you know, Ina, I watch endless amounts of cooking videos.

[Ina Garten]

I love this. He told me that you and your father used to sit and watch Delia Child, I love that your father would do that with you.

[David Remnick]

It was so relaxing. And now I'm sitting at the computer and to take a break, I watch you make eggplant parmesan. I watch Jacques Pepin make. What did I make? Watch him.

[Ina Garten]

I don't know.

[David Remnick]

Coco a make an omelette. All kinds of people. I even watch. I've gotten into watching Chinese cooking videos with no subtitles. Like, you go on YouTube.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah.

[David Remnick]

You say, all right, who makes the best Mapo tofu? And you get 47,000 choices in Chinese in China. And my friend Jiang Fan, who writes for us, who was born in China and watches endlessly. She directs me to the writing.

[Ina Garten]

Oh, she does credit. I'll be doing that next week. Okay. Esther and Jeffrey are outside waiting for dinner. We can't screw this up.

[David Remnick]

We won't.

[Ina Garten]

So we're gonna make parmesan chicken with a salad on top with a lemon vinaigrette. So am I actually gonna cook with you?

[David Remnick]

Just tell Esther that I had nothing to do with it.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

I watched.

[David Remnick]

Then she'll eat.

[Ina Garten]

I think after she eats the parmesan chicken that you're gonna make, she's gonna want you to make it all the time.

[David Remnick]

We'll see about that. We will see about that.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, so each of us has a boneless chicken breast.

[David Remnick]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

And you put two pieces of parchment paper. And then take your rolling pin.

[David Remnick]

This is the best part. Right.

[Ina Garten]

I thought you might like this. And you just pound it until it's thin, so you want it kind of evenly thick so it cooks evenly. But you don't want it really, really thin, so you don't want big indentations.

[David Remnick]

Okay. Now it looks like the map of Mongolia. How is that?

[Ina Garten]

That's perfect. When you get the map of Mongolia, you know you've got it, right.

[David Remnick]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

Okay. How's yours doing?

[David Remnick]

You're gonna tell me. I think that looks great. Is that right?

[Ina Garten]

Yeah.

[David Remnick]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

Did you notice the surprise in my.

[David Remnick]

Yes, I did.

[Ina Garten]

I did.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

That looks fabulous.

[David Remnick]

I didn't take any offense.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, good. So we're gonna do two first, and then we'll do two later.

[David Remnick]

Yours is more smoothly. Beautiful.

[Ina Garten]

I'm a professional.

[David Remnick]

I heard that.

[Ina Garten]

Okay. Okay. So first thing, I'm gonna take one cup of flour, just put it on a plate. Two Teaspoons of salt.

[David Remnick]

And you measure it?

[Ina Garten]

I measure everything. Do you not measure when you cook?

[David Remnick]

Good tip.

[Ina Garten]

I know measuring really helps because once I've spent the time to make sure the recipe is perfect, I don't want to start messing around with it. Okay, so we've got the flour and the salt and the pepper. Okay, next we need eggs.

[David Remnick]

You want to wipe your hands on my shirt? You're tempted, aren't you?

[Commercial Narrator]

I am.

[Ina Garten]

You're way too clean for cooking. Okay, next we have two eggs, one tablespoon of water. Okay, that's exactly a tablespoon of water. I measured it.

[David Remnick]

I can see it.

[Ina Garten]

I'm just gonna beat these together. Okay, next we need the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. You wanna take the whole plate and pull it up. Okay. Put it right there. Dump them out. Dumb them out. All right, so that's one and a quarter cups of seasoned breadcrumbs. You know, the kind you buy in the grocery store.

[David Remnick]

You don't wanna make breadcrumbs for this.

[Ina Garten]

Nah. Okay, let's make it easy.

[Commercial Narrator]

I'm all with you.

[Ina Garten]

And then one and a quarter cups. That's a quarter.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

And then half a cup of freshly grated Parmesan. Go right in. Dive in.

[David Remnick]

Come on. Yeah, there we go.

[Ina Garten]

Doesn't that feel? It's like mud pies.

[David Remnick]

This is great.

[Ina Garten]

Okay. Okay, so now we're gonna take the chicken and dip it in all three things. So you want to take first the flour. Okay. Then the egg. All right, this is the good and messy part.

[David Remnick]

Now, there's something about hand, right? Only using one hand.

[Ina Garten]

I don't know what you're saving the other hand for. I don't wanna know. I read about it in the magazine. And then what you wanna do is just shake it off.

[David Remnick]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

You know, like Taylor Swift shake it off. Okay. And then it goes both sides in the egg.

[David Remnick]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

So one dries it. The other one makes a coating on the other side, too.

[David Remnick]

All right.

[Ina Garten]

He's a natural. I'm total natural. And then into the Parmesan hand thing.

[David Remnick]

Here we go.

[Ina Garten]

Perfect. That's it. You're doing great. Great.

[David Remnick]

Look at that.

[Ina Garten]

That's fabulous. Okay, and then just put it down on your piece of parchment. Ready to go. And I'll do mine. Okay. Let's see if I can do it with one hand. You can't do it with one hand. You have to do it with both hands.

[David Remnick]

Then you have a schmutzy other hand.

[Ina Garten]

Schmutz.

[David Remnick]

Yeah.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, so you can answer the phone with the other hand. Is that why. That's it. And then like that. Okay, we'll do two first and then two later. How's that?

[David Remnick]

I now want you to know you did a good job, too.

[Ina Garten]

Did I do good? I've done it a few times.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

All right.

[Ina Garten]

I'm a chicken professional. Okay. Got a second one? Okay. Okay. Let's wash our hands. How's that?

[David Remnick]

Gotcha.

[Ina Garten]

What's your favorite comfort food?

[David Remnick]

The Thing Z dish in my wife's arsenal, that is the great comfort food is brisket. She makes the best biscuits.

[Ina Garten]

I bet she does.

[David Remnick]

In world history.

[Ina Garten]

Isn't that great?

[David Remnick]

When our mutual friend Nora Ephron died, we went to the memorial service, which was in Alice Tully Hall. I was there and there were. You remember, there were slips of paper with recipes on it, and one of them said esther's brisket, and it fell out. I thought Esther was gonna go to pieces.

[Ina Garten]

How lovely. I got egg salad. Nora's egg salad. That was really great. At her memorial service, she gave everybody. Well, she wasn't really there, but she planned it.

[David Remnick]

She planned it more than any human being has ever planned.

[Ina Garten]

She planned it like an opera. And you got a program with one of her recipes in it, which I still have. Just wonderful. I love doing your podcast radio hour. It's just fantastic. But I thought it was so interesting because somebody called in with a question about bay leaves.

[David Remnick]

You said, if I recall, in short, you kind of agreed.

[Ina Garten]

I kind of agree. Exactly.

[David Remnick]

You kind of agreed. And the stock or the bay leaf industry around the world plummeted on your say so. But now you're backing off.

[Ina Garten]

No, I'm not. When you get in a jar, it's so old, it doesn't have any flavor at all. Right.

[David Remnick]

Well, if you did what my blessed mother did, which is have the same spices since 1961, it wasn't just a bay leaf that went off.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah, that's exactly right.

[David Remnick]

I think it's all for decoration, and I think it's also there to see if you achieve the thing of loosing it. If somebody bites into an ice bay leaf.

[Ina Garten]

No, that's actually dangerous. You have to make sure they come out because you can choke. I know, but don't ever do that.

[David Remnick]

It gives an element of danger to the cooking.

[Ina Garten]

Can you survive this food? So next thing, we're going to fry it. Okay.

[David Remnick]

All right. Let me give it a shot. Let me give it a shot.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, you give it a shot, grab.

[David Remnick]

It by the end, in it goes.

[Ina Garten]

So you've traveled a lot, right?

[David Remnick]

A little bit.

[Ina Garten]

A lot of people must make great meals for you. What's the weirdest thing you've ever been served?

[David Remnick]

One of the places I went to was Azerbaijan. And out in the countryside a bunch of reporters were together and for lunch they went out back and killed the goat.

[Ina Garten]

Oh.

[David Remnick]

And I was served the goats eyeball.

[Ina Garten]

Oh my God.

[David Remnick]

It had a certain texture to it.

[Ina Garten]

Something tells me you just went.

[David Remnick]

I. Yeah, I got it over with there.

[Ina Garten]

Jeffrey had a story like that. He was given a. A dinner in his honor in Shanghai. Yeah. And they served something to him. Which was. He said it was a bird with a beak on it.

[David Remnick]

Delicious.

[Ina Garten]

It's good. You have. Did he eat it? But except it. Except he said, I'm sure I heard it. I saw his heart beating.

[David Remnick]

That was in his imagination.

[Ina Garten]

It was really. And he had to do the same thing. He had to just go swallow the whole thing.

[David Remnick]

I know you don't love hot food, but Szechuan restaurants, in fact, it's a street food. I love this called stinky tofu. It's tofu that's fermented.

[Ina Garten]

There's not one part of that that I love. The tofu or the stinky. What is it?

[David Remnick]

Let me just. It's fermented tofu and it smells like a full dust diaper. And it's fantastic. It's like Roquefort cheese. It's fantastic.

[Ina Garten]

That's interesting because I like Roquefort cheese, but not that stinky tofu. I'm not so sure. Darren, how are we doing so far?

[David Remnick]

I don't know how many minutes aside.

[Ina Garten]

It'S like two or three minutes on each side. It should be perfectly cooked inside. Okay, so now you know how to do that. Okay, so we have two pieces of chicken done. And these two look like they're ready. So do you want to take them out and put them on there?

[David Remnick]

Those seem exceptionally good, don't they?

[Ina Garten]

They smell really good today.

[David Remnick]

They really do.

[Ina Garten]

And then we're gonn make a salad to go on top. I'm just going to keep these warm in the oven, just like 200 degrees, just so it doesn't get cold.

[David Remnick]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, now we have to make the salad. How's that?

[David Remnick]

All right.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, so I've got a quarter of a cup of lemon juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and I'm going to put a half a cup of olive oil in it. And I do it in a measuring cup so you can measure and whisk at the same time. Okay, so just Start whisking.

[David Remnick]

How's the old whisking technique?

[Ina Garten]

It's fantastic. I'm sorry. You're fantastic. So what's it like in the kitchen with you?

[David Remnick]

Chaos.

[Ina Garten]

Chaos.

[David Remnick]

Which is why I'm usually thrown out.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, One teaspoon of salt.

[David Remnick]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

Half a teaspoon of pepper.

[David Remnick]

Again, you're measuring. It's amazing.

[Ina Garten]

I measure everything.

[David Remnick]

Okay.

[Ina Garten]

And a whisk it. That's it. That's lemon vinaigrette. Should I say, even David can make that?

[David Remnick]

Yes, it should be on a bottle.

[Ina Garten]

Even David can make that.

[David Remnick]

Even that guy can make it. Okay. Now, this is a hell of a lot of dressing.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah, it's a lot. No, it's too much.

[David Remnick]

How much would we use?

[Ina Garten]

Just drizzle. Maybe half of it.

[David Remnick]

On half.

[Ina Garten]

Okay. And then see what happens. And then just toss.

[David Remnick]

See what happens.

[Ina Garten]

And then just toss it and taste it. It's the only way to know. This looks pretty good, doesn't it?

[David Remnick]

That's a good.

[Ina Garten]

Can we taste it? Yeah, you bet. See if it's any good.

[David Remnick]

All right. Good to make good.

[Ina Garten]

All right, it's enough. Sold.

[David Remnick]

Perfect.

[Ina Garten]

So food's really interesting to you, isn't it? I think you're always thinking about food.

[David Remnick]

I think a lot about it. I watch people make it, but I don't make it that often when I do it.

[Ina Garten]

Has it ever helped you in an interview?

[David Remnick]

Oh, yeah.

[Ina Garten]

Really? In what way?

[David Remnick]

Well, it's just a more intimate transaction between people. And not just because you're taking them out to dinner or something. That suddenly that loosens somebody's tongue. It's just. It's a different level of conversation when you're eating. As opposed to, you know, emailing each other or talking on the phone.

[Ina Garten]

You're sharing something.

[David Remnick]

Absolutely. And I've even had it gone in the opposite direction. I was interviewing Leonard Cohen, and every 20 minutes he would stop the interview and say, would you like some herring? Would you like a Montreal bagel? Eating was his way of saying, I love you. Well. Which is really lovely, even on first meeting.

[Ina Garten]

Okay, ready to put the plates together? How's that?

[David Remnick]

Absolutely.

[Ina Garten]

Okay. I'll get the chicken.

[David Remnick]

I'm ready to eat.

[Ina Garten]

You want to get the plates?

[David Remnick]

You bet.

[Ina Garten]

Okay.

[David Remnick]

All right. Here we go. Whoa, this looks good.

[Ina Garten]

First, the chicken smells so good.

[David Remnick]

It really does. Especially mine. That one smells the best.

[Ina Garten]

I think yours smells better than mine.

[David Remnick]

And a little salad on top.

[Ina Garten]

And I'll cut some lemon. How gorgeous is that?

[David Remnick]

Beautiful. I'm not sure Jeffrey and Esther deserve it, but they get a piece, we'll let them.

[Ina Garten]

Right, okay. Just like that. And then. And then two more.

[David Remnick]

Yum.

[Ina Garten]

One. Are you on salad duty?

[David Remnick]

I am on salad duty.

[Ina Garten]

Little that. A little more lemon. So what do you think Esther's gonna make of your new cooking skills?

[David Remnick]

She'll know that you made it.

[Ina Garten]

And one thing I always do is I just salt it at the end. Just makes such a difference. Just a simple thing to do. And that's it. Dinner served.

[David Remnick]

I think we did a great job.

[Ina Garten]

Did a great job. All right, come with me.

[David Remnick]

After you.

[Ina Garten]

This is a very attractive wait staff that you have. Oh, what is it? Most beautiful wait staff. And David and I made you chicken parmesan.

[David Remnick]

Wait a minute.

[Ina Garten]

With a salad.

[David Remnick]

Did David make mine?

[Ina Garten]

You heard it.

[David Remnick]

David made mine.

[Ina Garten]

Yeah. Don't worry. There's takeout food for after. Okay. You see what I'm dealing with here?

[David Remnick]

You know what? When I make this dish next week on my own, you don't get any. Not one bite.

[Ina Garten]

Do you get.

[David Remnick]

Yeah. I would really like an appraisal after David makes, see whether you guys are still married.

[Ina Garten]

All right. You're in charge of pouring wine.

[David Remnick]

I am.

[Ina Garten]

I have to say, the last time I saw you was for my birthday. And you brought me a tiara, which I just love to wear. Excellent. So I thought it'd be appropriate for today. I love is totally yours.

[David Remnick]

What do you think of the chicken?

[Ina Garten]

I think the chicken's divine.

[David Remnick]

We'll be having this once a week. Vina, who taught you how to be good at this?

[Ina Garten]

You know, I just taught myself. And you know what helped? Every time I made something, Jeffrey said, oh, this is the best thing I've ever had. Which encouraged you to make it again.

[David Remnick]

That is inspiring. I've never had that kind of encouragement.

[Ina Garten]

Maybe if you made something that tasted.

[David Remnick]

The way I have, it must have been. It must make you feel good and loved and, you know, desired in a certain sort of way.

[Ina Garten]

To the best of times. To the best of times. How fabulous was that? If you loved this episode of Be My Guest, the podcast with me, Ina Garten. Please make sure to rate and review us on Apple podcasts. It would mean so much to me. Thanks. Cheers.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

Dude, did you order the new iPhone 17 Pro? Got it from Verizon, the best 5G network in America. I never look so good.

[David Remnick]

You look the same.

[Carvana/Verizon Advertiser]

But with this camera, everything looks better, especially me.

[David Remnick]

You haven't changed your hair in 15 years. Selfies. Check, please.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Paige Desorbo]

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Same. They're so light and so comfy and if it's not comfortable, I'm not wearing it.

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And the bras? Soft, supportive and actually breathable.

[Ina Garten]

Yes.

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Lord knows the girls need to breathe. Also, I need my PJs to breathe and be buttery, soft and stretchy enough for my dramatic tossing and turning at night. That's why I live in my Tommy John pajamas.

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Plus they're so cute because they fit perfectly.

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Put yourself on to Tommy John.

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[David Remnick]

Today.

[Ina Garten]

ACAST powers the world's best podcasts.

[David Remnick]

Here's a show that we recommend.

[Commercial Narrator]

Are you a fantasy reader looking to cure your book hangover? Then welcome, welcome, welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls podcast. I'm Lexi, older sister and fantasy lore nerd. And I'm Nicole, younger sister and romantic at heart. And we love exploring these stories, worlds and characters well beyond the last page. Fantasy Fangirls is not your typical book Deep Dive podcast. When we say Deep Dive, we mean Deep Dive where every episode covers a stretch of chapters and is structured with five segments to easily follow along. We are currently Deep Diving Quicksilver by Callie Hart in the lead up to its highly anticipated sequel, Brimstone. We're so excited. We hope you join us as we travel through the Quicksilver to dive deep into literary and character analysis, theories, lore, themes and so much more.

[David Remnick]

ACAST helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.