"Garden of Eatin': Endives with Jess Rona" is Episode 458 of Doughboys, hosted by Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell. "Garden of Eatin': Endives with Jess Rona" was released on August 8, 2024.
"Tomorrow… with Jess Rona @jessrona" - @doughboyspod
Synopsis[]
Jess Rona (@jessronagrooming) joins the 'boys to talk dog grooming, mac and cheese, and meat-eating before continuing the Garden of Eatin': Veggie Table: The Green Gobblin' with a review of endives.
Nick's intro[]
flag of Belgium
“The Battlefield of Europe”: This is one of several nicknames that speaks to the complicated, divided history of Belgium. Cleaved by its dual national languages of Dutch and French and its dual regions of Flanders and Wallonia, Belgium lacks the clear national identity of other European Union states. But today, it can unite in patriotic pride in its great cultural export: a video-game studio founded in 1996 in the town of Ghent by Swen Vincke, and named for the still-CEO’s dog.
Larian Studios would go on to create an acclaimed original franchise, Divinity, peaking in 2017’s Divinity: Original Sin II, recognized by RPG enthusiasts as exemplary of the genre. And as development concluded on the second Divinity: Original Sin, Dungeons & Dragons IP holder, Wizards of the Coast tapped Larian to create a canonical sequel to the beloved Baldur’s Gate franchise, which hadn’t seen a mainline entry since 2001’s Baldur’s Gate expansion pack, Throne of Bhaal. Despite Larian’s pedigree, the stewardship was viewed with some hesitancy by computer RPG diehards, nostalgic for series creator Bioware’s Infinity Engine games.
Then, in 2020, Larian launched Baldur’s Gate 3 in Early Access on Steam, and after three years of public gestation, in late 2023, the game was officially released, to universal acclaim — heralded by many as among the greatest video games ever made. By still others, as Belgium’s great gift to humanity and perhaps the single most impressive work of narrative art in the history of civilization.
But as for food, Belgium’s most beloved culinary export, fries, is attributed to France — as are moules frites or 'mussels and fries'. And the so-called Belgian waffles consumed in the U.S., piled high with whipped cream and other shit, are nothing like the lighter handheld version served in Brussels. In fact as far as food goes, the nation is perhaps most known for its cultivation of a bitter green chicory varietal that’s often featured in upscale appetizers and salads. The country’s affiliation is so strong that the vegetable itself is often prefixed with “Belgian.” And while a niche product, and a bit of an acquired taste, it’s perhaps primed for mainstream popularity — much like Larian’s dense, hundred-plus hour Baldur’s Gate 3.
This week on Doughboys… we continue the Garden of Eatin’: Veggie Table: The Green Gobblin’, a month of reviewing Mother Nature’s fast food… with endives. Ahn-deevs? Endives.
Salad Fork rating 🥗[]
For Garden of Eatin', The Doughboys rate endives on a scale of 5 Salad Forks.
Then collectively, they decide if it gets a Thumbs Up or a Brown Thumbs Down.
| guest / host | rating | rating |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | 4 Salad Forks | 🥬👍🏼 |
| Mike Mitchell | 4 Salad Forks | |
| Jess Rona | 5 Salad Forks |
They all enjoy endives and mainly bring up different salads they've had that used it. They do also like it raw.
Mitch calls endives "adult celery."
With these scores, Endives makes the Green Goddess Club!
Vegetable/Fungi/Leafs Opinions 🥬[]
| guest / host | favorite mushrooms | king of the veggies |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Wiger | Chanterelle | - |
| Mike Mitchell | - | onion |
| Jess Rona | Shiitake | - |
Chew Truths and a Fry: Veggie edition[]
In this segment, Nick gives two truths and a lie about a vegetable, and Mitch and the guest try to figure out the lie.
| statements | Mike Mitchell | Jess Rona | the lie | score (MM - JR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
cucumbers
|
b | b | c | 0 - 0 |
peas
|
c | b | b | 0 - 1 |
cauliflower
|
c | c | c | 1 - 2 |
zucchini
|
b | a | a | 1 - 3 |
eggplant
|
a | c | b | 1 - 3 |
potatoes
|
a | c | b | 1 - 3 |
kale
|
a | a | b | 1 - 3 |
spinach
|
c | c | a | 1 - 3 |
Jess is the winner!
Roast Spoonman[]
| “ | Man of La Muncha | ” |
–David | ||
Quotes[]
| “ | I like saying 'cephalopod'. It's a fun word! | ” |
–Nick Wiger | ||
| “ | Mitch: Here's a pitch: NBA jam. An actual jam! Nick: Mitch, that's REALLY good. |
” |
–Mitch didn't think it through | ||
| “ | The Mitchells aren't eating up the world supply of potatoes! | ” |
–Mike Mitchell | ||
The Feedbag[]
| “ | If you could swap the sizes of two foods forever, what would you choose? | ” |
–Alex W | ||
| guest / host | food swap |
|---|---|
| Nick Wiger |
|
| Mike Mitchell |
|
| Jess Rona | burrito and macaroni |
| Emma Erdbrink | pizza and donut |
#hashtags[]
- #SnackSwap
Drops and Plugs[]
| reference | notes |
|---|---|
| "War (What Is It Good For)" by The Temptations | in Mitch's drop (by Finke) |
| Jess Rona Grooming | Jess' plug |
Related Episodes[]
| Garden of Eatin' episodes |
|---|
|
Photos[]
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