Author and podcast host Malcolm Gladwell immigrated to Canada when he was young, the child of an English father and Jamaican mother. He’s always felt like an outsider. He hated maple syrup, in a town that hosts the largest one-day maple syrup festival in the world. That outsider’s perspective served him well as he became a cultural observer, and over the years, Malcolm’s trained his critical eye on food. He calls flavored seltzer “an abomination” and Earl Grey tea “a bridge too far.” He also talks with Dan about his food-related work, from what chunky tomato sauce says about our food preferences, to the supposed merits of appropriating food, and he explains why he only drinks five liquids.

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Johanna Mayer, Tracey Samuelson, and Jared O'Connell.

Transcript available at www.sporkful.com.