Ep 283: Antoni Porowski - Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

Summary5 min read

Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
Episode 283: Anthony Perovsky
Release Date: March 19, 2025
Hosted by Ed Gamble and James Acaster
Guest: Anthony Perovsky

Introduction

In Episode 283 of "Off Menu", hosts Ed Gamble and James Acaster welcome Anthony Perovsky, a prominent member of the Queer Eye crew, known for his expertise in the food segment of the Fab Five. The episode delves deep into Anthony's culinary passions, his latest project, and his envisioned dream menu, all set within the whimsical confines of the hosts' magical restaurant.

Guest Background and Recent Work

Anthony Perovsky shares insights into his role on Queer Eye, emphasizing the show's focus on teaching guests to cook meaningful dishes that reflect their personal histories. He highlights the heartfelt connections formed during the cooking process, describing it as one of his favorite aspects of the show.

“Every episode will teach the person how to cook a dish that they then recreate at the end for their loved ones as well. It has a lovely heart-to-heart, often in the kitchen as they're cooking.” [02:13]

Anthony also introduces his new show, "Tastes Like Home", now streaming on Disney Plus. The show features celebrity guests like Florence Pugh, James Marsden, Issa Rae, and Justin Theroux, exploring their culinary roots and family histories through food.

“Tastes Like Home is out now on Disney Plus. Loads of celebrity guests, and we're going to learn more about it.” [02:45]

Favorite Dishes and Culinary Preferences

The conversation shifts to Anthony's favorite dishes and his love for comfort foods that evoke nostalgia. Anthony recounts his fondness for cold lasagna, a dish that holds emotional significance for him.

“There is a part of the book where I talk about watching Queer Eye and crying while eating cold lasagna.” [06:14]

James and Anthony discuss the merits of various breakfast options, including soft scrambled eggs and the benefits of sourdough bread, inspired by the Blue Zones documentary Anthony references.

“I have a little slice of that with some good room temp butter, some Maldon flake salt, and then soft scrambled eggs. It's the best way to start a day.” [10:32]

Creating the Dream Menu

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to crafting Anthony's dream menu. Anthony enthusiastically describes each course in meticulous detail, showcasing his deep passion for food.

Starter:

Anthony begins with a nostalgic trip to Montreal, reminiscing about Rotisserie Italienne, a local favorite where he enjoyed dishes like mozzarella in carrozza. This is essentially a trashy white bread slice stuffed with mozzarella, dipped in egg wash, breaded, and fried to a perfect dark brown crust. He envisions it served with a sweet marinara sauce and a sprinkle of fresh cracked pepper.

“It's kind of like a French toast. It soaks everything up. I want it, like, 30 seconds before it's black. I want a dark brown crust.” [21:29]

Anthony also fantasizes about an arancini, a fried risotto ball stuffed with peas and prosciutto, showcasing his love for versatile and hearty starters.

“I love the idea of sneaking in a sandwich as a starter. Yeah, I think that's great.” [24:10]

Main Course:

The centerpiece is a cheese and charcuterie board overflowing with a variety of high-quality cheeses and meats. Anthony lists favorites like Iberico ham, Etivase Gruyere, Vermont Cloth-Bound Cheddar, Mimolette, and Polish Cabanos. He emphasizes the importance of texture and pairing, suggesting accompaniments like fig jelly, Stilton cheese with dates, and marcona almonds.

“I want some beautiful Iberico ham... with some nice room temp butter, some Maldon flake salt.” [29:11]

Anthony's attention to detail extends to selecting the perfect crackers, olives, and nuts to complement the board, ensuring a harmonious balance of flavors and textures.

Side Dish:

Anthony's choice for a side dish is a rich and creamy Mac and Cheese. Inspired by childhood memories, he discusses incorporating a variety of cheeses and ground meats to create a dish that's both comforting and indulgent.

“I love ground beef as much as I love a tomahawk steak. It's such joy.” [42:12]

Dessert:

For dessert, Anthony opts for a sticky toffee pudding drizzled with caramel sauce and accompanied by vanilla bean ice cream. He highlights the importance of achieving the perfect balance between the spongy cake and the rich sauce.

“Sticky toffee pudding is so good. It’s the most tormenting flight I’ve ever taken in my life.” [56:37]

Drink:

Anthony's dream drink is a shrub, a refreshing concoction made from fresh Maine blueberries, mint, apple cider vinegar, and soda water. He discusses experimenting with flavors like lemongrass and persimmon to add tartness and complexity.

“I love a good shrub. They're like, just refreshing and... a bit of tartness.” [47:48]

Personal Anecdotes and Stories

Throughout the episode, Anthony shares personal stories that highlight his relationship with food and how it has shaped his life. He recounts his time in Montreal, the emotional connection he has with certain dishes, and the influence of his family's culinary habits.

“When I came back full circle...” [06:10]

Anthony also discusses his dog, detailing his routine with dog camp, emphasizing the importance of providing a loving environment for his pets, akin to crafting a perfect meal.

“I have a rescue Pit Bull... he gets a walk in the morning for 45 minutes...” [08:17]

Conclusion and Show Promotion

As the episode wraps up, Ed and James express their gratitude towards Anthony for his participation and enthusiasm. They promote Anthony's new show, "Tastes Like Home", encouraging listeners to watch and explore the intricate relationship between food and personal history.

“Thank you for coming to the dream restaurant. Please check out 'Tastes Like Home' on Disney Plus.” [64:24]

The hosts also tease future episodes, hinting at spin-offs and additional content that delves further into culinary adventures and personal narratives.

Notable Quotes

“Every episode we do, I'm deliberately trying to make you laugh.” — James Acaster [01:50]
“Tastes Like Home is out now on Disney Plus. Loads of celebrity guests, and we're going to learn more about it.” — Anthony Perovsky [02:45]
“I cried so hard all the time.” — Anthony Perovsky [06:07]
“Sticky toffee pudding is so good. It’s the most torturous flight I’ve ever taken in my life.” — Anthony Perovsky [56:37]
“Better spit in your face than be dead in the eyes.” — Anthony Perovsky [46:34]

Final Thoughts

Episode 283 of "Off Menu" offers a rich exploration of Anthony Perovsky's culinary world, blending humor with heartfelt stories. Listeners are treated to an in-depth look at how food intertwines with personal identity and relationships, all while enjoying the distinct comedic chemistry between Ed Gamble, James Acaster, and their special guest.

For those who haven't tuned in yet, this episode is a delectable treat that blends culinary passion with engaging conversation, making it a must-listen for food enthusiasts and comedy lovers alike.

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Transcript784 lines

[00:02]
ACAST
ACAST powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
[00:09]
Kristen
I'm Kristen.
[00:10]
Jen
And I'm Jen from the I Mom so Hard podcast.
[00:13]
Kristen
We don't want to brag, but yes, we are moms. We're average moms.
[00:17]
Jen
Below average sometimes.
[00:18]
Kristen
But we're not just moms.
[00:19]
Jen
And we're not just supermodels either. We're not just pieces of meat.
[00:23]
Kristen
That's right. We're not even close. We are comedians and we're also best friends.
[00:26]
Jen
We're also best selling authors and television writers. We created a viral web series with over 300.
[00:32]
Kristen
300 million views.
[00:33]
ACAST
What's up?
[00:34]
Kristen
Who's bragging? And we were in our swimsuits. Again, not supermodels.
[00:37]
Jen
We're also podcasting.
[00:39]
Kristen
Are we podcasting right now?
[00:40]
Jen
Not right now, but we have been bringing laughs every Tuesday to women and moms everywhere.
[00:45]
Kristen
And one dude who's a sophomore in college, his name's Greg. Whatever he messaged us, it made me feel cool.
[00:49]
Jen
So nice. Amazing. Please listen to the AM mom so Hard podcast on Acast.
[00:53]
James Acaster
Woo.
[00:55]
ACAST
Acast helps creators launch, grow and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.
[01:19]
James Acaster
Welcome to the off menu podcast. Slicing the apple of conversation. Lying across the caramel of humor. Topping with the puff pastry of the Internet. And cooking in a big old oven, flipping it out onto a plate. Apple. Ta, ta, ta.
[01:37]
Anthony Perovsky
You're deliberately doing this. I'm making me laugh. No, we're both saying, imagine we've been.
[01:41]
James Acaster
Working together for six years and James says, are you deliberately trying to make me laugh?
[01:46]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, man.
[01:47]
James Acaster
Every day. Everything. Every episode we do. I'm deliberately trying to make you laugh.
[01:50]
Anthony Perovsky
I've only noticed it today. Yeah. Apple.
[01:52]
James Acaster
Ta, ta, ta.
[01:53]
Anthony Perovsky
That's a gamble. My name is James Ancaster. Together we own a dream restaurant. And every single week, we invite in a guest and ask them forever. Start bagels, dessert side dish, and drink. Not in that order. And this week our guest is Anthony Perovsky.
[02:07]
James Acaster
Of course. Anthony is one of the Queer Eye crew.
[02:10]
Anthony Perovsky
Fab Five.
[02:11]
James Acaster
The Fab Five. Focusing on food.
[02:14]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. The food portion of the Fab Five will every. Every week. Every episode's not a week, is it? I mean, I'm still, what, an old man? Every episode will teach the person how to cook a dish that they then recreate at the end for their loved ones as well. It's a. And has a lovely heart to heart, often in the kitchen with them as they're cooking as well. It's one of my favorite Parts of the show.
[02:38]
James Acaster
Very excited to meet Anthony. He's got a new show out as well. James.
[02:42]
Anthony Perovsky
No. Tastes Like Home.
[02:43]
James Acaster
He's broken. He's broken away from the Fab Five.
[02:46]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. This is it, you know? Who knows what the future holds? No. Tastes Like Home is out now on Disney Plus. Loads of celebrity guests, and we're going to learn more about it. Ask Anthony about this show.
[02:56]
James Acaster
He's got Pew.
[02:57]
Anthony Perovsky
He's got Florence Pugh. We have Florence Pugh.
[02:59]
James Acaster
We have Florence Pugh.
[03:00]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[03:01]
James Acaster
He's got James Marsden.
[03:02]
Anthony Perovsky
We haven't had James Marsden. No. Or grafina. Yeah. Issa Ray, Justin for. This is great.
[03:08]
James Acaster
That's good.
[03:09]
Anthony Perovsky
It looks. It looks fun. We've had Louis for it.
[03:11]
James Acaster
Yeah, yeah.
[03:12]
Anthony Perovsky
Are you trying to make me laugh?
[03:13]
James Acaster
No. We have had Louis Theroux, though. They're cousins.
[03:16]
Anthony Perovsky
But if Anthony says a secret ingredient, an ingredient which we deem to be unacceptable, we will have to kick him out of the dream restaurant. And this week, the secret ingredient is old, rotten, rotten spinach.
[03:27]
James Acaster
Now, obviously, he's not gonna pick that.
[03:29]
Anthony Perovsky
But it's something he has eaten. Stuff like that on Queer Eye, they go in people's fridges, they got out of their cell by night, stuff, things rotting. And he puts it in his mouth and he eats it. And he did it with the spinach.
[03:41]
James Acaster
So maybe he got a taste for old, rotten spinach and now it's gonna be on his dream menu.
[03:45]
Anthony Perovsky
He might love it now.
[03:46]
James Acaster
Sorry, we'll have to kick you out, mate.
[03:48]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. Or it might be, you know, sometimes we have guests on who go, there's this one dish I had. I can't ever find it again. I would love to replicate. He might be like, I had this old, rotten sp in this person's house, and I just would like to try it again. Yeah. I can't find it anywhere else. That's as good as that. It was just rotten enough, you know.
[04:04]
James Acaster
So maybe you will say that. So maybe it is a good choice, actually.
[04:07]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, maybe it's a good choice.
[04:08]
James Acaster
But I don't want to kick him out because he seems really nice and I can't wait to talk to him about his dream menu.
[04:13]
Anthony Perovsky
Listen, full disclosure. We start this podcast in 2018. That was about a year after Queer I started. And this has been, like, since day one, trying to get Anthony on the podcast.
[04:23]
James Acaster
Yeah. We've talked about it a lot. Right.
[04:25]
Anthony Perovsky
It would be weird if we kicked him out.
[04:27]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[04:28]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. That would be a lot of work just to kick someone out. The dream restaurant.
[04:31]
James Acaster
Yeah. It would be. So let's not do it. This is the off menu menu of Anthony Perovsky. Welcome, Anthony, to the dream restaurant.
[04:47]
ACAST
Yay. I'm very excited.
[04:49]
Anthony Perovsky
Welcome, Anthony Perovski to the dream restaurant. Who makes money, even sometimes.
[04:54]
James Acaster
Nice, loud, big.
[04:55]
ACAST
That was good. Good energy.
[04:56]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[04:56]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, Good, right? Yeah, I was pretty happy with that. You always on Queer, Are you surprised? People, you know, at the beginning, you guys will jump out. They aren't expecting you to come up at point. I thought, I've got to surprise this guy proper. Because, like, you're so used to it. You're being on the.
[05:11]
ACAST
I appreciate that. And we actually do surprise people. Even after all these seasons. It's shocking to learn that, like, we call them heroes. The people that were helping out, they actually don't know that we're coming because they think that we're just shooting, like a backstory, that they haven't been fully selected yet. So they're actually shocked when they come.
[05:27]
James Acaster
Oh, wow. That's a really good way of doing.
[05:28]
ACAST
Expression when you, like, went right into it.
[05:30]
Anthony Perovsky
Oh, so they don't even know they're gonna get the makeover and all that.
[05:34]
ACAST
They know that it's probable that they've made it to the finish line, but they go there for a couple weeks and they just, like, record them in their daily lives. And then they figure out how to, like, sneak us in. So they're, like, genuinely shocked after nine seasons, which is kind of wild.
[05:46]
Anthony Perovsky
Which means you do actually catch their house as it is.
[05:50]
ACAST
Correct.
[05:50]
Anthony Perovsky
Because they're not like they're gonna come this week. No, it's a shit show.
[05:54]
ACAST
I mean, I don't know if you've watched the show, but it's like, we find some crazy stuff in there.
[05:58]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah. No, I've watched it a lot, Anthony. It's. It's. It's helped me out. I had a bad. I had a bad year in 2017. I watched it so much. I cried so hard all the time.
[06:06]
ACAST
What happened in 2017?
[06:07]
Anthony Perovsky
I had a breakdown. I wrote a whole book about it. But, like, oh, shit.
[06:10]
James Acaster
I got a book out of it.
[06:14]
Anthony Perovsky
But there is a part of the book where I talk about watching Queer Eye and crying while eating cold lasagna.
[06:21]
ACAST
It's a big cold lasagna. That's dark.
[06:23]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[06:25]
ACAST
I'm so sorry. But you're here now.
[06:26]
Anthony Perovsky
I'm here now. It's great. Yeah, yeah.
[06:29]
ACAST
Are you warming up the lasagna now?
[06:30]
Anthony Perovsky
No, it is nicer cold.
[06:32]
ACAST
Okay.
[06:33]
Anthony Perovsky
There's a little tip for you.
[06:34]
James Acaster
I Think that's an awful tip?
[06:35]
Anthony Perovsky
No. You got heat it up first.
[06:37]
ACAST
Yeah.
[06:37]
Anthony Perovsky
Then let it go cold and then it's delicious.
[06:39]
ACAST
Is it kind of like meatloaf where it's like nice to just cut a cold slice of it after you've enjoyed it? Like cold after. Like cold pizza. Cold pizza for breakfast.
[06:46]
Anthony Perovsky
And this isn't a nice term, but it congeals. That's nice.
[06:49]
ACAST
Congeals.
[06:50]
James Acaster
That's what we always like to hear with food. Isn't it lovely? Congealed.
[06:53]
ACAST
Congeals and moist is all I want to hear.
[06:56]
Anthony Perovsky
We've been talking to you a lot about eggs before this podcast started today. Yes.
[07:00]
James Acaster
There's been a lot of eggs.
[07:00]
Anthony Perovsky
We feel like we've been on your back early.
[07:02]
ACAST
Well, a little bit. Cause I literally, I got here and then ordered from. Let's give them. Let's give small businesses a shout out because Pret. A manger does hard boiled egg cups and it's the best thing when you're traveling. Cause you can get. This sounds like a paid endorsement, but it's not. But it could be if they're listening. They do two hard boiled eggs with a little thing of spinach and with some salt and pepper. And you guys had some Maldon salt here, which is great. It's protein. It keeps you full for a long time. I support it.
[07:26]
James Acaster
Yeah, no, look, so do I. I love a hard boiled egg. I like the hard boiled eggs from pret. You had four.
[07:31]
ACAST
I had. In my defense, first of all, I had two. There's still two that I'm gonna have later. Okay, yeah, let's all calm down now.
[07:38]
James Acaster
You're having four boiled eggs of a day. Yeah, yeah. We started to talk about this when we were out there and off because this is good podcast fodder.
[07:47]
ACAST
Of course.
[07:47]
James Acaster
What's the maximum amount of boiled eggs that you'd have in a day?
[07:51]
ACAST
So typically I start my day, I don't do boiled. I do a soft scramble and I, I like them runny. Like I want to question.
[07:59]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[07:59]
ACAST
If they're like healthy to eat, you know what I mean? I don't like them fully, fully cooked. And typically I take one yolk out and I save it for my dog and I cook it separately on the pan. And when she comes home from dog camp, then I like mix it in with her little treats and she's so happy.
[08:14]
Anthony Perovsky
Well, you know what we're about to ask now is what is dog camp, please?
[08:18]
ACAST
Dog camp. So my dog is basically self sustainable until 5pm every day. So I have a rescue pit bull. I know that she spent a lot of time on the streets, and so I want to give her the best life possible because I don't have kids. So she's like my kid right now. And so she gets a walk in the morning for 45 minutes, and then she gets fed, Then she naps for 30 minutes. And then this guy Brian, I'm so used to spelling his name out because I can't say his name in front of her because she love him more than me. I'm not. No, I'm not even kidding. I trust him with her life. And he has a son called Brian Jr. Spelled B, R, Y, A, N. He came over the first time. It was through a reference. And he takes basically like 12 to 14 dogs from lower Manhattan out every day to like Connecticut, Pennsylvania. And they go running. She comes back home and she's like taxidermy. She collapses, doesn't move. It's the best thing. He came over the first time. He spent an hour with her, like, talking to her, getting to know her. And I'm like, this guy's a freak. Like, this is exactly who I want. Like, he's my kind of guy. And so he takes care of her when I'm out of town because I travel a lot. Case in point, being here.
[09:19]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[09:19]
ACAST
And that's dog camp every day.
[09:21]
Anthony Perovsky
Do you think Brian could team up with four other people who do the same job and do, like, a Queer Eye but for dogs?
[09:28]
ACAST
I mean, would I pay for that? Absolutely.
[09:30]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
[09:31]
James Acaster
So how many scrambling in the morning?
[09:34]
ACAST
So four soft scrambled eggs. Maybe like a little piece of sourdough toast? Cause I'm on that whole, I don't know if you watched the Blue Zones documentary, but I'm really obsessed. Are you familiar with Blue Zones?
[09:43]
James Acaster
No.
[09:44]
ACAST
Okay, so this guy, Dan Butner, he got the Guinness World Record for, I think, biking across the country, like in the 80s or the 90s or something. I'm probably butchering this. Don't fact check me or do. Do whatever you want. It's a free country for the most part. But anyway, so he basically traveled through and he encountered all these people who lived in villages. And he found certain villages in certain towns in different countries where people were living to a very old age. And so Blue Zones are the highest concentration of centenarians, people who are living to 100. And he got obsessed and he was like, what the fuck are these people doing to live so long? And one of the things that he's found cross culturally is sourdough they also eat a lot of beans. They have a sense of community. Like, there's a whole bunch of other stuff. I latched onto sourdough because I felt like that was an easier one because.
[10:27]
James Acaster
No one ever tells you eat more bread, Right?
[10:29]
ACAST
Correct.
[10:29]
James Acaster
So if you found out that it makes people live longer.
[10:32]
ACAST
Right. So I have a little slice of that with some, like, good room temp butter, some Maldon flake salt, and then soft scrambled eggs. And I'm like, so happy. It's the best way to start a day.
[10:42]
James Acaster
But I like to hear this about sourdough. I guess it's like, also limiting the amount of sourdough you're eating because, I.
[10:47]
ACAST
Mean, yeah, you probably shouldn't have an entire loaf. I probably stick to, like a proper slice. Then you freeze them individually, you put them in a toaster and they're good to go.
[10:54]
James Acaster
Love it.
[10:55]
Anthony Perovsky
Well, let me tell you what my new obsession is. No Taste Like Home with Pirofsky.
[11:00]
ACAST
That was the smoothest segue of all time. I loved it. Yeah, I liked it. I liked it.
[11:04]
Anthony Perovsky
That was pretty good. I've done less smooth ones. I'd.
[11:08]
James Acaster
Yeah, well, what I liked about that is Anthony said it was a smooth segue, whereas normally if James does a smooth segue, he looks at me and goes, that was a good segue.
[11:14]
Anthony Perovsky
Yes. Which ruins it.
[11:15]
ACAST
You know what? Everyone needs a bit of positive reinforcement in life and I'm here for it.
[11:19]
Anthony Perovsky
Thank you, Anthony.
[11:20]
ACAST
Yeah.
[11:21]
Anthony Perovsky
This sounds like a very exciting show. Your guests are amazing. What can you tell the listeners about it?
[11:25]
ACAST
I mean, it's a dream job. I basically scammed Nat Geo and Disney into funding my world travels for all of last year, which was pretty amazing. But, I mean, I take six celebrities to their country of origin. It starts out with a dish that they remember from childhood, and then we go to their country of origin and we explore their family history through the lens of food. So we go socio cultural, politically, what was going on at the time. And then we hone in on, like, key personalities in their. In their families and it's. I mean, yeah, we got to go to Senegal with Issa Rae, Florence Pugh in Northern England and had like, the most amazing hoggett. Do you know what a hoggett is?
[11:58]
Anthony Perovsky
I actually don't know. Anthony nodded his head.
[12:00]
James Acaster
We're going to let Anthony describe what hogget is.
[12:01]
ACAST
Okay, so a lamb is like, young.
[12:04]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[12:05]
ACAST
Mutton is like the older one and a Hoggett is like the teenager.
[12:08]
Anthony Perovsky
Oh, ok. Yeah, yeah.
[12:10]
ACAST
I'm so Glad that I taught you something about your own country, which is kind of nice. Yeah, we just, like, do these, like, world travels, and it's like. I think it's fun for people to watch because, like, first of all, like, we need a bit of diversity exposure in this world right now and just, like, be introduced to, like, other cultures and, like, in terms of embracing them. But also, you have these people who were, like, on film. Like, I literally was watching Florence and Little Women crying on a plane a couple of weeks before I met her. And it's like, you get to meet them as individuals. I think it just offers, like, a new lens and a new perspective on. On these people, you know, Were you.
[12:40]
Anthony Perovsky
Eating cold lasagna on the plane while crying? Was. I was eating cold lasagna while lasagna.
[12:46]
ACAST
Right after a nap, waiting for, like, the treats to come out. But, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the problem.
[12:50]
James Acaster
Now, for the next season, you can do one with James because you've done the UK already.
[12:56]
ACAST
Yeah, exactly.
[12:56]
James Acaster
And I don't feel like James's tastes in cold lasagna represent the UK and the cultural history.
[13:01]
ACAST
What's your heritage?
[13:02]
Anthony Perovsky
It's pretty. Is pretty just like. Yeah. English all the way. But, you know, in Ketman, where I'm from, we make Weetabix. Me and you could go and have a bowl of Weetabix.
[13:11]
ACAST
Weetabix is a brand of cereal.
[13:12]
Anthony Perovsky
Oh, yeah.
[13:13]
ACAST
No, we're talking about the same thing. Okay, gotcha. Wow.
[13:15]
Anthony Perovsky
So we could have that. Yeah, that'd be a good.
[13:17]
James Acaster
That's where the factory is delicious. Yeah.
[13:19]
ACAST
Oh, is it? Actually, Are you guys messing with me next door?
[13:22]
Anthony Perovsky
Next door to. To us? Yeah.
[13:24]
ACAST
I would imagine cereal would be, like, such an American invention.
[13:27]
Anthony Perovsky
Oh, yeah.
[13:28]
James Acaster
I think exciting cereals are an American invention, but the sort of cereal that feels like a punishment to eat.
[13:33]
ACAST
Yeah.
[13:34]
James Acaster
That is British dry. Yeah.
[13:36]
ACAST
Crunchy.
[13:36]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We tipped up the fun out of.
[13:39]
James Acaster
Yeah, yeah.
[13:39]
Anthony Perovsky
What you were doing.
[13:40]
ACAST
And then the Americans go ahead and put in, like, colored marshmallows.
[13:43]
James Acaster
Yeah, exactly. Make it more fun cereal where basically they put a sticker on the front saying, this is good for your bowels. Like, that's the sort of cereal that does.
[13:49]
ACAST
Well, here we all have to talk about gut and dietary health. You know, it's important. Get that fiber in. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[13:57]
Anthony Perovsky
We always start with still or sparkling water. Anthony, do you have a preference?
[14:00]
ACAST
So I just had this conversation with people recently, so I like still water, and my dad, who's a retired physician, was telling me that a lot of Europeans get kidney stones because they drink either mineral water or like spark, like naturally sparkling water. And there's so many minerals. You didn't ask for this information. But I'm going into it.
[14:19]
Anthony Perovsky
We did. So apparently we ask this question every episode. You all have no idea.
[14:22]
ACAST
No. But I need the details of how.
[14:23]
Anthony Perovsky
We are to hear a different answer.
[14:26]
ACAST
So apparently. And again, I'm going to be saying this a lot, definitely fact check this. Because I'm not a dietitian or nutritionist or a water specialist for that matter. But the all of the mineral deposits, they kind of like calcify and that's why people get kidney stones. So you should really limit how much sparkling water you have.
[14:42]
James Acaster
But then also, kidney stones can be a problem from not drinking enough water. Right?
[14:46]
ACAST
Correct.
[14:47]
James Acaster
So you've just.
[14:47]
ACAST
You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. We're all just screwed. Yeah.
[14:52]
James Acaster
You've got to drink the exact right amount of still water.
[14:55]
ACAST
Yes.
[14:55]
James Acaster
And without any minerals in it.
[14:57]
ACAST
Correct.
[14:57]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So you're having still water.
[15:00]
ACAST
I love still water.
[15:01]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. And what temperature are we talking?
[15:04]
ACAST
So it hurts my brain when it's too cold, but it feels really good when it's cold. And everyone always tells me that you should have room temp water aspirationally. I'm a room temp guy. In reality, ice. Ice cold. And I've been in the US for 12 years now and we just jam ice cubes into literally anything that we possibly can. We want things to be as cold as humanly possible.
[15:25]
James Acaster
Yeah. I mean, you notice that as soon as you go to America for the first time, that when the jug of water is brought over that's full of ice and then.
[15:32]
ACAST
Correct. And it's a jug, not a glass.
[15:34]
James Acaster
You're correct. But then they'll bring you a cup and that's full of ice as well.
[15:37]
ACAST
Oh, yeah. So much love it.
[15:38]
Anthony Perovsky
You're putting ice on ice.
[15:40]
ACAST
Let's use as much electricity as we possibly can. Just consume, consume, consume. That's our brand. Yeah.
[15:45]
Anthony Perovsky
And you've traveled around a lot for this show for no Taste Like Home, but also like for Queer Eye. Is there something that has the best tap water? I mean, I know New York usually is meant to be the best.
[15:54]
ACAST
Don't you read my mind. So I'm told. And this might be something that's just like peddled by the tourism board of New York, but someone once told me that New York supposedly has the best tasting tap water in the world. My hunch is that it was probably disgusting in like the 60s or 70s or 80s. And then they really tried to clean it up. I drink tap water in New York. I'm very happy with it. I really love it. I had tap water in Bali. Did not end well for me. Ended up with Bali belly. Right before a flight to South Korea to meet Awkwafina for an episode of no Tastes Like Home. Me bringing it back full circle.
[16:27]
James Acaster
That's a lovely bit of exclusive content as well. Because now you can watch that episode with Awkwafina and just really look in your eyes to see how ill you are.
[16:34]
ACAST
My skin was extra gray. It was the most torturous flight I'd ever taken in my life. They had to give me a double IV.
[16:41]
James Acaster
Really?
[16:42]
ACAST
Yeah, in both arms. I'm FaceTiming my dad, who again, physician. Second time I mentioned him and he was like, what the hell? Like, what are they putting? I wanna communicate with them. There were language barriers. We were trying to figure. It was messy.
[16:52]
James Acaster
There better not be sparkling water in those IVs.
[16:55]
ACAST
No, no.
[16:56]
Anthony Perovsky
Pop rubs or bread? Pop rubs or bread. Actually, powski. Pop rubs or bread. Wait, what publubs. Or bread.
[17:02]
ACAST
I heard. Or bread. I didn't hear the first part.
[17:04]
James Acaster
You're gonna have to. A lot of guests from North America don't hear what James says there because he doesn't enunciate well. And also, it's just a bit confusing, isn't it? Cause you're shouting.
[17:14]
ACAST
Maybe I'm just hard of hearing cause I listen to my music too loud. It might be both.
[17:17]
Anthony Perovsky
What music you been listening to lately? Really loud. What was the last thing you pumped up and listened to?
[17:22]
ACAST
So when I travel, I'm a big fan. Do you know Noah Kahn?
[17:25]
Anthony Perovsky
No.
[17:25]
James Acaster
Yes, I've heard the name.
[17:26]
ACAST
He's really good. He's from Vermont. I saw him perform at Madison Square Garden. One of his older albums is a lot about, like, when he was like, touring. So I like to like, cosplay and pretend in my mind that I'm like a tortured musician with a guitar that I don't know how to play when I'm traveling. And I miss my family and I miss my friends and like, my heart's hurting, but I'm like trying to do my thing. So I've been listening to a lot of him because he, like, gets me in my feels. Plus, it's like. It's like. It's like muggy and cold in London this time of year. So it's like, if I'm, like, feeling a little sad, I want to feel, like, extra sad. So I want to listen to, like, good Bl.
[17:53]
James Acaster
Louis music and walk around the streets, like, in a little moody, in my emo.
[17:57]
ACAST
Yeah. College vibes, trying to figure out who I am. Also, I love to listen to Richard Ashcroft whenever I'm in London.
[18:02]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Walk through the crowd. I thought of him today because I was walking on my way here and literally I was approaching the bridge and everyone was walking towards me and no one was walking the same way as me.
[18:12]
ACAST
You were in your bittersweet symphony.
[18:15]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. I was like, here we go.
[18:16]
ACAST
I love it.
[18:17]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, it's pretty intense.
[18:18]
ACAST
What a legend.
[18:19]
James Acaster
Do you want to tell Anthony what you shouted in his face, first of all?
[18:22]
ACAST
Yeah. Tell me what you shouted.
[18:23]
Anthony Perovsky
I shouted poppadoms or bread.
[18:25]
ACAST
Poppadoms or bread. Yeah, poppadoms. 100%.
[18:28]
James Acaster
There you go. I'm glad. I'm glad you finally got to hear what the question.
[18:31]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You're not the first, you won't be the last to not know what I shouted and get confused. Yeah.
[18:36]
ACAST
Well, you know what? 50%.
[18:38]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[18:38]
ACAST
In today's economy, to, like, accomplish anything on that level, I think is pretty impressive. I'm going to tap myself on the shoulder.
[18:44]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. Yeah.
[18:45]
ACAST
And for viewers watching, I just tap myself on my shoulder, quite literally.
[18:49]
Anthony Perovsky
But you will pop it on for this. Yeah. All the dips.
[18:52]
ACAST
All the dips. Everything. I want the tamarind water. I want, like, the. The yogurty water. Like a bit of raita. Like everything. A bit of that creamy potato feel. Like all of it.
[19:01]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. Yes.
[19:02]
ACAST
Obsessed.
[19:03]
Anthony Perovsky
Obsessed.
[19:03]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[19:04]
ACAST
Yeah.
[19:04]
James Acaster
When you're in the uk, do you go out for a curry when you can, or.
[19:07]
ACAST
I do. I do. Well, there's this restaurant. I don't know if you guys have heard of it. It's like, really. It's. It's mom and pop. It's like, under the radar. It's called Deshum.
[19:14]
James Acaster
Yes.
[19:14]
ACAST
Yeah, yeah. So that place is fantastic. The Britannia biryani really has my heart. Along with the Black Doll, there's also Darjeeling Express, which is fantastic. Have you been?
[19:24]
Anthony Perovsky
Yes.
[19:25]
James Acaster
I've still not been.
[19:26]
Anthony Perovsky
Have you not? I thought you had.
[19:27]
James Acaster
You have to go.
[19:29]
ACAST
Is a national treasure who needs to be protected at all costs.
[19:32]
Anthony Perovsky
She sat in that seat.
[19:33]
ACAST
Stop. I cry every time I see her.
[19:36]
James Acaster
Yeah. She's really cornered the Atlantic entertainment market, I'd say. I'd say most guests from North America who come on have been to Darjeeling Express and absolutely love it.
[19:49]
ACAST
Really?
[19:49]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[19:50]
ACAST
I love how I talked about it. Like, it's like this niche thing. But she's like, very appreciated and very known here. She's in the US too, but not as big as she is.
[19:55]
James Acaster
Yeah, Hugely appreciated, I think. And yeah, she. It was a wonderful episode to have her on, but no, I've still. Still not been.
[20:01]
ACAST
No, you have to go crazy. Go at lunch, bring a lot of friends so you can try a lot of things. Okay. That's my advice.
[20:07]
Anthony Perovsky
Your dream starter.
[20:09]
ACAST
I just want you to know that these types of questions, and this one is very specific, is literally my favorite topic of conversation. I probably lost about an hour and a half of sleep yester because of it. No, I'm serious. I literally have in my notes app so many things that I listed and I decided, fuck it. Sorry. Fudge it. Fuck it. I'm just gonna, like, go with whatever my vibe is in the moment. So that's what I'm going with right now. So I want to set the stage. It's cold in London. I'm wearing a proper, like, top coat. I'm feeling cozy. I miss home a little. I'm in my feels listening to Noah Kahn. So my dream starter. I don't know why, but I just thought about my family. And I was raised in Montreal and there was a place called Rotisserie Italienne. It was written in French. A lot of language laws in Quebec, randomly. The place still exists. Also, nothing is ever a short answer with me. So apologies or not.
[20:58]
James Acaster
No, please. We love it.
[20:59]
ACAST
And so. And it was a bunch of these old Italian dudes and they had hockey sticks everywhere because we're like super obsessed with universal healthcare and hockey in Canada. And they ended up selling the spot and they actually sold it to a Chinese woman. And everyone was like, it's not going to be the same. These grandpas aren't there. It's not going to be the same vibe. You would order the food. You get it on a plastic tray, like in a cafeteria. They yell at you when you're ready, but the food is fucking delicious. And she ended up hiring like a bunch of her crew from one of her other restaurants to do it. But she had the Italian guys train them for four months.
[21:30]
James Acaster
Oh, wow.
[21:30]
ACAST
So it's a full Chinese staff and they make the most incredible Italian food, which is like, so dope. So when I went there after Polish school on Saturdays, I would go typically with both my sisters. My mom and my dad would join us. And there's so many Things that are good on that menu. But the one thing I want today, because I'm a little carb starved and because I chose papa dums and I didn't give a shout out to bread, even though I said sourdough earlier. But I'm coming back to it now, mozzarella in carrozza, which is one of my favorite things ever. It's basically like trashy white bread. A thick, fat fucking slab of mozzarella. You press it, dip it in some egg wash. So it's kind of like a French toast. It soaks everything up. You put it in breadcrumbs, throw it in a fryer. I want it, like, 30 seconds before it's black. I want a dark brown crust. I'm not angry. I'm just passionate. And I want it in, like, a sweet marinara sauce that just kind of sops it up. So the bottom half, you got a nice, proper, soggy bottom situation going on. And the top is crispy. Dust it with some salt and a bit of, like, fresh cracked pepper. Let's fucking go. Like, that's what I would have right now as a starter.
[22:29]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, that sounds phenomenal.
[22:30]
ACAST
And like, it's like a fancy grilled cheese.
[22:32]
Anthony Perovsky
Felt like I was there as you were describing it. I could almost.
[22:35]
ACAST
You have to go next time you're in Montreal. I think it still exists.
[22:38]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. Yeah. I've only been once to Montreal, and now I regret that I didn't get that when I was there. So.
[22:43]
James Acaster
Have you? Yeah.
[22:44]
Anthony Perovsky
Yes, I've been once to Montreal.
[22:45]
James Acaster
Okay.
[22:45]
ACAST
It's like to shum.
[22:46]
Anthony Perovsky
I know they're in line.
[22:47]
ACAST
No one knows about it.
[22:48]
Anthony Perovsky
Montreal.
[22:49]
ACAST
What year?
[22:49]
Anthony Perovsky
Where'd you stay?
[22:50]
James Acaster
Just to look.
[22:50]
ACAST
Could you see?
[22:51]
James Acaster
We had a nice meal in Montreal.
[22:53]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, we did. We went. Where was it called? I thought the name was Joe Beef. That's funny.
[22:57]
ACAST
Did you have the lobster spaghetti?
[22:58]
Anthony Perovsky
We did have the lobster spaghetti. Yeah, we did. Well, we definitely had the lobster.
[23:00]
James Acaster
Spied sweet breads.
[23:02]
Anthony Perovsky
We definitely have lobster. Because Nish kept on exclaiming how good the lobster dish was. So it was the lobster spaghetti. Yeah.
[23:08]
ACAST
Jo, beef is like. It's an institution at this point.
[23:10]
James Acaster
No, we're very happy with that meal. But I want to talk more about this mozzarella.
[23:14]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, it sounds so good.
[23:15]
ACAST
Yeah.
[23:15]
Anthony Perovsky
How big is this thing? So it's pretty. Pretty hefty.
[23:18]
ACAST
We're literally talking one slice of bread, piece of mozzarella folded over, deep fried, and then it's. But now as I'm talking a bit, I'm kind of pivoting. I would like to retract my statement. I would like to have the exact same preparation, but instead I want an arancini. Okay, so fried risotto ball, leftover risotto. Pack it in. Choose your own adventure. But I would put peas. I would put like a bit of prosciutto or mortadella and a bit of like a. Like a red sauce situation, like a marinara. Fry it up. So literally the same thing, but instead of the bread, let's swap it for, like, day old risotto so that it sticks together. Because I love rice.
[23:53]
Anthony Perovsky
I'm gonna be day old.
[23:55]
ACAST
I'm struggling because it's a little. It's a little stale and it, like, sticks together a lot better. You can mix an egg with it to help. Kind of like help, but just like a perfect, beautiful orb, like a scotch egg, and you crack it open and then you have this beautiful surprise inside.
[24:07]
James Acaster
You're sneaking eggs into everything here.
[24:08]
Anthony Perovsky
Fuck.
[24:09]
ACAST
I guess I am.
[24:11]
Anthony Perovsky
Maybe.
[24:11]
ACAST
I am obsessed with eggs.
[24:12]
James Acaster
You're obsessed with eggs. I'm struggling to say goodbye to that first dish, though. I can't believe you've just snatched it away from me.
[24:18]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, you described it so deliciously. And now it's gone and I'm like, oh, I wanted to eat that.
[24:23]
ACAST
And we also pivoted. We turned it into rice.
[24:25]
James Acaster
It evolved. But I love the idea of sneaking in a sandwich as a starter. Yeah, I think that's great. Yeah, you can't do that in any other. In any other meals. And it's sneaking a whole.
[24:34]
ACAST
This menu is my choice. I get to do whatever the hell I want, right? Absolutely. Yeah.
[24:38]
Anthony Perovsky
I mean, the arancini sounds great as well. Yeah, that sounds. That sounds delicious.
[24:41]
James Acaster
And do they do. What's the name of the place again? Sorry?
[24:43]
ACAST
So it's rotisserie, Italian.
[24:45]
James Acaster
And do they do an arancini there?
[24:47]
ACAST
They do. They do arancini as well. I'm not as crazy with theirs, if you want to go. Yes, I did do my research because, yes, my assistant is like year old's biggest fucking fan ever, and she sent me like a top 10 of, like, things to watch. And I listened to your Sebastian Stan episode and he talked about via Carota and the anchovies on the bread, which is delicious. It is a 10 out of 10. I don't disagree. But their arancini with njuha, it's kind of like a spicy pork paste. They're perfect little balls. And then they shave, they grate a little bit of parmigiano.
[25:15]
Anthony Perovsky
On it.
[25:15]
ACAST
So when you eat it, there's no red sauce, no sauce that's served with it, so they're quite dry. But when you bite into it, the salt from the cheese and they salt them lightly, it hits your lips. That's the first thing. And then you get that crunch and then you get that awesome pull of like that spicy. Just meat paste. Spicy meat paste. What a weird thing. But like, it tastes delicious. They have my favorite arancini in the city.
[25:37]
James Acaster
Sounds amazing.
[25:37]
Anthony Perovsky
We need to start a podcast. It's just Anthony describing food.
[25:40]
James Acaster
Yeah, let's go.
[25:42]
Anthony Perovsky
This is, I mean, also, you're doing it in such a way while I'm trying to see if there's an auto cue or something.
[25:49]
ACAST
It's my favorite thing in the world to talk about. You don't understand. If you met any member of my family, I'm not even the worst. Like, my dad is worse than I am or better. Depends on how you consider it. But we deeply obsessed with food because.
[26:01]
James Acaster
All we've heard about your dad so far is he warned you to not drink sparkling water because it would give you kidney stones.
[26:06]
ACAST
Correct.
[26:07]
James Acaster
But he does also talk passionately about. About food and enjoying it extremely. But it doesn't always end with him going, and then I'll give you kidney stones.
[26:14]
ACAST
Not always. Only with water.
[26:15]
James Acaster
Yeah, okay.
[26:15]
ACAST
Yeah, yeah.
[26:16]
Anthony Perovsky
Well, I love that. I mean, I kind of want to throw in the little sandwich as well, because you described it so well that I'd like it that you could have both as the starter.
[26:25]
ACAST
Yeah, of course. Yeah, we got a little do up.
[26:27]
Anthony Perovsky
If you've been going to that place since you were a little kid, have they known you like all your life? Would you go in there now? And they'll be like, anthony, baby boy.
[26:34]
ACAST
Haven'T been back since Queer Eye came out. Which is interesting. I'm pretty sure it still exists. It's on St. Catherine street, which is like the main street. But yeah, it was really, it was truly like a hole in the wall place where like people working retail would go there for a quick lunch because it's very like in and out again. Yell at you when your food is ready. Kick you out whenever you're done. Oh, they had a cold calamari salad with pickled vegetables. It was really delicious. And their tortellini with this parmesan cream, like meat filled tortellini, very little pasta, shit ton of meat, tons of cheese. Terrible for my lactose intolerant belly as a child, but boy, was it delicious.
[27:07]
James Acaster
I feel like on the next season of no taste like home. You should pitch an episode where you take yourself to Montreal just so you can go back to that place.
[27:15]
ACAST
Just to go.
[27:15]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, yeah. They could do the kind of technology that they do when they. You know when someone has to play, like, two roles in a film, like split screen. Yeah, yeah. Like Nutty Professors. So if they.
[27:24]
ACAST
If they have you, like, reference you.
[27:26]
Anthony Perovsky
As the host and as the guest and you can talk.
[27:29]
ACAST
Talk to yourself and just me, myself. Yeah, I'd be down for that.
[27:33]
Anthony Perovsky
Take yourself around Montreal.
[27:35]
James Acaster
Would you want to do it like Nutty professor and be in a different.
[27:38]
ACAST
Outfit in the costumes and everything for your whole family? I just feel like, you know when to. To quote Maya Angelou, like, when you know better, you do better. And I feel like we're not in the time and place of, like, wearing fat suits anymore.
[27:48]
James Acaster
Oh, yeah, yeah.
[27:49]
ACAST
I was myself.
[27:50]
James Acaster
Course.
[27:51]
ACAST
Also, definitely wasn't her intention when she came up with that quote, but, like, I think it still does apply.
[27:55]
James Acaster
She didn't have Nazi professor at the forefront of the brain when she was talking about.
[27:58]
ACAST
It's a great album because I remember having the CD and like, Janet Jackson was on there and like, DMX and like.
[28:04]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, that Janet Jackson song from Naughty professor is great.
[28:06]
ACAST
You know exactly what I'm talking about. The music video.
[28:09]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[28:09]
ACAST
It was, like, so modern. And when you watch it now, you're like.
[28:16]
Marc Maron
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[28:56]
Anthony Perovsky
Your dream main course.
[28:58]
ACAST
Dream main course. I would go with. All right.
[29:03]
James Acaster
I love. I love this battle that's going on in your head.
[29:05]
ACAST
Yeah. Cause I have different things that are flying around. I want my dream cheese and charcuterie board. Am I allowed?
[29:12]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah.
[29:12]
James Acaster
Talk us through it. Compile it for us.
[29:14]
Anthony Perovsky
He's very excited about this. He loves charcuterie boards.
[29:16]
James Acaster
This is the dream. Yeah. Yeah.
[29:17]
ACAST
Fuck, yeah. All right, so first of all, I would have some beautiful Iberico ham. I want this thing cut paper thin so that I can see through it like glass. Cause I want the fat to melt on my tongue. And then I want Etivase, which is like a rare Gruyere that you can get that's just like sharp and nutty and sweet. And I want it in like thick slices. I also want. I know you guys have your cheddar, but there's a Vermont cloth bound cheddar. Don't come for me. That is delicious. It's a co op of farmers in Vermont and they all kind of like combine. I think it's the greatest cheddar in the world. It comes with like a big wax rind around it and it has those like little crystals in it. Yeah, I would have that with a bit of like a beautiful like a fig jelly situation. And then I would want like a really good. Oh, there's a French cheese called mimolette that's like bright orange, that like looks artificial. I love hard cheeses. But then I would have to have a stink or two, like a poiss, like a good unpasteurized. Like, does someone not bathed in a week or are we opening up a cheese situation?
[30:17]
James Acaster
Because I'm like, if you touch it with your fingers, you're not getting that smell off 100%.
[30:21]
ACAST
Like, that's what what I want. And then I want a fresh baguette with that. I want some like nice seeded crackers. I was at Chiltern Firehouse last night and I have, they have this like, it's like a healthy little snack. It's like a pistachio whipped dip. And they have these seed crackers that are only made of seeds, but I would want it thicker so that it can carry the cheese. So I would have that. Then I would have like some good little champagne grapes for like a nice little sweet pop. Some dried apricots, dried figs. I love like a dried fruit situation. And mixing the sweet with the salty also. So when we were in Italy, they, I discovered pistachio spread. So like, you know, Americans love peanut butter, but you can get a pistachio spread at like good Italian markets. And it is sweet. It's so decadent. I would have a little bit of that on like a sharp cheese on like a little cracker. That would be amazing. And maybe some. Oh, maybe a good, you know what, Shout out to the Brits. Maybe some like nice Stilton, room temperature so that it's a little creamy. And then I would shove it into a date that would be really nice. And some breziola. It's kind of like a version of like a beef prosciutto situation. And then because I'm Polish cabanos, which Is it's like our kielbasa, but you, like, let it hang dry and it's really thin. I like to cut little dots into it and hang it off a handle in my kitchen so that all the fat so that it really dries out, dipped into this Polish mustard called dobratazczowa, which means happy mother in law. So it's like a sweet and spicy mustard. So imagine like a sweet, spicy mustard and you're just dipping, like a pork meat stick into it and you just have the crackle of that skin.
[31:47]
James Acaster
Cabanos is, I think, the only thing that's always in our fridge.
[31:50]
ACAST
Wait, really?
[31:51]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[31:52]
ACAST
How good is it?
[31:53]
James Acaster
Because we live around the corner from a Polish supermarket. If my wife's getting back late and we don't have any food in, she'll be like, it's okay, I've got dinner sorted. And she'll just come back with loads of cabanas.
[32:02]
ACAST
Even if you want to make an omelet, you cut it really paper thin, render the fat so it's crispy little bites. It's like a sweet, smoky pepperoni. And you throw it in there.
[32:09]
James Acaster
There's one with cheese in it as well. Have you had the.
[32:11]
ACAST
Never have.
[32:12]
James Acaster
With the novelty chunks of cheese in it.
[32:14]
ACAST
Yum.
[32:14]
James Acaster
But delicious.
[32:15]
ACAST
Yeah. Covers all the bases. And then. Wait, I'm almost done. So what else do we need? Oh, because I was raised in Quebec, so I would have, like, duck riette, like a nice little fatty. Or like a rabbit terrine situation. And then. Wait, am I missing anything else? If there's another cheese. Oh, the last cheese that I'm gonna. I'm gonna honor my Quebec heritage. So we have this thing called croat de fromage, which means, like cheese curds. So they're like little crumbles. Do you guys have those here?
[32:40]
James Acaster
No, but we've got similar stuff. But it's. It was what goes on. Poutine, right?
[32:43]
Anthony Perovsky
Oh, okay. Okay. Yes, yes.
[32:47]
ACAST
I'm blushing. That's how excited I am by that. Cuz I forgot poutine existed for a second. When a poutine is executed. Right?
[32:53]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[32:54]
ACAST
Slaps.
[32:55]
James Acaster
When you said duck, it reminded me of a poutine I had in Montreal.
[32:57]
ACAST
You had it at Pier Kosan?
[32:59]
James Acaster
I. I must have done.
[32:59]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[33:00]
ACAST
Pier Kos. They put foie gras and it's like a.
[33:02]
James Acaster
No, I didn't have the foie gras when it. I don't think it was there, but it had comfy duck poutine, basically.
[33:07]
ACAST
I love comfy ducks.
[33:09]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[33:09]
ACAST
Inside Comes apart. Anyway, wait, back to the plot. So cheese curds in. We call them deponeur. It's kind of like a gas station or like in New York it's called a bodega, like a little convenience store. And we keep them on the counter. We. As if I'm doing it. They keep them on the counter so they're room temperature, so they're squeaky, and they're just the right amount of oily. And my dad's girlfriend, I refer to her as my stepmom, she's French Canadian. Whenever I go visit, I'm always. She's always like, what kind of snacks do you want me to get? I'm like, keep it healthy. Like, I don't want to eat too much food. But she always gets me a fucking maple syrup pie and I destroy the whole thing within two days. And she gets me a massive bag of cheese curds. And what she does is she puts them in a bowl, douses them with oil, fat on fat, and then a little bit of like fresh cracked pepper or pink peppercorn, which is like part of her identity. She's kind of obsessed with it. It's like her thing. And then I just have that. And you just pick at it with like a nice little toothpick. Oh, wait. And we also have to have olives on the platter as well.
[33:59]
James Acaster
Yes.
[33:59]
ACAST
Castle Vetrano or bust. I do not want any wrinkly ass, like, looking olives. I want them plump, I want them meaty, I want them green.
[34:08]
James Acaster
We were just talking about the Nando's olives before we started recording as well.
[34:11]
ACAST
I'm obsessed with the Nando's olives.
[34:12]
James Acaster
They're very, very good olives.
[34:14]
ACAST
If you ask them, they'll put them in a container and they'll sell you a large bunch so you can enjoy them with your own tears in your hotel room. Yeah, that's true. Fun little glimpse into my life.
[34:23]
Anthony Perovsky
They've really sorted the ratios out with those olives as well in recent years. For a while, there was 50, 50 between the purpley ones and the green ones. And now it's mainly green because they know that that's what people are there for.
[34:37]
ACAST
No one wants the purpley ones. I'm sorry, Purple. O. But like, just pivot.
[34:41]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, those.
[34:42]
ACAST
Listen to the masses. I am the masses. I'm kidding. But you are the masses. I love a green olive.
[34:47]
James Acaster
Yeah. And the little bits of the garlic cloves in there as well.
[34:49]
ACAST
Oh, my gosh.
[34:52]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[34:52]
ACAST
Wait, mushroom?
[34:53]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[34:54]
ACAST
Oh, for me, it's like the marcona almond. Oh wait, we didn't even get to nuts. Sorry. Okay, so I would have beautiful Sicilian pistachios because it's my favorite nut. Then I would have marcona almonds, simple roasted, nice little light brown situation.
[35:07]
James Acaster
Smoked or non smoked?
[35:09]
ACAST
Oh, smoked are really good. But also tamari almonds are really good. Even though I don't like tamari soy, I love tamari almonds. It's like the right amount of salt and last thing I swear I would include like a proper piece of honeycomb.
[35:22]
Anthony Perovsky
Oh yeah.
[35:23]
ACAST
I think for the salt of a cheese to have like a nice little piece of that like waxiness to put over it onto your like little cracker situation. Delicious.
[35:31]
Anthony Perovsky
Now all of that sounded phenomenal.
[35:33]
James Acaster
Yes.
[35:34]
Anthony Perovsky
I've had like honeycomb with cheese once or twice before. I love it so much. So that detail at the end.
[35:40]
ACAST
Okay.
[35:40]
Anthony Perovsky
Just elevated the whole thing for me into the stratosphere.
[35:43]
ACAST
Made your favorite guest ever.
[35:45]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, this is like I want to eat all of this immediately cuz that, that honeycomb on there are doing all the different combination. What, what is going to be. Say you got, you got everything you just described in front of you.
[35:56]
ACAST
Yeah.
[35:57]
Anthony Perovsky
What's the best combination going to be? What's the best mouthful you're going to have?
[36:00]
James Acaster
Experimenting, putting all the, you're putting them.
[36:02]
Anthony Perovsky
Together, you're doing stuff. What's going to be the best mouthful of that? With that, you know you're asking me.
[36:07]
ACAST
To pick a favorite.
[36:08]
James Acaster
No, just like maybe combo. A combo because you said the Stilton with a date.
[36:12]
ACAST
Yeah, I already covered that one. So let's get, get you something fresh. Okay. I would go for, I think the brand is called Rainforest and they're these like gourmet, they're really pricey crackers that you get at like specialty stores and they have one with fig, pistachio and rosemary and they're dark and they're thick enough where they really hold together. So I would start with that and then I would like smear on a little bit of the pistachio butter, like the pistachio spread to get that like creamy fatt sweet saltiness. And then I would put a piece of Gruyere, the etivase thin slices over might be overkill because then we have a peanut butter and jam situation going on. But maybe a tiny bit of fig spread on top and then a little bit of flake salt.
[36:56]
Anthony Perovsky
Lovely.
[36:56]
James Acaster
Yeah, beautiful.
[36:58]
ACAST
Because just imagine it as it hits. You get the salt, you get the sweet sticky figs, you get the funky like salty like cheese. And then you get another creamy, like, sweet from the pistachio. Kind of like a surprise, right?
[37:08]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[37:09]
ACAST
It all sounds like a Michael Bay movie. Like, there's a lot of shit going on, but it's like, it feels good. And you get the crunch of the. Of the cracker.
[37:15]
Anthony Perovsky
Phenomenal.
[37:15]
James Acaster
Have you ever. It was just you said Iberico a while ago. This is the. By the way, every single thing you added to it. I'm in heaven right now.
[37:24]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. This is. I can't tell you how much this is. This is the reason Ed started doing this podcast. It's just hoping that one day someone would pick this.
[37:33]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[37:33]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[37:33]
ACAST
Really?
[37:34]
James Acaster
This is incredible. Yeah. Yeah, this is.
[37:35]
ACAST
Which part specifically spoke to you, though?
[37:37]
James Acaster
Well, just every single element of it.
[37:39]
ACAST
Oh, okay, cool.
[37:40]
James Acaster
If I could eat that all day, every day. That's. That's why.
[37:43]
ACAST
Yeah.
[37:43]
James Acaster
But my dream, and I'm considering. I've got a big birthday in a couple of years. Considering asking for this for my birthday present.
[37:49]
ACAST
The big three.
[37:50]
James Acaster
My wife. Yeah, the big three. Zero.
[37:51]
ACAST
Of course.
[37:53]
James Acaster
To get my own Iberico leg and just have it in the kitchen.
[37:57]
ACAST
Can you imagine?
[37:57]
James Acaster
Get the stand.
[37:58]
Anthony Perovsky
How would you walk?
[38:00]
ACAST
I would walk just fine until I'd.
[38:03]
James Acaster
Eaten my own leg.
[38:04]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[38:04]
ACAST
You go into that kitchen in the morning, you make your eggs, little bit of a Barico sandwich at lunch, little bit of a Barrico dinner side dish with your crispy Brussels sprouts, cubes of Iberico. It goes along.
[38:14]
James Acaster
It's a dream, isn't it?
[38:15]
ACAST
Yeah, it is.
[38:16]
James Acaster
Because it lasts a while, I'm sure.
[38:18]
ACAST
Oh, yeah.
[38:18]
James Acaster
But you'd have to learn how to cut it. I think there's a skill to cutting it.
[38:21]
ACAST
Like, there's a whole contraption thing that you can get.
[38:23]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah.
[38:23]
James Acaster
I'd buy the contraption.
[38:24]
ACAST
Yeah, of course.
[38:25]
James Acaster
That's the dream.
[38:26]
ACAST
That is the dream.
[38:27]
Anthony Perovsky
It'd be fun if. If there's an episode of Queer Eye where you have, like, a favorite guest, and when it's your section, you just bring them in a leg of a bear coat and go. Just got you this.
[38:34]
ACAST
Can you imagine?
[38:35]
Anthony Perovsky
Just got you this. Congratulations. All the other guests were calling.
[38:37]
ACAST
This is all you get.
[38:38]
Anthony Perovsky
We're.
[38:38]
ACAST
We do in your kitchen. But you get a $2,000 Iberico contraption and the actual leg that Jose Andre hooked me up with. Like, this is what I'm leaving you with.
[38:49]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, that. Be that. Then they know they've been a good hero.
[38:51]
ACAST
Oh, yeah, exactly.
[38:53]
Anthony Perovsky
They must have, like, nothing else.
[38:54]
ACAST
No, no More budget for 10 to pick out outfits. It's like, we got him a leg. A. A.
[39:05]
Anthony Perovsky
Here's what I'm curious about now, because you've got all of these different things going on, and now I'm about to ask you what your dream side dish is. Now, how do you do a side dish to a charcuterie board?
[39:15]
ACAST
Yeah, doesn't matter.
[39:18]
James Acaster
Did you forget who we were speaking to?
[39:20]
ACAST
I clearly chose cheese and meat as, like, my main course. There wasn't a single vegetable listed there. And I'm promoting health and wellness on Queer Eyes, so we've clearly gone left field here. All right, so my mind went. My mind just kind of did, like. Do you watch Severance?
[39:33]
James Acaster
Yes.
[39:33]
ACAST
I just kind of split into two. One side of me is like. I don't know why I keep going to, like. This would be my last meal. So I'm like, I'm. I'm a little slut for caviar. I'm sorry. I. I'm not sorry about it. We had it as kids. My parents would bring it from Poland. It was a lot cheaper. I know it's an elitist thing, but having that over soft scrambled eggs or a tub of that over ice with some, like, perfect, like, Kettle Crisps, so they can carry it with a bit of creme fraiche and a bit of, like, finely diced chives. And then there's the other side of me that wants, like, the best Mac and cheese ever. So do you know a thing called Hamburger Helper?
[40:05]
James Acaster
You know what? I've heard it so much on TV shows and in films, I still don't know what it is.
[40:10]
ACAST
It's like an instant boxed Mac and cheese. You add your ground meat, and Americans decided, yeah, we're gonna call that a meal. And I was denied that kind of food growing up because my parents ate really well, so we weren't allowed to have, like, trashy food. And so one of my favorite things to do on a Sunday, or if I'm visiting, like, friends of mine. And, like, Sunday's, like, my day where I just, like. It's like, no holds barred. Like, I eat whatever the hell I want. I don't work out. Like, it's very. It's, like, lazy day. And to make a vat of Mac and cheese using all my favorite cheeses, Cavatappi, pasta, or a bow tie every once in a while, depending on, like. And then throwing in, like, ground beef or even, like, bison or lamb or ground turkey, and just having that bake with, like, that crispy, like, those crispy edges when they get browned and you get to, like, peel them off because it's one of those things, like your lasagna. Third time we mention it. You have it when it's warm, but then you go back and you have it cold. And it's so good. Good. It's so good. Especially when it goes from, like, really hot, because I can't help myself. And I end up burning my mouth. When you eat it. When it's colder, you actually taste it a lot better. Right. Like, some of the flavors are more pronounced, I think.
[41:10]
Anthony Perovsky
Could you combine these two? Could you put caviar on the Mac and cheese? Is that insane?
[41:15]
ACAST
Everyone's dumping caviar on everything these days. Honestly, it's like, it's not for me. Like, I don't think caviar should be warmed up. It should be eaten as cold as possible. Even though I put it on soft scrambled eggs sometimes. No, for me, it's church and state. Like, keep both of those separate.
[41:32]
James Acaster
The caviar thing just seems to be like a status thing now. It's like the gold mine. That's why I was embarrassed.
[41:38]
ACAST
Yeah, it's like gold flakes. Gold flakes piss me off. Sorry, Gold miners. No, but it's just so useless because it doesn't taste like anything and it's so performative. It's so dumb.
[41:48]
James Acaster
It's for the picture.
[41:49]
ACAST
Exactly. And caviar is something that's so delicious and luxe and oceanic and it's, like, creamy when it's done right. And. And I mean, even salmon roe if you want the cheaper stuff with some sticky rice. I love quail egg and some uni. Wrap it up in some toasted nori.
[42:04]
Anthony Perovsky
So for the Mac and cheese.
[42:05]
ACAST
Yeah, sorry, back to the topic.
[42:07]
Anthony Perovsky
Which meat are you going for in there for your dream, your dream meal? What would you like?
[42:11]
ACAST
The meat that's mixed in.
[42:12]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[42:13]
ACAST
Some good quality ground beef. Like a 70 to 80, 80 to 20 ratio. It's gotta be fatty enough so you can actually taste it, brown it. I just. I love ground beef, like, as much as I. I love a tomahawk. I love having a good steak with my dad. It's like our ritual when I go visit him. A beautiful pork chop is delicious when it's still pink in the inside. Or duck. But ground beef for me is, like. It's such joy. It's a burger. It's what I use when I make, like, a lazy Bolognese during the week. And I want to, like, don't want to spend the Whole day in the kitchen. It's just the texture of it is. It's what I use for meatloaf. Like, it's just ground meat is the best.
[42:51]
Anthony Perovsky
If we're going for the caviar option, is it with the crisps, the potato chips, if you will?
[42:57]
ACAST
Crisps, potato chips just kind of dipped in. I don't want flavors. There's a French brand called Breton B R E T O N, which is very prevalent here. It's hard to find in the US Those are really good. The ridgy ones, they have to be solid. Lays are very good, but they're so thin that sometimes when you put it into the caviar, they just break apart, you know?
[43:17]
James Acaster
Wow.
[43:18]
ACAST
First world problems. Don't you hate it when your chip breaks in caviar?
[43:21]
James Acaster
I mean, that should be the name of this podcast, to be fair. So there's a, you know, trigger warning at the top of every episode. First world problems.
[43:28]
Anthony Perovsky
We're about to complain.
[43:29]
ACAST
No, but you know what I mean. Like, you want them to be, like, sturdy enough to, like, carry, and I love a fresh blini. But the crunch of the salt on salt, it goes nicely.
[43:37]
James Acaster
We did it with Pringles on Christmas Eve.
[43:39]
ACAST
I'd with that.
[43:40]
James Acaster
Yeah, it was really good. But that is. You can't be different dipping.
[43:42]
ACAST
You're spoon well unless you take two or three of them.
[43:44]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[43:45]
ACAST
Pringles are the most satisfying. When you take 10 of them, you put them in and it's that crunch.
[43:49]
Anthony Perovsky
Oh, yeah, that is good.
[43:51]
ACAST
That tin is so satisfying.
[43:52]
Anthony Perovsky
Have we not talked about that on the podcast yet?
[43:54]
James Acaster
Crunching multiple Pringles.
[43:55]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[43:56]
ACAST
Do you want to know something really random? That was just an intrusive thought in my brain and I started speaking, so I guess I will. You want to know when I learned that I was going through puberty?
[44:04]
Anthony Perovsky
Yes, I do. That was my next question.
[44:08]
ACAST
When I remember putting my hand into a tin of Pringles and it didn't fit. And I was like, whoa. I'm like, becoming a big boy.
[44:17]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah.
[44:17]
ACAST
I've never thought of that before, but I just remembered that thought, I'm becoming a big boy. Isn't that weird?
[44:24]
Anthony Perovsky
I had a really.
[44:24]
ACAST
I don't think I was a big boy, but. Yeah, sorry, go ahead.
[44:26]
Anthony Perovsky
A very similar thing. I was going through puberty and go on. My dick wouldn't go. I knew it. I knew it.
[44:36]
ACAST
Careful, ladies.
[44:39]
Anthony Perovsky
So every time you have Pringles, do you think about that moment?
[44:42]
ACAST
I don't, but it literally just hit me now when you described Having them.
[44:45]
James Acaster
From now on, every time you have Pringles, you're gonna think about when you realize you were going through puberty.
[44:48]
ACAST
Yeah. And I hope all of your lovely viewers try think about when they first hit puberty and, like, what that felt like.
[44:53]
James Acaster
Get in contact. Send Benito an email. When did you first go through puberty?
[44:57]
ACAST
There you go.
[44:57]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah.
[44:59]
ACAST
Every single detail, please. Thank you so much.
[45:01]
James Acaster
Yes. I realized I was going through puberty when I looked in the mirror and I had a mustache. Like the Pringles man. Yeah.
[45:07]
Anthony Perovsky
Saw the Pringles man standing back at you.
[45:08]
ACAST
It's like five hairs. Yeah.
[45:10]
James Acaster
Julius Pringles.
[45:11]
Anthony Perovsky
One of the first bits of material when I started doing standup was a. A bit that I thought was relatable about, like, I'd say, hey, everyone, do you remember when you were in school and you didn't have pubes yet, but you told everyone that you did, and there's just absolutely silence and you. Well, I guess that's.
[45:26]
James Acaster
That.
[45:27]
Anthony Perovsky
I guess that's not a relatable bit.
[45:29]
ACAST
The first draft to the writing table. Okay.
[45:31]
Anthony Perovsky
No, those lines about pubes, you got to try.
[45:34]
James Acaster
You got to try these things, haven't you?
[45:36]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. Yes. That's what the open mic circuit's for. Well, once again, I want to let you have both of these options, cuz you've made them both sound so nice.
[45:44]
James Acaster
Yeah, I think we got to let you have both. I mean, the crisps and caviar almost could come right at the start.
[45:51]
ACAST
It's a good way to. It's actually a really good way to start.
[45:53]
James Acaster
Yeah, that'd be a lovely Little Chef's welcome.
[45:55]
ACAST
Yeah, a Little Chef's welcome on a good baked potato.
[45:57]
Anthony Perovsky
Oh, yeah, yeah. The caviar in the baked potato.
[46:00]
ACAST
Oh, I'm sick for caviar and a baked potato. Full fat sour cream, just knobs of good French salty Normandy butter, and then just, like, heaps of that caviar. Delicious.
[46:11]
James Acaster
Amazing.
[46:12]
Anthony Perovsky
Good.
[46:12]
ACAST
Yeah.
[46:18]
Anthony Perovsky
Your dream drink song just spat across the table.
[46:21]
James Acaster
Did you?
[46:21]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah. It fell short of you.
[46:23]
ACAST
Oh, that's fine.
[46:24]
Anthony Perovsky
I, I, I. I've never done that before on the podcast. That's how much you got me salivating with this.
[46:28]
ACAST
You're excited. That's good.
[46:30]
Anthony Perovsky
This food.
[46:31]
ACAST
Better than dead in the eyes. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Better than being dead in the eyes.
[46:34]
Anthony Perovsky
Exactly. That's what I always say.
[46:37]
ACAST
Better spit in your face than be dead in the eyes. That's actually the name of my memoir, so it's coming out next month. I'm really excited for you guys to read it. So dream drink would be.
[46:47]
James Acaster
You got a lot going on on the meal. So you're going to try and pair the drink to the meal or are you just going to go for.
[46:51]
ACAST
No, I'm just going with my vibe.
[46:53]
James Acaster
Nice.
[46:53]
ACAST
Oh, I love a Shirley Temple, but when I order them as a grownup, having like just ginger ale or 7up is way too sweet. So I do a 5050 with soda water and just jam it packed with those like the shitty maraschino cherries. I don't want a fancy dark purple Luxardo cherry. I want the shitty neon fluorescent color looking. You know what I'm talking about, like the good, you know, one of those. Or I love like sour and acidity. So I think like a wonderful shrub would be really nice with like maybe like a strawberry basil shrub with a bit of apple cider vinegar and soda. Like I love with like just like some crushed ice.
[47:29]
James Acaster
Nice.
[47:30]
ACAST
Just like refreshing and. And like maybe add some tartness in there. I don't know, maybe like persimmon. I don't know. I'm over complicating things. But like I love, I love a good shrub when I see that on a list somewhere. And I love to make them at home. It's like my favorite thing during the week because I always try to have a shot of apple cider vinegar. But apparently because, you know, people are obsessed with it. Apparently it's like really good for your gut.
[47:48]
James Acaster
Yeah, that's one of the things.
[47:49]
ACAST
But people like drink them and apparently it like destroys the lining of your like, like esophagus in your trachea and your stomach and it like fucks shit up. So I like mixing it in with things so that it tastes a little better.
[47:59]
James Acaster
Talk us through how you make a shrub.
[48:01]
ACAST
So I would typically, let's say I've already pivoted. Cause now I'm thinking of Maine blueberries.
[48:06]
James Acaster
I knew the pivot was coming.
[48:08]
ACAST
Yeah, you know, me too, Al. And so I would, in a muddler, I would take some like fresh Maine blueberries when they're in season. Cause they're so sweet and delicious. And then take a lot of mint, maybe like a little bit of sugar. But you barely even need any me. And then I would go ahead and like muddle that, add a bit of the vinegar, the red apple cider vinegar, and then just top it off with soda water. But then I was. I had dinner with a friend of mine recently who for her 50th day. Yeah, it's a pivot I asked her what she want. I I up. I didn't get her a gift. It was her 50th birthday. She had this grand dinner and I was like, as your gift, I'm gonna make you whatever the you want. We're gonna have a mutually agreed upon date and I will, I will execute. She had me make like a proper Vietnamese pho gah, which I spent the entire day in the kitchen making. It was crazy. But for a drink, she asked for a lemongrass soda. And I had some lemongrass that I actually brought from either I was either in Bali or Borneo. And I just had these stalks that I brought back that were like dried. And so I made a simple syrup with that and served it over soda with a lime leaf. And it was delicious. It was like just so refreshing. And like lemongrass is very spa like it just makes you feel good. Good. You know, I love lemongrass.
[49:19]
James Acaster
I love that you offered a friend just like, I'll cook whatever. And she absolutely went hard on you.
[49:24]
ACAST
Yeah. And she want, she wanted nems but like northern Vietnamese. So I'm like reading all these blogs about how to make foga cuz it's like such a, you know what I'm talking about, right? Like, so foga is like, it's a, I'm probably butchering the pronunciation, but it's a Vietnamese broth with noodles. And then you have like a chicken breast cutlet, thinly sliced, and you have little Thai chilies and you put all these like fresh herbs and mint.
[49:44]
James Acaster
But that broth takes ages, doesn't it?
[49:46]
ACAST
The broth takes ages because. Because first you have to blanch. No, first you have to clean the chicken, which polish people. We don't fucking clean the chicken. We just like roast it. It's fine. They clean the chicken, you blanch it removes all the impurities, skim them off the top, throw it in your disinfected sink. I've never disinfected my sink so many times in the period of like all day. Then you have to cut it up every single inch to expose the marrow and then cook it again in fresh water so that it all the gross stuff comes out of the marrow. Cause that's where all the flavor is. And then a third time, put it in. And that's when you start skimming, skimming and reducing the broth. And there's a little bit of, I think I put a bit of clove and coriander seed and a lot of cilantro stems in like a little basket and just let it Sit there. And it's so flavorful, but it's like a perfectly clear broth that looks like it would taste like hot water, but it's just like so flavorful.
[50:31]
James Acaster
Wow.
[50:31]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. You're a good friend.
[50:32]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[50:33]
ACAST
I'm not gonna lie. I like, I really showed up. And she was impressed, I think.
[50:37]
James Acaster
As I'm washing the chicken, I'm googling Vietnamese restaurants near me.
[50:41]
ACAST
Oh, yeah, 100. Yeah, it's, it's. It's a labor of love.
[50:44]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[50:44]
ACAST
But like a lot of this good stuff is like these, these moms and these grandmas, like they spend all day in the kitchen making them.
[50:49]
James Acaster
Yeah. You know, I agree about washing chickens, by the way.
[50:52]
ACAST
You do?
[50:52]
James Acaster
Yeah. We don't wash chickens in the uk, do we?
[50:54]
Anthony Perovsky
Well, they fresh around too much, you know, it's ridiculous. I wash my cat.
[51:00]
James Acaster
You wash your cat? Yeah, but he's a bit like a chicken.
[51:02]
Anthony Perovsky
He's got wise to it now.
[51:03]
ACAST
Really?
[51:03]
Anthony Perovsky
I have a. One of those. I have a sphinx cat and his. Beautiful, beautiful. Yeah, don't worry.
[51:09]
ACAST
You're a cat guy.
[51:10]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. We've got four cats.
[51:11]
James Acaster
We're both four guys. But James has got four and I've got one.
[51:16]
Anthony Perovsky
I've got four. Pretty cool. But he's got wise twin. Yesterday I literally just opened the cupboard and got the coconut oil out of the cupboard. He saw it and head under the bed. So he's now. Yeah, yeah.
[51:29]
ACAST
With coconut oil.
[51:29]
Anthony Perovsky
He goes, that's bath time.
[51:31]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[51:31]
ACAST
Interesting.
[51:32]
Anthony Perovsky
And that's the first time he's done that.
[51:33]
ACAST
Like, I mean, they know I'm normally.
[51:35]
Anthony Perovsky
Able to trick him, but he's now getting to the point where he's like, right. And he. And he gets to the exact point of the bed where I can't reach him. And I had to just.
[51:42]
James Acaster
You know, you're gonna have to put the coconut oil in like a. In a disguised jar or something.
[51:46]
ACAST
Yeah. And keep disguising it.
[51:48]
James Acaster
Yeah, yeah.
[51:49]
ACAST
Every time, one step ahead.
[51:50]
James Acaster
New jar every time.
[51:51]
ACAST
Yeah, yeah.
[51:52]
Anthony Perovsky
New jar every time. Like, maybe I put on a disguise each. I don't know. Whatever it is, I'm gonna have to really go big to trick this. Just in case.
[51:59]
ACAST
I feel like you should do both.
[52:00]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah. Just in case. I'll. I'll dress as a massive like coconut oil bottle.
[52:04]
ACAST
Yeah. And switch things up. Move every six months to change the environment. You know what I mean?
[52:11]
Anthony Perovsky
He won't know where the bathroom is.
[52:13]
ACAST
Your entire identity now.
[52:14]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah.
[52:15]
James Acaster
Have you thought of washing with coconut oil in front of him to show him that it's fine.
[52:21]
Anthony Perovsky
Well, maybe I should do that.
[52:22]
ACAST
Yeah, I think you should try tonight.
[52:24]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, I'll try that tonight. I'm pretty sure that'll be okay. I can't see anything weird.
[52:29]
ACAST
Sounds about right to me.
[52:30]
James Acaster
Yeah, I think that'd be fine.
[52:31]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah. I'll wash in coconut oils. Show them that it's fine.
[52:34]
ACAST
Yeah.
[52:34]
Anthony Perovsky
And then I'll have to like, you know, with a flannel with warm water that's got the pet shampoo in it.
[52:39]
James Acaster
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[52:40]
Anthony Perovsky
Wash with. With that.
[52:41]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[52:41]
Anthony Perovsky
And then I'll give myself a little cat treat in front of him, as one does. Yeah. To show this is what you get at the end of it.
[52:48]
James Acaster
Then you go for a. In a tray.
[52:50]
Anthony Perovsky
I go for in a tray.
[52:52]
ACAST
You guys are both cat people. Yeah, that tracks.
[52:54]
James Acaster
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[52:55]
Anthony Perovsky
You're a dog guy. Benito's a dog guy.
[52:58]
ACAST
I love dogs so much.
[53:00]
James Acaster
I like dogs.
[53:01]
Anthony Perovsky
I like dogs a lot.
[53:02]
ACAST
So my really good friend Leah has a theory that we are cats and dogs in relationships and in our lives. So for me, I'll start with myself in relationships. I am a dog. I can unconditionally love pretty quickly if I'm into you. I don't play games. It's all out there. I'm like drooling and excited. It's like that's my vibe. Like I'm excitable by everything. And in my life with friends, I'm the exact same way. My friend Leah, she's a cat in relationships. Strategic, a little sneaky, little bit of like the finger twiddle. Like she's figuring things out. Like you don't really know their next move. What are you. You guys.
[53:39]
James Acaster
I've had this discussion with my wife. I think we. We established that I am. I am a dog.
[53:44]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[53:44]
James Acaster
Labrador.
[53:45]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah.
[53:46]
James Acaster
Sort of guy. And she. I mean, she sleeps a lot more than me. So a cat.
[53:49]
ACAST
Gotcha.
[53:50]
James Acaster
Definitely.
[53:50]
ACAST
Okay.
[53:50]
Anthony Perovsky
Probably like a gerbil.
[53:51]
ACAST
A gerbil, yeah, yeah.
[53:53]
James Acaster
Just that's not one of the options.
[53:55]
Anthony Perovsky
Only go the last two years. I don't know. Probably I'm a bit of a dog, I think. I think, yeah, I'm more kind of like more needy than a cat is. But then, you know, a dog, A dog is maybe a bit aware of that. Is trying to work on it.
[54:12]
ACAST
Right, right. Yeah. A self aware dog. An evolved dog, actually.
[54:15]
Anthony Perovsky
Maybe I am like a sphinx cat because he's like a bit dog. Like, as well as being a cat. Like he wants attention and hugs and stuff, but he's also pretty independent and can go off and do his own thing.
[54:25]
ACAST
Whenever cat people say that, like their cats are really dog like, I feel like it's just a ruse to try to convince us dog people that their cats are cool.
[54:33]
Anthony Perovsky
Yes.
[54:33]
James Acaster
We don't. We don't care what you dog people think.
[54:36]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah. You know that we look down on you.
[54:38]
ACAST
I like cats. Well, the cats are smarter. I'm just deathly allergic.
[54:42]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, well, what, what can you do?
[54:44]
ACAST
And they always want to rub themselves up against me and.
[54:46]
James Acaster
Yeah, cuz they know you don't. You don't want that.
[54:48]
ACAST
They know that I don't want it.
[54:49]
James Acaster
See, I'm. I'm quite allergic to cats, but. So we've got a Siberian cat. It's supposed to be hypoallergenic, but it's not.
[54:56]
Anthony Perovsky
It's not.
[54:56]
ACAST
But mains are beautiful too.
[54:58]
Anthony Perovsky
I've got main.
[54:59]
ACAST
The barn cats. They're stunning.
[55:00]
James Acaster
He's got one of those. He's got four cats.
[55:02]
Anthony Perovsky
Imagine seeing a Maine moon next to a sphinx. It's hilarious. Every day in my life. Every day in my life is absolutely.
[55:08]
ACAST
I'm gonna ask for photos afterwards.
[55:10]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, I'll show you photos.
[55:11]
ACAST
Yeah.
[55:11]
Anthony Perovsky
They were playing together last night, those two. It's the funniest combo. When those two players get along like this, it's like, yeah, they all get along. They're one big cat gang. But every now and again they just pair up and they'll like hang out. And those two hanging out is the funniest. That's the funniest one.
[55:23]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[55:24]
Anthony Perovsky
One of them was like going, we got the foot rest and the sofa and there's a little gap between it sometimes. And the sphinx goes in the. The gap and then the main coon jumps on him. It's brilliant.
[55:36]
James Acaster
This is why you can't get James out the house.
[55:37]
ACAST
I was going to say, who needs to go out when you have that at home?
[55:40]
Anthony Perovsky
Right? Yeah, anywhere. So once again, I think just let you have all those drinks and we'll just pair them with the different courses.
[55:46]
ACAST
Thank you so much.
[55:46]
James Acaster
I think this is going to be the only episode where reading the menu back at the end takes longer than the actual episode.
[55:51]
Anthony Perovsky
I know, I don't.
[55:55]
Marc Maron
It's Marc Maron here, host of WTF with Marc Maron on Acast. When I started this podcast, I didn't have a lot of expectations, but somewhere along the line, podcasting became a serious business. And if you're serious about making money doing a podcast, there's only one place to do it acast. ACAST generates more revenue more reliably than any other platform. Join Acast, the number one podcast platform for monetization, by visiting go.acast.com WTF?
[56:31]
Anthony Perovsky
We arrive at your dream dessert now.
[56:34]
James Acaster
Yeah, Anthony's gone very serious.
[56:36]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, he's gone very, very serious. This is not a laughing.
[56:38]
James Acaster
I'm glad we captured that on camera.
[56:40]
ACAST
Because I enjoy sweets, but I don't have, like, a crazy sweet tooth. I'll start with that.
[56:46]
Anthony Perovsky
Okay. I'm feeling tense.
[56:48]
James Acaster
Another sharkboard.
[56:49]
ACAST
Like, to start simple, like the simple pleasures in life. You know what? No, scratch it. I was gonna say, like, the most amazing in season blueberries with, like, some hand whipped cream. Simple, but, like, we already did blueberries with the shrub, so let's fuck that. I will honor where I am right now, a beautiful sticky toffee pudding with a caramel sauce and, like, a vanilla bean ice cream that's just perfectly melty so that it's basically become a creme anglaise to me is I'm caramel over chocolate any day of the week. Yeah. Salted caramel, especially with, like, a good flake salt, makes me so happy.
[57:24]
James Acaster
Yeah.
[57:25]
ACAST
And sticky toffee pudding is warm. It's comforting. But growing up, I loved creme brulee. It was my favorite dessert to have with my sister.
[57:33]
James Acaster
The pivot happened way quicker than I expected.
[57:35]
ACAST
Oh, really? You don't know me.
[57:38]
Anthony Perovsky
No.
[57:39]
ACAST
Let's stick with sticky toffee pudding. Let's keep it simple. It's like when apples are in season, a little crumble is really good. Sticky toffee pudding is really. I just think it's beautiful because it's just like that spongy cake just, like, soaks up that sauce and it's. It's just. It's. It's perfect. It's. For me, when it's executed well, it's perfection.
[57:56]
James Acaster
Have you had sticky toffee pudding, like, restaurants in the uk? Is there one particular one that sticks in mind?
[58:02]
ACAST
Room service at a hotel in la. I'm embarrassed to say, but it's really good.
[58:11]
James Acaster
Actually.
[58:11]
ACAST
The hotel's called the London.
[58:13]
James Acaster
Oh, there you go.
[58:13]
ACAST
So we're kind of there. We're kind of adjacent.
[58:15]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, I've stayed there.
[58:16]
ACAST
And that's somewhere where. Yeah, we stay there for a lot of, like, press junkets and stuff. And they would have things in and, you know, like, late night, go up with my castmates. It was like a, like, a Queer Eye ritual. And we just like, get all the desserts and tan Has a sweet tooth. So he would like order all the.
[58:30]
Anthony Perovsky
Lights, book Tan, Here's a question for you. Yeah, you shouldn't have to say that.
[58:37]
James Acaster
If you're interviewing someone.
[58:38]
Anthony Perovsky
Let's say, let's say, let's say there's a.
[58:44]
ACAST
Sorry, that one hit. Well, that one's good.
[58:48]
Anthony Perovsky
Episode of Queer Eye where you've all got to swap roles.
[58:51]
ACAST
Okay.
[58:52]
Anthony Perovsky
And this isn't saying that what they do is easy. Yeah, but which of the other four do you think? I think I could do that. Alright. For an episode, I think.
[59:00]
ACAST
Wait for me to do their category or for them to do mine?
[59:02]
Anthony Perovsky
Both.
[59:03]
ACAST
Great. Cause you know, I can't do one simple answer. Clearly it's not my thing. Look, I could not do what Jeremiah does in terms of. I love furniture. I have a background. I worked as a gallery director in like post war and furniture. French, American Deco. Like, I love individual pieces, but I can't put the whole thing together the same way with fashion. Like, picking out a whole outfit is hard, but I'm like, oh, that's a cool T shirt. I want that cool little like vintage strokes here or whatever it is. Or like a perfect like, cut of jeans. But like, putting the big picture is hard. But I think for Jer, what I really love what he did this season is that he got so personal about our hero's needs. And like, really, I don't know, he just. I feel like he did. He just, him and his team did a fantastic job of kind of like creating a real home for them that wasn't just beautiful for camera, but it was something that they could actually live with. In a similar way that I feel like to some extent, I try to explore people's relationship with food where I try to make something. Except one episode in the latest season, I fucked up. I did the. I did a dumb thing that I should not have done and it's fine and I'm talking about it, so clearly it's not fun. But I think, yeah, interior design would be an interesting one, but I would definitely need some help. And then in terms of somebody taking on my role, Jer cooks for his kids a lot. And I know he's really good. Jvan's not too much of a cook, but like, okay, Karama loves Skittles and Coca Cola, so that's a hard pass. I'm not saying anything he hasn't said publicly, so it's okay. He's somehow alive. But Tan is an excellent cook and he is maybe the best doll I've ever had in My life. And he makes beautiful curries. And I think he would. He would really excel.
[60:40]
Anthony Perovsky
Great. That was a good question.
[60:42]
James Acaster
It was a good question. I never doubted the quality of the question.
[60:45]
Anthony Perovsky
But you just. You just would.
[60:47]
James Acaster
I always doubt when you go, here's a question for you.
[60:49]
Anthony Perovsky
Here's a question for you.
[60:50]
ACAST
It's like me saying, and here's an answer.
[60:52]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, I have an answer for you.
[60:54]
James Acaster
You're luck that James didn't do something. He did the other day on an episode where a guest started to tell an anecdote and James went, yeah, I've heard this one.
[61:04]
ACAST
Because it's from the guests themselves or they said it in a press.
[61:08]
James Acaster
Different junkie, different interview.
[61:09]
ACAST
So literally, when I was on my way here, I was like talking to my publicist and the Nat Geo team. No. Tastes like home Available soon on Disney. And I was like, oh. I was like, I want to make sure that I talk about different parts of different episodes that I'm not just rinse and repeating all the time. Because you want to make it interesting on different platform. You literally just tapped into my biggest insecurity. I had a beat of sweat go down my back when you said that, because I was like, did I say anything that I've repeated already, but I haven't? It was all uniquely just for you guys.
[61:35]
James Acaster
Yes.
[61:36]
ACAST
Yeah, yeah.
[61:37]
Anthony Perovsky
I'm gonna read your menu back to you now, see how you feel about it.
[61:39]
ACAST
Okay, great. Oh, God, this is gonna be so chaotic. So you're like a fever dream. Sorry.
[61:44]
Anthony Perovsky
As soon as you arrive, we're giving you caviar on the Breton crisps. Then we're giving you some New York tap water with loads of ice. Then you want poppadoms with all of the dish chips. Then starter, you're gonna have an arancini and the mozzarella in caroza.
[61:59]
ACAST
Correct.
[61:59]
Anthony Perovsky
In the carriage, Marinara sauce from rotisserie Italian in Montreal.
[62:04]
ACAST
Yes.
[62:04]
Anthony Perovsky
Main course, your dream cheese and charcuterie board, which has a barricade. It's got a lot on it. I can't read all that.
[62:13]
ACAST
I'm so sorry, by the way. I really apologize.
[62:18]
Anthony Perovsky
Side dish of Mac and cheese with ground.
[62:21]
James Acaster
Give us a few examples of things that happen on the board.
[62:23]
ACAST
Well, yeah, there's cheese curds, Jordates, pistachio.
[62:26]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There's the duck roulettes, olives. Huh. Drink. Benito's just wrote all those drinks.
[62:37]
ACAST
Sounds about right.
[62:38]
Anthony Perovsky
You can keep up with this one.
[62:39]
James Acaster
Shrub with blueberries.
[62:40]
Anthony Perovsky
You're the first guest we've ever had on who has worn him out. He's just. He couldn't keep up with it.
[62:46]
ACAST
I'm so sorry. Wait, why is your wrist twitching? So.
[62:52]
Anthony Perovsky
He'S completely. It was a really tough episode for him. And dessert, you would like a sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream that has gone almost like a Cremon Gl. Yeah, that sounds great.
[63:04]
ACAST
Tiny bit of Malden flake salt on top. Yeah, Just for a little bit of salt.
[63:07]
Anthony Perovsky
Absolutely. Yeah.
[63:08]
James Acaster
It'd be good to get some salt into this.
[63:09]
ACAST
I will be myself so hard after that meal.
[63:12]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, well, I think we all will. That's the next podcast. We do a spin off. Yeah, it's an extra.
[63:17]
James Acaster
We're starting a patreon and we do an extra episode where we talk about the guess full circle.
[63:21]
ACAST
We talked about gut health with sourdough at the beginning.
[63:23]
James Acaster
There you go. And you. You got the gut health going in the. Before you get to the restaurant. And then you've absolutely destroyed it with the ruined.
[63:30]
ACAST
You just destroyed your microbiome. And then you can go ahead and, like, reset, you know, but that's why it's a dream. That's exactly right.
[63:36]
James Acaster
Thank you so much for coming to the dream restaurant.
[63:38]
ACAST
This is a lot of fun. I'm starving now.
[63:45]
James Acaster
Wow. What an episode. James.
[63:48]
Anthony Perovsky
Fantastic.
[63:49]
James Acaster
Fantastic. The weight, absolutely. So good. He's so obsessed with food.
[63:54]
Anthony Perovsky
That's what we, like, knows his stuff. But Ito was saying, like, doesn't think he's ever heard someone just be able to, like, so quickly and in so much detail talk about food to, like, to that degree. And he did not say old rotten spetti.
[64:10]
James Acaster
No, he didn't say old rotten spaghetti. And he didn't say old rotten spinach either.
[64:14]
Anthony Perovsky
Yeah, yeah. He didn't say old rotten spinach. So thank you for that, Anthony. That means we can once again plug no Taste Like Home with Anthony Perofsky, which is on Disney now.
[64:24]
James Acaster
It's on Disney now. It looks absolutely amazing. Incredible guests Awkwafina Henry Golding, James Marsden, Florence Pugh, Issa Ray and Justin Theroux. I can't wait to see this show. James even more so now. I've met Anthony and talked to him about. About his foodie passions.
[64:41]
Anthony Perovsky
And you can remember the awkward fino episode. He is. He has a dicky tummy.
[64:45]
James Acaster
Yes. Do look in his eyes and imagine how dicky's tummy is.
[64:48]
Anthony Perovsky
Yes. Thank you very much, Anthony. Thank you very much, Ed.
[64:50]
James Acaster
Thank you very much, James.
[64:51]
Anthony Perovsky
Thank you, Benito.
[64:52]
James Acaster
Thank you, Benito.
[64:53]
Anthony Perovsky
You know, Benito has said he's been Taking a lot of today and we've done two episodes today. We bullied him a lot in the first one. You know, he's probably, he's clock watching a little bit now. He's getting ready to go home. But we want to let him know that we're very grateful for all of us hard work.
[65:06]
James Acaster
Yes. When Benito goes home and he.
[65:08]
Anthony Perovsky
He hates it even more, this is what's great, is when you say something nice and sincere to him, he goes completely like, like he's gonna. He's. He's like, oh, off. When he gets back, it's like, he's like off.
[65:19]
James Acaster
He's like down in the dumps. And his partner says to him, were they mean to you again, Benito?
[65:24]
Anthony Perovsky
You go, no. They started being nice. I hated it. Oh, don't like it. Hated it.
[65:29]
James Acaster
We will see you again next week. Thank you very much. Bye Bye.
[65:33]
Anthony Perovsky
Goodbye.
[65:49]
ACAST
Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
[65:57]
Kristen
I'm Kristen.
[65:58]
Jen
And I'm Jen from the I, mom so Hard podcast. Podcast.
[66:00]
Kristen
We don't want to brag, but yes, we are moms. We're average moms.
[66:04]
Jen
Below average sometimes.
[66:05]
Kristen
But we're not just moms.
[66:07]
Jen
And we're not just supermodels either. We're not just pieces of meat.
[66:10]
Kristen
That's right. We're not even close. We are comedians and we're also best friends.
[66:14]
Jen
We're also best selling authors and television writers. We created a viral web series with.
[66:19]
Kristen
Over 300 million views.
[66:20]
ACAST
What's up?
[66:21]
Kristen
Who's bragging? And we were in our swimsuits. Again, not supermodels.
[66:25]
Jen
We're also popping.
[66:26]
Kristen
Are we podcasting right now?
[66:27]
Jen
Not right now, but we have been bringing laughs every Tuesday to women and moms everywhere.
[66:32]
Kristen
And one dude who's a sophomore in college. His name's Greg Whatever. He messaged us and made me feel cool.
[66:36]
Jen
So nice. Amazing. Please listen to the Am mom so Hard podcast on Acast.
[66:41]
James Acaster
Woo.
[66:43]
ACAST
ACAST helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere. Acast.com.