Comedian Stephen Colbert is serious about food

Summary

Consider This: Stephen Colbert is Serious About Food

Published on November 29, 2024

In this engaging episode of NPR's Consider This, hosts delve into the culinary world of renowned comedian Stephen Colbert and his wife, Evie McGee Colbert. Exploring their deep-rooted passion for food, the couple shares insights from their newly released cookbook, "Does This Taste Funny? Recipes Our Family Loves." The conversation offers a delightful glimpse into their marriage, Southern heritage, and the intricate relationship between personal life and culinary artistry.

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1. Introduction to Stephen and Evie Colbert

The episode opens with a lighthearted exchange between Stephen and Evie, showcasing their playful banter and strong opinions about food. Ari Shapiro sets the stage by highlighting Stephen's notable moments, such as his memorable interaction on the Butterball turkey talk line:

Stephen Colbert [00:23]: "This is really a question about stuffing. If I call it stopping."

Evie McGee Colbert [00:30]: "Okay, wrong answer. Bye."

This snippet underscores the Colberts' humor and passion for culinary debates, setting the tone for the deeper discussions to follow.

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2. Childhood Roots and Separate Upbringings

Ari Shapiro introduces the Colberts' shared hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, while emphasizing their distinct upbringings:

Evie McGee Colbert [03:30]: "Yes, we grew up in the same town together, but one of us is a year older."

Stephen Colbert [03:33]: "Just one year in high school. That's a huge difference because she went to the girls' school and I went to what had been mostly a boys' school."

Their separate educational paths meant they had limited interaction during their formative years, leading to an eventual reunion as adults.

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3. Meeting and Marriage at the Spoleto Arts Festival

The couple recounts their serendipitous meeting during the 1990 Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston. Both attended the opera with their mothers, laying the foundation for a relationship built on mutual respect and shared interests.

Stephen Colbert [04:05]: "I remember seeing Stephen walk into the theater with his mother on his arm. And I thought, that man loves his mother. You could just see that."

Evie McGee Colbert [03:58]: "We moved away, and in 1990, we were both visiting Charleston for the annual Spoleto Arts Festival."

Their observant and appreciative nature towards family is evident, highlighting the values that underpin their partnership.

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4. "Does This Taste Funny?" – A Culinary Collaboration

Celebrating 30 years of marriage, Stephen and Evie have co-authored a cookbook that reflects their shared love for Southern cuisine and family traditions. The cookbook features recipes inspired by Evie's late mother, renowned for her entertaining prowess.

Evie McGee Colbert [04:23]: "First thing I had at the McGee house was Patty McGee's cheese biscuits, which was like a top-secret recipe until this cookbook."

Stephen Colbert [04:28]: "Right, exactly. So what's the secret?"

The Colberts discuss the balance Evie's mother maintained in her recipes, such as using a mix of butter and margarine to achieve the perfect texture and flavor.

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5. Culinary Philosophy and Kitchen Dynamics

The couple delves into their kitchen dynamics, highlighting their complementary personalities. Stephen identifies as the "order Muppet," preferring structure and precision, while Evie embraces a more spontaneous approach.

Stephen Colbert [07:06]: "I'm the order Muppet."

Evie McGee Colbert [07:08]: "And I'm gonna figure it out as we go, man."

This balance allows them to collaborate effectively, eventually reaching a point where they are "willing to sous chef for the other one," enhancing their culinary creations and mutual understanding.

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6. Celebrating South Carolina Lowcountry Cuisine

Evie elaborates on the unique aspects of Lowcountry cuisine, emphasizing the region's reliance on fresh seafood and the enduring influence of West African culinary traditions.

Evie McGee Colbert [07:35]: "Seafood is the number one thing because Charleston is so low lying that it's frequently in the sea. It's really fresh seafood with ingredients that have a heavy West African influence."

Dishes like okra, red rice, peanuts, and sesame prominently feature in their recipes, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of Southern cooking.

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7. Embracing Dietary Preferences and Innovations

Addressing modern dietary trends, Evie shares her inclination towards a predominantly vegan diet, while Stephen opts for a pescatarian lifestyle. They discuss innovative twists on traditional recipes to accommodate these preferences.

Stephen Colbert [08:10]: "I'm a little more. I'm a pescatarian now."

Stephen Colbert [08:24]: "Stephen did a great thing with this red rice. Usually, it's made with bacon and bacon fat, and he said, let's try it with smoked salt and a little anchovy. It's so good."

Their willingness to adapt and experiment ensures that their dishes cater to diverse palates without compromising on flavor or authenticity.

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8. Navigating the Challenges of Collaborative Creativity

Transitioning their dynamic from individual endeavors to a joint project, the Colberts candidly discuss the initial nervousness of co-authoring a cookbook. However, their mutual respect and enjoyment of the process transformed potential anxieties into a rewarding experience.

Evie McGee Colbert [09:00]: "We were nervous about just working together at all. But Covid threw us together because Evie was my crew and my audience and my only guest."

Stephen Colbert [09:00]: "If we had such a good time, we decided it would be fun to extend this relationship and create something together."

Their collaboration is a testament to the strength of their partnership, blending professional endeavors with personal affection seamlessly.

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9. Lightning Round: Personal Insights and Preferences

To add a personal touch, the Colberts engage in a lightning round, answering rapid-fire questions about their favorite dishes, kitchen skills, and quirks. Highlights include:

• Best Way to Eat a Potato: Stephen prefers scalloped French fries.

• Dish You're Most Famous For: Evie cites lentil soup, while Stephen highlights red rice.

• Most Useful Kitchen Skill: Stephen emphasizes the importance of a spatula, whereas Evie values dicing.

These responses offer a charming glimpse into their personalities and culinary expertise.

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10. Concluding Thoughts and Acknowledgments

As the episode wraps up, the Colberts express gratitude for the opportunity to share their culinary journey. Their cookbook, "Does This Taste Funny? Recipes Our Family Loves," stands as a heartfelt homage to their Southern roots and enduring love for each other.

Stephen Colbert [11:22]: "Our new cookbook is 'Does This Taste? Recipes Our Family Loves.'"

Produced by Noah Caldwell and Connor Donovan, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro and editing by Courtney Dorning, this episode encapsulates the essence of the Colberts' culinary passions and collaborative spirit.

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About "Consider This"

"Consider This" from NPR offers listeners a comprehensive analysis of major news stories, distilled into a 15-minute digest. Hosted by Ari Shapiro and featuring insightful interviews and discussions, the podcast aims to make complex topics accessible and engaging for a broad audience.

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This summary is based on the transcript provided and aims to capture the essence of the conversation between Stephen and Evie Colbert, highlighting their culinary journey, personal anecdotes, and the collaborative spirit behind their cookbook.

Transcript

[Ari Shapiro]

If you followed Stephen Colbert's career closely, you might have picked up on something.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's there.

[Ari Shapiro]

Back in his days on the Colbert.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Report, as a proud son of South Carolina folks, I rarely have kind words for those barbarians to the north. I mean, who makes barbecue sauce with vinegar? That's what you use to clean a toilet.

[Ari Shapiro]

Or that time on the Late show when he took calls on the Butterball turkey talk line the weekend before Thanksgiving.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is really a question about stuffing. If I.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Okay, do you call it stuffing or dressing?

[Stephen Colbert]

I call it stopping.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Okay, wrong answer. Bye.

[Stephen Colbert]

Bye.

[Ari Shapiro]

This man has opinions about food, like strong opinions.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Where's my tomato? There isn't any. And a BLT without the T is just a bl. It's bleh. And if that abomination meets the standard for a blt, then what did we fight at Lexington and Concord for? Just rip the Constitution off the Statue of Liberty and erase the map on the back because the American experiment has failed. No, you're the one who's overreacting.

[Stephen Colbert]

And it turns out he has strong.

[Ari Shapiro]

Opinions about food off camera, too. Stephen and his wife, Evie McGee Colbert, say they basically live in the kitchen. And when I talked to them a while back, it did not take long before they were holding forth on the proper way to make hoppin. John.

[Stephen Colbert]

It's hard to find field peas up here, but you really want to make them with good field peas.

But are field peas the same as black Eyed peas?

They're a little smaller. Tiny, tiny. Little bit smaller.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Or they could be exactly the same thing. But Charlestonians will not acknowledge that there's also the grits.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hominy divide.

Yeah. Oh, that's important.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

The grit's hominy divide is very important.

[Stephen Colbert]

Very important.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Controversial.

[Stephen Colbert]

Very important and controversial. Okay, let's settle this.

Charlestonians say homny.

[Ari Shapiro]

Consider this. The Colberts have written a cookbook. It's called does this Taste Funny? It's a delightful window into their marriage and the food of the South Carolina low country where they both grew up. From npr, I'm Ari Shapiro.

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[Ari Shapiro]

It's Consider this from NPR. Stephen Colbert and his wife Evie both grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, but as kids, they never met.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Yes, we grew up in the same town together, but one of us is a year older.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, that's how I was younger than I am. Just one year, just one year in high school. That's a huge difference because she went.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

To the girls school and I went to what had been mostly a boys school. And they mixed on dances, like, you know, eighth grade dance, ninth grade dance. And so we weren't in the same dance together. So how would I meet her as adults?

[Ari Shapiro]

They moved away, and in 1990, they were both visiting Charleston for the annual Spoleto Arts Festival. Each of them went to the opera with their mothers.

[Stephen Colbert]

I remember seeing Stephen walk into the theater with his mother on his arm. And I thought, that man loves his mother. You could just see that is a.

Good way to choose a husband.

Somebody who treats actually a really great way.

Women in his family?

Well, 100%.

[Ari Shapiro]

Well, 30 years after they got married, they've written a cookbook, as we mentioned. It's called does this Taste Funny? Recipes Our Family Loves. And many of the recipes come from Evie's late mother, who was renowned for entertaining.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

First thing I had, the first thing I had at the McGee house was the Patty McGee's cheese biscuits, which was.

[Stephen Colbert]

Like a top secret recipe until this cookbook. Right, Exactly. So what's the secret?

Mom would say the secret is one stick butter, one stick margarine, because she felt that sort of balance instead of two of margarine or two of butter.

Stephen, you were one of 11 kids.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

I'm the youngest of 11. Which is a key position.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah. So efficiency was more important than elegance when it came to food in your childhood home.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

My mother did not make any recipes that could not be found on the back of a couch.

[Stephen Colbert]

But you did learn some skills that are relevant to the kitchen.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Well, sure, because if you wanted something that wasn't at the proper meal time, you had to go make it yourself.

[Stephen Colbert]

I was thinking like, you learned fishing, crabbing, shrimping.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Oh, sure.

[Ari Shapiro]

You.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Because I grew up on James Island, South Carolina. See, this is the city girl who lived in downtown Charleston. I lived out in the country on a dirt road on James Island. So I was out there catching my own brim and crab and. And shrimp and flounder. You didn't do it as much as I did because you were off playing with your dolls without faces.

[Stephen Colbert]

Tulsa without Faces.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Well, she grew up like Little House on the Prairie or something, like, made.

[Stephen Colbert]

Of corn husks, that kind of.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

She doesn't have any, like, early 70s TV references. Because when I was watching TV, she was like, I was playing with paper dolls in my attic.

[Stephen Colbert]

So wholesome, so wholesome.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

She let no show. You had a 19th century childhood in downtown Charleston. You did. You had. Very traditional. Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

I wanted to know if you've retained these skills. And so we brought a whole salmon that's under the table and a knife, scales, head, tail, everything.

No wonder it smells a little odd in here.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

I was like, I will filet the hell out of that thing.

[Stephen Colbert]

Can you still do that? Do you still, like.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

I can do that on a rocking boat, baby.

[Stephen Colbert]

Really?

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Oh, yeah. I just. We were just out. I fish whenever I can. We were 70 miles offshore. Caught a beautiful wahoo. I filleted just the tail piece, chopped it up, threw it in a. A little container there with some salt and some lime and some cilantro and a little chopped up shallot. Close that thing up. Put it in the cooler by noon. That's about 8am when you catch the first fish.

[Stephen Colbert]

You just leveled up.

You're like, ari, that was the best question.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

By noon. It's ceviche, baby. Get yourself a Corona.

[Stephen Colbert]

Suddenly, this interview got a very different vibe.

No kidding.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

We started talking about fishing and knives.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay, you say you want this book to feel like hanging out with you in the kitchen, paint a picture for us. What does that feel like with the two of you?

Maybe a little bit of the animosity we're having. Right.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Well, who's in control of the pan? That's the issue. Who is in control of the pan at any one time? We have learned, 31 years into our marriage, we are now finally willing to sous chef for the other one.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, because one of you is a chaos Muppet, and one of you is an order Muppet. Right?

I'm the order Muppet.

Shocking.

Shocking. I know, I know. Very surprising.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

And I'm Gonna figure it out as we go, man.

[Ari Shapiro]

Uh huh.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

That's why I don't bake, because you have to be a rule follower.

[Stephen Colbert]

You can't improvise a cake.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Yes. Evie was the salutatorian of her class.

[Stephen Colbert]

I don't know that word.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

It's not the valedictorian. It's number two.

[Stephen Colbert]

No, it's like the runner up.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

It's number two. Yes, exactly. So she follows rules. She does the homework assignments.

[Stephen Colbert]

I do the homework assignment 100% and I improvise.

For people who are not familiar with the low country, with South Carolina, with Charleston, how would you describe what the food of that community, of that place is?

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Seafood is the number one thing because Charleston is so low lying that it's not like on the sea. It's frequently in the sea. It's not particularly complicated, but it's really fresh seafood. Ingredients with a heavy West African influence because of the West African slave trade. We have okra. We have red rice, which is very much like Jollof or Yolof rice from West Africa. Peanuts, sesame. All of that is still in all the cuisine of South Carolina and the Lowcountry.

[Stephen Colbert]

Evie, you're more vegan than not. So what is your favorite?

You are so selective in your favor. I'm a little more. I'm a pescatarian now.

Sure.

Cheese and I are good friends again.

I absolutely understand. This book has got a lot of meat recipes. What's your favorite little trick to make something meatless?

Well, so Stephen did a great thing with this red rice he was talking about. Usually it's made with bacon and bacon fat, and he said, let's try it with smoked salt and a little anchovy. It's so good.

Oh, that sounds great.

It's actually better. I would challenge anyone to try the original with what's in our cookbook. It's so much better Now. Shots fired. I realize that there's room for a lot of variations.

Purity is not the goal.

That's true.

Stephen, you've written a lot of books, but none quite like this one.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

None as good as this one.

[Stephen Colbert]

None as good as this one. Well, because with this one, you had a collaborator who you've been married to for many years.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

I know. I was nervous about that.

[Ari Shapiro]

Really?

[Evie McGee Colbert]

What were you nervous about? Well, we were nervous about just working together at all. But Covid threw us together because Evie was my crew and my audience and my only guest. And I was super nervous when we started that. I was like, well, what if she doesn't like this. What if I'm a horrible boss? Or what if I'm a boss at all? Because that's not our relationship at all. But if we had such a good time that we had been. I had been offered the opportunity to do a cookbook before, but it wasn't until we worked together and had a good time, I went, oh, no, this would be fun to actually just sort of extend this relationship. We've already started during the COVID shows and to do a project together. And it was nerve wracking at first, but it turned out to be a complete joy.

[Stephen Colbert]

Can we conclude with a lightning round?

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Oh, sure.

[Stephen Colbert]

Best way to eat a potato.

Scalloped French fry.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Okay.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay. Dish you're most famous for.

Oh.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Lentil soup.

[Ari Shapiro]

Red rice.

[Stephen Colbert]

Lentil soup. Most useful kitchen skill.

Spatula. You have to be able to flip something quickly.

Your personal most useful kitchen skill.

That's all I can do.

You can flip a thing with a spatula. Steven A. Dyson dicing. Okay. Most obscure kitchen skill.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

A pickup. Hot things.

[Stephen Colbert]

You've got asbestos fingers.

I got a better one. Deveining a shrimp.

Very good.

Thank you.

Very low country.

Yeah.

Biggest kitchen disagreement.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Well, do you have to peel tomatoes?

[Stephen Colbert]

Yes.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

No.

[Stephen Colbert]

Your spouse's most annoying kitchen habit.

Oh, boy.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Oh. Oh.

[Stephen Colbert]

Well, one of.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Well, sometimes. Sometimes. And it's been almost 31 years, but sometimes Evie likes to stir the bottom of a non stick pot with a metal spoon.

[Stephen Colbert]

And sometimes Stephen can be very bossy and critical.

Okay. What you cook to tell your spouse, I love you.

Aw. Steven used to make me scones every Mother's Day. Yeah, I loved those.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Lentil soup. Banana bread for you.

[Stephen Colbert]

Banana bread. I make a lot of banana bread. Yeah, I did try. I think I talked about it in the cookbook. I tried when we first got married to make chicken l'orange. Cause he said he loved it. I never made it. Right. I gave it.

You tried?

I tried.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

It's what my mom would make for birthday every year.

[Stephen Colbert]

Last question of the lightning round. Best drink to unwind with after a grueling NPR interview.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

I'm a simple man. I like an Old Fashioned.

[Stephen Colbert]

I mean, I guess in the winter, maybe like I'm. I like chardonnay. Couple glasses of that.

[Evie McGee Colbert]

Couple two tree glasses of chardonnay. This one loosens up. Yep.

[Stephen Colbert]

Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert, thank you so much for the conversation. Thank you.

Thank you, Ari.

That was their new cookbook is does this Taste? Recipes Our Family Loves.

[Ari Shapiro]

This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and Connor Donovan with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera. Castro. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Ari Shapiro.

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[Stephen Colbert]

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