The JTrain Podcast – "Bacon Packaging, Water Bottles, and Plastic Silverware"

Host: Jared Freid
Date: August 26, 2025
Episode Type: Ticked Off Tuesday

Episode Overview

This Ticked Off Tuesday edition of The JTrain Podcast has host Jared Freid, broadcasting from Delray Beach, Florida, passionately venting and riffing on common, everyday annoyances. Jared reads listener-submitted complaints, shares some of his own pet peeves, and provides comedic agreement, catharsis, and insight into why seemingly minor issues can be so maddening—especially when it comes to bacon packaging, water bottle hazards at the gym, and the epidemic of excess plastic cutlery with delivery orders.

Jared’s tone is confessional, ranty, and self-deprecating, making listeners feel seen in their own gripes.

Main Segments & Discussion Points

1. The Ritual and Community of Complaining

• [01:08] Jared kicks off the episode celebrating the communal aspect of complaint:
  • "This is the only podcast where you complain and I find a way to agree with you. We do a complaint duet of sorts."
• Patreon subscribers get “first dibs” on complaints featured on the show.

2. Jared’s Opening Life Updates

Key Themes:

• Settling into Delray Beach, new routines, and obsessed with Trader Joe’s peanut butter pretzel nuggets.
• Minor snack-cup crisis: repurposing an espresso mug as a snack cup, only to hilariously overfill it:
  • "If you fill it up 17 times, it's not a snack cup anymore, it's a snack trough."
• Ongoing struggles for YouTube virality and requests for listener support on YouTube and at live shows.

3. Complaint 1: Bacon Packaging Madness

[11:30]

• Rant: Why is bacon still sold in difficult, non-resealable packaging?
• Quote:
  • "Is there some sort of law that was created by Big Bacon?... The idea that bacon doesn't have a zip top—that you have to cut open bacon and just leave it open or rewrap it in cellophane or in tinfoil—I can't be...the only one asking for this."
• Jared speculates on perverse incentives—maybe companies want it to spoil faster, so we buy more.
• He broadens the conspiracy to turkey bacon:
  • "Turkey bacon followed suit with regular bacon. That’s what I’m eating…How is there not one with a resealable bag?"
• Suggests 60 Minutes should investigate.

4. Complaint 2: Water Bottles as Gym Hazards

[16:50]

• Laments water bottle chaos at classes like Barry’s Bootcamp and The Lab Method; calls for a designated bin or tape for water bottles in class.
• Memorable Story [17:55]:
  • At Barry’s in Denver, someone’s massive Nalgene bottle flies off a treadmill and nearly causes injury.
  • "No one would say, 'Hey, yeah, my gym class, we put a bunch of logs out and let them roll around, and we hope people don't slip.'"
  • "Let's say I jump off, hit that top of the water bottle, I fall over, broken ankle, head smacked on the thing, knocked out, lose my career… What happened to Jared? Head injury at a Barry’s class because someone’s water bottle was just on the floor."
• Offers a Solution:
  • Proposes a bin or at least taped zones for bottles—calls it a “dangerous situation.”
  • "If your Nalgene doesn't fit in the cupholder, then that's not where it should be."
• Extended riff on adult hydration culture—argues we’ve gone too far with bringing water everywhere:
  • "You don't need a sip. You're an adult. You can drink as much water as you want before the class. You can drink as much water as you want after the class."

5. Listener Complaints Section

Complaint 3: Excessive Plastic Cutlery in Food Delivery

[35:05]

• Listener receives three sets of plastic cutlery and unwanted garlic knots for a single delivery order.
• Jared’s Take:
  • Empathizes with "cutlery shame," noting,
    • "Everyone's a little bit ashamed when they get sent that extra cutlery…Did you think this about my order to make it so, oh, must be a table for 30?"
  • Redirects blame: restaurants are “reacting to the worst of us—the people who call and complain about not getting cutlery.”
  • Suggests an opt-IN model for garlic knots if you’re ordering zoodles/healthy food, and laments automated defaults.
  • Quote:
    • "The minute Zoodles gets hit on the website is the minute I’m telling you garlic knots are out…it should automatically opt you out."

Complaint 4: Hulu’s Resume Feature Frustration

[41:00]

• Listener annoyed Hulu won’t let them binge through credits—every episode resumes where credits left off.
• Jared:
  • Jokes about "Uncle Ben" Spider-Man quote, invokes the burden of complainers everywhere.
  • Quote:
    • "We're never as thankful as we are angry...You complain about the cutlery. Now everyone's getting 30 bundles."
  • Draws parallel to cutlery: a system ruined for all by the complaints of a few.

Complaint 5: Overzealous Gym Equipment Cleaners

[44:35]

• Listener tells of gym staff cleaning their treadmill while in use—startling and dangerous!
• Jared:
  • "We gotta stay five feet away. I’m with you, this is horrible."
  • Calls for a literal five-foot rule, compares with golf etiquette.
  • Reflects on being “zoned in” during treadmill workouts, making breaches all the more jarring.

Complaint 6: Grocery Store Types That Annoy

[48:08]

• Listener: Even living next to Wegmans, opts for delivery because of annoying in-store behaviors:
  • Instacart “racers” hustling through aisles,
  • Gen Z shoppers with headphones,
  • Pairs blocking aisles to chat,
  • Seniors obsessively inspecting produce.
• Jared:
  • Hilariously proposes a “boogie board leash” so shoppers can’t leave carts unattended.
  • "When you release from your grocery cart, you are now a tender. You're still part of the cart, still part of the cruise ship."
  • Imagines a strict grocery store “strap in” policy to prevent inconsiderate cart-abandoners.
  • "If someone doesn't strap in, kick them out!"

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bacon Packaging
  • "I can’t believe we’re doing it. If someone at Bacon Inc. ever says, 'we need a resealable bag,' I'd take them by the shirt and go, 'Tell me what’s going on! Why haven't you done it?'” [12:45]
• On Adult Hydration at the Gym
  • "You don't need a sip. You're an adult. You can drink as much water as you want before the class. You can drink as much water as you want after the class." [27:40]
• On Delivery Cutlery
  • "If you're living in a home where you have no forks and knives, then you have not finished your home." [36:47]
• On Credit Skippers and Systemic Consequences
  • "We're never as thankful as we are angry...You complain about the cutlery. Now everyone's getting 30 bundles. You complain about, 'I didn't get to see the credits.' Now everyone's gotta sit through credits." [43:00]
• On Grocery Carts and Tethering
  • "I think that grocery carts should have an arm bracelet that you attach to it like a boogie board." [51:10]

Episode Flow & Listener Value

Jared’s rants and listeners’ complaints flow together naturally, maintaining a humorous tone throughout. Every petty gripe is met with comedic sympathy and insightful, sometimes outlandish solutions. The show validates the listener’s irritations while inviting everyone to laugh at the seemingly small stuff that snowballs in everyday life.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:08] – Introduction, mailbag, Patreon extras, YouTube lament
• [11:30] – Main complaint: Bacon packaging
• [16:50] – Gym class water bottle chaos and story
• [35:05] – Listener complaint: Excess cutlery in delivery and garlic knots
• [41:00] – Hulu credits/bingeing frustration & meta-complaints
• [44:35] – Listener complaint: Gym staff cleaning treadmill mid-run
• [48:08] – Listener complaint: Grocery store annoyance—cart abusers & chat blockers

Final Thoughts

Why Listen?

• The episode is an empathetic, entertaining group therapy for your annoyances, from plastic packaging to gym etiquette, all delivered through Jared’s sharp, relatable comedic lens. If you love rants with a point—and a punchline—this is your Tuesday treat.

Jared’s Sign Off:

• “Your frustrations are always justified here. Ticked Off Tuesday, every Tuesday, back next week. Boom.”