Time Sensitive

• Alison Roman on Recipes as Time Capsules

  The cook and food writer Alison Roman frequently emanates and celebrates a certain spilled-milk imperfectionism. Her on-camera candor and laid-back cooking style have both contributed to growing her devoted audience of home cooks as well as the food-curious, many of whom have followed her and her singular recipes over the past decade-plus, from her prior media roles (Bon Appétit and The New York Times) to the independent-platform path she’s now on. That’s not to mention her three best-selling cookbooks, Dining In (2017), Nothing Fancy (2019), and Sweet Enough (2023), as well as her forthcoming fourth title, Something from Nothing, out Nov. 11. For Roman, there’s joy and wisdom to be found in embracing a certain amount of honest-to-goodness mess, all while maturing into different versions of herself, in and out of the kitchen.On the episode, she reflects on the diaristic quality of her dishes, how time and money have shaped her cooking style and recipe-writing approach throughout her life, and the beauty of prioritizing tangible things in our ephemeral digital age.Special thanks to our Season 12 presenting sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels.Alison Roman[4:49] Something From Nothing (2025)[5:52] Dining In (2017)[5:52] Sweet Enough (2023)[10:38] Nothing Fancy (2019)[16:06] First Bloom[22:03] The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones (2007)[22:03] Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin (1988)[22:03] Books by Anthony Bourdain[22:03] Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton (2011)[32:00] Chris Bernabeo[47:46] Solley’s[56:24] Christina Tosi[57:22] Bon Appétit

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• Oliver Burkeman on the Power of Embracing Imperfectionism

  The British author and journalist Oliver Burkeman has spent decades pondering what it means to live a meaningful life, both in his former Guardian column “This Column WIll Change Your Life” and across several books—most recently, Meditations for Mortals, out in paperback this October. That’s why he brings a healthy dose of skepticism to so-called “time management” systems and productivity hacks as a means toward true fulfillment. Burkeman’s compelled by the notion that, rather than being separate from time, human beings are time. If people faced the reality of their limited time on the planet head on, he believes there’s a real chance to experience greater, more engaged feelings of aliveness.On the episode—our Season 12 kick-off—Burkeman discusses why he’s eschewing  perfectionism and finding unexpected liberation in the premise that, to some extent, the worst has already happened, and the best may still be ahead.Special thanks to our Season 11 presenting sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels.Show notes:Oliver Burkeman[4:26] “Meditations for Mortals” (2024)[6:48] Donald Winnicott[7:46] Martin Heidegger[7:46] "Technics and Civilization" (2010)[7:46] “Being and Time” (1927)[7:46] “Time Warrior” (2011)[7:46] “Time Surfing” (2017)[7:46] “Anti-Time Management” (2022)[10:14] Medieval peasants[10:14] “The 4-Hour Workweek”[13:18] Alicja Kwade[19:23] “Ichi-go, ichi-e” (“one time, one meeting”)[22:00] Eckhart Tolle[22:36] Agnes Martin[23:28] “The Road Not Taken”[40:03] “This Column Will Change Your Life”[51:00] Nicholas Carr[51:00] Clay Shirky[53:40] Jennifer Roberts[59:04] Pomodoro Technique [59:13] Kanban[1:01:33] James Hollis[1:02:40] Alfred Adler[1:02:40] “The Courage to Be Disliked” (2024)[1:06:24] Stoicism

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• James Frey on Designing Your Life to Bring Joy

  In 2003, when the author James Frey published his first book, A Million Little Pieces—a gut-punch account of his experience with addiction and rehab—nobody could have expected what would come next. Thanks to an Oprah Book Club endorsement, A Million Little Pieces was instantly catapulted to bestseller status, but soon blew up in scandal after Frey admitted to having falsified certain portions of the book, which had been marketed as a memoir. The drama that ensued sparked a media controversy—one that now, around 20 years later, feels petty and misplaced, especially in the context of today’s cancel-culture climate. More than 10 million copies of A Million Little Pieces have sold since, and Frey is still at it, writing, publishing, and pushing the boundaries of his art. His latest novel, Next to Heaven, is a rollicking, raunchy, absurd-yet-not satire about money, murder, and the all-too-human desires for power, pleasure, and greed. On the episode—our Season 11 finale, in which Frey sat lotus for the entire duration—he reflects on the A Million Little Pieces saga; his long-term study of Taoism; writing as a gateway to vulnerability; and why love, for him, is the greatest drug there is.Special thanks to our Season 11 presenting sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels.Show notes:James Frey[5:08] “Tao Te Ching”[5:08] Lao Tzu[5:08] Stephen Mitchell[5:08] Taoism[8:51] Cubism[13:11] “A Million Little Pieces” (2003)[14:16] “Next To Heaven” (2025)[14:16] New Canaan, Connecticut[17:14] Jackie Collins[17:14] “Hollywood Wives” (1983)[17:14] Danielle Steel[21:35] Honoré de Balzac[29:37] “Katerina” (2018) [29:37] “Full Fathom Five” (1947) by Jackson Pollock[37:14] “Larry King Live” (2006)[39:09] “Tropic of Cancer” (1971)[42:24] “Up to Me” (1985)[44:20] “Kissing a Fool” (1998)[52:22] “My Friend Leonard” (2005)[52:22] “Bright Shiny Morning” (2008)[52:22] “The Final Testament” (2011)[58:56] “Author Is Kicked Out of Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club”[58:56] “James Frey: ‘I Always Wanted to Be the Outlaw’”[01:03:18] Bret Easton Ellis[01:03:18] Jay McInerney[01:03:18] Norman Mailer[01:10:54] Rashid Johnson[01:10:54] HBO’s “Native Son” (2019)

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• Thomas Keller on Cooking as a Pathway to Happiness

  With one small, clever—and now-trademark—idea in 1990, the chef Thomas Keller turned not only the notion of the ice-cream cone on its head, but the fine-dining world, too. Now, 35 years later, his hospitality group comprises 10 restaurants, including The French Laundry in Yountville, California, and Per Se in New York City—both of them three-Michelin-starred—as well as Bouchon Bistro and Bouchon Bakery in Las Vegas and The Surf Club Restaurant in Miami. Across his entire hospitality operation, a highly refined, expertly tuned set of standards feeds his “one-guest-at-a-time” philosophy and culture. In many respects, Keller was at the forefront of a local-focused cooking movement. He was also a pioneer in making fine dining more relaxed and approachable—and decidedly less fussy. The food world today would not be the same were it not for his wide-spanning influence.On the episode, Keller reflects on how it took two decades of failing and learning from mistakes before at last, in 1994, he opened The French Laundry, which instantly received rave reviews and remains one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world. He also discusses his recent Chef’s Table episode on Netflix and his cameo on the FX show The Bear, memory-making as a key part of his operation, and why persistence is the greatest form of pleasure.Special thanks to our Season 11 presenting sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels.Show notes:Thomas Keller[4:57] “Chef’s Table: Legends” (2025)[4:57] The French Laundry[4:57] Per Se[7:24] Grant Achatz[7:24] Bobby Flay[7:24] Tom Colicchio[7:24] Emeril Lagasse[7:24] Le Pavillon[10:13] “The Bear”: Season 3, Episode 10 (2024)[10:13] Christopher Storer[10:13] “Sense of Urgency” (2013)[10:13] Hans Zimmer[10:13] Bouchon Bistro[10:13] “Thomas Keller’s Roasted Chicken” (2020)[17:26] “Chef Thomas Keller on Finding Professional Success After 40” (2022)[23:55] “The French Laundry Cookbook” (1999)[25:57] Daniel Boulud[28:24] Graham Kerr[28:24] “The Galloping Gourmet” (1968)[32:27] Roland Henin[33:47] Florence Fabricant[33:47] “Food; Flights of Fancy” (1988)[33:47] “Checkers Has Lost Its Chef” (1992)[38:08] “Sally Schmitt, Trend-Setting Restaurateur, Is Dead at 90”[40:12] The French Laundry Kitchen[40:12] Snøhetta[40:12] “Thomas Keller, an Exacting Chef at a Crossroads”[48:47] “The Reach of a Restaurant” TED Talk[48:47] “The French Laundry, Per Se” (2020)

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• Billy Martin on Finding Harmony in Rhythm and Life

  The drummer and percussionist Billy Martin, whose name many Time Sensitive listeners may recognize—he created the Time Sensitive theme song—defies any boxed-in or limiting definitions of his work. Best known as a member of the band Medeski Martin & Wood (MMW), he’s spent the past three-plus decades making experimental, boundary-pushing, and uncategorizable instrumental jazz-funk-groove music, shaping sounds that feel as expansive as they are definitive and distinctive. Across all his artistic output, Martin continually, meditatively searches for harmony. He is also a composer, a teacher, a visual artist, and a builder and craftsman. His expansive creative practice comes most alive at his home in Englewood, New Jersey, where he has cultivated a bamboo garden, crafted his own Japanese-style teahouse, and constructed a music studio. Martin is someone for whom rhythm is not just something heard, but also seen and felt.On the episode, he talks about his MMW journey at length, his concept of “rhythmic harmony,” and why he views sound creation as a sacred act.Special thanks to our Season 11 presenting sponsor, Van Cleef & Arpels.Show notes:Billy Martin[7:31] Medeski Martin & Wood[7:31] John Medeski[7:31] Chris Wood[7:31] “Not Not Jazz” (2024)[10:12] Iggy Pop’s “Avenue B” (1999)[10:12] Don Was[11:27] “The Lover” (1995)[11:27] “Friday Afternoon in the Universe” (1995)[11:27] “Old Angel Midnight” (1973) by Jack Kerouac[13:44] Ra-Kalam Bob Moses[13:44] John Scofield[13:44] David Baker[15:57] “Shuck It Up” (1993)[15:57] “It’s a Jungle in Here” (1993)[18:12] “Latin Shuffle” (1998)[18:12] “Combustication” (1998)[18:12] Frankie Malabe[18:12] Art Blakey[33:25] Thelonious Monk[33:58] “Life on Drums” (2011)[38:32] John Bonham[38:32] Charlie Watts[38:32] Stewart Copeland[38:32] Elvin Jones[38:32] Max Roach[38:32] Danny Richmond[38:32] Charles Mingus[38:32] Jack DeJohnette[38:32] Joe Morello[38:32] Roy Haynes[38:32] Stan Getz[38:32] Airto Moreira[38:32] Naná Vasconcelos[38:32] Babatunde Olatunji[39:58] Gus Johnson[39:58] “Whatever Happened to Gus” (1998)[39:58] Steve Cannon[40:54] “Chubb Sub” (1995)[40:54] ”Uncle Chubb” (1992)[46:41] “Shack-man” (1996)[47:06] “Drumming Birds” (2004)[54:48] “Bamboo Rainsticks” (1999)[54:48] Amulet Records[1:00:23] Creative Music Studio

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