No Bad Food

Hosted ByTom Zalatnai & Teffer Adjemian

A show about great food and the people who love to make & eat it. Every week, we dig into a different dish, meal, ingredient, cuisine, or piece of food media, exploring the history & culture around it, sharing favorite recipes, and learning from our wonderful guests. The only rule? You've gotta love it. After all, there's no such thing as bad food.


All Episodes

113. Six Thousand Years of Bread by H.E. Jacob

CW: Lots of talk about colonialism, genocide, and war. Some mention of disordered eating.

This week, hosts Tom Zalatnai (@tomzalatnai) and Teffer Adjemian (@tefferbear) talk about H.E. Jacob’s prolific tome, 6000 Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History. We get into the interplay of religion, industrialization, and the military, and how all three connect deeply to bread. What lessons can we learn from the history of bread? Where do bagels come from? Why would someone wear Jesus’s foreskin as a wedding ring? The answers may (or may not) surprise you…

112. Edible Flowers

This week, hosts Tom Zalatnai (@tomzalatnai) and Teffer Adjemian (@tefferbear) talk about the wonderful world of Edible Flowers! There’s so many! Dandelions! Nasturtiums! Borage! Roses! Chamomile! Linden! Lilacs! Lavender! Day lilies! Tulips! Apple Blossoms! Cherry Blossoms! Clovers! Pansies! Johnny Jump-Ups! Pickled Magnolias! Peonies! Wood sorrel! Marigolds! Calendula! Hibiscus! Also- How can you identify edible flowers near you? Why should we look to folk wisdom about food to save us from hunger? How does all of this link to food sovereignty?

111. NBF Does NYC!

This week, hosts Tom Zalatnai (@tomzalatnai) and Teffer Adjemian (@tefferbear) recap our recent trip to New York City! Bagel sandwiches! Tahini iced coffee! Oatmeal lace cookies! Dumplings! Hand-pulled noodles!...

110. Seasonal Eating & Food Sovereignty

This week, hosts Tom Zalatnai (@tomzalatnai) and Teffer Adjemian (@tefferbear) talk about seasonal eating, supporting local farmers, food sovereignty, and more! Why is it a good idea to buy and eat local produce? How does it affect prices? What role do things like terroir and Barbara Kingsolver novels play in all of this? And what exactly IS food sovereignty, and why is it kind of super important?

109. Apricots

This week, hosts Tom Zalatnai (@tomzalatnai) and Teffer Adjemian (@tefferbear) talk about the national fruit of Armenia, the apricot! Learn about Amaretto, Amaretti, surprising stone fruits, and the joys of a dried apricot in an Almond Mom Household.

108. Lox or Smoked Salmon? Ft. Eric Silver

This week, host Tom Zalatnai (@tomzalatnai) and friend of the show Eric Silver (@el_silvero) keep it YUMMY with a great chat about smoked salmon, lox, gravlax, and all the accoutrements! We get into Montreal vs New York fish culture, capers, and the ACME Fish Company’s wide array of lox seasonings!

107. Maple Syrup: it’s Liquid Gold!

This week, hosts Tom Zalatnai (@tomzalatnai) and Teffer Adjemian (@tefferbear) get into the sticky, sappy world of maple syrup! We get into the great Maple Syrup heist of the 2010s, the Cabane à Sucre, and the wonders of the quebecois breakfast plate!

106. Hotdogs ft. Aslam Choudhury

This week, host Tom Zalatnai (@tomzalatnai) calls up friend of the show Aslam Choudhury (@aslamchoudhury) for an exploration of all things hotdogs! We talk baseball, corn dogs, chili dogs, and the power of one simple sausage to make a place feel like home. Plus, how messy food can help ground us and stop us from dissociating during a meal!

105. Lavash ft. Kadi Diop

This week, host Teffer Adjemian (@tefferbear) calls up longtime friend of the show Kadi Diop (@kadi_d) to talk about Lavash, the Armenian flatbread! We get into its deep history, its cultural relevance, its relationship to the Armenian Christian church, and so much more!