Episode 161: The Origin of Restaurants

According to history professor Rebecca Spang, author of The Invention of the Restaurant, it used to be that going out to eat was not something anyone did by choice, and in 18th Century Paris restaurants weren't about eating at all. It's an intriguing bit of history that Ms. Spang will share.

Jane and Michael Stern report from Fairfield, Connecticut where they're eating Super Duper Weenies from what used to be a truck. Bruce Cost, author of Asian Ingredients, joins us with tips for buying fish sauce and shares a recipe for Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce. We'll have a tasting of Italian liquors that are meant to bite your tongue and kiss your tummy, and a North Carolina native reports on the North Carolina BBQ wars.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

• October 28, 2000