Bacon, bratwurst, bangers, barbecue: these are just a few of the many ways people around the world enjoy feasting on pigs. Of all the domesticated animals humans consume, Sus scrofa domesticus is the most fascinating, the most divisive, and, arguably, the most delicious.
In this in-depth conversation with author and historian Mark Essig, author of the book ... Show More
Aug 19
Tomatoes: A Love Story
The tomato is Gastropod’s favorite flavor of summer, and we’re not alone: today, it’s the most popular vegetable on the planet, despite the fact that it's technically a fruit. But, until a couple of hundred years ago, the tomato wasn't really anyone's favorite. In South America, ... Show More
50m 48s
Aug 5
The Most Dangerous Fruit in America
It's the epitome of summertime: there’s nothing like a cold, juicy slice of red watermelon on a swelteringly hot day. But, once upon a time, watermelons were neither red nor sweet—the wild watermelon has white flesh and a bitter taste. This episode, we scour Egyptian tombs, decay ... Show More
45m 20s
Jul 22
The Colorful Tale of Mexico's A-maize-ing Grain
This might sound corny, but the relationship between maize and humanity is essential. We rely on corn—globally, more maize is grown than wheat or rice—and, in turn, corn is utterly dependent on us, to the extent that it's lost the ability to reproduce without our help. But corn's ... Show More
50m 56s
Oct 2020
The meat we eat affects us all
In this special episode of the Future Perfect podcast, neuroscientist Lori Marino helps us understand how arbitrarily we draw the lines between animals as pets and animals as food, and how we might redraw those lines.Subscribe to Future Perfect on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your ... Show More
35m 4s
Apr 2021
#59: The Pig Farm Serial Killer (Case - Robert Pickton)
Did you know pigs will eat anything?
The Pickton Pig Farm - was isolated, private, had its own slaughterhouse equipped with commercial freezers, and hundreds of very hungry pigs.
The farm was well known by locals for many things - mainly the smell that radiated from it… but soon ... Show More
2h 28m
Mar 2022
Rob Percival, "The Meat Paradox: Eating, Empathy, and the Future of Meat" (Pegasus, 2022)
Our future diet will be shaped by diverse forces. It will be shaped by novel technologies, by geopolitical tensions, and the evolution of cultural preferences, by shocks to the status quo-- pandemics and economic strife, the escalation of the climate and ecological crises--and by ... Show More
49m 23s