It’s Been a Minute
NewSome friendships aren’t forever, and that’s okay
- Episodes
- 1,134
- Released
- several times a week
- Latest episode
- Nov 13, 2026
About the podcast
Want in on a secret? Your likes and dislikes didn't develop by accident. There are subtle and not-so-subtle forces around you, shaping what you think, how you act, and even who you think you are. Brittany Luse is here to break the spell and help you feel wiser in a society that makes things blurry.
THE BEST POP CULTURE PODCAST AWARD WINNER AT THE 2025 SIGNAL AWARDS
It’s Been A Minute with Brittany Luse is the best podcast for understanding what’s going on in culture right now, and helps you consume it smarter. From how politics influences pop culture to how identity influences tech or health, Brittany makes the picture clearer for you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.It’s Been A Minute reaches millions of people every week. Join the community and conversation today.
Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for It's Been A Minute.
Episodes 1,134
Some friendships aren’t forever, and that’s okay
Some people are in your life for a reason, and some people…for a season.How do you tell a friend you don’t feel considered? Or that your friendship feels more transactional than reciprocal? Today’s episode may …
Show notes
Some people are in your life for a reason, and some people…for a season.
How do you tell a friend you don’t feel considered? Or that your friendship feels more transactional than reciprocal? Today’s episode may give you some answers.
Earlier this fall, Brittany hosted a LIVE call-in advice show at WNYC called Please Advise! Today on the show, you’ll get to hear Brittany and journalist Rachel Wilkerson Miller give advice to friends in need. Rachel covers wellness and friendships, and she’s the author of The Art of Showing Up: How to Be There for Yourself and Your People, and the upcoming book, The Nice Life: How to Elevate the Everyday and Find Joy in What You Have.
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NPR Privacy PolicyDo we need the death penalty?
From a botched execution in Tennessee to the commutation of over 500 people on death row in California, capital punishment is all over the headlines. But where do American attitudes toward the death penalty …
Show notes
From a botched execution in Tennessee to the commutation of over 500 people on death row in California, capital punishment is all over the headlines.
But where do American attitudes toward the death penalty come from? And what do those attitudes say about the kind of society we want to be? To find out, Brittany chats with Ngozi Ndulue, Associate Professor of Law & Director of the Post-Conviction Criminal Defense Clinic at University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, and Dr. Michael Trotti, History professor and coordinator of legal studies at Ithaca College, and author of The End of Public Execution: Race, Religion, and Punishment in the American South.
Looking for more conversations about law and culture? Check out these episodes:
Why is divorce financially harder on women?
Abortion access is limited. Is Hollywood to blame?
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NPR Privacy PolicyMiddle age doesn’t need to be a crisis
Midlife isn’t just about body changes and sports cars.For Allison Aubrey, journalist and host of Your Turn, there’s more to midlife is a new opportunity. In fact, what we’ve been told of midlife –the …
Show notes
Midlife isn’t just about body changes and sports cars.
For Allison Aubrey, journalist and host of Your Turn, there’s more to midlife is a new opportunity. In fact, what we’ve been told of midlife –the reinvention and crisis— isn’t reflective of the reality. In fact, midlife is more of pivot, rather than an 180 degree change. Brittany Luse chats with Allison Aubrey about what to expect and not expect in midlife, why curiosity is key, and what it means to share wisdom with younger generations.
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NPR Privacy PolicyWicker, wicker, where art thou?
Is Wicker succeeding where rom-coms fall short?When the Wicker trailer dropped, all thirst broke loose. The movie -- starring Olivia Colman as a spinster fisherwoman and Alexander Skarsgård as her husband made …
Show notes
Is Wicker succeeding where rom-coms fall short?
When the Wicker trailer dropped, all thirst broke loose. The movie -- starring Olivia Colman as a spinster fisherwoman and Alexander Skarsgård as her husband made of wicker -- sparked a lot of chatter about what exactly is so swoon-worthy about a basket-woven beau. The movie highlights women's interest in stories about non-human romantic partners, while joining the canon of sexy, sometimes silly films about finding your footing in relationships. But it also asks deeper questions about what we expect from our partners -- and what the rest of the world expects from couples.
Brittany gets into all this with Rachel Handler, features writer at New York Magazine, and Aisha Harris, critic and host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour.
For more episodes on what’s going on in movies (and how they speak to what’s going on in culture), check out:
Why Gen Z is movie-maxxing
Women deserve revenge. Do they get to have it?
Inside the Michael Jackson legacy industrial complex
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NPR Privacy PolicyWhat does it mean to be a good 'church girl'?
What does it cost to be seen as a ‘godly woman’?The Secret Lives of Church Ladies author Deesha Philyaw asks that and more in her latest novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman. The book is a …
Show notes
What does it cost to be seen as a ‘godly woman’?
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies author Deesha Philyaw asks that and more in her latest novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman.
The book is a satirical, Real Housewives-style romp following its protagonist, Scharisse Freeman, as she navigates the highs and lows of being a pastor’s wife --including all the plotting, backstabbing, and respectability politics that come with trying to be a beacon of Christian femininity.
But when a scandal unearths her past, she learns the hard way that being seen as a ‘good woman’ or ‘good wife’ is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Deesha joins the show to deconstruct how the rigidity of church life can bring out the worst in us, and why we should be more open to other paths to living a faithful life.
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NPR Privacy PolicyDoes 'the talk' include consent?
In response to the rape allegations out of Cornell University, many parents are online questioning the lessons they are teaching their children.But what about the fathers who are raising the next generation of …
Show notes
In response to the rape allegations out of Cornell University, many parents are online questioning the lessons they are teaching their children.
But what about the fathers who are raising the next generation of boys? What conversations are they having with their sons about consent? To find out, Brittany is joined by Kathryn Jezer-Morton, writer for The Cut's Brooding column, and Jenny Grossman, senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College.
Want more conversations at the intersection of gender and culture? Tap into these episodes:
Where did all the 'masculine men' go?
Are we fueling violence against women?
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NPR Privacy PolicyHow Denée Benton conquered Hollywood, TV, and Broadway
Denée Benton is having a very good year. She’s currently starring in season four of the hit television show ‘The Gilded Age’ while starring in the production of ‘School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.’ …
Show notes
Denée Benton is having a very good year.
She’s currently starring in season four of the hit television show ‘The Gilded Age’ while starring in the production of ‘School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play.’ But success has been a long time coming. Since her Broadway debut in 2016, Denee has been working in television, theater and movies, often simultaneously, for a decade. She joins host Brittany Luse in a discussion about how a Broadway performance can feel like a physical workout, what’s in store for her Gilded Age character Peggy, and her most “sacred” project to date.
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NPR Privacy PolicyDoes a high IQ make you smart?
Why IQ still matters to people - even if it's biased.President Trump and Silicon Valley tech bros are obsessed with IQ, but the history of intelligence testing is full of bunk race science and eugenics. With …
Show notes
Why IQ still matters to people - even if it's biased.
President Trump and Silicon Valley tech bros are obsessed with IQ, but the history of intelligence testing is full of bunk race science and eugenics. With the rise of AI's "super intelligence," should we still be ranking human intelligence at all? In this crossover episode with our friends at Code Switch, we explore who gets labeled as smart with Quinn Slobodian, author of Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right and Angela Saini, author of Superior: The Return of Race Science.
(00:00) Why Trump and Silicon Valley are obsessed with IQ
(03:27) The tech right's IQ fetishism
(06:30) How 'The Bell Curve' justified inequality
(09:05) IQ's political consequences
(15:28) The BITCH test and valuing diverse intelligences
(22:23) The myth of biological race
(26:13) Does nurture matter more than nature for intelligence?
(32:27) Rejecting IQ hierarchies
For more episodes about the politics of intelligence, check out:
The price you pay for being smart
Books vs. Brain Rot: why it's so hard to read
You might be suffering from AI brain fry
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NPR Privacy PolicyWhy is divorce financially harder on women?
Divorce can be liberating. And expensive. When author and science journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer separated from her ex-husband, her social media feed was inundated with posts about the freedom of divorce. But …
Show notes
Divorce can be liberating. And expensive.
When author and science journalist Melinda Wenner Moyer separated from her ex-husband, her social media feed was inundated with posts about the freedom of divorce. But while divorce can be empowering… Melinda felt like that narrative overlooked a pretty significant part of the process: the financial burden.
And she’s not alone. After detailing her experience on her Substack, Now What, it caught the attention of editors at New York Magazine. Apparently their divorced friends were also having a hard time financially and they wanted someone to look into it. Melinda’s reporting was published in The Cut, titled: The Strong, Empowered, Secretly Broke Divorcee.
Melinda joins the show to walk Brittany through how financially punishing divorce can be for women and why we should all be a bit more critical of the laws that intend to treat all parties fairly when we still live in a deeply unequal society.
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NPR Privacy PolicyBringing a chatbot to the polls
How do you decide who to vote for?Some people are turning to AI chatbots to craft bespoke voter guides, while others are leaning on the wisdom of their favorite Instagram or TikTok influencers to guide them to …
Show notes
How do you decide who to vote for?
Some people are turning to AI chatbots to craft bespoke voter guides, while others are leaning on the wisdom of their favorite Instagram or TikTok influencers to guide them to the polls. But what are the pitfalls of each of these approaches, and what does our reliance on them say about what we need to feel informed? To find out, Brittany is joined by Maham Javaid, NPR politics reporter, and Dr. Martin Riedl, assistant professor of journalism and media at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Are you looking for more conversations on politics and culture? Check these out:
The DSA vs. establishment Democrats
How often do you think about the American Empire?
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NPR Privacy PolicyOur money dysmorphia is real
Are we in an economic crisis? It’s a question that prompted Pulitzer Prize-winning data journalist and illustrator Mona Chalabi to pitch her first book, Ten Lives: How What We Have Shapes Who We Are.It …
Show notes
Are we in an economic crisis?
It’s a question that prompted Pulitzer Prize-winning data journalist and illustrator Mona Chalabi to pitch her first book, Ten Lives: How What We Have Shapes Who We Are.
It chronicles the economic lives of Americans -- from the mega wealthy to those living paycheck-to-paycheck -- over a six year period. She even digs into her own financial life. From the economic highs of inheritances and professional success to the lows of divorces and lawsuits, Mona chats with Brittany about how economic insecurity affects us all.
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NPR Privacy PolicyThere's nothing scarier than private equity in food
Does private equity turn restaurants into zombified husks of their former selves?From the Crumbl and Insomnia cookie empires, to some of our country's most enduring chains like Dunkin and Panera, private equity …
Show notes
Does private equity turn restaurants into zombified husks of their former selves?
From the Crumbl and Insomnia cookie empires, to some of our country's most enduring chains like Dunkin and Panera, private equity is getting its hands in a lot of food chains. And some consumers are actively avoiding places that are private equity backed – expecting high prices, low quality, and an unsettling sameness to the food. But what's behind all the private equity money in these food chains? And what makes the hate of it so personal?
To get into it, Brittany is joined by Alaina Demopoulos, daily features writer at the Guardian, and Courtney E. Smith, founder and owner of the independent food and culture site Ravenous.
(00:00) Why some are spooked by private equity in food
(2:04) Bagels, cookies, and Panera: what private equity involvement looks like
(06:22) The soulless private equity aesthetic
(10:15) Why restaurants are attractive to private equity - despite thin margins
(13:17) Why do some people take private equity involvement so personally?
For more episodes about food culture, check out:
Bacteria is taking over the food pyramid
Is the internet choosing your food?
It's healthy to eat your feelings. Here's why.
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NPR Privacy PolicyHow will Gen Z independents shape the midterms?
Has Gen Z changed how we think about independents?It's no secret that Americans are politically divided, as faith in political parties erodes. In the past, so-called "independent" voters were likely shifting …
Show notes
Has Gen Z changed how we think about independents?
It's no secret that Americans are politically divided, as faith in political parties erodes. In the past, so-called "independent" voters were likely shifting between Democrats and Republicans. But now, especially Gen-Z, are pushing in new directions, far from the center. In this episode, we explore how "independent" became a rallying cry for change on the left and the right.
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NPR Privacy PolicyA chatbot a day keeps the doctor away
Who do you trust to help you make decisions about your sexual health?In the absence of widespread public health campaigns and high-profile narratives in TV and film about HIV prevention, Gen Z is turning to …
Show notes
Who do you trust to help you make decisions about your sexual health?
In the absence of widespread public health campaigns and high-profile narratives in TV and film about HIV prevention, Gen Z is turning to their chatbots of choice to help them make decisions regarding their sexual health. While some call it innovative, is there something that gets missed when the hard conversations about safety and pleasure become a digital feedback loop? Brittany is joined by Jerrell K.L. Hardnett, Associate Director of Education and Advocacy at GLAAD, and Dr. Samantha Hill, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University to find out.
Want more episodes on AI's influence on culture?
You might be suffering from AI brain fry
Generative AI's race problem
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NPR Privacy PolicyHow artists conquer Tiny Desk
What makes a great Tiny Desk concert? For NPR’s Tiny Desk Creative Director Bobby Carter, success means making space for an artist's creativity within the show’s strict technical parameters -- no speakers, no …
Show notes
What makes a great Tiny Desk concert?
For NPR’s Tiny Desk Creative Director Bobby Carter, success means making space for an artist's creativity within the show’s strict technical parameters -- no speakers, no in-ear monitors, no amplification. It’s a tough space to master, but after 14 years of producing shows, Bobby Carter knows what works. He loves when artists adapt to the space and “you get these little moments where you get a piece of their personality.” This week Brittany chats with him about his favorite shows, his dream guests, and the future of Tiny Desk.
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NPR Privacy PolicyThe sport of online harassment
Non-consensually posted intimate images can devastate women – and beget male bonding.The burner accounts on X loosely grouped into the “burnerverse” started by bonding over college sports – but soon took a …
Show notes
Non-consensually posted intimate images can devastate women – and beget male bonding.
The burner accounts on X loosely grouped into the “burnerverse” started by bonding over college sports – but soon took a darker turn when some of them began trying to make salacious rumors or non-consensual intimate images of young women and their names go viral. Ej Dickson investigated the burnerverse for Wired, profiling one of these women who were doxxed – and found links between these burner accounts and college fraternities. But what makes misogyny such a potent tool for men’s bonding? And with laws against non-consensually distributed intimate images in all 50 states – how is it still happening at scale?
To talk more about the culture that supports this kind of harassment and the structures that keep it in place, Brittany is joined by Ej Dickson, senior culture writer at wired, and Dr. Mary Anne Franks, professor at the George Washington University Law School and president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative.
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NPR Privacy PolicyWho gets to keep the lights on?
As our climate crisis continues to unfold, who gets to keep the lights on? On August 11th, a derecho hit northwest Indiana, and the predominantly Black city of Gary was left without power for 14 days… which …
Show notes
As our climate crisis continues to unfold, who gets to keep the lights on?
On August 11th, a derecho hit northwest Indiana, and the predominantly Black city of Gary was left without power for 14 days… which makes it one of the longest power outages in modern US history, according to Electric Choice.
As more and more reports of outages and struggling infrastructure come out of these seasonal storms, it made Brittany wonder: How does where we live - or even certain attitudes about where we live - affect the quality of service we get?
To answer that question, Jenae Barnes, health and environment reporter, and Shalanda Baker, Professor of Environment and Sustainability; Vice Provost for Sustainability and Climate Action at the University of Michigan join the show. Jenae and Shalanda walk Brittany through how our aging power grid - coupled with climate change, the strain of new technologies, and a lack of investment - exposes the systemic shortcomings that very well might leave all of us in the dark.
NIPSCO’s full message to their customers here.
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NPR Privacy PolicyThe high flying girls who desegregated America
She's America's sweetheart, but she just might be America's superhero as well.The American cheerleader has become one of the nation's most cemented symbols of femininity, girlhood, and youthful power. But how …
Show notes
She's America's sweetheart, but she just might be America's superhero as well.
The American cheerleader has become one of the nation's most cemented symbols of femininity, girlhood, and youthful power. But how does paying attention to the real life experiences of cheerleaders tell a different story about America's history of education, race, and gender? Brittany is joined by Dr. Natalie G. Adams, editor of The Cheer Reader, and contributor Dr. Amira Rose Davis to find out.
Interested in more conversations on sports and gender? Check out these episodes:
Would you let your kids play football?
The strange politics of Pilates
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NPR Privacy PolicyNowadays, celebrity is a state of mind
We’re in an era where everyone can be a celebrity. And that’s okay! For the past ten years, Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, hosts of the podcast Who? Weekly, have dissected the celebrity landscape. From the …
Show notes
We’re in an era where everyone can be a celebrity. And that’s okay!
For the past ten years, Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, hosts of the podcast Who? Weekly, have dissected the celebrity landscape. From the declining power of A-List celebrities to the rising power of influencers, the duo have investigated how fame and power have shifted over the last decade. They’ve asked the question: ‘Who gets to be famous?’ And discovered, ‘ well, nowadays, anyone.’ I Want to Be Famous: When Everybody and Nobody Is a Celebrity is their new book where they explore what they've learned about the ephemeral nature of fame, celebrity, and our collective obsession with reality television.
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NPR Privacy PolicyThe proposal to know less about America
Census data about race can be incredibly important – but we might lose it.The Trump administration has proposed to stop asking people in the U.S. about their race and ethnicity in the upcoming 2030 census. But …
Show notes
Census data about race can be incredibly important – but we might lose it.
The Trump administration has proposed to stop asking people in the U.S. about their race and ethnicity in the upcoming 2030 census. But what's the point of getting rid of these questions? And what makes the narratives around our nation's demographics so fraught?
To get into it, Brittany is joined by Russell Contreras, senior race and justice reporter at Axios, and Hansi Lo Wang, a correspondent at NPR who covers voting rights and the census.
For more episodes about policy and culture, check out:
Bacteria is taking over the food pyramid
Is your city shaped by yuppie taste?
Don't get got by big MILK
(00:00) Understanding the Trump administration's census proposal
(02:58) Will the government stop collecting data on race?
(05:34) What we use race data for
(10:04) The proposal to stop counting some non-citizens in the census
(14:42) How shifting categories might change census data
(20:52) Who's afraid of America's changing demographics?
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NPR Privacy PolicyThe Palestinians telling their own stories
Palestinians are challenging the narrative one story at a time.Editor-in-Chief of The Key, Sara Yasin, wants us to rethink what she calls ‘it’s complicated' journalism. As more young people are exposed to the …
Show notes
Palestinians are challenging the narrative one story at a time.
Editor-in-Chief of The Key, Sara Yasin, wants us to rethink what she calls ‘it’s complicated' journalism. As more young people are exposed to the destruction in Gaza -- outside of traditional media outlets -- Sara wanted to provide a space where Palestinians can speak freely about what’s going on around them.
Enter: The Key, an online publication that focuses on “analysis, interviews, essays, reviews and reportage about Palestine.” Sara joins the show to get into The Key, what ‘fairness’ looks like for mainstream media in this moment, and how power informs framing.
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NPR Privacy PolicyThe secret pain of your high school bully
Some of life's hardest lessons are learned in high school.In Jocelyn Bioh's Broadway play, School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play, the ladies of Aburi Girls' Boarding School live these hard lessons …
Show notes
Some of life's hardest lessons are learned in high school.
In Jocelyn Bioh's Broadway play, School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play, the ladies of Aburi Girls' Boarding School live these hard lessons through their friendships, feuds, and the upcoming Miss Ghana 1986 beauty pageant. But what does a play about teenagers in the 80s have to tell us about gossip, girlhood, and how it feels to not be chosen for reasons out of your control? Brittany is joined by playwright Jocelyn Bioh and director Whitney White to find out.
Want more conversations on theater and culture? Check out these episodes:
'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' gets 10s across the board
Has Broadway lost its way?
Tony nominee Jocelyn Bioh puts braiders centerstage
Cole Escola literally changes history in 'Oh, Mary!'
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NPR Privacy PolicyIs loving your mother worth the pain?
Author Mary H.K. Choi is obsessed with her mom.New York Times bestselling author, Mary H.K Choi, is known for her young adult novels Emergency Contact and Yolk. But her latest novel, Pool House, is for adults …
Show notes
Author Mary H.K. Choi is obsessed with her mom.
New York Times bestselling author, Mary H.K Choi, is known for her young adult novels Emergency Contact and Yolk. But her latest novel, Pool House, is for adults, and details the relationship between a Korean-American D-list actress in her 40s and her 20-year old daughter, who’s always lived in her mother’s shadow. Today’s chat is all about families – how they change, how they don’t, and why we keep on loving the ones who hurt us the most.
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NPR Privacy PolicyWhen did it become OK to blast TikToks in public?
There are deep roots behind the latest entry into public noise.It’s a now-common scenario: you’re using public transit, or waiting at the airport, or dining in a restaurant, when you hear the tinny music and …
Show notes
There are deep roots behind the latest entry into public noise.
It’s a now-common scenario: you’re using public transit, or waiting at the airport, or dining in a restaurant, when you hear the tinny music and computerized voice-overs of someone scrolling TikTok – no headphones. This aggravated All Things Considered producer and writer Manuela López Restrepo enough to look into it. And what she found was a rich history of how public noise works in our culture: who is allowed to make (or avoid it), who gets punished – and the companies that seem to get off scot-free.
Manuela shares her reporting with Brittany and they dive deep into the politics and policy of noise.
For more episodes about culture and civic life, check out:
Is your neighborhood riddled with dog poop?
The safety and power of knowing your neighbors
Is your city shaped by yuppie taste?
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NPR Privacy PolicySo you wanna be a critic...
Social media has made it easy for everyone to give their opinion...so why do people hate critics?To answer that question Brittany is joined by Lovia Gyarkye, culture editor at Hammer and Hope, a magazine …
Show notes
Social media has made it easy for everyone to give their opinion...so why do people hate critics?
To answer that question Brittany is joined by Lovia Gyarkye, culture editor at Hammer and Hope, a magazine dedicated to Black culture and politics. Lovia’s spent the bulk of her career researching, reflecting, and writing about the films, artists, and celebrities we’ve come to love. And in that process, she’s found ways to embrace curiosity and skepticism, two essential parts of being a critic.
Today on the show, Lovia defines what being a critic means for her, the ‘thinking’ problem so many of us face, and the power of giving something your sustained attention.
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NPR Privacy PolicyBacteria is taking over the food pyramid
How do you know what's safe to eat?You don't. And after a summer full of food recalls from lettuce to blueberries and even jalapeños, a regular trip to the grocery store can start to feel like a dangerous game …
Show notes
How do you know what's safe to eat?
You don't. And after a summer full of food recalls from lettuce to blueberries and even jalapeños, a regular trip to the grocery store can start to feel like a dangerous game. But how are the flaws in our food safety system creating issues beyond what we choose to grab in the produce aisle? To find out, Brittany is joined by Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.
Want more episodes on food, access, and power? Check these out:
The politics of hunger
Think the Medicaid cuts don't affect you? Think again.
You can read Eric's piece, "Should We Be Afraid of Our Food?" in the Atlantic.
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NPR Privacy PolicyHelp, America is in a sex drought!
Who's afraid of a horny movie? According to Bobbi Miller, culture critic and host of Culture Kitsch, horny movies pique our carnal curiosities. Sometimes there's an overall horny show like Heated Rivalry or …
Show notes
Who's afraid of a horny movie?
According to Bobbi Miller, culture critic and host of Culture Kitsch, horny movies pique our carnal curiosities. Sometimes there's an overall horny show like Heated Rivalry or movie like Wicker. Other times, you have elements of horniness present, in movies like Sinners, The Handmaiden, and In the Mood for Love. But it seems like on the whole, Hollywood is still shying away from horny-forward art, even though romance adaptations are exploding in popularity. So what’s going on here? And why it is hard to find these horny depictions onscreen?
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NPR Privacy PolicyIs the internet choosing your food?
Recipes online seem to have all become… kind of the same. They're described in lots of words that end in y – creamy, jammy, lemony – and they tend to use lots of globally sourced pastes like miso, gochujang and …
Show notes
Recipes online seem to have all become… kind of the same.
They're described in lots of words that end in y – creamy, jammy, lemony – and they tend to use lots of globally sourced pastes like miso, gochujang and harissa. The luscious photos and videos that accompany them border on erotic. But how did this become the norm? What has the internet done to our palates – and what do today's tastes say about us?
To find out, Brittany is joined by Ruby Tandoh, cookbook writer and the author of All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now.
(00:00) Why online recipes all seem the same
(01:59) What shapes our tastes?
(03:28) How food influencers capture your attention
(06:53) 'Twist culture': why there's miso in everything
(09:30) American food is inescapable
(13:03) The roots of 'silly little drink' culture
(16:58) How algorithms drive orthorexic food ideas
(19:20) The rise of ultra-processed 'healthy' foods
(24:47) The politics of cooking and performative homemaking
For more episodes about food culture and how we eat, check out:
It's healthy to eat your feelings. Here's why.
Is your city shaped by yuppie taste?
The heavy weight of diet culture
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NPR Privacy PolicyThe power of giving & receiving advice
Got first date jitters? Maybe your siblings are already starting drama ahead of the holidays? Or perhaps you need tips on supporting a friend through a hard time?You’re in good hands, because starting on …
Show notes
Got first date jitters? Maybe your siblings are already starting drama ahead of the holidays? Or perhaps you need tips on supporting a friend through a hard time?
You’re in good hands, because starting on Monday, September 28th to Wednesday September 30th, from 1pm-2pm ET, Brittany will be hosting a pop-up show called Please Advise, where she'll be giving advice LIVE on WNYC.
But first, Brittany’s getting advice on how to give advice. NPR Embedded producer and author of The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center, Rhaina Cohen joins the show to share her expertise. Because knowing when to chime in with advice -- versus biting your tongue and lending an ear instead -- is an artform, and Rhaina has some insight on it all.
You can listen to Brittany on Please Advise at WNYC.org.
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NPR Privacy PolicyCarla Hall on cooking, courage, and curiosity
For nearly twenty years, chef, author, and actor Carla Hall has taught us to cook from the heart across both screen and stage. Beyond culinary arts, her career path has spanned diverse fields such as accounting …
Show notes
For nearly twenty years, chef, author, and actor Carla Hall has taught us to cook from the heart across both screen and stage. Beyond culinary arts, her career path has spanned diverse fields such as accounting and modeling. Today, Carla joins the show to discuss how to navigate your next move with confidence, whether in your career or in the kitchen.
Carla's cookbook, Carla Bakes: Sweet, Savory, and from the Heart, is available now.
Want more conversations about food and culture? Check out these episodes:
A taste of Black Appalachia
Your Dinner Party toolkit
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NPR Privacy Policy
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