LINCOLN SQUARE — Is the pita a sandwich? Is the scoop chip the best delivery mechanism for dip? Is there such as thing as too much spice?
These are the big questions Dan Pashman ponders for his James Beard Award nominated-podcast, The Sporkful, and discusses in his new book "Eat More Better," which he was in town to promote Thursday night at The Book Cellar.
A New Yorker who lived in Chicago for three years and once walked around with a pound of smoked pork loin from Gene's Sausage Shop in his pocket, Pashman created The Sporkful, produced by WYNC, to talk about eating — not restaurants or recipes — but eating, and how to do it better.
Patty Wetli says Pashman focuses on making each bite more delicious:
A 20-minute riff on the ice cube is an example of the "ridiculous detail" Pashman brings to his work.
"It turns out there are other people as weird and idiosyncratic about food as I am," he said of his growing fan base.
The "proximity effect" is just one of the theories Pashman proposes in "Eat More Better:" To wit, the notion that the most desirable ingredient in a dish or food item should be closest to the tongue.
The cheese on a cheeseburger, for example, should be placed below the beef patty so it's first to hit the mouth, he said. Similarly, blue cheese, candied walnuts and pretty much anything that isn't green should precede lettuce when taking a bite of a salad.
"I hope you guys understand the magnitude, all the implications" of the proximity theory, Pashman said.
Most of the ideas for Pashman's podcast and book are born out of topics he's been ranting about for decades, he said.
Among the issues he's passionate about: The pita, he insisted, is not a sandwich because structural integrity is key to the definition of a sandwich. Once a pita pocket's hinge is severed, the whole thing falls apart. Ergo, not a sandwich.
Pashman also argued against the extreme spice trend.
"The point of eating any food shouldn't be physical pain," he said.
Though Pashman said he initially approached the writing of "Eat More Better" as an "exercise in absurdity," the book wound up being far more earnest than he anticipated.
"I get that it's all a joke, but I really do care this much," he said.
"You only get so many bites in your life," said Pashman. "A bite is a precious resource."
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