Topic: Vegetables

The hosts open the program discussing the botanical origins of turnips and rutabagas, noting their membership in the mustard family. One host describes eating pickled turnips for breakfast as a theme for the day. The conversation touches on the culinary uses of the swede, also known as the rutabaga, in preparation for a long-form discussion.

The hosts discuss the cultural surge of kale, referencing a scene from the third season of "Orange Is The New Black" where inmates discuss planting it. They characterize the popularity of kale as one of the greatest marketing promotions in the history of vegetables. One host notes that kale was traditionally used only as a garnish on deli platters.

President Obama claims in a speech that in some neighborhoods it is easier to buy a firearm than a fresh vegetable or a book. The hosts mock this analogy, pointing out the existence of Amazon and grocery stores. They also criticize the President's hyperbolic claim that some people want "machine guns in bars," noting that such laws do not exist in the Federal Register.

Congress is considering an appropriations bill that would effectively classify pizza as a vegetable in school lunches by counting tomato sauce toward nutritional requirements. Lobbyists from the frozen food industry successfully argued against increasing the required amount of sauce per slice. The hosts view this as a distraction from more significant economic and social issues.

The conversation shifts to food additives, specifically Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and its alleged links to headaches and autism. The hosts examine the use of aspartame and hydrolyzed vegetable protein as substitutes in processed foods, noting that many of these ingredients are imported from China. They argue that subsidized food industries make unhealthy, additive-laden meals cheaper than fresh produce.