Ryan's #1 Food

Summary

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"Ryan's #1 Food" — You Betcha Radio (March 30, 2026)

Main Theme

This episode dives deep into the team’s passionate and often hilarious debate about the best side dishes—any time, any meal, any season—with a distinct Midwest flavor. The hosts swap memories, strong opinions, and a few “hot takes” while weighing the merits of coleslaw, baked beans, mashed potatoes (instant vs. homemade), and more. The signature You Betcha camaraderie and playful jabs are on full display.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Coleslaw Confession (00:00–01:18)

• Ryan’s #1 Side: Much of the first segment is a semi-serious defense of coleslaw as the top side dish.

  • “Clarification on Ryan's favorite side dish of all time is coleslaw. Seriously, number one. If not, what is the best side dish for any meal any time of the year?” – Alex [00:00]
  • “Yeah, it's number one. I'm being very clear about that.” – Chris [00:17]
  • On why: Cabbage is key, and the “soupiness” (moisture content) is crucial.
    • “I like cabbage. It's got to be like... I like soupy coleslaw as well.” – Chris [00:29; 00:42]
    • Off-dry or under-hydrated is a dealbreaker: “Dude, not soupy enough.” – Chris [01:10]

• Fun Fact: Pizza Ranch is name-dropped as a spot with good (soupy) coleslaw.

2. What Makes a Side “Good” or “Bad”? (01:05–01:18)

• The consensus: Texture and moisture are critical.
  • “Dry coleslaw is just cut up cabbage. Yeah, it's not good.” – Ben [01:12]

3. Side Dish Showdown: Personal Favorites (01:19–02:12)

• Alex: Mac and cheese gets an honorable mention, but isn’t always a true “side.”

  • “Mac and cheese, maybe. I can kind of...” – Alex [01:21]
  • “Coleslaw is never the main course.” – Ben [01:29]

• Alex & Ben: Baked beans are a classic—especially inspired by Famous Dave’s.

  • “Baked beans.” – Alex [01:34]
  • “I know that this is a crazy take by me, but I prefer baked beans cold.” – Ben [01:38]

• Ben’s “Baked Beans Cold” admission is met with group ribbing.

  • “Yeah, it's kind of a psycho,” – Chris [01:44]
  • Ben’s grandma even keeps some cold just for him at holiday meals! [01:45–02:00]

• Chris plans to “blackmail” Ben with this info for comedic effect next week. [02:07–02:19]

4. Tangent: Midwest School Rivalries (02:19–03:02)

• The side dish banter veers briefly into a playful argument about public vs. private high school sports in the Midwest.
  • Chris contends that private schools have an unfair advantage by being able to “recruit” with money and scholarships. [02:22–02:53]
  • “You just pay to get in there and better at sports.” – Chris [02:44]

5. Side Dish Runners-Up & “Hot Takes” (03:08–04:10)

• Mashed Potatoes (and Gravy):

  • “I think I'd probably pick mashed potatoes and gravy.” – Chris [03:08]
  • Hot take: Ben prefers instant mashed potatoes over homemade! [03:31–03:46]
    • “I like the shit from the bag. Add water and mix.” – Ben [03:41]
  • Chris and Ben both agree that instant is good, especially for ease at home [04:01–04:10]

• Stuffing:

  • Ben again bucks tradition: “Miss me with the homemade stuffing. Give me the shit out of the box.” [03:48]
  • Both Alex and Ben are on board with boxed “Stovetop” stuffing.

• Au Gratin Potatoes: Another love for “out of the bag” types.

  • Chris: “The au gratin bag potatoes are pretty decent.” [03:57]
  • Ben: “Chef's kiss.” [04:00]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I'm being very clear about that. [Coleslaw is] number one.” – Chris [00:17]
• “Dude, not soupy enough.” – Chris [01:10]
• “Dry coleslaw is just cut up cabbage. Yeah, it's not good.” – Ben [01:12]
• “I know that this is a crazy take by me, but I prefer baked beans cold.” – Ben [01:38]
• “Coleslaw is never the main course.” – Ben [01:29]
• “Miss me with the homemade stuffing. Give me the shit out of the box.” – Ben [03:48]
• “The au gratin bag potatoes are pretty decent.” – Chris [03:57]
• “When I'm home by myself with my two children, we eat the instant potatoes a lot.” – Chris [04:01]

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Key Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–01:18: Deep dive on coleslaw’s supremacy
• 01:19–02:12: Side dish debate (mac and cheese, baked beans, cold beans)
• 02:19–03:02: Midwest high school sports tangent
• 03:08–04:10: Instant vs. homemade (mashed potatoes, stuffing, au gratin potatoes)

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Summary

In this episode, the You Betcha crew puts the coleslaw supremacy debate front and center, with Chris and Alex staunchly defending its place as the Midwest’s king of sides—especially when it’s “soupy” and nowhere near dry. Baked beans get a controversial twist thanks to Ben’s cold beans preference, and the guys collectively agree that many classics (mashed potatoes, stuffing, au gratin potatoes) are, in fact, better and more comforting from a box or bag than homemade. The tone is classic Midwest banter: nostalgic, a little self-deprecating, and uniquely specific, offering plenty of fodder for those who love (or love to rail against) Midwestern comfort food traditions.

Transcript

[Alex]

Molasses Disaster survivor. Clarification on Ryan's favorite side dish of all time is coleslaw. Seriously, number one. If not, what is the best side dish for any meal any time of the year?

[Ben]

I thought you were pretty clear on it.

[Chris]

Yeah, it's number one. I'm being very clear about that.

[Alex]

Let me be clear.

[Chris]

Let me be clear. It's number one. I don't know what it is about it.

[Alex]

It's probably the cabbage and the.

[Chris]

I like cabbage. It's got to be like. I've had dry. I've had, like, I've had coleslaw. That's not as.

[Ben]

I like soupy hydrated.

[Chris]

Yeah, I like soupy coleslaw as well. Who has. I feel like there's a fast food chain that has Subi coleslaw. Maybe it's Pizza Ranch. Not only fast food, but. Yeah, I. I mean, I stick with that in. In my current. In my current position. I stick with that. It could change in a. In a month.

[Alex]

You know, you could have bad coleslaw.

[Chris]

I could have bad coleslaw.

[Ben]

Yeah.

[Alex]

What constitutes as bad coleslaw? Like two.

[Chris]

Dude, not soupy enough.

[Ben]

Yeah, the dry, Dry, dry coleslaw is just cut up cabbage. Yeah, it's not good.

[Chris]

Yep.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Chris]

So what's your guys's number one side?

[Alex]

I would say, I don't know, Mac and cheese, maybe. I can kind of.

[Ben]

But sometimes Mac and cheese is the main course.

[Alex]

Yeah, it's a little taste.

[Ben]

Coleslaw is never the main course.

[Chris]

Correct.

[Ben]

So I think it's a side.

[Alex]

Baked beans.

[Ben]

Baked beans.

[Alex]

Dude, I'm just thinking of famous Dave's now.

[Ben]

I know that this is a crazy take by me, but I prefer baked beans cold.

[Chris]

Yeah, it's kind of a psycho.

[Ben]

I know. I'm well aware. And I'm. I, like. My grandma knows this, so she'll literally keep part of the baked beans for Thanksgiving or whatever meal we're having them for. Keep a little dish of them cold on the side for me.

[Alex]

Yeah, I think we gotta tell Miles about that one.

[Ben]

Yeah, yeah, it's good. I like a better cold.

[Chris]

Yeah, I'm gonna have to write that one down for next week. I apologize in advance. I'm gonna have to bring that up.

[Ben]

Well, then I have to bring up that you guys went one.

[Chris]

Oh, that's fine. That's fine.

[Alex]

Stand up.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ben]

We're just blackmailing each other for. For no. To no advantage.

[Chris]

And like. Like what? I can. Like, he can brag about sports all I want, but he went to A private school, you can pay like anyone can pay for their kid to get in there. So they like. I'm just. I go to a. I went to a public school. You know, his school could get the best athletes if the parents had money.

[Ben]

And you.

[Chris]

Yeah, you just pay to get in there.

[Ben]

You can open. Enroll.

[Chris]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ben]

It doesn't matter where you live.

[Chris]

No, exactly.

[Ben]

There's no.

[Chris]

It doesn't matter where you live. You can just. You got money pay to get in there and better at sports.

[Alex]

So you say it's really unfair.

[Chris]

I'm saying that's definitely an advantage the kids.

[Ben]

Private schools don't have to follow school district. They do, but they don't. You know, that's the loophole on recruiting.

[Chris]

Sure.

[Ben]

And they can get scholarships if you're a good enough athlete.

[Alex]

Gotcha. Yeah, Miles won't hear about this. We'll cut this from the record.

[Chris]

Oh, it's fine. It's fine. Yeah, it's psychotic take. But if I had to pick a number two, I think I'd probably pick. Mashed potatoes and gravy.

[Ben]

It's great side as well.

[Alex]

Yeah, mashed potatoes. I don't like instant mashed.

[Ben]

Dude. That's another one where I. This might be a hot take, but I prefer instant mash to any. Any homemade mashed potato. I like the shit from the bag. Add water. Add water and mix. Dude, I don't.

[Chris]

Yeah, I don't feel like you're too out of left field on that one.

[Ben]

Same with stuffing. Miss me with the homemade stuffing. Give me the shit out of the box.

[Alex]

Yeah, I agree with that. The stovetop whatever.

[Ben]

Yeah, Stovetop.

[Chris]

The au gratin bag potatoes are pretty decent.

[Ben]

Chef's Kiss.

[Chris]

They're pretty good. We. When I'm home by myself with my two children, we eat the instant potatoes a lot.

[Ben]

I like them, so.

[Chris]

I do too. I do too.