Embedded Files
Molly 0:04
I'm Molly and I'm Matthew and this is I will said this is freaky.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:08
No no this don't just spoiler alert.
Molly 0:11
This is spilled milk The show where we cook something delicious eat it all and you can't
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:15
have any and today you're not gonna believe were talking about the heat
Molly 0:21
we are we are This episode is also we should say being recorded outdoors in a park so you're gonna hear some airplanes. Yeah.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:27
And anyway fine like after after like the next 100 episodes that are all recorded at the park. People just get used to it. Yeah,
Molly 0:34
it's gonna be great when what are going to be some of the sound effects in real winter if we're recording in the park like right now, you know, it's like kind of late summer fall.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:42
What what is real winter? This is not a phrase. Do you experienced winter in July?
Molly 0:50
No, I mean, like, like winter winter.
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:53
Okay, well,
Molly 0:54
I guess like the sound effect like I see
Matthew Amster-Burton 0:56
when heavy rain heavy rain, like light skates moving across the frozen pond. Yes.
Unknown Speaker 1:03
Yeah, right.
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:04
Yeah. Christmas carols. Oh,
Molly 1:07
I can't wait.
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:09
Like a bunch of kids will come by caroling and will like give them whatever whatever snack reading this.
Molly 1:16
You know that like the lead up to Christmas is my favorite. Wait when
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:20
kids come caroling are you supposed to give them candy? I'm thinking of Halloween. That's,
Molly 1:24
that is coming up because this episode is coming out on Thursday, October 16.
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:29
What are you dressing up as
Molly 1:30
well. Today? It's August 9, when we're recording this. And I haven't we have this curtain for a
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:37
reason. Right? Yeah, no. Okay. I'm the Wizard of Oz. Right. I'm dressing up as the Wizard of Oz for Alan.
Molly 1:43
Okay, I'm going to dress up as well. Alice is toto Alice here in the park. So, Dorothy Oh, this
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:50
will be great. Yeah, Dorothy, I'll be the wizard. What is the wizard Where? A couple minutes
Molly 1:55
gonna be great that you've been losing your hair because I think he's
Matthew Amster-Burton 1:58
balding. Great in so many ways.
Molly 2:00
Almost bald. You're gonna wear like a suit.
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:03
Like, like how you phrase have have been losing as the as though this is like a new or ongoing phenomena.
Molly 2:10
Yeah, it wait. It's not ongoing.
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:12
Well, I mean, it's pretty much gone. So
Molly 2:16
you have like a tonsure
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:17
your I do have a tonsure like a medieval monk. Yeah. All right. Okay.
Molly 2:24
Anyway, all right. Today we're talking about fade out.
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:26
Let's go down memory lane. Yes,
Molly 2:28
you go first. Okay,
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:30
so I've a couple of fajita memories. I definitely remember vividly fajitas becoming really popular in the early 90s. And my high school girlfriend this would have been in the early 90s. Either she or one of her friends worked at the zoo. Okay. The memory has become foggy. But I the part I remember is that one time she could not wait to tell me that someone that they that they serve fajitas at the cafe. I know that seems
Molly 2:57
like a sizzling plateau
Matthew Amster-Burton 2:58
just like like no like a to go wrap. Okay, like a burrito. Okay, and that someone had ordered a fajita and it was the funny like, like, you know, it just made everyone's day or working a terrible job at the zoo.
Molly 3:11
God, what rock did that person crawl out from under? Yeah, I
Matthew Amster-Burton 3:15
think it was actually like that her friend Connie. worked at the zoo. I'm realizing now that you don't actually remember whether this person was your girlfriend or not or where she was who knows that? Well that my girlfriend was named Kathy and her friend her best friend was named Connie. And these sound like names from like the 50s. Right? Yeah.
Molly 3:35
Okay. Did you eat any fajitas on memory lane?
Matthew Amster-Burton 3:37
Yes. Mostly from Taco Bell because I remember when they they introduced their steak fajita and I thought it was great. And I remember eating sizzling platter. fajitas at like a Mexican American restaurant, Tex Mex restaurant.
Molly 3:50
I remember like seeing other people order like a sizzling you know, like, would you call it like it's it's not like a little
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:01
grill it's like I don't think it's usually cast iron although it can be but it's usually like like a like a wooden saucer like a wooden base that that like a metal plate sits on
Molly 4:12
kind of kind of Yeah. Okay. And yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:15
I think in like the restaurant industry is called a sizzle platter.
Molly 4:18
Well, what I remember plate being in a Tex Mex restaurant and seeing someone else order it and it coming by and being audibly sizzling
Matthew Amster-Burton 4:27
Okay, let's talk about that because I put that on the agenda, but I want to talk about it now. Okay. Did that induce you to order at all?
Molly 4:33
Oh, no, because as a child, I cannot impress upon you how easily frightened so you're afraid of burning your finger. Totally afraid of burning my finger on it. I also thought the peppers looked I think even though I knew they weren't spicy. I think I felt daunted by it. But I would have never ordered it in large part because it was loud and hot. Yeah, like a furnace like, like an inferno like in it like yeah, like a bonfire. It was like someone carried a bonfire through a Tex Mex restaurant. Right. Every time I saw
Matthew Amster-Burton 5:12
it, the point I was gonna make was exactly the opposite was, which is that I think the heat is like as soon as like, it's no surprise that it became a trend because like as soon as someone carries it through the restaurant, everyone's heads turn and they're like this this dish like advertises itself.
Molly 5:27
Do you think that there's actually like some sort of tiny speaker melt melted, I mean, mounting would have melted mounted on the bottom of a sizzle platter so that, like, you know, like pumping like butter smells out of a baker. It's
Matthew Amster-Burton 5:41
a smart idea. Yeah, like just to keep it sizzling throughout the meal. And then like later, like you work in the kitchen at the restaurant, the kid to switch right or, like, you know, you can't figure out how to turn it off. And it's like, I Love Lucy, Lucy kind of thing. There's all these sizzling platters. Because like, the thing I realized was I was trying to think of like, what are the other dishes that that light sizzle that advertise themselves as they're coming through the restaurant. So I thought adulticide bvm Bob?
Molly 6:07
Ah, yes. Also audible sizzle.
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:09
And do you remember when we went to Sichuan, Zhong Jing restaurant in Vancouver?
Molly 6:15
I remember going it was,
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:17
I think you were on your honeymoon with
Molly 6:18
my first my first, your first. Oh, my God, Matthew, it is crazy. Not only how long we've known each other, but like how many stories we have from a long time ago? Yeah, really? That was 14 years ago.
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:31
Yeah. No, we've been we've been doing this show for like, a quarter of your life. I think. More than a quarter more than a
Molly 6:37
quarter. I can't be 40 I just actually sorry. The timing of this episode is such that I am 43. Okay, right. And we've been doing it for 11 and a half years so yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 6:47
yeah. Wow. Yeah. So so like, it's so we're coming up on a quarter of my life. Yes. Right. Oh, anyway, so So at this stage Wendy's restaurant in Vancouver, my favorite thing there is the deluxe DAN DAN noodles, and I'm sure we ordered them and they're they're prepared. Like they come like in a bowl with the toppings but then the the waiter will like mix them like very like slowly and precisely.
Molly 7:14
I think I remember it. I think it was the first time I had Danton. Yeah, and
Matthew Amster-Burton 7:17
well then like serve them up into each person's bowl like without like spilling a drop of the peanut sauce. And I figured like if I had seen that happening at someone else's table I'd be like and can we get that?
Molly 7:28
You know what I kind of miss I miss like the table side Caesar salad preparation. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 7:34
of the 80s or Liana Caesar salad episode. I don't know if we have I don't know. Seems like we should.
Molly 7:41
We definitely should. I would love to. I miss tableside Caesar salad. There was always like, you know, table side ham there were you know, in the early Oh tableside guacamole. Occasionally, if you were at a really fancy place, there was like tableside Flom being of your souffle.
Matthew Amster-Burton 7:57
Yes. Banana Do you ever episode that was so good. We didn't make that again. I did make it one more time after that episode and then kind of forgot about it. But
Molly 8:08
yeah, man, you know, I think what else used to be like it used to sell itself as it came to the table.
Matthew Amster-Burton 8:16
I don't know. I think that's a pretty good list. I think so too. Like I think I think like like I heavily You know what, you know what else like I'm still like in the in the like, Mexican restaurant mindset but like sangria. Like when you see the picture, like with all the like, fruit and stuff. Yes. Yeah. It doesn't make a noise, but
Molly 8:35
that's correct. Well, maybe ice cubes. Yeah, like tinkling ice. Yeah, tinkle. tinkle.
Matthew Amster-Burton 8:40
Yeah.
Molly 8:42
As all ice cubes go, Okay,
Matthew Amster-Burton 8:43
I need to ask you a question. Now before we go any further. Have you ever eaten fajitas? No. Okay, I know. That was the answer. I expected okay. Like Like when we're not we're not taping in my house today or I would have made for he does probably okay, but I'll make you some sometimes.
Unknown Speaker 9:04
They're like,
Molly 9:06
they're like strips of meat that have been grilled. Next to, like, grilled or well sauteed strips of onion and bell pepper.
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:18
Yes, that's right. Yeah. and serve as flour tortilla usually flour tortillas all they can do corn tortillas.
Molly 9:26
And it just seems weird to me that there's no it seems like a diet food like there's no sauce or anyone but
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:32
they're usually served with pico de Gaya, guacamole, sour cream.
Molly 9:36
How is this not just like make your own flour tortilla like what is make your own flour tortilla taco? Like what makes a fajita? A fajita?
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:45
It's the it's the peppers and onions and the fact that it's I mean like it is it is related to like a taco bell Carbone
Molly 9:53
because the meat is cut into strips.
Matthew Amster-Burton 9:54
Yes. Well let's let's jump into the etymology.
comes from the Spanish word faha which is which is like a strip or a belt. And so fajitas is a is a diminutive term for like little belt, little little belts or little strips, okay. And it originally referred to the steak strips themselves wood Of course, you know, cynic dough kitka. Lee quickly can't refer to the synecdoche key. I mean synecdoche he was trying to turn into a key. I synaptic is when a part stands in for the whole
Molly 10:32
No, it's a town in New York. Yeah. Yeah, no, but wait. synecdoche. Key is when a part stands in for a whole
Matthew Amster-Burton 10:40
Yeah, so so like,
Molly 10:42
give me give me an example from like, English literature. Oh, God, no, but I'm just thinking because when I learned these things, I think it was like sophomore year of high school and we were reading like Shakespeare and Beowulf and like the Chaucer tales. Okay.
Matthew Amster-Burton 10:56
here's here's an example. Chaucer tales. Yes.
Chaucer's latest Chaucer tales. Right. The Canterbury Tales. You're right, you're on the right track, the wife of bass tail and the like.
Molly 11:20
We also read like Ben Johnson, john donne, like all those old English poets. Okay, so
Matthew Amster-Burton 11:25
here's an example of a synaptic gate from from English literature. If you describe someone as a black belt, that's a synaptic a because they are not themselves a black belt, but they are wearing a black belt and that's
Molly 11:36
what is described as a redhead.
Matthew Amster-Burton 11:40
I mean, I think it's close.
Molly 11:43
Hmm. Give me another example.
Matthew Amster-Burton 11:46
I'm so proud of coming up with
Molly 11:52
like I did there there are people there types?
Matthew Amster-Burton 11:55
Yeah, polar workers or something? Like a hard hat.
Molly 12:03
No, there's like, I'm
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:05
like, I like one of the like the Green Berets, the Green Berets, well known as I said, activegate. Right. That's a type of type of worker that is known by their hat.
Molly 12:21
Like an entire Richard scary scene.
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:26
Where the Green Berets happy to break up.
Molly 12:30
dealer.
Unknown Speaker 12:41
The White Helmets
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:42
Yeah, the White Helmets that I think that's what I was thinking. Yeah.
Molly 12:46
There we go. Yeah, in the White Helmets to busytown.
Matthew Amster-Burton 12:49
Okay. We must. I mean, lowly lowly worm. Like, it's really it's really like upsetting that that day, he was shot down in a hail of gunfire but also really impressive. Because if you've ever tried to shoot over, like, talking about target practice talking about target practice, okay. The first confirmed appearance of the word fake he does in print to refer to the dish that we now know is from 1971, but was probably used by by Mexican and Texas cooks. Well before we're never we're just not gonna get to the feed as you're imagining this lowly hostage crisis.
Going by breaking bad it's so funny.
Molly 13:43
The idea of lowly worm is just so funny. I mean, have you ever seen anyone walk around? No, he has no arms he's just like oh one
Matthew Amster-Burton 13:54
I feel one leg cuz I imagined I imagined in my fancy like, like lowly work like in the busy Town Square like holding a gun so much admin. How is he holding the gun?
Molly 14:05
I have no idea. Richard skerries always manage to present lonely we're always you're right you know, he's always just like riding on the back of a huggles bicycle or whatever do
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:16
a novel that's like the true like the gritty true story of a lowly not illustrated just like a 500 page.
Molly 14:27
Oh my God. God, okay, I think I think I can go on, it's fine.
Matthew Amster-Burton 14:34
This is better than anything I had. Okay. Okay. So let's talk about the history. Okay. And a lot of this comes from a great Boston Chronicle article. It seems to just be called fajita history. That was the headline that I will link to it from 2005 Okay, now fajitas definitely originated in Buckhead. Oh, cuisine, so like the cuisine of Mexican cowboys in the first half of the 20th century. Okay, and It is a very simple dish that can be made over a campfire god
Molly 15:03
why didn't we make this when we were camping we shut
Matthew Amster-Burton 15:05
up yeah like he did on the campsite okay well we'll do this sometime though and you don't have to be scared because it's very tasty Okay I will i'll i'll sizzle in the kitchen and then bring it to you not
Molly 15:15
you know we could just bring a little grill here to the park.
Matthew Amster-Burton 15:19
We could I think probably you're not supposed to do that. Oh, okay. I think there's a burn ban in place there is a burn pit is also a fajita ban. Oh okay. And skirt steak which is the the cut of steak that's that's most classically used for fajitas and most cooks agree is the best has it's one of those one of those cuts that there's not a lot of on a cow and so has always been considered like a butcher's or cowboys cut because they get first crack at it. Whoa, cool. Beat all nice. Oh, he
Molly 15:49
is making a run for you.
Matthew Amster-Burton 15:52
Yeah,
Molly 15:52
we had a crane fly on the wall of our living room that was literally like a sentient hot dog. It was so big.
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:01
It was you know, it was sentient. is a crane fly sentient?
Molly 16:04
I'm sure crane fly is sentient. It has senses.
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:07
Okay, that's true.
Molly 16:08
Anyway, it was so big. Like usually. Usually, we you know, like escort whatever bugs we find in the house outdoors. Sure. This one was this one is now inside our vacuum. Okay, because it was literally like the size of a vienna sausage. Like its body was so big, like,
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:30
rain fly the same as like,
Molly 16:33
a lot of people call it a leader. Yeah, yeah, but it isn't. Alright. Yeah. Really, really glad we covered that. Okay,
Matthew Amster-Burton 16:40
so um, skirt steak log considered a cowboy or butchers cod because it's very tasty and there isn't a lot of it to sell. But for he does, like through through some means, like became restaurant food in the late 60s. We'll get into some of the details of that because as you would expect there lots of competing claims for who first put it on the menu and we'll never know for sure we
Molly 17:03
all want to be the first to stick our flag in fajitas Yes,
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:06
but let's talk about some of them. So, in September 1969, Sonny fowl cone and Austin Meat Market manager this from Wikipedia, by the way, operated the first commercial fajita fajita taco concession stand at a rural dhcc celebration in Kyle, Texas.
Molly 17:22
Like a six teeth.
Matthew Amster-Burton 17:24
Yeah, it's the it's the celebration of like the the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. Okay. During that same year, Otilia Garson introduced fajitas at the ground up restaurant in Pharr, Texas. And so it was fajitas were like, you know, it was when went up just burst into the public consciousness and like, you know, all at once, okay, and Garcia claims that he invented the idea of serving fajitas on a sizzling platter based on the experience of eating, eating kaiso Flamie Otto on a cast iron platter in Acapulco, which unfortunately case of Flamie Otto does not seem to be like actually flaming cheese. It's just really hot cheese. Sounds good. Right?
Molly 18:01
I really feel like you know we've kicked around the idea of doing a K so episode before, but neither of us feel that we know enough. Well,
Matthew Amster-Burton 18:07
we'll get a guest
Molly 18:08
I think we should get a guest and I think we should do it because I want to eat it. Yeah, me too. Yeah. Okay, well, on that.
Matthew Amster-Burton 18:13
In August of 2020, the Kyle Texas City Council voted to change the name of a controversial named road rebel drive to fajita drive in honor of local the local history of the fajita This is fantastic. I should mention just because like I there's gonna be like someone wondering if we're gonna mention it. There is a not at all funny but very interesting. Like corruption scandal called fajita gate. That was a huge deal in San Francisco in the early 2000s. Okay, so Google Google that if you're interested, it's as far as it's not as bad as these things could have gone given that it was a police corruption scandal and it was fascinating.
Molly 18:50
Wow, okay. fajita gate.
Matthew Amster-Burton 18:51
Yeah. So okay, I'm going to from the Austin Chronicle article, quote, perhaps the most unlikely character to spread fajita hate fame for you to hate. And band. Yeah, exactly. They are fajita ambassadors for summaries. Is it Hey, Mr. Haim. I think it's time Yeah, yeah, they're great. I was German born chef George vide men. I'm presuming it started spelled with a W but I'm assuming you're doing bride Bond was the opening chef of the Hyatt Regency in Austin in 1982. And it wasn't long before he recognized the commercial potential of a popular local Tex Mex dish. The canny chef put quote, sizzling fajitas on the menu of the highest love Easter restaurant, and soon sales of the signature dish made it the most profitable restaurant in the highest chain vitamins and the last 20 years of his career at the Austin high it was often called upon to travel to other properties to share his fajitas secrets. He used the more tender sirloin with other chefs in the chain for he does remain a Hyatt menu main stay to this day interesting and sunny fall cone the fajita King died in 2019 at age 89. He was He was the one who?
Molly 20:01
The one in Kyle, Texas.
Matthew Amster-Burton 20:02
Yes, the UK Meat Market manager. Okay. Wow. Okay. So once again, like this thing happened to me like I think last time we did steak sauce like two tapings ago, and I was surprised to learn that steak sauce like had a rise and precipitous fall in popularity. Guess what? Same thing for fajitas.
Molly 20:22
Can you remind me what Google Ngram is?
Matthew Amster-Burton 20:24
So Google and Graham is a Google search service where you can see a graph of how often the word you're searching for appears in a corpus over time, and a corpus corpus delicti Okay. And so the corpus in this case, it's like, it's like English like a huge collection of English language, books and articles, okay, and you're not like searching the actual articles to see what's in them. You're just seeing how often a particular word or phrase comes up. And starting so before 1980 the mentions of heaters were close to zero. Okay. Then there's a huge like, shoot up, shoots up in popularity, up through about 2004 and then drops down almost to zero again. Wow. So
Molly 21:12
nobody wants to eat he does now.
Matthew Amster-Burton 21:14
Well, I mean, I think they're still like a Tex Mex staple but nobody's writing food articles or putting them Oh, by the way, the way they were okay, like it's not like have you tried it was a to me like I I think they're great. Like, it clearly was like a national fat that like has now like faded back to like its land of origin. It seems like I don't think it's on the menu at Taco Bell anymore for example, but
Molly 21:40
yeah, I don't know really good. I don't think of it as you know to use a phrase from last week's episode. I don't think of fajitas as a takeaway food like I don't think of it as something you would order at the zoo cafe or Taco Bell. It's got to come on the seasoning seasoning the sizzling platter. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 21:55
yeah, we haven't talked about the seasoning like fajita seasoning is important to like the marinating look okay so yeah but but like it easily you can eat on the go like a like a you know a foil wrapped taco or burrito kind of but I agree like I definitely when you say fajitas I say how high no I say I imagine this is like how how hot and how long? How loud and I okay when we when we establish our blockbuster fajita chain we are calling it hot noisy.
Molly 22:36
I mean, I think of fajitas as like, like the the basic thing I expect from fajitas is that you have to assemble it is this thing
Matthew Amster-Burton 22:45
Yeah, it was not it was not a thing at Taco Bell so like like when fajitas were super popular like fajitas like takeaway fajitas were were fairly common. And probably I assume still are in Texas. But yes, I definitely think of it as like they bring you a sizzling platter of stuff and some sauces and condiments. And you assemble it to your taste
Molly 23:05
so let's talk about what what fajitas usually are like what meat what vegetables topping?
Matthew Amster-Burton 23:11
Yeah, so classically it's going to be like what what are your like butchers cuts like chewy or more flavorful cuts of steak like skirt steak flank steak hanger steak something like okay, but of course immediately people started making chicken fajitas which are very good.
Molly 23:26
I think of chicken fajitas is like the usual
Matthew Amster-Burton 23:28
Yeah, yeah. Vegetarian fajitas like often made with like strips of portobello mushroom or zucchini or like any any hearty vegetables you could certainly throw like tofu or or another meat substitute in there. And shrimp feed as I am looking forward to going back at some point to to laco seen on Broadway, where I've had fajitas a number of times. The thing I always do there is like, I'll look at the menu and like oh, like maybe like I'm like not up for the whole fajita experience. I'll get something else but next time I'm getting this fajitas Okay, it's because I'm afraid of burning my fingers. Yeah, yeah. Now it's hot and noisy. It's hot and noisy. Yeah, so you got to have warmed tortillas. I think you're right, like small flour tortillas That to me is is he is lime wedges. picota Gaya sour cream. guacamole cheese is pretty common, but I don't think it's necessary. Like I think this is this is one of the few dishes that is that is as good or better without cheese. Okay, I don't know. But like it could be a case recently in case that does sound good. I have not tried that. It's great. I
Molly 24:30
can't wait for this case. Oh episode. Yeah.
Matthew Amster-Burton 24:31
And so like you know, they're a classic restaurant food but I've also made them at home a bunch of times and I think you do so pretty soon.
Molly 24:39
Do you grill them at home? No, because I don't grill but you have this little balcony. I mean what are you actually have the biggest balcony in your building?
Matthew Amster-Burton 24:47
I have the biggest battle I don't know about the backside of that. No, you're right.
Molly 24:52
I was noticing this. I mean, I've been coming to your apartment scoping years.
Matthew Amster-Burton 24:56
Have you noticed I just like driving by crazy by just like scoping out you Exactly,
Molly 25:00
but no I noticed recently I was like, Whoa, Matthew has the biggest balcony in the building and they totally don't use it. But then again if you did use it it'd be like you were presiding over the bill we
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:11
have we have plants on it. Sometimes we let the cat out there sit there ever. I don't because because it's outdoors. But why for the show, Laurie does she
Molly 25:19
does like how often does she like have her morning tea out there? And maybe once a week,
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:23
like when the weather's nice.
Molly 25:24
Okay. And what about like getting a little grill?
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:28
I think we did do that. Well, I think I've gotten like a disposable grill and tried that on the balcony. I just, I just never get to be a griller I don't think okay, it's just like, it seems like we're not gonna put like a big gas grill out there that wouldn't be allowed. And like that's the only kind of grill that doesn't seem like it's so much like work to get so my god
Molly 25:47
yeah, a charcoal grill. I've learned I'm not a charcoal grill person. I've never. We put our charcoal grill on by nothing and we're so happy to see it. Yeah, like parent
Matthew Amster-Burton 25:59
thrillers.
Molly 25:59
I admire the grillers, too. I mean, it is a true skill. Yeah, I
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:04
admire the natural born grillers. I imagine it by the naturalized grillers.
Molly 26:09
Yeah, I mean everybody can be a griller Let's go. except us. So you don't grill your fajitas
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:15
No. So I will I will pan sear and I really like making a pan seared steak. Like I did it I did for the steak sauce episode. Yeah, that was delicious. Like a flank steak. I like yeah, like a thinner cut of steak that I can like you know flip over a few times in the pan and kind of poke with my finger to judge when it's done. And I think that makes really good. fajitas
Molly 26:34
so do you cook the vegetables in the same pan like before? Or after the the steak?
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:39
Yeah, so I've tried to remember because it's been a while since I've made them because it does seem like you'd be well know everything cook pretty quick like some some things sliced onions and peppers. Yeah, I think I would like take the stakeout and while the steak is resting, cook the vegetables like in the in this
Molly 26:54
tubings
Matthew Amster-Burton 26:58
love things.
Molly 27:05
Okay. All right. So okay, when you make tortillas at home, you use onions. What color peppers,
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:11
red and green.
Molly 27:13
Okay, and do you do anything else? What else do you do?
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:18
So I will definitely make a homemade picota guy. Oh, did I know I've been threatening that we should do a Pico dig IO episode but I don't think we've done it yet.
Molly 27:27
We did a we did you know what we should like do it next week? Because right now Matthew in Seattle seeing as it's tomatoes. It's tomato, right? Yes. So we should do it.
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:39
like Netflix. We already did it in which case we should do it again.
Molly 27:42
Okay, we should do pico de Gaya and K so on the same day. Okay. But we would need to find a K so
Matthew Amster-Burton 27:48
K so expert at short notice and short notice thing is though, like, have you noticed that people who are into K so love to talk about kaysa? So I am Yeah,
I haven't noticed we could just put this out there. And so it'd be like oh, yeah, like I'm talking about case.
Molly 28:03
Do you know many people who are really into case Oh, like who you know.
Unknown Speaker 28:07
So why do
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:08
I have this impression that like some people are really into case? Oh,
Molly 28:12
I mean, I think like, like a lot of people are really into case Oh, but I don't think I necessarily know it. I know like like everybody brushes their teeth but like I don't necessarily know
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:22
I got I got a new electric toothbrush at my dentist's urging and I'm kind of into it. It's like it's not a name brand. It's it's kind of it's kind of like a off brand. But I really like it's got like a an indicator if you're pressing too hard. It'll mean Oh, wow. Because my dad has said I tend to over brush and have and that contributes to my gum recession. Oh, wow. And it's it's black and sleek and it holds a charge for a really long time.
Molly 28:50
Oh my gosh,
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:51
it has a funny name that I can't remember
Molly 28:53
this is we should get them as an advertiser on the show. Maybe they like K so let's have him on the show.
Matthew Amster-Burton 28:59
Okay, so if you're i think i think it's like got like Lilly or Willie in the name.
Molly 29:06
sounding more and more like a sex toy.
Matthew Amster-Burton 29:09
Maybe I bought a sex toy for brushing my teeth with it but but like, I mean, I've got less plaque than ever before. So Wow, I suppose my mouth is
Molly 29:19
so satisfying. As
Matthew Amster-Burton 29:20
sad as stimulated and satisfied. Yes. Yeah, so failures are usually grilled pants here it is great friend of the show Kenji Lopez alt has a great article on series eats that really goes through in like a very friend of the show catchy way the best way to do each part of the fajitas that's on series eats we'll link to that like how you know what's the best marinade how to grill how to slice and he says that skirt steak is absolutely the best but hanger flap and flank steak are all good to hanger flap and hanger.
Molly 29:50
hanger flap and flank Yeah, so
Matthew Amster-Burton 29:51
the seat typically there will be like a marinate that may have some spices in it and then also like you know, it's common to put some spices in like with the veggie Like so like in particular like chili powder and cumin, okay, like I think fajitas is always having at least some cumin flavor like that's gonna be in the marinate and maybe like added as a seasoning as well.
Molly 30:11
Yeah. Okay, great. Well Matthew, what else do do we have to say about fajitas
Matthew Amster-Burton 30:17
Oh the other thing is like I like to throw a few jalapeno slices in with the peppers to char along with them it's really good speaking speaking of bourbon Bob, which we mentioned as a dish that advertises itself I recently went to oma Bob Korean I guess it's a chain they have like two locations a big Korean fast food place in Seattle. And they have like a make your own PBM Bob and all the toppings are very appealing and I got the pickled jalapeno and daikon as one of my topics was so good.
Molly 30:45
Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. I think we're due for another you know, eating eating in a restaurant outdoors.
Matthew Amster-Burton 30:52
Yeah, that'd be a great choice.
Molly 30:54
All right, so anything else?
Matthew Amster-Burton 30:56
Anything else about fajitas How would you think you would like your fajitas if you were to have some wood you will be doing in my house
Molly 31:01
you know? Okay, so I definitely would want beef I think yeah, definitely beef.
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:07
Yeah, cuz I think like I as much as I do like a chicken fajita? Also, I talk about this on a food show when I was like maybe 13 years old I threw up chicken fajitas and couldn't eat them for years afterwards. Wow. Like even just thinking about it made me feel sick but I eventually did get over it.
Molly 31:25
I got sick once after eating pancakes with strawberry syrup on them at I think a place called like the little girly Pancake House in Oklahoma City. I was very young. It was the first time in my like conscious life that I vomited. Yeah, and and I've never gone back.
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:43
Yeah, last time I threw up there was a lot of kale involved.
Molly 31:46
Matthew
Matthew Amster-Burton 31:48
because I think it's it's one of these dishes where like, like you you don't want to like load up with like tons of meat because like the steak is really is really like a flavor and like like I mean like it is a meat dish yet, but like you want you want like the flavor of the steak to like imbue the vegetables and the tortilla.
Molly 32:06
Well, here's what I want. I want I want steak. I want you know the the peppers me onions. Of course. I like the idea of your jalapenos. I'm curious about that. I would really like some case out. I'm
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:18
really excited for this case. What episode? Are we gonna have to make it? Probably Okay,
Molly 32:22
yeah, probably given given where we are in this whole pandemic thing? Yeah, I think and where we are geographically, I think, Okay, I have to make her okay. So we'll do it. Okay. Well, I can't wait to someday come back into your house again. I mean, I know our listeners have discovered that. You know, that's why we're recording in the park because it just
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:40
because we're afraid of our own shadow. We're
Molly 32:42
afraid of our own shadow or aerosols. I have a child who is not yet able to be vaccinated. Yeah, so you know.
Matthew Amster-Burton 32:48
All right. Shall we move on to segments?
Molly 32:50
Yes. All right. Do
we got this amazing email from listener? Lucas. Yes.
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:04
And there's gonna be a link to listener Lucas's full report on Reddit that is more in depth than this email. But here's the highlights. This
Molly 33:11
is incredible. So listener Lucas says congrats on 500 episodes A while back I decided to start going through the archives to make a confirmed list of every official perfectly engineered food product. I've only listened to around 150 of 500 episodes yet with
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:31
the program Lucas said
Molly 33:32
here's some that weren't mentioned in the most recent episode we you know, we did a perfectly engineered food product Episode
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:39
100 as suggested by listener Dana Yeah, we met recently. Yes,
Molly 33:42
we did. And here Here are some some perfectly engineered food products that listener Lucas identified that we did not mention in that episode or and that haven't been mentioned on our subreddit.
Matthew Amster-Burton 33:54
Alright, chewy, chewy. Switch off here. Sure. All right, Episode 167 mint chocolate, we declared mint Oreo fudge cream cookies, Molly declared the mint Oreos as a perfectly engineered food product and also removed Thin Mints from the last
Molly 34:09
episode.
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:10
Yeah, a lot of clerical work.
Molly 34:13
Okay. In Episode 133, which was the oatmeal cookie episode, we declared Milano cookies
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:20
have anything to do with the episode? Episode 190. Ginger drinks, declared Molly declared the McDonald's quarter pounder
Unknown Speaker 34:31
with cheese.
Molly 34:35
I still stand by it. Yeah. Okay. Oh, here's one. This one Finn's? Yeah. Okay, Episode 351 the show coupon episode we declared
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:44
show coupon a perfectly engineered next one fits to Episode 382 white chocolate we declared Hershey's gold bar which is made with caramelized white chocolate AP FP. Those things are great. I
Molly 34:54
don't think I've eaten one since that episode.
Matthew Amster-Burton 34:57
I've had one within the last year and I think I'm going to get one later. This week.
Molly 35:00
Yeah, that sounds great. Okay, this one also is is on topic Episode 107 pizza toppings. We declared pepperoni a perfectly engineered food product and listener Lucas notes that he remembers someone talking about crispy pepperoni cups but they that might not have been awesome I'm pretty sure that was us. Yeah
Matthew Amster-Burton 35:20
I don't know where it might have been on the Detroit pizza episode. Did we do much fried pizza up deep that pan pizza episode? Yes. Okay, Episode 93 jams smuckers strawberry preserve the subreddit claimed it was great, but it's actually strawberry.
Molly 35:35
I have not thought of that in ages. Okay, Episode 46 dorm food ghiradelli double chocolate brownie mix all right, I have some of that in my laundry room right now I
Matthew Amster-Burton 35:46
have your laundry right? Yeah,
Molly 35:48
we keep like whenever we have like more than one of a food thing. Or like all the extra toilet paper whatever. We stash it in the laundry room.
Matthew Amster-Burton 35:55
Oh, I want to see like a picture of like, what what your overflow items are? Yeah, we
Molly 35:59
always have a lot of ramen like instant ramen. Sure down there. Coconut milk. Have you made our bags of rice?
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:07
I think we talked about this the the tick tock sweet and spicy ramen recipe. No. Okay, I need to I just send this to you. Like everyone's forgotten about it because it was a tick tock trend from like last year, but it's really simple and it's really tasty.
Molly 36:22
Oh please. Yeah, send it to me like today
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:24
you use use the the noodles from the Top Ramen packet but not the seasoning packet.
Molly 36:29
Okay, I make a dish from the New York Times cooking section that is ramen carbonara. Okay, same thing anyway, okay, go on. Okay, so
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:38
here's Lucas says here's a link to the running list. Tiny, tiny url.com slash spilled milk p FP were spilled and milk are both capitalized and PE FP is all caps.
Molly 36:50
I am so grateful to you listener Lucas, for reminding me of all these things that I
Matthew Amster-Burton 36:57
had. And there's more on the on the if you follow the link and finally listener listener Lucas says I guess I have way too much time on my hands. Haha. See you at Episode 1000. listener Lucas.
Molly 37:09
Thank you. I
Matthew Amster-Burton 37:10
mean, it could happen.
Molly 37:12
I mean, I aspire to be like listener. Lucas. Yeah,
Matthew Amster-Burton 37:15
I do. Like in what way?
Molly 37:17
Well, that level of devotion. Yeah, that's true level of time. That level of just altruism. Yeah, that's true. I mean, what a gift He's given us.
Matthew Amster-Burton 37:25
Yeah, like repeating our words. amplifying our message.
Unknown Speaker 37:28
Yeah. Making him loud and hot that make noisy making people hot and noisy.
Matthew Amster-Burton 37:34
Okay. Oh, and some other person wants to know why we didn't include Nutella on our Nutella on the perfectly engineered food product episode. Fair point. That guy. Yeah. Yeah. And now it's time for now but wow.
So that will surprise no one that I'm picking from right now. But now but now but wow. The album kings disease to buy NAS which came out at the time recording it a couple of days ago. But like a couple months ago, by the time you hear this, and it's just just a little album by a little note artists so you've probably never heard of it. And, like, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna like go on and on about this. But NAS is one of my favorite artists. I is to 2012 album Life is good is one of my all time favorite albums. He took a long time to do a follow up album, which was produced with Kanye West It was very bad. And I was like, okay, maybe like that's going to be the last good NAS album of my lifetime. And then he did another new album kings disease last year, which was pretty good. And then this the follow up to that kings disease to is fantastic. I've been enjoying it so much. There are a lot of funny bits. I'm just gonna read like my favorite line of the moment, which is from the song nobody which is a duet with Lauryn Hill, Nas raps my dog bought a plane said let's go to Paris. That's where bigots are from French bread. That's login narrow. I like the other definition. rectangular carats. The concept of this SOG is rather esoteric. Ah, that's fantastic. Like, we always works a little bit of food into into an album. And that's not even the only food reference on this one.
Molly 39:12
I kind of feel this way about like Radiohead. Yeah. Which you know, is like the least funny band. That's your radio as the least funny van. Yeah. But you know, like, they'll make something really good. And then they'll make something that's like, actually, they had a real run there of just like really great stuff kind of over and over and over again. It was only the most recent one like the moon shaped moon shaped pool. I think it's called where I like the first track burn, which is so catchy and it makes me feel profoundly anxious.
Matthew Amster-Burton 39:42
Yes. Something it's very, like jumpy.
Molly 39:44
Yeah, it makes me feel super anxious. And I really like it's the first Radiohead album that I just don't ever listen to. So maybe soon they'll have like a moon shaped pool to Yeah, like disease to Yeah, but it'll be like really awesome. Like, awesome for me.
Matthew Amster-Burton 40:00
Yeah, no I'm excited for it. Yeah. Our producer is Abby circuit Tallaght, please rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts can meet other cool people like listener Lucas on our subreddit reddit.com slash are slash everything spilled milk and until next time we're we've been making making you hot and hot and jumpy hot noise noise we will be given it hot and noisy right on through Episode 1000 I'm hot and I'm noisy.
Pico kaiso cumin. If you say these magic words a few times hanger flap and flank hanger flap and fly
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