From raw celery to “milk toast,” we explore the biggest food fads of the era — and the restaurants that served them.
Curious City - From Chop Suey Houses To Saloons: What Was Chicago’s Foodie Scene Like In The Early 20th Century?
From raw celery to “milk toast,” we explore the biggest food fads of the era — and the restaurants that served them.
Bay Curious - Bay Area, I Love You
This week the Bay Curious team asked locals to help us make a collective love letter to the Bay Area. We talked to people whose families have been here for several generations, people who just arrived and some who recently left. We heard all kinds of reasons for why you love it. We present to you, your stories and our love letter.
Credits
Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Don Clyde, Carly Severn, Christopher Cox, Bianca Hernandez, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Holly Kernan.
the memory palace - Episode 157: The House of Lowe
The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia, a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts.
Help support this show and the network that makes it possible by making a donation today. Make your mark at Radiotopia.fm/donate
A note on shownotes. In a perfect world, you go into each episode of the Memory Palace knowing nothing about what's coming. It's pretentious, sure, but that's the intention. So, if you don't want any spoilers or anything, you can click play without reading ahead.
Music
Philharmonics (Piano Sessions), from Agnes Obel.
Pre-Barok by Mica Levi and Oliver Coates.
Space in Between by Federico Albanese.
Warm Canto by Mal Waldron.
Blink by Hiroshi Yoshimura.
Notes
There are two lovely books I relied on heavily for this story: Something to Prove: A Biography of Ann Lowe, Forgotten Designer by Julia Dockery Smith.
And Rosemary Read's The Threads of Time, Fabric of History.
The Boring Talks - #42 – The Lexicon Of Breakups
James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.
In 2011, comedian Rosie Wilby was dumped by email. (Though she did feel better about it after correcting her ex’s spelling and punctuation). Obsessing ever since about whether technology has enabled abrupt endings to relationships, she discovered an entire new language. But what are ghosting, breadcrumbing, submarining, pocketing, benching and curving?
Rosie Wilby is a comedian and presents The Breakup Monologues podcast.
Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Rosie Wilby Producer: Luke Doran
The Boring Talks - #41 – Pencils
James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.
Brian Mackenwells is passionate about pencils. In this Boring Talk he shares his passion for good pencils. He talks us through their history, and explains why having a good pencil gives you a pleasurable 'small pivot point that can change your whole mind set'. He also talks us through his favourite pencils, and shares the very personal reason that he can't part with one particular pencil in his collection.
Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Brian Mackenwells Producer: Luke Doran
Curious City - Red Line To Your Heart: What Makes Chicago’s Dating Scene Distinct?
We explore a phenomenon called “cuffing” and the (short) lengths Chicagoans will go for love.
Curious City - Red Line To Your Heart: What Makes Chicago’s Dating Scene Distinct?
We explore a phenomenon called “cuffing” and the (short) lengths Chicagoans will go for love.
Bay Curious - We Built This City on … Water and Marsh?
When Nicole was growing up, her grandmother always told her: Don't live anywhere built on fill. Her uncle also had strong memories of watching the Marina burn after the 1989 earthquake — when parts of the ground liquefied, causing buildings to collapse and gas lines to break.
Nicole wants to follow her grandmother's advice, but she needs to know a few things: "What neighborhoods and cities in the Bay Area are built on filled land? And what are those cities and neighborhoods doing to mitigate the risk of liquefaction?"
Additional Reading
- Large Parts of the Bay Area Are Built on Fill. Why and Where?
- MAP: Where We "Created" Dry Land
- The Precarious Future of Treasure Island: Rising Seas and Sinking Land
- How Treasure Island Got Made and Why
Credits
Reported by Kelly O'Mara. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Don Clyde, Carly Severn, Christopher Cox, Bianca Hernandez, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Holly Kernan.
Curious City - Little Eddie’s Field Trip: The Union Stock Yards Through the Eyes of an Eighth Grader
Back in the 1940s, Chicago school kids took local field trips that would be unthinkable today.
