512: Pico de Gallo

Matthew Amster-Burton 0:04

We should start the episode. Oh, okay. Okay, I'm Matthew. So now you have to stop it. I remind myself who Richard which one I am. I'm Molly your squeak out. And this is spilled milk. The show where we pika something delicious. Eat it all and you can't have any.

Molly 0:20

Yeah. Today we're talking about pico de Gallo, which I'm eating right now. I'm

Matthew Amster-Burton 0:25

sorry, I made some I brought it to the park. We're having a little Pico picnic in the park. And why don't you go down memory lane.

Molly 0:32

Let's go down memory lane. I'm gonna start it off because my memory lane is really short. It's like a it's like a very shallow call to sack.

Matthew Amster-Burton 0:40

Okay, this is gonna be a lot of chip crunching during this episode.

Molly 0:43

So I think that I didn't really understand what pico de Gallo was as like its own thing until recently until I learned of your love for pico de Gaia. I think that for me growing up, I just thought of pico de Gallo is like the chunky salsa that would come with chips sometimes in a Tex Mex restaurant. And then and then as I got a little bit older, and you know, I should have known better by this point. But I didn't. I thought of it as the chunky salsa like, you know, at a Mexican restaurant where you get to like, go up to like the salsa bar and choose your own sauces. I still thought of it just as the chunky one.

Matthew Amster-Burton 1:20

Well, I think like when salsa started to become a popular condiment throughout the US in the early 80s that pico de Gallo, and like the cooked salsa that sort of starts as picota guy Oh, and then ends up kind of mushy or in a jar. Like was synonymous with salsa.

Molly 1:39

Yes. Um, cuz I okay, I feel better about myself now.

Matthew Amster-Burton 1:42

No, I think you're I think you're good. Like my, my memory like and I again, I didn't realize this was picota guy. Oh, at the time was when I was growing up. My dad loved salsa and introduced me to salsa. And his favorite was Dean's brand salsa, which I don't think exists anymore. But he used to buy it at you know, nature's or something in Portland. And it was it was, you know, it's in a plastic tub in the refrigerator case and it was a pico de Gallo and then he would get the the hot and that's kind of how I first learned how to like spicy food, I think Hmm, Really? Wow. Yeah. So then fast forward to 2020 Maybe you remember it? Last year we were we were getting a CSA box. We got some fresh tomatoes in the CSA box. And I'm like, I don't I'm not really like just kind of a slice and eat tomatoes kind of person. What am I gonna do with these but I don't want to cook them either than

Molly 2:29

understand how we're friends.

Matthew Amster-Burton 2:31

I know you're you're a you're a slice of tomato. You're wearing a T shirt right now this slice and eat tomato person?

Molly 2:37

Not but I'm pretty sure that if you were to open up my intestines right now you would find that there were still slicing eat tomatoes in there from my dinner. Well, actually, maybe not. Okay, I know. I guess a couple nights ago. I know they're slicing eat tomatoes

Matthew Amster-Burton 2:52

a couple days ago and they're still in slices in your intestines. like something's gone wrong rock speaking Speaking of which, public service announcement I got my first ever colonoscopy last week and within the in the in the post visit summary. They said like, you really use a lot of tomatoes. Yeah, they know that would be false. And like the thing like it's, it's, it's not a great experience, but everything was fine. And and it's over now. And if you're of the age that you should do it, do it. So you can be miserable for a couple days like I was and the thing I realized afterwards as my digestive tract was as empty as it's ever been in my life. Yeah. And so I was so hungry. Not only so hungry, but I felt like I could eat an unlimited amount of food and not get full for about a day and a half. And that's awesome.

Molly 3:45

That's how I felt when I was breastfeeding.

Matthew Amster-Burton 3:47

Yes, that makes it

Molly 3:48

God It was so fun. But I do remember thinking to myself, when I'm not breastfeeding anymore, like am I gonna go back to normal? Like how will I recalibrate?

Matthew Amster-Burton 3:57

No, like I unfortunately went back to normal after like 36 hours it's the point I know it's very disappointing.

Molly 4:03

Okay, but anyway, a slice and eat tomatoes.

Matthew Amster-Burton 4:07

Right That's That's right, right in the middle of a story before before we like took a colon detour. So we got these you know, kind of beefsteak tomatoes and I'm like you know I just make these into salsa like a pico de Gaya and so I just like googled Pico to guide a recipe and basically learned like, you don't need a recipe you chop up some tomatoes and green chilies and onion and and salt and lime juice and toss them together and let them sit in the fridge for a couple hours. And it was fantastic. I was like why did like I had made this before but not in many years. I'm like, why did I stop making this? And I've been making it ever since this one we've got today I got all the stuff from Alvarez farm with huling jalapenos to the farmers market and everything. Yeah, they didn't have Serrano's yet, which is my preferred chili for pico de Gallo. Oh, so I got jalapenos. You never know with jalapenos. How much heat they're gonna have these had none. So this is like more mild than mild. I know. Yeah, I put I put in a bunch of jalapenos. So you got the Kelly flavor and color but not much heat, but I like it anyway. Okay,

Molly 5:03

so what is this stuff? What are we talking about?

Matthew Amster-Burton 5:08

What are we chewing about? Oh God, I got a slaughter leafstar from my mouth. I broke off my chip. Oh boy.

Molly 5:15

This is a problem with Pico

Matthew Amster-Burton 5:17

it's a guy Oh, well I mean it's the chips we like the one he does like they're not they're not a super sturdy chip. That's that's kind of not their their style. So I mean, you can get their really shattered chip Yeah. Which is which is gives them great like crunchy mouthfeel Don't you love it when people say mouthfeel I know you love it when people say mouthfeel go on. Okay, so pico de Gallo is a salsa that goes by many names many aliases. In Mexico it's it's often called salsa cruda. Or salsa fresca, which means raw salsa or fresh salsa or salsa he kana or salsa been data which bet been data is flag because it has the colors of the Mexican flag. And some of these terms can also refer to a pureed or finely minced salsa with the same ingredients, but it's typically pretty chunky. And the classic ingredients are ripe tomatoes, onions, serrano chili, lime juice, salt, cilantro, and often cumin or oregano or other spices or herbs. I put a little garlic powder in because I like garlic powder ever since. We had like a sponsor years ago that sent us a bunch of garlic powder and ever since then, I've been really like use garlic powder a lot more than I used to. Do you remember this?

Molly 6:21

Maybe I gave you all the garlic powder because I just have a whole bunch of dill weed and turmeric your

Matthew Amster-Burton 6:25

Adele we literally said dill weed on the bottle. I know we talked about this before, but is it deal we just like the most fun thing to say. It's like the stassi insult.

Molly 6:36

It is an amazing insult.

Matthew Amster-Burton 6:38

It's like oh, I

Molly 6:38

just got a spicy bit of jalapeno. Oh, finally.

Matthew Amster-Burton 6:41

I knew it was in there somewhere. The name picota got dig IO means roosters beak, and there's no like it's a term that goes way back and there's no clear cut etymology for it. Like I read in many places on the internet that it's because people used to eat it by pinching pieces of it between their thumb and forefinger like a bird's beak. Oh,

Molly 7:05

they served it in preschool try you know work on your

Matthew Amster-Burton 7:08

pants or get the pincer grip comes up a lot on this show. Right? Or that it resembles bird food. I do not think either of those. Correct. It is most likely a reference to the shape of the sivanna chili chili because it's common around the world for like curved thingies to Chili's to be called bird related names. One other possibility the verb pecado in Spanish means to dice and to be spicy. So that's probably related. So chicken spice juice,

Molly 7:38

Rooster spice is what this is called.

Matthew Amster-Burton 7:39

Yeah. So and in there are variations throughout Mexico. As you might imagine. The one that really grabbed me that I have not had but would love to try it's in the Yucatan. It's made often with with bitter orange juice and bonito chilies, chilies. The next spilled milk corporate retreat to to the to the Yucatan. Absolutely, let's do it. Let's find that crater where that where the asteroid hit that killed the dinosaurs. Oh, was that Neil Katon? Yeah, I think I think that's the leading theory. I mean, we will we can crack the case once and for all. Okay, let's, let's talk about a little bit of pico de Gallo history. Like, I didn't really dig up a whole lot, but so salsa, including sauces made with tomatoes and chilies go goes back to Aztec civilization. But onions and garlic are a product of European contact. So the Pico de Gaya that we know today probably dates from like the 16th or 17th century, okay, but there would have been similar sauces before that. But in the US, like this style of salsa was little known outside of Mexican American communities and Texas basically in before the 80s, which is very hard to believe. Really? Yeah.

Molly 8:50

So you mean our parents lived in an era that was like, maybe pico de guy? Oh, less? Yeah, no,

Matthew Amster-Burton 8:58

I think I think like my parents in you know, living in New York City in the 60s, probably never ate salsa unless they went to a Mexican restaurant. It was not it was not something LED and I don't even know if

Molly 9:11

they would just like pick up at the grocery store.

Matthew Amster-Burton 9:13

Right. Okay. Okay. Yeah, so that's that's basically it. I mean, it's it's kind of it's one of these things that is like an obvious dish I think less you know, like maybe like you know, spice blends or other world or like, you know, sauces or chunky things around the world chunky things around the world. That's our new our new segment, chunky things.

Molly 9:33

I was thinking that that pico de Gallo, or really any type of salsa is kind of another example of of the old what, what grows together goes together. Yeah, right. I mean, we've got tomatoes, we've got peppers, we've got cilantro, I guess onions grow with those things. But I mean, especially peppers and tomatoes do very well in the same climate.

Matthew Amster-Burton 9:57

Yeah, and I mean, honestly, you know, I I love the onion chunks I put right on your mind. But if you made this without onions and garlic, it would still be completely delicious. Especially if you're in a ton of lime juice.

Molly 10:08

Yes. Okay, so hold on, you said that you used to make this in your food writing days. I thought you just started making this last year?

Matthew Amster-Burton 10:17

Well, no, I used to make it sometimes many years ago. I think I made from like a Cook's illustrated recipe that in retrospect, I don't think it's very good. Okay, partly because, like, I don't think you want to use the food processor for this. I think I think it kind of, you know, last aerates the vegetables in a way that is not ideal.

Molly 10:36

Well, and I think especially if you're using onion, I mean, there is a you know, there is a lot of documentation about the way that different different approaches to slicing or chopping onion, like breaks, more or fewer cell wall. I think that's it, which leads to more or less onion flavor or different types of onion flavor.

Matthew Amster-Burton 11:00

Yeah, cuz I mean, like a good pico de Gallo. Like, it retains like the integrity of the original ingredients and melds the flavor together and like you get too much melting and not enough integrity with the food processor, I think. Yes, I agree. I agree. Because in too much variation in chunk size.

Molly 11:16

Yes. I mean, unless you stop the food processor constantly and scrape down the sides. Yeah,

Matthew Amster-Burton 11:21

but like he does that. Every time I do that. You know what happens? I lacerate my spatula.

Molly 11:27

Oh, my spatula is so messed up. Yeah, doing that.

Matthew Amster-Burton 11:31

Can you tell I learned a new word lacerate

Molly 11:34

it's just like the third time you've used Excel. Yeah. Okay, so when do you make pico de Gallo as opposed to like a roasted tomato salsa.

Matthew Amster-Burton 11:42

So roasted? tomatillo salsa is absolutely my favorite salsa and I make it at least every two weeks. Wow. Really? Yeah. Cuz like we like talk. We will have like tacos or taco salad or, or chili kilos, or burritos for dinner like at least once a week and like I will try and make a homemade salsa to go with that. Wow, it's so simple to make.

Molly 12:06

I know but like I just served my family like tacos last night and and totally used store bought fresh salt.

Matthew Amster-Burton 12:14

Yeah, what you fucked up your family tell you but there's gonna be an intervention when you get home today.

Molly 12:23

I'm gonna get home and the house is gonna be empty. They will have both moved out. Yes. Right. Even though June's like at summer camp today.

Matthew Amster-Burton 12:28

Look at Alice. Alice is turning her back. She's like, I can't believe when you pulled out that that tub of storebought salsa. Like I thought I knew you. Yeah. Okay, no syrup. But salsa is totally fine. I just like I enjoy the process. Oh, I don't

Molly 12:46

know. I don't want that process.

Matthew Amster-Burton 12:48

Yeah, and also but also like, it's fucking delicious. Yeah,

Molly 12:50

okay. Okay,

Matthew Amster-Burton 12:52

but so so when I got into roasted tomatillo sauce, I think that's what I kind of got out of the pico de Gallo habit, but like they they serve different functions. You could serve them like, you know, if you go to a Mexican restaurant, you'll probably get both types. Yes.

Molly 13:06

And I would want them for different things for that matter.

Matthew Amster-Burton 13:09

Like Like what, like, how would you use them different?

Molly 13:11

Well, so I think of a pico de Gato as being I mean for me, because it is a lot about the texture. I particularly like it with chips, because chips are one texture and then the Pico to GEICO has like lots of different textures within it. And a chip is a really good delivery vehicle for

Matthew Amster-Burton 13:30

all these textures. I like how you're saying all these things like their novel observation.

Molly 13:34

Yeah, nobody's ever thought about this before. You

Matthew Amster-Burton 13:36

know what would be really good with this stuff? chips.

Molly 13:41

But I don't think it ever occurred to me to do anything else with pico de Gallo like I imagined it would be delicious, especially on a seafood taco.

Matthew Amster-Burton 13:51

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Or with seafood in general? Yeah, like a Pico Doug, I want it more like on something rather than in something. So like, like a, you know, I'm gonna take home the rest of this unless you unless you take it and, and I'm probably gonna make myself a case of the Year for lunch and like, throw a bunch of it on top of the case idea. Like, I don't want to put it in the case. Because like, I don't want it to be cooked.

Molly 14:11

Right? You know, I'm thinking that so do you. Do you remember a period of in time maybe in the early 2000s, late 90s Yeah. When serving fish with mango salsa was like all the rage like around when kid a came out? Probably. Yeah.

Matthew Amster-Burton 14:30

Yeah, we were like, do I I don't really have good feelings about mango sauce. I think like if it's made really well like with lots of acid Yeah, good.

Molly 14:38

Yeah, but anyway, I'm just thinking of that nice like the the acidic coolness of either pico de Gallo or you know the the old mango salsa and how nice that was with fish.

Matthew Amster-Burton 14:51

Yeah, if I could remember I'm trying to remember which songs are on kid days. I can like make some some jokes.

Molly 14:57

Don't remember the word stupid that everything there is

Matthew Amster-Burton 14:59

It's right place Yeah. Like like the mango sauce on top of

Molly 15:04

that wait a minute on I think it

Matthew Amster-Burton 15:06

is well if we if we get like oh radio wrong on we're gonna be in huge trouble on the internet oh no

Molly 15:22

so Matthew How do I make this stuff I used to be married to someone who was who really enjoyed making salsa but usually made like a roasted salsa yeah I have never been bitten by the salsa bug all right well and so tell me about like are there important things to think about?

Matthew Amster-Burton 15:38

Yeah I mean part of the reason I wanted to do this episode by the way this episode was suggested by host Matthew Oh is is like to like if you haven't made this in a while or ever just like to get busy to do it because homemade really is going to be better than storebought even though storebought can be very good. I think like starting with quality ingredients is important but not super duper important because it will still be good if you use supermarket tomatoes really yeah i mean but but like you know if you can get good tomatoes this time of year definitely get them in use

Molly 16:06

although by the time this episode is coming out it's

Matthew Amster-Burton 16:08

gonna be october i don't know there are some places maybe maybe like it maybe you live in in British Columbia and you have bc hothouse tomatoes those are good year round.

Molly 16:17

What are you talking about?

Matthew Amster-Burton 16:18

It's it's a brand it's a brand of tomato and other produce in British Columbia that made a big impression on me many many years ago for some reason love that.

Molly 16:26

It's so cute. I looked over you and you look so satisfied.

Matthew Amster-Burton 16:29

I like it said Is it like bc hothouse like it's like when we dubbed producer Abby's husband hotpots. It's just fun to say

Molly 16:37

bc hothouse EC

Matthew Amster-Burton 16:38

hotpot. Okay, so so if you're gonna make it like there's nothing more to it than you know, dicing some tomatoes, onions, chilies and, you know, throwing in whichever herbs and spices you like, I like cumin and garlic powder, plenty of salt, plenty of lime juice. But there are a couple of couple things that I would recommend keeping in mind. The first is to remove excess liquid. So I will usually salt the tomatoes and let them drain for a little bit.

Molly 17:03

And do you scoop the innards out before you do that?

Matthew Amster-Burton 17:06

No, cuz I like I'm like superstitious about that being where the flavor is, even though like it's gonna drip out anyway. So I don't do that and then let the flavors meld in the fridge. And then usually like after it's been in the fridge for a few hours. I will like partially drain it again. I just I don't want my pico de gyre to be like swimming in liquid.

Molly 17:25

I love the care. You're taking this. When did you make this one? The one that we're eating now?

Matthew Amster-Burton 17:29

Yesterday afternoon.

Molly 17:31

Okay. Wow. All right. So it's like aged to perfection. Yeah, I think so. And what do you think is the ideal amount of like time before eating to make this a good question.

Matthew Amster-Burton 17:41

I like it to be pretty cold. Okay, so

Molly 17:44

you want it to you would do today before? I think we're the morning of

Matthew Amster-Burton 17:48

Yeah, I think maybe like four hours is ideal for me.

Molly 17:51

Does it even get very cold in that time?

Matthew Amster-Burton 17:54

Something in the fridge can get cold in four hours night? Apparently like totally iced coffee. I mean, is your fridge broken? Maybe like when you put stuff in your fridge and it's in there for hours? It's still kind of lukewarm. is when you when you reach for the milk? Has it become yogurt? No. Okay.

Molly 18:10

Oh my god, there was a week I think it was a couple of weeks ago where literally, over the course of an entire day, my spouse left an entire gallon of milk out on the counter at different times. And every time it would be like Hey, babe, did you did? Are you doing something with the milk? And they'd be like, God, not again. It just never stopped. It was like the day of milk on the counter.

Matthew Amster-Burton 18:34

Wow. But but then

Molly 18:37

things went back.

Matthew Amster-Burton 18:38

No, I think like there's usually probably like some dumb thing that I'm that I'm doing repeatedly that I'll quickly move on to some other dumb thing. Yeah, I have another question. Is your refrigerator running? Better go catch it. I love the follow up question. Do you have Prince Albert and it can be weird how like do kids these days still know that that like an old joke is do you have Prince Albert and a can? Because like, I don't think I knew what that meant.

Molly 19:05

Prince Albert is anymore.

Matthew Amster-Burton 19:07

I don't know. Prince Albert is I know it's related to like pipe tobacco or something.

Molly 19:11

Yeah, I think there's a brand of tobacco

Matthew Amster-Burton 19:13

called prints out right. But like it's totally weird the like, like, Nobody. Nobody buys a can of pipe tobacco. I mean, I know somebody does, but almost nobody. And nobody even makes that kind of joke anymore. And yet everybody knows it. Right? Yeah, I've got cilantro in my throat.

Molly 19:28

All right. So but you know, our listeners, they they probably know more than we do about this stuff at this point. So do we have anything else to add? I mean, I feel like I've learned some things.

Matthew Amster-Burton 19:39

Yeah, no, I just just like like, go go make some fresh salsa. It's It's fun. It's fun to make like it's it's like a real meditative cooking process. I think cuz you're chopping everything to approximately the same size. The colors are beautiful, it tastes great. You do have to be patient because it's not going to be at its best when you first make it but like it smells good when you're making it and you get hungry and then you eat ice cream instead.

Molly 19:59

Fantastic. Love this.

Matthew Amster-Burton 20:00

Should we move on to segments? Let's do our first segment is Animal Crossing.

Molly 20:08

June is complete Animal Crossing in a while.

Matthew Amster-Burton 20:11

And there you go. I gave me an intro I keep getting told that, that I really enjoy this video game of Hades. I'm sure some of our listeners are familiar with. But I haven't got my guys in that the god of the underworld is in the god of the underworld. It's like a Greek Greek gods themed dungeon crawling video game, I think, oh, and so maybe, maybe I will give that game a try. And we can have a segment on what's going on in the underworld.

Molly 20:39

I would love that. Okay. Okay.

Matthew Amster-Burton 20:41

Let me make a note. I'm just gonna write the word Hades on this agenda and what's

Molly 20:46

going on in the underworld? Let's see, hold on, what's this segment? I mean, I think we'll

Unknown Speaker 20:52

get to, we'll get to,

Matthew Amster-Burton 20:54

we'll get to it. What's going on? Okay, here's why I'm gonna write on my agenda or what's going on in the underworld. And then later, I'm going to, I'm going to pick up this piece of paper and and be like, what did I mean? right? Exactly. I'm gonna text you and I'm gonna say what is what's going on in the underworld? meaning you're like, I don't know.

Molly 21:12

So Matthew, I'm gonna read this build mail today because it's about cobblers that night, and I just made a cobbler yesterday. Okay.

All right. Here we go. So two listeners got in touch. Tell us about Texas cobblers?

Matthew Amster-Burton 21:30

Yeah, I think this is something we mentioned on the collar episode that the word cobbler has has a different meaning and tech and parts of taxes. Sometimes we did. Well, I think we must because at least two people wrote in to give us information about taxes, cobblers,

Molly 21:43

Okay, so first off listener, Janet. Hi, Molly. And Matthew, you are so fun. Thank you listener Janet. Thank you for your entertaining, somewhat informative, and witty podcast. It's everything I love. Oh, thanks. It's It's everything we'd love to Yeah, especially being somewhat

Matthew Amster-Burton 22:00

informative. Yes.

Molly 22:02

I listened to the cobbler episode specifically because I wanted to hear what you had to say about what Texans called cobbler. I'm from a town north of Austin. My whole life we have referred to deep dish pies in a rectangular pan as cobblers. When Texans attended barbecue in which a fruit based dessert with a biscuit topping is served most of us have a bless their hearts moment when we realize the host considers this a cobbler. Oh, no. She would have a bless her heart moment. See my cobbler. Yep. Okay. Alas, I literally woke in the middle of the night years ago and realized with deep conviction that we, as in millions of people are simply using the wrong terminology. Much like the horse made of metal which Matthew referred to. What was that?

Matthew Amster-Burton 22:46

No idea. Okay, cool.

Molly 22:48

We love our deep dish fruit pies. So okay, they're making a deep dish fruit pie. And they're calling it a cobbler.

Matthew Amster-Burton 22:54

Yeah, but I mean, I don't think I don't think it's wrong for for things to have like different overlapping regional names. That also is just the spice of life. So

Molly 23:03

it's under a pie crust.

Matthew Amster-Burton 23:05

Yeah, it's under a pie crust.

Molly 23:06

Okay. Oh, I see listener Amy has written in about this. Yeah, as well. Hi spilled milk. Just listen to your cobbler episode and I can attest to the double crested cobbler that is common in the south. It's the only type of cobbler my mom and grandmother made. Our family in Texas makes it with a sort of pie crust that as a small amount of baking powder added for tenderness, but it's not biscuit esque. The crust gets rolled out as you would with pie dough then is cut into one inch ish wide strips. I love the specificity here. A third of the fruit mixture goes on the bottom then a layer of dough strips no latticework just one direction with about an inch between strips. Then another third of the fruit another layer of dough strips opposite direction this time it sounds like we're basket making it does last third of the fruit then a lattice on top. The top gets started with butter and sprinkled with sugar This is all in a Dutch oven or deep ish rectangular baking dish love the show a meat from Dallas Texas

Matthew Amster-Burton 24:03

the dough strips in the middle do they get mushy? Like what what the heck happens to those maybe they get kind of slumpy hmm cuz I mean like like when you make a slump

Molly 24:15

like dough, you know listener Amy well, frankly and listener Janet would you to be willing to write in again and send us some recipes that we could try? Because I think we need to experience this firsthand and and we are way up here in the northwest pretty far from Texas and we're gonna have to cobbler our cobble ourselves.

Matthew Amster-Burton 24:36

We have to cobble ourselves. Yeah, no, I would like to try a Texas style cobbler and yeah, I have no problem with the terminology. Like you know, there's two kinds of oregano that are totally unrelated but are both called oregano and people deal with it. Everyone

Molly 24:48

can cobble themselves. poplar to go around.

Matthew Amster-Burton 24:52

I hope that's true.

Molly 24:53

All right. You know it's time for now but wow.

All right, it's my week to do now, but wow. And I can't believe I haven't recommended this before I'm recommending a podcast called the slowdown, which is, unfortunately seems to be possibly on permanent hiatus. Okay, as of October 2020.

Matthew Amster-Burton 25:17

But they had slowed down too far.

Molly 25:19

Really, it came to a grinding halt. No. So the slowdown is a podcast that was hosted by Tracy K. Smith, who's an American poet. And she was the 22nd, poet laureate of the US. Okay, from 2017 to 2019. Anyway, she won the Pulitzer Prize. I mean, Tracy K. Smith knows what is what. And what she does on the slowdown is makes a short Daily Show, in which she kind of talks about poetry or about like life in general, and then reads a poem that has something to do with sort of the vibe of what she's been talking about.

Matthew Amster-Burton 25:57

Is it? Is it a poem that she wrote or that someone else wrote

Molly 25:59

somebody else's poem, poems that she has selected, okay. And it runs a broad range. Contemporary poets, I've encountered some poets that, you know, I learned about as like modern poets, when I was like 16 people who are writing in the 50s, or whatever. There's a whole broad span I don't know if like john donne and Ben Johnson are there, but those

Matthew Amster-Burton 26:23

are like really old, really old.

Molly 26:25

But anyway, um, the slow down by Tracy K. Smith has a deep reservoir of back episodes do we call it Yeah, or old episodes, hundreds even though it episodes old poet episodes, and you should go check it out. It is Tracy K. Smith has a wonderful melodious voice. She chooses spectacular poems. And it It feels like exactly what the title promises like it's sort of calming, but not like pablum. It's a really beautiful, artful poetry podcast. Let

Matthew Amster-Burton 27:01

me ask a question. If you were someone, hypothetically, who doesn't know anything about poetry, and may even be a little scared of poetry? Would this be a good place to get your feet wet?

Molly 27:11

I think that you might find the opening music a little, a little heavy handed. I was just thinking, you know, I was listening to some old episodes on the way over here today. And I was thinking, you know, Matthew is gonna hate the intro music. But

Matthew Amster-Burton 27:23

I mean, that's what they're like 30 seconds skip button is for

Molly 27:25

sure. I think that this is a fantastic way to bring some poetry into your life. Not only because Tracy K. Smith really sets it up beautifully. But also you're going to get introduced to a wide range of voices. Okay, so I think you should check it out. It's also a very short investment of your time. So make it a part of your daily life, even though who knows when the podcast will be making new episodes. There's plenty to enjoy.

Matthew Amster-Burton 27:51

Okay, that sounds great. Yeah, Slow down.

Molly 27:53

Slow down. Hosted by Tracy K. Smith.

Matthew Amster-Burton 27:55

Our producer is Abby Cerquitella. Please rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. You can catch up with other people who listen to the show on Reddit and reddit.com slash are slash everything spilled milk and hangouts to tell the people Ah, this is this is airing. This will be one more episode before Halloween so we can we can give our usual annual Halloween message next year. Next week. Yeah. Also next year. Okay. All right. So stay tuned next next week for our rousing Halloween speech.

Molly 28:28

I can't wait. Okay, all right. Well, thank you for listening to spilled milk.

Matthew Amster-Burton 28:35

That show that goes great with chips because if you crush them loudly enough, you won't have to listen. I'm Molly weissenberg. Matthew Amster-Burton.

Molly 28:52

God your your Pico looks really trying to think of something that rhymes with Pico squeak Go. Go I smell that onions smell the cilantro. Should I eat some Should I sweet go your Pico