Welcome to The Hong Kong Diner! Black Pepper Spaghetti and Deep-Fried French Toast

Christopher Kimball (0:00)

Many culinary techniques start out as a means for preserving food, and fermentation is a great example. Whether it's kimchi or cheese or fermented drinks, cooks from around the world still use fermentation as a key part of their cuisine. Award winner Ken Albala has just authored the World Atlas of Fermented Foods and Drinks. It's a beautifully illustrated, over 200 images and maps, global tour of fermentation that explores 140 popular and lesser known ferments, from kimchi and cheese to kvass and pulque. He weaves together culinary history, microbial science, and also a hopeful breakdown of different fermentation techniques and recipes. Part cookbook, part science, and part history, Ken Albala reveals the cultural connections between the world's widely diverse fermented foods. The World Atlas of Fermented Foods and Drinks, which is published by the University of California Press, is now available wherever you purchase your books. You know, there are days I come home from work, I stare at the open fridge, and realize that there really isn't that much to eat. And then I remember, well, my freezer and butcher box. 100% grass-fed beef, organic chicken, wild-caught seafood, and much more. And it's all sourced to standards they can actually tell you about. They've already done the research and made the tough sourcing decisions, so all you have to do is decide what's for dinner. Now, I just made some really great burgers last weekend with Butcher Box 85% ground beef. Plus, I love to cook their pork loin, and the sockeye salmon is great on the grill. Every box is customizable, so you can choose the cuts and proteins that fit your routine. Now I have great fish and meat ready to go, whether it's a Tuesday night or a weekend cookout. So if you're looking for an easier way to get great meals on the table, give Butcher Box a try. Go to butcherbox.com/milkstreet to get $20 off your first box, plus ground beef and bacon in every box for life, with free shipping always. That's butcherbox.com/milkstreet.

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This is Milk Street Radio from PRX, and I'm your host, Christopher Kimball.

Chef Lucas Sin believes the best restaurant in the world is a Hong Kong diner called Australia Dairy Company. They're known for a dining experience that is over before you know it.

Lucas Sin (2:31)

The fastest I'd ever eaten there was 6 minutes and 40 seconds. This is lining up, walking inside the restaurant, sitting down, eating your three courses, right? Your scrambled eggs with your meat on the side, your toast and your bowl of macaroni and soup, paying in cash, walking out.

Christopher Kimball (2:46)

The light speed meal that's coming up later in the show.

But first, I'm joined by Jessica Sidman, a food editor for Washingtonian Magazine. If you walk through the National Mall in Washington, you'll find dozens of food trucks. After all, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. But if you look a bit more carefully, you'll notice that something is off. Many don't list prices, many are missing inspection stickers, and sometimes they'll flat out give you the wrong order.

Jessica Sidman (3:14)

What happened with the?

Dave (3:16)

They put pickles in the mozzarella sticks.

SPEAKER_5 (3:17)

She's trying to convince me that the pickle sticks are mozzarella. I don't think they are.

Dave (3:22)

Wow. No, I literally took a bite of one.

Christopher Kimball (3:24)

I'm like, that's just great.

Dave (3:26)

Oh, my God.

Jessica Sidman (3:27)

How much should they charge you for them?

Christopher Kimball (3:28)

I don't know.

SPEAKER_7 (3:29)

Best point, just give him something to eat.

Christopher Kimball (3:33)

This summer, Jessica reported on the so-called food truck mafia around the National Mall, and she's here to tell us more. Jessica, welcome to Milk Street.

Jessica Sidman (3:42)

Thank you for having me.

Christopher Kimball (3:43)

So, I'm walking down the mall, the National Mall, and I see all these food trucks, lots of them. And since there aren't a lot of places to eat around there, this looks like, you know, a good deal.

What is it that I'm not getting about this picture? What's the underbelly of all of this?

Jessica Sidman (4:04)

Yeah, I mean, DC has had food trucks, you know, since the Obama years, but a lot of things have changed over the years.

Now, if you go down to the mall, you know, these aren't the fun, diverse trucks that you have in a lot of other cities and that frankly you used to have in DC. A lot of them are kind of junky looking, and the majority of those trucks are unlicensed. So that means they're not inspected by the health department, and there's a lot of food safety risks with that. They're not inspected by the fire department. And there have been trucks that have literally caught on fire right there on Constitution Avenue, sent people to the hospital.