No Passport Required - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[meep.meep]

Well I'm watching it!  Saw the one about Guyanese in Queens last night.  Made me really hungry.

Marcus always looks like he's wearing 15 sweaters under his coat.  Is he just cold all the time?

[Ohwell]

I watched a bit of the Guyanese one, changed the channel, and forgot to change it back.  I don't know what's up with Marcus but he does look over dressed.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was cracking up over his unending parade of colorful scarves and sweaters. He must have one suitcase just for his scarves!

[Rickster]

I’ve seen all the episodes, except only part of the Chicago Mexican one, which I found not very interesting given how much we already see of Mexican culture and food in the US. The rest have been really interesting, especially the Guyanese one last night.

I do have to say I find Marcus’s wardrobe insanely distracting.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I really enjoyed that the New Orleans episode was about the Vietnamese community. I will always watch any food show about New Orleans, but most of the time, they cover the same ground, go to the same restaurants, interview the same chefs, etc. so it was really cool to see him show a different side of New Orleans.

[meep.meep]

I saw the Vietnamese in New Orleans episode also.  Then I watched an episode of Ugly Delicious with David Chang where he compared Vietnamese cooking in New Orleans to what's happening in Houston.  In Houston, he found that the Vietnamese immigrants were fusing their dishes with Cajun dishes (Vietcajun) which he found to be pushing the envelope far beyond what anyone is doing in New Orleans.  

[biakbiak]

7 hours ago, meep.meep said:

which he found to be pushing the envelope far beyond what anyone is doing in New Orleans.  

And then was a drunken asshole to the owners of the restaurant who didn’t want to do that combo.

For some reason Marcus frequently sounds like a valley girl to me.

[Sew Sumi]

Yeah, he does have vocal fry at times, but when he gets serious about the food, he's all business.

[Ohwell]

For some reason Marcus annoys me.  Maybe it's that stupid hat.  He's no Anthony Bourdain.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 8/2/2018 at 4:38 PM, meep.meep said:

I saw the Vietnamese in New Orleans episode also.  Then I watched an episode of Ugly Delicious with David Chang where he compared Vietnamese cooking in New Orleans to what's happening in Houston.  In Houston, he found that the Vietnamese immigrants were fusing their dishes with Cajun dishes (Vietcajun) which he found to be pushing the envelope far beyond what anyone is doing in New Orleans.  

I remember watching that Ugly Delicious episode a few months ago and while I support chefs blending influences, I also think it's fine when people want to cook the food they know. There's no rule that says you HAVE to do fusion food but David Chang seemed hell bent on convincing some of those people that they should. Yes, cooking, cuisine, and recipes continue to evolve over time but it's also okay to keep making traditional food. No one's insisting that British people should try making spotted dick with a peanut butter glaze and pinecone foam, so why should Vietnamese people have to make Vietcajun versions of their food?

My general rule of thumb is do what you want to do (as long as you aren't hurting anyone else) but don't insist that other people have to do it too. If David Chang wants to experiment with Vietcajun stuff, that's fine, but he shouldn't be so insistent on other people doing it.

Edited August 6, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[meep.meep]

I agree.  I just found the two different approaches to Vietnamese immigrant food in New Orleans very interesting.  Samuelson was happy to find authentic Vietnamese food there, while Chang wants nothing but fusion.  I don't know how he found the cook who took the Vietcajun stuff back to Vietnam.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FYI - S2 is scheduled to begin on Friday, December 13!

[biakbiak]

It’s starting her on 1/20! Excited because I missed the news that it was renewed.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S2.E1: Seattle

Quote

Host Marcus Samuelsson goes to Seattle, where he spends time with immigrant and second-generation Filipinos who are taking charge of their city's food scene. As Filipino food gains more national, mainstream recognition, members of the community are working to tell the story on their own terms.

Original air date: 12/13/19

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I didn't have time to watch this before Christmas so I watched it over the holiday break, which was perfect because I find this show so soothing and relaxing.

Bonus: my cousin recently moved to Seattle and I already wanted to figure out a good time to visit but now I have a list of great restaurants to try while we're there!

I love traditional Filipino food like lumpia and lechon but I'm also interested in trying the new stuff that some of the chefs are making. I wish I had remembered to post about this episode right after I watched it a few weeks ago because now I don't remember many details (aside from the fact that my mouth was watering!).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S2.E2: Los Angeles

Quote

Host Marcus Samuelsson arrives in sunny Los Angeles to meet with Armenians influencing the city's food scene. Armenian food is diaspora food — the community is widespread, building homes in countries like Turkey and Syria following the Armenian Genocide.

Promo:

Original air date: 1/20/20

Edited January 22, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I really enjoyed the Los Angeles episode - so much delicious looking food! A few places around here have adjarakan (shown very briefly during the Papillon Bakery segment). It's Georgian bread filled with cheese and eggs (and it's also called khachapuri if you decide to go looking for it!). I might need to go get some soon!

And I definitely need to try making toum. It's just garlic, salt, canola oil, and lemon juice. YUM.

[biakbiak]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Georgian bread filled with cheese and eggs (and it's also called khachapuri if you decide to go looking for it!). I might need to go get some soon!

A former coworker of mine is Georgian and taught me to make it. So delicious. I think I will make one this week. The episode definitely made me want to go to Glendale the next tine I am in LA.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

9 hours ago, biakbiak said:

A former coworker of mine is Georgian and taught me to make it. So delicious. I think I will make one this week. The episode definitely made me want to go to Glendale the next tine I am in LA.

Ooh, can I come over? I promise not to make too much of a mess.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FYI - when I went to the PBS website to watch last week's episode, I noticed that they have posted all of the remaining episodes for the season online!

Edited January 27, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S2.E3: Houston

Quote

Marcus Samuelsson visits Houston to learn more about food and community in the Nigerian and greater West African diaspora. Centered around the large Nigerian population but also focused on Senegalese, Ghanaian, and other West African cultures, the episode explores how West African immigrants preserve recipes and food traditions and re-contextualize them in the Houston dining scene.

Original air date: 1/27/20

[ElectricBoogaloo]

It was really interesting to hear about how dishes like peanut soup and the staple rice dish are present in so many different West African tribes but with their own twists and how they evolved and were adapted using the local/available ingredients in the Caribbean and the American south. It really shows how important food is to retaining some of your culture when you are forced away from it.

[biakbiak]

I am behind, haven’t watched Philadelphia, but I have to go to Vegas for a bachelorette party and this episode took over the text thread. Definitely going to have breakfast at the Taiwanese place, the bride is from Taiwan, and we were already planning going to Mott 32 for dinner on one of the nights. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S2.E4: Philadelphia

Quote

Marcus Samuelsson heads to Philadelphia, where he meets new friends and old, and learns more about the city’s Italian food scene. Italian-Americans have been driving food culture in the U.S. for over a century, and Philadelphia is one of the original hubs for both classic and modern Italian cuisine.

Original air date: 2/3/20